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 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 reading stats. Things that motivate Catherine and I to read more backlist throughout the year. The pressure Catherine and I sometimes feel to read mostly new releases (which inhibits our backlist reading). The Top 5 Backlist Books We Read in 2020 [9:55] Sarah Know My Name by Chanel Miller (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [10:06] Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh | Buy from Amazon [13:17] Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb | Buy from Amazon [17:02] I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [20:19] American Predator by Maureen Callahan (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [25:02] Catherine Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (My Review)| Buy from Amazon [11:23] The Road by Cormac McCarthy | Buy from Amazon [14:32] American Royals by Katharine McGee | Buy from Amazon [18:11] The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman | Buy from Amazon [22:08] All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg (My Review) | Buy from Amazon[26:33] 2020 Backlist Underrated Gems [29:07] Sarah The Elephant in the Room by Tommy Tomlinson (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [29:14] My Times Among the Whites by Jennine Capo Crucet | Buy from Amazon [33:16] Catherine The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao | Buy from Amazon [31:20] The Unraveling of Mercy Louis by Keija Parssinen (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [34:45] Big Name Backlist Books We Finally Read in 2020 [36:57] Sarah Mystic River by Dennis Lehane (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [37:07] Evicted by Matthew Desmond (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [39:14] Catherine Blowout by Rachel Maddow | Buy from Amazon [38:16] Pachinko by Min Jin Lee | Buy from Amazon [40:19] Authors Whose Backlist We've Been Meaning to Dig Into [41:46] Sarah The Girls of Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe | Buy from Amazon [41:59] Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett| Buy from Amazon [44:16] Catherine The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson | Buy from Amazon [43:03] Case Histories by Kate Atkinson| Buy from Amazon [45:54] High Priority Backlist Books on our TBR Lists [46:58] Sarah Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke | Buy from Amazon [47:01] Kindred by Octavia Butler | Buy from Amazon [48:01] The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro | Buy from Amazon [49:39] The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen | Buy from Amazon [51:01] Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow | Buy from Amazon [52:36] Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff | Buy from Amazon [53:03] Catherine The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan | Buy from Amazon [47:32] Philistines at the Hedgerow by Steven Gaines | Buy from Amazon [48:32] The Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon | Buy from Amazon [50:15] The Story of the Great British Bake Off by Anita Singh | Buy from Amazon [51:58] Another City, Not My Own by Dominick Dunne | Buy from Amazon [53:16] Other Books Mentioned Majesty by Katharine McGee (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [19:06] Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [22:36] Mindhunter by John E. Douglas | Buy from Amazon [25:59] The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule | Buy from Amazon [26:07] All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg (My Review)| Buy from Amazon [26:33] Writers and Lovers by Lily King (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [26:59] Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan | Buy from Amazon [32:15] Miracle Creek by Angie Kim (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [37:31] Long Bright River by Liz Moore (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [37:31] The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [42:09] Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson | Buy from Amazon [43:59] Life After Life by Kate Atkinson | Buy from Amazon [45:55] Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke | Buy from Amazon [47:27] Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro | Buy from Amazon [50:00] The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen | Buy from Amazon [51:22] She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey | Buy from Amazon [52:36] The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [53:03] Other Links "Hijacked by Grief", The Guardian (editorial by Lucy Grealy's sister) About Catherine Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 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.
Full show notes at the publisherIn 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 favorite and most downloaded episodes) Overview of our reading years (including the impact of COVID-19) Favorite books of 2020 (trends, overall, by genre) 2020 Superlative Awards Our Favorite Books of 2020 (Overall and by Genre) [19:31] Sarah Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [20:00] Untamed by Glennon Doyle (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [22:30] The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [24:15] The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [25:36] The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [27:19] Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [29:34] One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [30:07] Long Bright River by Liz Moore (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [32:17] The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [33:27] Craigslist Confessional by Helena Dea Bala (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [34:42] We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [34:42] Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey | Buy from Amazon [39:02] Smacked by Eilene Zimmerman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon (My Review) [39:18] This is My America by Kim Johnson | Buy from Amazon [40:23] Susie The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab | Buy from Amazon [20:41] A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett | Buy from Amazon [23:26] The Night Swim by Megan Goldin (Susie's Spoiler Discussion) | Buy from Amazon [24:43] Godshot by Chelsea Bieker | Buy from Amazon [26:18] The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [27:56] Writers and Lovers by Lily King (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [28:45] The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez | Buy from Amazon [31:16] Greenwood by Michael Christie | Buy from Amazon [34:48] Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [36:55] Open Book by Jessica Simpson (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [39:42] Majesty by Katharine McGee | Buy from Amazon [41:52] A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet | Buy from Amazon [43:39] Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Buy from Amazon [44:37] 2020 Superlatives [45:01] Sarah The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [45:16] Running by Natalia Sylvester (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [45:55] We Wish You Luck by Caroline Zancan (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [47:01] The Searcher by Tana French (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [48:58] Sea Wife by Amity Gaige (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [50:27] Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [53:01] The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [53:32] Deacon King Kong by James McBride | Buy from Amazon [54:27] Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Buy from Amazon [54:27] A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [54:27] Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel | Buy from Amazon [54:27] Eat a Peach by David Chang | Buy from Amazon [56:18] Stray by Stephanie Danler (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [57:32] Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Buy from Amazon [57:32] The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [58:37] Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Buy from Amazon [58:37] The Boys' Club by Erica Katz (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [01:00:03] The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [01:01:33] The Office by Andy Greene (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [01:02:06] A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett | Buy from Amazon [01:06:15] The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim | Buy from Amazon [01:06:25] Caste by Isabel Wilkerson | Buy from Amazon [01:06:38] Susie Perfect Tunes by Emily Gould (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [45:27] 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand | Buy from Amazon [46:25] Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore | Buy from Amazon [47:29] Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Buy from Amazon [48:23] Anxious People by Fredrick Backman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [49:38] Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [51:52] Want by Lynn Steger Strong (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [52:19] Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore | Buy from Amazon [53:21] Writers and Lovers by Lily King (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [54:09] The Guest List by Lucy Foley | Buy from Amazon [55:17] Pretty Things by Janelle Brown | Buy from Amazon [55:17] When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole | Buy from Amazon [55:17] 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand | Buy from Amazon [55:47] Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [57:38] Memorial by Bryan Washington (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [58:11] The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [58:11] Smacked by Eilene Zimmerman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [59:39] The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [01:01:33] The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez | Buy from Amazon [01:02:59] A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [01:03:11] Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [01:03:46] Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo | Buy from Amazon [01:04:58] Other Books Mentioned Beach Read by Emily Henry | Buy from Amazon [14:36] The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [24:26] The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [25:50] The Mothers by Brit Bennett (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [28:34] In Cold Blood by Truman Capote | Buy from Amazon [36:18] The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen | Buy from Amazon [36:18] Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt | Buy from Amazon [36:18] Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi | Buy from Amazon [37:05] American Royals by Katharine McGee | Buy from Amazon [42:19] The Witch Elm by Tana French (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [49:06] Beartown by Fredrick Backman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [50:00] The Girls of Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [53:54] Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [01:03:11] Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi | Buy from Amazon [01:03:46] Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle | Buy from Amazon [01:04:45] Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby | Buy from Amazon [01:05:40] Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell | Buy from Amazon [01:05:46] Other Links Podcast Ep. 43: Jordon Moblo (@jordys.book.club) Podcast Ep. 63: Helena dea Bala (author of Craigslist Confessional) Podcast Mini Ep. 59: Alyssa Hertzig Podcast Ep. 56: Holly Root (the Rise of the Rom-Com & Publishing in the COVID Era) Podcast Ep. 66: Kate Stayman-London (author of One to Watch) Podcast Ep. 64: Catherine Adel West (author of Saving Ruby King) Susie's "Reading in the Midst of a Global Pandemic" blog post About Susie Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 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.
Full show notes at the publisherIn 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 things planned for patrons for the end of the year:
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
Claire is a British writer who moved to Washington, DC, in 2012, ostensibly to study for an MFA in Creative Writing at American University, but really, let's be honest, because of an obsession with The West Wing.
She focussed on fiction during her MFA, but also took classes in literary journalism, poetry translation, and political speechwriting (because, yes, of The West Wing).
Her work has appeared in a wide variety of publications in four countries, including both of the UK's best-selling writing magazines, as well as the Washington Post. She is also a regular contributor to the largest independent book site in the US, Book Riot, and the host of the Brit Lit Podcast, a fortnightly show of news and views from British books and publishing.
Her début novel, Unscripted, is forthcoming from Unbound. She is also the author of Conquering Babel: A Practical Guide to Learning a Language, as well as the editor of an anthology of essays and interviews about the impact of The West Wing on lives and culture.
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 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
Peace Adzo Medie is a scholar and writer. She is Senior Lecturer in Gender and International Politics at the University of Bristol. Her research addresses gender, politics, and conflict in Africa. Her book, Global Norms and Local Action: The Campaigns to End Violence against Women in Africa, was published in March 2020 byOxford University Press. Her debut novel, His Only Wife, was published in September 2020 by Algonquin Books and selected as the October Pick for Reese's Book Club. Medie's research has been supported by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council, and her findings have been published in African Affairs, International Studies Review, Politics & Gender, and the European Journal of Politics and Gender. Her work has won several awards, including the 2019 Best Paper Award of the European Journal of Politics and Gender. Her short stories have appeared in Slice Magazine, Transition, Four Way Review, and elsewhere. She is a co-editor of African Affairs, the top-ranked African Studies journal and is also a Research Fellow at LECIAD, University of Ghana, and a 2015 – 2017 Oxford-Princeton Global Leaders Fellow. She earned a BA in Geography from the University of Ghana, an MA in International Studies from Ohio University, and a PhD in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. She attended OLA Girls Secondary School, Ho. Medie is represented by Kiele Raymond at Thompson Literary Agency.
Next EpisodeThere will not be a new episode next week since the podcast is on a bi-weekly schedule.
The following week, there will be a full length episode about all things audiobooks featuring Claire Handscombe from Libro.fm (airing November 11).
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!).
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T LOVE
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Eilene Zimmerman is a journalist and social worker. For three decades, she has written about business, technology and social issues for a wide array of national magazines and newspapers. She was a columnist for The New York Times Sunday Business section for six years and since 2004 has been a regular contributor to the newspaper. In September 2020, Zimmerman completed a masters degree in social work.
Next EpisodeThere will not be a new episode next week since the podcast is on a bi-weekly schedule.
The following week, there will be a full length episode featuring Peace Adzo Medie, author of His Only Wife (airing October 28).
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 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
Kelly Jensen is a former teen librarian who worked in several public libraries before pursuing a full-time career in writing and editing. Her current position is with Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America, where she focuses on talking about young adult literature in all of its manifestations. Before becoming a fully-fledged adult-like person, she worked in the swanky Texas Legislative Library entering data into a computer while surrounded by important politicians, scooped gelato for hungry college students, and spent hours reading, annotating, and scanning small-town Texas newspapers into a giant searchable database.
Her books include Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World (Algonquin Young Readers, February 2017) a collection of art, essays, and words from over 44 voices. (Don't) Call Me Crazy is a collection of art, essays, and words to launch a powerful and important conversation about mental health. It was named a best book of 2018 by the Washington Post and earned a Schneider Family Book Award Honor for distinguished representation of the disability experience. Both books are published by Algonquin Young Readers, which will publish her third anthology Body Talk, a collection about the physical and political nature of the human body, in Fall 2020. She cohosts the popular YA book podcast Hey YA with Eric Smith and is a regular cohost on Book Riot's All The Books podcast with Liberty Hardy. Kelly also writes the twice-weekly "What's Up in YA?" newsletter for Book Riot, which reaches nearly 60,000 inboxes.
Kelly lives in Illinois with her husband, her bunny, and five needy-but-awesome cats. In her free time, she is a certified yoga teacher, writes for her personal blog STACKED (stackedbooks.org), volunteers for Young At Heart, drinks a lot of tea, and practices photography. Some of her favorite things include churro smashmallows, black licorice, adoring eyelashes on various animals (giraffes are the best, obv), fusing glass, spending too many hours in bookstores, debating the best seltzer in the world's best secret seltzer Facebook group, and owning as much Halloween decor as possible.
Her writing has been featured on Bustle, in Bust Magazine, at The Writer's Digest, The Huffington Post, at Rookie Magazine, The Horn Book, BlogHer, School Library Journal. She contributed an essay and a guide to teen sexuality in pop culture for Amber J. Keyser's The V-Word: True Stories of First-Time Sex and is the author of the book It Happens: A Guide to Contemporary Realistic Fiction for the YA Reader from VOYA Press.
Kelly is happy to discuss possibilities for professional speaking, editing, and/or writing opportunities, in person or online. You can learn more about her, her background, and her passions in this interview.
She is represented by Tina Dubois at ICM Partners and can be reached at kelly@stackedbooks.org.
Next EpisodeThere will not be a new episode next week since the podcast is on a bi-weekly schedule.
The following week, there will be a full length episode featuring Eilene Zimmerman, author of Smacked: A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction, and Tragedy (airing October 14).
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!).
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T LOVE
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Kate is a novelist, screenwriter, and political strategist. She served as lead digital writer for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and has written for notable figures ranging from President Obama and Malala Yousafzai to Anna Wintour and Cher. When not writing or traveling, Kate can be found obsessively ranking Taylor Swift songs, laughing loudly with friends over really good bottles of wine, and of course, watching reality TV. She lives in Los Angeles.
Next EpisodeThere will not be a new episode next week since the podcast is on a bi-weekly schedule.
The following week, there will be a full length episode featuring Kelly Jensen talking about libraries & COVID (airing September 30).
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 Preview episode. An inadvertent running theme in this episode. Sarah's and Catherine's #1 Fall book picks. Fall 2020 Book Preview [8:04] August Sarah's Picks: A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdomby John Boyne (August 11) | Buy from Amazon [8:41] Catherine's Picks: When These Mountains Burn by David Joy (August 18) | Buy from Amazon [13:46] September Sarah's Picks: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (September 1) | Buy from Amazon [16:12] Majesty by Katharine McGee (September 1) | Buy from Amazon [21:57] His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie (September 1) | Buy from Amazon [32:41] Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner (September 22) | Buy from Amazon [32:49] Catherine's Picks: The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim (September 1) | Buy from Amazon [19:43] A Knock at Midnight by Brittany Barnett (September 1) | Buy from Amazon [24:24] Anxious People by Fredrick Backman (September 8) | Buy from Amazon [29:54] October Sarah's Picks: The Searcher by Tana French (October 6) | Buy from Amazon [37:09] Group by Christie Tate (October 6) | Buy from Amazon [42:02] Catherine's Picks: Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (October 6) | Buy from Amazon [35:18] Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman (October 6) | Buy from Amazon [39:38] No Heaven for Good Boys by Keisha Bush (October 13) | Buy from Amazon [44:43] Memorial by Bryan Washington (October 27) | Buy from Amazon [51:31] November Sarah's Picks: White Ivy by Susie Yang (November 3) | Buy from Amazon [46:25] Other Books Mentioned Craigslist Confessional by Helena Dea Bala (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [4:07] What's Left of Me is Yours by Stephanie Scott (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [5:50] The Loyalties by Delphine de Vigan (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [6:36] Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [6:44] Parakeet by Marie-Helene Bertino | Buy from Amazon [7:10] The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [11:25] Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell | Buy from Amazon [13:20] The Line That Held Us by David Joy (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [13:50] Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [15:35] Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi | Buy from Amazon [16:31] Dopesick by Beth Macy (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [17:22] Smacked by Eilene Zimmerman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [18:14] Long Bright River by Liz Moore (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [18:21] Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok | Buy from Amazon [21:00] Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [21:17] American Royals by Katharine McGee | Buy from Amazon [22:17] Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson | Buy from Amazon [25:35] Americanah by Chimamonda Ngozi Adichie | Buy from Amazon [29:12] Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams | Buy from Amazon [29:12] Beartown by Fredrick Backman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [30:11] Us Against Them by Fredrick Backman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [30:11] A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman | Buy from Amazon [32:26] Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb | Buy from Amazon [33:19] Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata | Buy from Amazon [35:18] The Witch Elm by Tana French (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [37:48] The Secret Place by Tana French (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [38:51] In the Woods by Tana French | Buy from Amazon [39:05] Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman | Buy from Amazon [39:57] The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [39:57] Stray by Stephanie Danler (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [43:36] Untamed by Glennon Doyle (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [43:36] Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [50:14] Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [50:14] Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll | Buy from Amazon [50:14] Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [50:14] Lot: Stories by Bryan Washington | Buy from Amazon [53:09] One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [55:02] Other Links Spring 2020 Book Preview About Catherine Gilmore Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 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. Next Episode There will not be a new episode next week since the podcast is on its bi-weekly summer schedule. The following week, there will be a full length episode featuring Kate Stayman-London, author of One to Watch (airing September 16).
Full show notes at the publisherCatherine 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!).
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T LOVE
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Catherine graduated with both her BA and MA in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her work has been published in Gay Magazine, Black Fox Literary Magazine, Five2One, Better Than Starbucks, and others. Catherine was born and raised in Chicago. Saving Ruby King is her debut novel.
Next EpisodeThere will not be a new episode next week since the podcast is on a bi-weekly schedule.
The following week will be the Fall 2020 Book Preview episode with Catherine from Gilmore Guide to Books (airing September 2).
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.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
