Sarah's Bookshelves Live

Author Deesha Philyaw joins Sarah to discuss her debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman . Deesha first started writing this book more than 20 years ago, before her short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies , became a National Book Award finalist. She shares the journey of bringing this novel to life, the women who inspired its characters, and how the story (and its...

Elizabeth Barnhill of Fabled Bookshop joins Sarah for the latest installment of the "Best of…" series to share her ALL-TIME TOP TEN historical fiction novels, plus a few popular picks that didn't work for her. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights E...

Sarah and Chrissie ( @ChrissieWhitley ) dig into their very different relationships with big books, from what counts as "big" and knowing when the moment is right to what makes a long book worth the extra pages. They also share some of their favorite big books — and a few they wish had been shorter. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase...

Sarah and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books are back with 16 of their most anticipated books publishing from mid-August through December. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Want More Book Preview Picks? Paid members of our Patreon Community or our Substac...

Sarah and Catherine circle back to the 12 new releases they shared in the Summer 2026 Book Preview , now that they've read them — or at least tried to!  Find out which books worked, which didn't, and whether their most anticipated summer reads lived up to expectations. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HE...

In Episode 232, Sarah is joined by returning guest Anderson McKean of Page & Palette Bookstore for the 2026 edition of Micro Genres! Each year, this series gives us a chance to niche down even further into the kinds of books we love — spotlighting those very specific sub-sub-genres that capture a particular reading taste. This year, Sarah and Anderson have 10 all-new Micro Genres to share, along w...

In Episode 231, Al Woodworth (Amazon Senior Editor) returns to the show to discuss  Amazon's Best Books of 2026 So Far . They break down this year's list, discuss the books that rose to the top, and explore how the Amazon Books editorial team selected, debated, and ultimately ranked this year's Top 20. Plus, Al shares her personal book recommendations! This post contains affiliate links through wh...

In Episode 230, Sarah chats with Kevin Hazzard about his new book,  No One's Coming , the true story of the daring mission to rescue two Americans infected with Ebola during the 2014 West African outbreak. They discuss the unlikely team behind the unprecedented operation, the challenges of telling a real-life story with the pacing of a thriller, and what Kevin learned about the ordinary people who...

In Episode 229, Sarah talks with Laura B. McGrath about her new book, Middlemen , and the behind-the-scenes role literary agents play in publishing. They discuss what agents actually do, how they shape an author's career, the hype surrounding debut novels, and what Laura learned while researching one of publishing's least visible professions. Plus, Laura shares her book recommendations. This post...

In Episode 228, Sarah, Catherine ( @GilmoreGuide ), and Chrissie ( @ChrissieWhitley ) take stock of the reading year so far, discussing the books, publishing trends, and industry chatter that have defined the first half of 2026. They dive into the biggest publishing stories of the year, the rise of "cozy everything," the continued influence of self-publishing and book-to-screen success stories, an...

In Episode 227, Sarah talks with book industry analyst Brenna Connor about the behind-the-scenes world of book sales, bestseller lists, and publishing trends. Brenna shares insight into how sales data is gathered and used across the publishing industry, from tracking pre-orders and audiobooks to measuring the impact of celebrity book clubs and award recognition. They also discuss what makes a book...

Welcome to the Summer 2026 Book Preview with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books !   Today, Sarah and Catherine share 12 of their most anticipated books releasing in June through mid – August.   This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Announcements One of the ma...

In Episode 225, Sarah and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books catch up on the 12 new releases they shared in the Spring 2026 Book Preview, now that they've read them — or at least tried to!  They share their reading stats and discuss which books worked and which didn't…and why.   This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!...

In Episode 224, Sarah, Catherine ( @GilmoreGuide ) and Chrissie ( @ChrissieWhitley ) celebrate the release of the 2026 Summer Reading Guide with a special behind-the-scenes conversation about putting this year's guide together. Catherine and Chrissie share what it was like participating in the guide for the first time, from the reading process to narrowing down their final picks, while Sarah talks...

May is upon us and that means Summer Reading season is just about here! The 2026 Summer Reading Guide went through a lot of changes this year, so I'm coming to you a bit early to walk through all the details. CLICK HERE for the full Show Notes on the blog. The 2026 Summer Reading Guide is launching this coming Tuesday, May 12! And, our Summer Reading Special podcast episode will air the following...

Going back ten years to 2016, Sarah and Catherine Gilmore ( @GilmoreGuide ) dive into the annual Bookish Time Capsule episode and revisit the book world from that year. They cover big bookish highlights — from the buzziest books of the year to the award winners — along with what was happening in the wider world at the time. They also look back at their own reading from 2016, including their favori...

In Episode 222, Sarah talks with authors Jennifer Marie Thorne and Lee Kelly about their latest co-written novel,  The Midnight Show . Set in the world of 1980s late-night comedy, the book is told in a documentary / oral history format that traces the rise of a breakout star — and the mystery surrounding her disappearance. They talk about how they developed a cast of characters shaped by both real...

Welcome to the Spring 2026 Book Preview with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books !   Today, Catherine and Sarah share 12 of their most anticipated books releasing in April and May.   This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Announcements A preview of changes to t...

In Episode 220, Sarah and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books catch up on the 16 new releases they shared in the Winter 2026 Book Preview , now that they've read them — or at least tried to!  They share their reading stats and discuss which books worked and which didn't…and why.   This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you...

In Episode 219, Sarah talks with author T Kira Madden about her debut novel, Whidbey . A dark, atmospheric story that explores the long reach of violence and the lack of recourse many victims face, Whidbey tackles difficult themes including sexual abuse, stalking, and the ways narratives around these crimes are shaped by media and public perception. Sarah and T Kira discuss the inspiration behind...

In Episode 218, Sarah chats with Enneagram author, speaker, and podcaster Sarajane Case about Reading Through the Enneagram. After a brief introduction to the Enneagram and how it differs from other personality systems, they dive into how Enneagram types show up in our reading lives — from guessing an author's type to rethinking our own habits as readers. Sarajane walks through the nine types, sha...

In Episode 217, Sarah chats with author Christine Kuehn about her memoir,  Family of Spies , and the thirty-year journey that led her to uncover a long-buried family secret. Christine shares how the story first entered her life, the decades-long research process behind reconstructing her father's past, and what it meant to weave her own discovery into the historical narrative surrounding her famil...

Episode 216 continues the Best of… series with a deep dive into the horror genre. Meredith Monday Schwartz of the Currently Reading podcast joins the show to discuss her all-time Top Ten favorite horror books, along with a few buzzy titles that didn't quite work for her. Meredith also talks about how she came to the genre and the wide range of reading experiences horror has to offer. This post con...

In Episode 215, Sarah and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books share the best backlist books they read in 2025. They discuss their top 5 backlist books from last year, highlight some underrated backlist gems, and review their backlist reading statistics. Devoting an entire episode to backlist reading is both a team and listener favorite annual tradition!  This post contains affiliate links through...

Welcome to the Winter 2026 Book Preview with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books !   Today, Catherine and Sarah share 16 of their most anticipated books releasing from January through March.   This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Announcement The 2026 Reading...