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
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 perfect for those new to the genre!
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.
HighlightsWelcome 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.
AnnouncementJune
Sarah's Pick
Catherine's Picks
Other Books Mentioned
July
Sarah's Picks
Catherine's Picks
Other Books Mentioned
Other Books Mentioned
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 HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
Our Printable Cheatsheet for the 2025 Summer Reading Guide is available to anyone who signs up for either a 7-Day FREE TRIAL of our Patreon Community (sign up here) OR a 30-day FREE TRIAL of our paid Substack Community (sign up here). We offer the same bonus content on both platforms for just $7 per month. Sign-ups for our Free Trials (and access to the Summer Reading Guide Cheatsheet) will close on Friday, May 23.
Get the Cheatsheet from Patreon
Get the Cheatsheet from Substack
HighlightsApril
Sarah's Picks
April
Sarah's Picks
Catherine's Picks
Other Books Mentioned
May
Sarah's Picks
Catherine's Pick
Other Books Mentioned
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 no cost to you!).
CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
Once again, we are happy to offer a Printable Cheatsheet for this year's Guide:
Summer Reading [7:42] The Evolution of Our Summer Reading Journeys [8:41]Books Mentioned by Susie
Books Mentioned by Sarah
Sarah
Susie
Other Books Mentioned
Something Light / Fun
Something Fast-Paced / Intense
Slow-Burn Suspense
Something With a Bit More Substance
Something Different
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 quick run-down of listener-submitted favorites! This episode is overflowing with great backlist titles to add to your TBR! 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 The big news that was going on outside the book world. The book stories and trends that dominated 2017. How similar 2017 and 2025 are. The 2017 books that have had staying power. Was this as dismal a year in books as Sarah remembers? Sarah's and Catherine's personal 2017 reading stats. Listener-submitted favorites from 2017. Bookish Time Capsule (2017) [2:12] The World Beyond Books No books mentioned in this segment. The Book Industry Wonder by R. J. Palacio (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [9:59] Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:04] A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[10:40] The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:44] Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:08] My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:18] The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:03] If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:13] We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:23] Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:46] Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:48] The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:50] Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [14:57] Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [15:03] James by Percival Everett (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [15:04] Bookish Headlines and Trends Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:41] A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:43] The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (2006) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:48] My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:04] The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:31] Big Books and Award Winners of 2017 A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:01] Beartown by Fredrik Backman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:06] The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:21] Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:27] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:48] Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:09] The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:39] Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:23] Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:40] Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:31] Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (2008) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:09] Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:51] Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:16] Normal People by Sally Rooney (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:41] Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:32] Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:38] Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:09] The Sellout by Paul Beatty (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:52] What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:56] Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:21] The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:45] Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:04] The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, 3) by N. K. Jemisin (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:30] Our Top Books of 2017 The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:46] Beartown by Fredrik Backman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:20] Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:22] Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:02] If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:16] Quicksand by Malin Persson Giolitio (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:23] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:36] This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:38] Trophy Son by Douglas Brunt (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:48] White Fur by Jardine Libaire (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:05] Final Girls by Riley Sager (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:38] Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:44] Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:46] Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:49] The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:10] Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (1995) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:15] Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:19] The Heirs by Susan Rieger (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:34] The Takedown by Corrie Wang (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:53] Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:01] Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:09] Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:17] Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:28] The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:33] Listeners' Top Books of 2017 Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:33] Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:51] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:03] The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[50:07] Beartown by Fredrik Backman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:13] Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:15] The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:18] The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:24] This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:25] Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:27]
Full show notes at the publisherIn 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 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.
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T Love
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Last 5-Star Book Clare Read
Clare Leslie Hall is a novelist and journalist who lives in the wilds of Dorset, England, with her family. She's the author of Broken Country, Pictures of Him, and Days You Were Mine.
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.
AnnouncementBacklist Titles Mentioned
April
Sarah's Picks
Catherine's Picks
Other Books Mentioned
May
Sarah's Picks
Catherine's Pick
Other Books Mentioned
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 the blog.
HighlightsJanuary
Sarah's Picks
Other Books Mentioned
January
Sarah's Pick
Catherine's Picks
Other Books Mentioned
February
Sarah's Picks
Catherine's Pick
Other Books Mentioned
March
Sarah's Pick
Catherine's Picks
Other Books Mentioned
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 her own writing. Plus, Georgia shares her book recommendations.
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.
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Last 5-Star Book Georgia Read
Website | Instagram | Facebook
When Georgia Hunter was fifteen years old, she discovered that she came from a family of Holocaust survivors. Years later, she embarked on a journey of intensive research, determined to unearth and record her family's remarkable story. The result is the New York Times best seller, We Were the Lucky Ones, which has been published in over 20 languages and adapted for television by Hulu as a highly acclaimed limited series. One Good Thing is Georgia's second novel. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their two sons.
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 recommendations.
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.
HighlightsTwo OLD Books She Loves
Two NEW Books She Loves
One Book She DIDN'T Love
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
Last 5-Star Book Karen Read
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
