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 Adults Here

May 11, 2020

adults

Astrid Strick is in downtown Clapham where she’s lived for most of her life, when she witnesses a school bus hitting and killing a woman she knows. A tragic death like this could be the focus of most novels, but instead it is the pebble in the pond that creates the widening ripples of life in All Adults Here. We don’t learn much more about Barbara, the dead woman, but she ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: family, literary, Riverhead Books

If I Had Your Face

April 29, 2020

face

  I would live your life so much better than you if I had your face. Last week, I visited historical Korea when I read Pachinko. I learned so much about the country, but once again, fiction is taking me into an aspect of Korea I had no idea existed. I know about the South Korean beauty business. It’s highly innovative with yummy products. What I didn’t know is the ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: cultural, debut, literary, Riverhead Books, Southeast Asia

We Wish You Luck

January 27, 2020

wish you luck

When Hannah, Leslie, and Jimmy arrive at Fielding for the school’s MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) program they don’t know each other. Their backgrounds are wildly different as are the backgrounds of the 14 other people in their class. But in less than two weeks they’ll be bonded together in ways none of them could have imagined. They are the center of Caroline Zancan’s debut novel, ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, literary, New England, Riverhead Books

Long Bright River

January 13, 2020

long bright

Mickey has been a Philadelphia police officer for 13 years. She’s got the brains and the experience to become a detective, but stays as a patrol cop in a neighborhood called Kensington. A high crime area where the yearly overdose deaths top 900. Why? Because it’s the only way she can keep track of her baby sister Kacey, an addict who sells sex to pay for her habit. Only now, as ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: crime, family, mystery, Riverhead Books, social issues, suspense

A Prayer for Travelers

July 15, 2019

prayer

Cale doesn’t have a lot of people in her life. In fact, there’s only one since her mother left her in a hospital room when she was an infant. Her grandfather, a quiet old man who has no experience with children, who takes her to casinos while he gambles, but whose face, voice, and familiar smells are all she knows of love. It’s a small life in nowheresville Nevada until she ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: coming-of-age, debut, literary, Riverhead Books

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

June 3, 2019

city

Anyway, at some point in a woman's life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time. After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is. If you read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, Big Magic, you know she offers an unusual perspective on the creative process. Namely, that, beyond the discipline of writing every day there is a spiritual component—as in characters or ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, historical fiction, New York City, Riverhead Books, women

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 7
  • 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 © 2025

Copyright © 2025 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in