The Gilmore Guide to Books

Connecting Books and Readers One Review at a Time

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Genre
  • Podcast
  • Policies
    • Review Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy

All the Beauty in the World

March 10, 2023

beauty

Patrick Bringley is in his 20s and working at his dream job at The New Yorker magazine when a tragedy strikes his family that leaves him unable to give the job what it requires. His grief is such that he quits, looking for a way to make money, but also to escape. All the Beauty in the World is his memoir about how his job as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which was ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: art, memoir, New York City

January Reading Wrap-Up

February 2, 2023

january

What a month! By and large January had mostly great reading, but there were some real misses. I reviewed the books I enjoyed so this recap is going to be a bit less upbeat with the books I didn’t love. One in particular is a heartbreaker.   Either I read far too much or Reef Road was not the thriller for me because I can’t remember much about it at all. Set in Palm ... Read More...

10 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: literary, memoir, mini-reviews, mystery, vacation reading

I’m Glad My Mom Died

January 25, 2023

I'm glad

How to review a memoir with a title so jarring I felt bad for even looking at it? Especially as my mother has always been one of the biggest supporters of my writing and reads every review (Hi, Mom, I love you!). Here goes. Jennette McCurdy was a child actor on a popular Nickelodeon show called iCarly. Now in her mid-thirties she’s released her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died. The ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: book clubs, childhood, debut, Hollywood, memoir, pop culture

The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness

January 16, 2023

invisible

I don’t often discuss personal issues in this blog, but for those of you who have been around long enough, you know I have multiple sclerosis. Recently, I read a book that resonated so deeply with me I knew it could have the same impact on other readers. The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness by Meghan O’Rourke  is a memoir of sorts about the slippery, nasty nature ... Read More...

9 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: book clubs, health, medical, memoir

Best Books of 2022

December 29, 2022

best books

  I’m going to cut to the chase: it was a challenging year for my reading. Not due to a lack of options, I just lost my reading mojo for a while. However, there were 8 books that broke through my broken brain and gave me all the pleasure I look for in my reading. If you got gift cards for Christmas, buying any of these will ensure book happiness. There’s no particular ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, favorite books, historical fiction, memoir

The Year of the Horses: A Memoir

August 17, 2022

horses

Courtney Maum’s memoir opens with a scene of a young daughter refusing her mother’s help to put on her socks despite the fact that they’re going to be late for an appointment. Maum is the mother and her frustration, veering into internal rage and the immediate weight of guilt, is so well-written my jaw clenched reading it and I don’t even have children. The book is called The ... Read More...

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: book clubs, marriage, memoir, motherhood, women, writers' lives

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 15
  • Next Page »
  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram
  • Substack

Save time and subscribe via email

No time to keep checking for new reviews? Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. No spam!

Bookshop

Currently Reading

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
by Emily Nagoski
The Dutch House
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
by Adrienne Brodeur

goodreads.com

Affiliate Disclosure

I’m an affiliate for Bookshop. If you click on a link that takes you to their site and make a purchase I’ll earn a small fee, which goes towards the costs of maintaining this site. Your support is appreciated. Thank you!

Archives

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Theme Design By Studio Mommy · Copyright © 2026

Copyright © 2026 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in