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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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!
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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
HighlightsIn 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 2024!
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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
HighlightsHigh-Level Overview [2:02]
2024 Book Sales and Trends [9:35]
Big Book Stories of 2024 [34:18]
2025 Publishing Predictions [42:48]
Kathleen’s 3 Favorites Books of 2024 [46:41]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 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.
AnnouncementCatherine
Sarah
Other Books Mentioned
Catherine
Sarah
Other Books Mentioned
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.
AnnouncementBacklist Titles Mentioned
January
Sarah’s Picks
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 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 community!
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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
AnnouncementsSarah
Susie
Patrons
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 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.
AnnouncementsMore about Amazon Book Review Website | Instagram | X | Facebook
Al Woodworth is a Senior Editor on the Amazon Books Editorial team and has spent more than ten years in the book industry, championing authors and their work. She’s never without a book or four in her bag and is happiest reading memoirs and literary fiction, especially sprawling stories that cross generations and countries. She lives in Brooklyn.