Sarah's Bookshelves Live

In Episode 84, Paula McLain (author of  When the Stars Go Dark ) shares why decided to break from her previous style now, how nervous she was through the publication process, and her research into childhood trauma. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Why Paula decided to break from her historical fict...

In Episode 83, Susie Boutry ( @NovelVisits ) and I share our favorite books that missed last year's Summer Reading Guides, books for people who have time to dig into something big in the summer, and our #1 picks for the four of the five categories featured in  Sarah's 2021 Summer Reading Guide . This post contains affiliate links (plus: here's your  Amazon Smile-specific affiliate link ), through...

In Episode 82, JoAnne Tompkins (author of the debut novel  What Comes After ) shares how her previous career inspired her to write this story, the real-life case that partially inspired the book, and how she wrote a character-driven novel that was also a page turner. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlight...

In Episode 81, audiobook narrator Julia Whelan goes behind the scenes of narrating audiobooks. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights How Julia started narrating audiobooks and a bit about her career path. How Julia got her breakout job narrating  Gone Girl . How Julia typically gets hired to narrate an...

Welcome to the Spring 2021 Book Preview with Catherine of  Gilmore Guide to Books ! Catherine and I share our most anticipated books coming out April – May 2021 (plus, 2 June 1 releases!). Also, stay tuned for my Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2021 blog post, which is coming out soon. I'll share some of the books I talked about in this podcast, but also some that I didn't! This post contains aff...

Welcome to the first Winter 2021 Circle Back Episode with Catherine of  Gilmore Guide to Books ! In the Winter 2021 Book Preview (Ep. 73), Catherine and I shared our most anticipated books coming out January – March 2021. But, we often haven't read the books we share in the Preview Episodes. So, in this new series, we will "circle back" to update you on all the books we presented in the previous s...

In Episode 78, Catherine Gilmore ( @gilmoreguide ) and I go deep into our backlists to share some of our favorite older books we haven't talked about in a long time! This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Catherine's take on why classics are so long. A book that totally shocked both of us when we read it...

In Episode 77, Syed M. Masood (author of  The Bad Muslim Discount ) joins me to talk about the evolution of  The Bad Muslim Discount , writing about serious topics with humor, and what it's like the publish 3 books in 18 months. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Syed's inspiration for  The Bad Musli...

In Episode 76, Laura Tremaine (author of  Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First.  and host of  10 Things to Tell You  podcast) joins me to talk about why women in mid-life have trouble sharing, how she chose the 10 prompts in her book, how her book club chooses the books they read, and how her reading has been recently. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you...

In this special bonus episode, I share 4 new benefits for podcast patrons and listeners get to hear my February 2021 Book Recommendations episode, which is normally only available to patrons. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Patron Benefits (including 4 New Benefits) Support the podcast on Patreon  here ! For...

In Episode 75, Ashley Audrain (author of  The Push ) joined me to talk about society's expectations of mothers, how her publishing background influenced an early draft of The Push, and what it's like to read and write dark stores. This post contains affiliate links (plus: here's your  Amazon Smile-specific affiliate link ), through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no co...

In Episode 74, Sara Hildreth from @fictionmatters and the Novel Pairings Podcast shares her experience judging the Aspen Words literary prize. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Whether publishers stuck to the stated mission of the prize when they submitted books. The role of the Reading Committee an...

Catherine and I share our most anticipated books coming out January – March 2021. Also, stay tuned for my Most Anticipated Books of Winter 2021 blog post, which is coming out soon. I'll share some of the books I talked about in this podcast, but also some that I didn't! This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highli...

In Episode 72, Catherine Gilmore (@gilmoreguide) and I share the best backlist books we read in 2020 and the high priority backlist books on our TBR lists. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Announcements Sarah's 2020 Holiday Gift Guide 2021 Rock Your Reading Tracker Highlights Catherine and my 2020 backlist re...

In Episode 71, Susie Boutry ( @NovelVisits ) and I share our favorite 2020 books (overall and by genre) and our picks for tons of bookish superlatives. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Announcements Sarah's 2020 Holiday Gift Guide 2021 Rock Your Reading Tracker Highlights 2020 Podcast Overview (including favo...

In Episode 70, Claire Handscombe from  Libro.fm  joins me to talk about  Libro.fm , tips for audiobook listeners, and shares a TON of fantastic audiobook recommendations. Special Offer for New $5/month Patrons  ( sign up here ) Libro.fm  is offering 1 free audiobook credit to anyone who signs up to  support Sarah's Bookshelves on Patreon  during the month of November! Plus, we've got some fun thin...

In Episode 69, Peace Adzo Medie (author of  His Only Wife ) talks about why she decided to use fiction to speak out about gender politics, the importance of women asserting themselves, and when first started writing (it was when she was very young!). Please note that this episode was recorded before  His Only Wife  was announced as  Reese's Book Club's October pick . This post contains affiliate l...

In Episode 68, Eilene Zimmerman (author of  Smacked ) shares how she decided to go public with her experience discovering her ex-husband was addicted to drugs, her research into addiction in the legal profession, and how Peter's death shaped Eilene's life now. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights How E...

In Episode 67, Kelly Jensen of  Book Riot  shares what she learned from a survey of librarians about how they're managing through COVID-19, ripple effects of COVID-19 on libraries moving forward, and the huge cost differential for libraries to acquire digital books (e-books and audiobooks) vs. print books. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a...

In Episode 66, Kate Stayman-London (author of  One to Watch ) talks about how The Bachelor / ette franchise inspired her book, diversity in the franchise, and shares her biggest fear before her book came out. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights How Kate got from writing for Hillary Clinton to writing...

Catherine and I share our most anticipated books coming out August – December 2020. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Catherine and my success rate for books we shared in our Summer 2020 Preview episode. Why our ability to pick books feels off right now. Our Best and Worst picks from the Summer 2020...

Catherine Adel West (author of Saving Ruby King ) talks about how she found her agent, the strong women of  Saving Ruby King , and how she decided to make the church a narrator. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights How different her first draft was from the final book. The story of how she found an age...

I'm sharing a quick update about a few changes to expect with the podcast when it comes back on the air on August 19. And, I'm sharing the high-level survey results that drove some of these changes. Eliminate the Rate It Game (and replace with a closing question I ask every guest).  Add quarterly special episodes with a recurring guest host (in addition to the Previews)...that focus mostly on back...

In Episode 63, Helen Dea Bala (author of  Craigslist Confessional ) shares why she started  Craigslist Confessional , how she decided to quit her job to pursue  Craigslist Confessional  full-time, and shares her own story of immigrating to the U.S. from Albania. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Announcement ...

In Episode 62, Morgan Hoit (Associate Marketing Manager at Avid Reader Press & @nycbookgirl) and I go behind-the-scenes of book marketing…including read-alikes, celebrity book clubs, author blurbs, and cover art. Morgan also shares some of her favorite memoirs, a genre she's been loving lately. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at...