Sarah's Bookshelves Live

For Episode 206, fellow podcaster Jason Blitman, host of the  Gays Reading  podcast, joins Sarah to go behind the scenes of producing book festivals. They talk about how he came to reading later in his life and how his journey as a reader led him to his current role. Also, they discuss how he approaches author interviews. Plus, Jason shares his book recommendations.  This post contains affiliate l...

Welcome to the Fall 2025 Book Preview with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books !   Today, Catherine and Sarah share 14 of their most anticipated books releasing 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. Announcement One of the m...

In Episode 204, Sarah and Catherine of  Gilmore Guide to Books  catch up on the 12 new releases they shared in the  Summer 2025 Book Preview , now that they've read them — or at least tried to!  They share their reading stats, chat about what worked — and discuss which books didn't work and why.    This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase...

In Episode 203, Gayle Weiswasser, co-founder of  Wonderland Books , an independent bookstore in Bethesda, Maryland, returns to the podcast with Sarah for a one-year check-in on the shop's journey. From holiday-season chaos to surprising customer favorites, Gayle shares what worked, what didn't, and why she still handpicks every title on the shelves — plus the biggest lessons (and mistakes) from ye...

In Episode 202, Susie ( @NovelVisits ) and Sarah explore some of their new favorite Micro Genres. Since starting the Micro Genres series, they've loved taking the opportunity each year to examine and define their tastes in these sub-sub-genres. This year, they have curated a list of 10 all-new Micro Genres, along with notable books for each category. With over 80 books mentioned, this is another y...

In Episode 201, author Lidija Hilje talks with Sarah about her debut novel,  Slanting Towards the Sea . Spanning two decades and one transformative summer in Croatia,  Slanting Towards the Sea  is a love story that also delves into the profound journey of coming of age in a nation younger than you are. Lidija shares lots of details about how this book came to be and the inspiration for the story a...

Welcome to the 200th episode of Sarah's Bookshelves Live with a very special   celebration with both co-hosts: Susie ( @NovelVisits ) and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books . Today, they are answering listener-submitted questions all about their reading journeys, their podcast journeys, and some about their pre-podcast blogging days! This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small...

In Ep. 199, Susie Boutry ( @NovelVisits ), Catherine Gilmore ( @GilmoreGuide ), and Sarah are all back on the mic, ready to catch up on how their reading is shaping up for 2025 — so far!  They talk about the current publishing landscape, what books are topping bestseller lists to date, and their personal reading as it stands halfway through the year. They share reading stats and talk about expecta...

Ep. 198 is the second episode of our brand-new "Best of…" series. Anderson McKean of  Page & Palette Bookstore  joined me for the Best of Thrillers, with her all-time TOP TEN favorite thriller novels…and, a couple buzzy thrillers that didn't work for her.⁠ Also, Anderson talks about how she started reading thrillers, the wide variety available in the genre, and books from her list that would be pe...

Welcome to the Summer 2025 Book Preview with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books !   Today, Catherine and Sarah share 12 of their most anticipated books releasing from 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. Announcement One of the man...

In Episode 196, Sarah and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books catch up on the 12 new releases they shared in the Spring 2025 Book Preview , now that they've read them. They share their reading stats, chat about what worked — and hash out which books didn't work and why.  This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK...

In Ep. 195, Susie ( @NovelVisits ) and Sarah are back to share their favorite books that missed last year's Summer Reading Guide and our #1 picks for each category featured in my 2025 Summer Reading Guide . Plus, they begin by sharing how their summer reading habits have evolved over the years. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at...

In Ep. 194, Catherine ( @GilmoreGuide ) and Sarah head back to the year 2017 in the book world with this second annual special retrospective episode!  They share big bookish highlights for that year, including book news, award winners, and what was going on in the world outside of reading. They also talk about how their own 2017 reading shook out, including their favorite 2017 releases.  Plus, a q...

In Episode 193, author Clare Leslie Hall talks with Sarah about her US debut,  Broken Country  — a breakout hit and a  Reese's Book Club pick . A genre mash-up that is part love story and part murder trial, Clare talks about marketing Broken Country, how this came to be her first U.S. release, and the ways the novel evolved over time. Plus, Clare shares her book recommendations. This post contains...

Welcome to the Spring 2025 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. Announcement Sarah's Bookshelves has jo...

In Episode 191, Sarah and Catherine of  Gilmore Guide to Books  catch up on the 16 new releases they shared in the  Winter 2025 Book Preview . They share their reading stats, chat about what they liked, and what didn't work out.  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 th...

In Episode 190, author Georgia Hunter returns to the podcast to chat with Sarah about her sophomore novel,  One Good Thing ,  and go behind-the-scenes of her experience adapting her first novel,  We Were the Lucky Ones , for Hulu.  Georgia talks about her role as executive producer, the difference in writing a novel that wasn't based on family history, and how the screenwriting process influenced...

In Episode 189, author Karen Thompson Walker talks with Sarah about her career to date and her newest novel,  The Strange Case of Jane O.  Karen discusses her writing journey, including each book's inspiration and research process. She also touches on the challenges of promoting her latest book without giving away too much and her current work in progress. Plus, Karen shares her book recommendatio...

In Ep. 188, we are kicking off our new "Best of…" series with Sarah's Bookshelves Live team member, Chrissie, for the Best of Fantasy. Today, Chrissie brings you her all-time top ten favorite fantasy novels. Also, as a long-time reader and evangelizer of the genre, Chrissie talks about how she started reading fantasy, the wide scope of the genre, and ways those new to fantasy might jump in! This p...

In Ep. 187, Kathleen Schmidt, author of the popular Substack newsletter, Publishing Confidential , joins Sarah to dissect and discuss the State of the Publishing Industry in 2024. Between a high-level look back, talk about the top sales and book trends, to what Kathleen sees on the horizon for 2025 in the book world, this episode is packed with info. Also, Kathleen shares her favorite books of 202...

In Episode 186, Catherine ( @GilmoreGuide ) and Sarah share the best backlist books they read in 2024. 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 now an annual tradition at  Sarah's Bookshelves Live  — a team and listener favorite!  This post contain...

Welcome to the Winter 2025 Book Preview with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books !   Today, Catherine and Sarah share 16 of their most anticipated books releasing 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 One of the many benef...

In Episode 184, Susie ( @NovelVisits ) and I close out the year with our Best Books of 2024 Genre Awards. We reveal our Overall Best Books (Fiction and Nonfiction) and our full breakdown by genre, including: Best Literary Fiction, Best Romance, Best Brain Candy, Best Genre Mash-Up, and more! Plus, we're sharing the winners for these same genres as chosen by the Sarah's Bookshelves Live Patreon com...

In this Bonus Podcast Episode, Al Woodworth, Senior Editor and Manager at Amazon Books Editorial, returns to the show to take listeners behind the scenes of Amazon's  Best Books of 2024, as chosen by the Amazon Editors !  A fascinating glimpse into how the 2024 list was curated, how the rankings were determined, and what criteria guided the selections.  This post contains affiliate links through w...

In Ep. 183, we're starting the wrap-up of 2024 with the first of our two year-end episodes: Best Books of 2024 Superlatives with Susie ( @NovelVisits ). In this episode, we're sharing our top books of the year across over 25 Superlative categories, including Most Deserving of the Hype , Best Pairing , an " Eat My Words " book, Most Memorable Cast of Characters , and so much more! This post contain...