Stay ConnectedSarah’s Bookshelves Live is a bi-weekly show featuring real talk about books and book recommendations from a featured guest. Each week, Sarah of the blog Sarah’s Bookshelves will talk with her guest about:
– 2 OLD BOOKS THEY LOVE
– 2 NEW BOOKS THEY LOVE
– 1 BOOK THEY DON’T LOVE
– AND 1 NEW RELEASE THEY’RE EXCITED ABOUT
I’m getting real about all things books and serving you up a bit of snark on the side.
Copyright: © Sarah Dickinson | Sarah's Bookshelves
In Episode 90, Megan Abbott (author of The Turnout) shares how she chooses the worlds she writes about, the expectations of women in sports, and how she researches the worlds she writes about.
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HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T LOVE
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Megan Abbott is the Edgar-winning author of the novels The Turnout, Give Me Your Hand, You Will Know Me, The Fever, Dare Me, The End of Everything, Bury Me Deep, Queenpin, The Song Is You and Die a Little.
Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, and The Believer. Her stories have appeared in multiple collections, including the Best American Mystery Stories of 2014 and 2016.
Her work has won or been nominated for the CWA Steel Dagger, the International Thriller Writers Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and five Edgar awards. Formerly a staff writer on HBO's David Simon show, The Deuce, she is now co-creator, executive producer and show-runner of Dare Me, based upon her novel, for the USA Network and, internationally, Netflix.
Born in the Detroit area, she graduated from the University of Michigan and received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University. She has taught at NYU, the State University of New York and the New School University. In 2013-14, she served as the John Grisham Writer in Residence at Ole Miss.
She is also the author of a nonfiction book, The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir, and the editor of A Hell of a Woman, an anthology of female crime fiction. She has been nominated for many awards, including three Edgar Awards, Hammett Prize, the Shirley Jackson Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Folio Prize.
In Episode 89, Elizabeth Barnhill (book buyer for Fabled Bookshop) goes behind the scenes about what it's like to buy books for an independent bookstore.
This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T LOVE
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Elizabeth Barnhill is the book buyer for Fabled Bookshop and Cafe located in Waco, TX. Originally from Alabama, she has lived in Texas for most of her life.
Elizabeth graduated from Baylor University and worked as a speech pathologist before landing her dream job reading books for a living when Fabled opened in 2019.
Elizabeth has been married for 25 years and has three kids in high school and college.
In Episode 88, Jesse Q. Sutanto (author of Dial A for Aunties) shares her family background, how she integrated it into her novel, and her family's reaction to the book.
This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T LOVE
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Jesse grew up going back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and consider both places my homes. She was fortunate enough to do my Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford, which is surely one of the most gorgeous places in the world.
She's passionate about women's rights and diversity in publishing. She regularly does giveaways where she critiques queries or the first few pages, and she's especially interested in helping writers from marginalized communities.
In Episode 87, Tia Williams (author of Seven Days in June) shares how she wrote such a meaty romance novel and what it's like to be an author with chronic pain.
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 cost to you!).
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
Two Authors She DIDN'T LOVE
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Tia began her career as a beauty editor at YM, Elle, Lucky, Glamour, and Essence. In 2004, her debut novel, The Accidental Diva hit shelves – and she went on to publish the It Chicks series and co-write Iman's The Beauty of Color. Tia's award-winning novel, The Perfect Find, is being adapted for a film starring Gabrielle Union for Netflix. Her latest novel, Seven Days in June (Grand Central Publishing), debuts in June 2021.
Currently an Editorial Director at Estee Lauder Companies, Tia lives in Brooklyn with her daughter and her husband.
I'm thrilled to share the first episode of what will be a new bonus podcast episode series for $5/mo patrons of the show. To hear these episodes every month, join the Sarah's Bookshelves Live Patreon Community!
BEYOND BOOKSTAGRAM is a bonus podcast series that highlights lesser known books that are not splashed all over Instagram (either backlist or under-the-radar newer books). A rotating featured patron shares 3 books she/he loves that are not splashed all over Bookstagram. And, I add my own commentary or research on the 3 books.
This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).
If you join our Patreon Community (sign up here!), you also get:
Kristi Phillips is a 46 year old pediatric nurse practitioner living in the Chicago suburbs. She's the mother of 3 kids ages 6-12. She reads pretty much anything except fantasy, science fiction, romance. Her favorite genres are literary fiction, literary mystery, memoir, and true crime. A couple of her all-time favorite books are: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne, and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. She doesn't mind crying when she reads!
Kristi's Beyond Bookstagram Recommendations [3:04]Catherine and I share our most anticipated books coming out June – July 2021.
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AnnouncementsJune
Sarah's Picks:
Catherine's Picks:
July
Sarah's Picks:
Catherine's Picks:
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Catherine started The Gilmore Guide to Books over 6 years ago after wrapping up a career as a corporate librarian. She loves books and reading (surprise!) and currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI.
In the Spring 2021 Book Preview (Ep. 80), Catherine and I shared our most anticipated books coming out April – May 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 season's Book Preview now that we've at least attempted to read them.
This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).
AnnouncementSarah's Picks:
April
Sarah's Picks:
Catherine's Picks:
May
Sarah's Picks:
Catherine's Picks:
June 1
Sarah's Pick:
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Catherine started The Gilmore Guide to Books over 6 years ago after wrapping up a career as a corporate librarian. She loves books and reading (surprise!) and currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI.
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!).
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T LOVE
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Paula McLain is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels, The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, and Love and Ruin. On April 13th, 2021 she introduces her latest title, When the Stars Go Dark.
Paula McLain was born in Fresno, California in 1965. After being abandoned by both parents, she and her two sisters became wards of the California Court System, moving in and out of various foster homes for the next fourteen years. When she aged out of the system, she supported herself by working as a nurses aid in a convalescent hospital, a pizza delivery girl, an auto-plant worker, a cocktail waitress–before discovering she could (and very much wanted to) write. She received her MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan in 1996.
She is the author of The Paris Wife, a New York Times and international bestseller, which has been published in thirty-four languages. The recipient of fellowships from Yaddo, The MacDowell Colony, the Cleveland Arts Prize, the Ohio Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, she is also the author of two collections of poetry; a memoir, Like Family, Growing up in Other People's Houses; and a first novel, A Ticket to Ride. She lives with her family in Cleveland.
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.
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Our Summer Reading Guides Books That Missed Last Year's Summer Reading Guides [4:12]Sarah
Susie
Sarah
Susie
Something Light / Fun
Something Intense / Fast-Paced
Something with a Bit More Substance
Something Different
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Susie has loved reading for as long as she can remember. Some of her fondest childhood memories involve long afternoons at the library and then reading late into the night. More than ten years ago, she began journaling about the books I read and turned that passion into writing about books. Her first forays were as a guest reviewer on a friend's blog, but she soon realized she wanted to be reviewing and talking about books on a blog of my own. From there, Novel Visits was born. That was in 2016 and, though the learning curve was steep, she loves being a part of the book community. Novel Visits focuses on new novel reviews (print and audio), previews of upcoming releases, and musings on all things bookish.
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!).
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T LOVE
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
JoAnne Tompkins is the author of WHAT COMES AFTER, published April 2021 by Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Her first career as a trial lawyer and mediator immersed her in lives disrupted by conflict, injury, and far too often violence and abuse. Yet, she discovered in many a resiliency and passion for life that continues to move her. Her written work explores the small moments that hold the possibility of transformation and for finding grace in life's darkest times. Her short work has appeared in journals such as High Country News, Lithub, Writer in the World, Stratus: Journal of Arts and Writing. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. She lives in Port Townsend, Washington.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
