Sarah's Bookshelves Live – Details, episodes & analysis

In Episode 176, Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books and I catch up on the 12 new releases from the Summer 2024 Book Preview. We share our reading stats, chat about what we liked, and what didn’t work out. Listen in as we share our reviews on these books and get some recommendations for your next read! 

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.

• Catherine says she had a “hummingbird” summer of flitting from book to book to book.
• Sarah’s prediction of THE BOOK of summer definitely panned out!
• Despite some DNFs, Sarah and Catherine both ended up with a fairly successful summer.
• Catherine calls out one author as serving up wonderful “Jimmy Stewart fiction.”
• Sarah had a weird reading experience with one book.
• Plus, two of Sarah’s picks were 5 stars!
• They name the best and worst books from their summer picks!

Sarah’s Picks

• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore  (July 2) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:47] 
• Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (June 11) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[5:14]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe [6:09]

June

Sarah’s Picks

• Fire Exit by Morgan Talty (June 4) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:10]
• What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris (June 18) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:39]

Catherine’s Picks

• Swift River by Essie Chambers (June 4) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [7:44]
• Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo (June 18) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[14:59]
• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (June 25) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:10]
• How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard (June 25) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[29:04] 

Other Books Mentioned

• Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty [11:35]
• The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo [15:09]
• All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris [20:55]
• Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris [20:58]
• We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker [27:01]

July

Sarah’s Picks

• The World After Alice by Lauren Aliza Green (July 2) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [30:39]
• Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner  (July 9) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [37:42]

Catherine’s Picks

• The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella (July 2) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[33:43]
• The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali (July 2) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [42:28] 

Other Books Mentioned

• Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead [33:01]
• The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo [33:04]
• Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane [33:09]
• A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella [36:53]
• Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner [37:48]
• The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali [42:35]

In Episode 175, Susie Boutry (@NovelVisits) and I explore our favorite Micro Genres for 2024. Over the past year, we’ve continued to refine our reading tastes and identify specific themes and types of books that resonate deeply with us. This year, Susie and I have a curated list of 10 all-new Micro Genres, along with standout books from each category. It’s another big episode with tons of great 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.

Sarah

• Red Widow by Alma Katsu | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [4:49]
• Red London by Alma Katsu | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [4:50]
• Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [5:10] 
• The Charm School by Nelson DeMille | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [5:20]  
• Red Notice by Bill Browder | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [5:47]
• The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [6:01]

Susie

• The Sisterhood by Liz Mundy | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [6:26] 

Sarah

• Perfect Tunes by Emily Gould | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:00]

Susie

• Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy | Amazon | Bookshop.org [8:38]
• Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:04]
• Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [10:37]
• When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [10:53] 
• Little Prisons by Ilona Bannister (currently unavailable in the US)  [10:54] 
• Landslide by Susan Conley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:57]
• The Push by Ashley Audrain | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [11:00] 

Sarah

• How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:26]
• You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:52] 
• A Beautiful, Terrible Thing by Jen Waite | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [14:11] 
• Bankruptcy by Janet Lombardi | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [14:14] 

Susie

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle | Amazon | Bookshop.org [14:49]

NOT Based on the COVID-19 Pandemic & More Dystopian [15:49] 

Sarah

• Wanderers by Chunk Wendig | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [17:43] 

Susie

• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [16:06]
• The Dog Stars by Peter Heller | Amazon | Bookshop.org [16:20]
• The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller | Amazon | Bookshop.org [16:41] 
• Severance by Ling Ma | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [17:07]
• The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [18:20] 

With the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Background [18:28] 

Sarah

• 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [20:37] 
• Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [20:40] 

Susie

• Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [18:37] 
• Day by Michael Cunningham | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [19:17] 
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [19:47] 
• Pete and Alice in Maine by Caitlin Shetterly | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [19:49] 

Other Books Mentioned

• Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult [21:09] 
• Invisible Son by Kim Johnson [21:14] 
• This Is My America by Kim Johnson [21:19] 
• The Measure by Nikki Erlick [22:03] 

Sarah

• Miracle Creek by Angie Kim | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:18] 
• Happiness Falls by Angie Kim | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:19] 
• The Push by Ashley Audrain | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [24:55] 
• All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [25:14] 
• Sociopath by Patric Gagne, PhD | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [25:42] 

Susie

• The Change by Kirsten Miller | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [26:15]
• On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [26:32]  

Sarah

• Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:24] 
• Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [31:28] 
• What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [31:52] 
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [31:54]
• What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry, MD PhD | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [31:57]  

Susie

• Grown Women by Sarai Johnson | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [29:08] 
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [29:58] 
• The Postcard by Anne Berest | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [30:27] 
• Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [30:50] 
• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir | Amazon | Bookshop.org   [30:53] 
• Swift River by Essie Chambers | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [30:56] 
• Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshanathan | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [30:59] 

Sarah

• The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:17] 
• Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:29] 
• The Ensemble by Aja Gabel | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:39]  
• All Together Now by Matthew Norman | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:47] 
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [34:01]
• The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:14]

Susie

• The Celebrants by Steven Rowley | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [34:36] 
• Who We Are Now by Lauryn Chamberlain | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [35:16] 

Susie

• The Women by Kristin Hannah | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:09] 
• Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:31] 
• Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [38:57] 
• The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead | Amazon | Bookshop.org [spp-timestamp time=”[39:11]″] 
• All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [39:39]
• Last House by Jessica Shattuck | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [39:53] 

Sarah

• Open by Andre Agassi | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [41:05] 
• Spare by Prince Harry | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [41:07] 
• Open Book by Jessica Simpson | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [42:16] 
• Finding Me by Viola Davis | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [43:11] 
• Becoming by Michelle Obama | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [43:15]
• Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [43:21]  

Susie

• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [44:19] 

Other Books Mentioned

• The Woman in Me by Britney Spears [41:45] 
• The Many Lives of Mama Love by Laura Love Hardin [43:33] 

Sarah

• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:11]
• Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [48:33] 
• Victim by Andrew Boryga | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:06] 

Susie

• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:30]
• The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:03]
• Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:08]
• Absolution by Alice McDermott | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:30]

Other Books Mentioned

• Happiness Falls by Angie Kim [47:47] 

In episode 166, author Andrew Boryga joins me to discuss his debut novel, Victim, a funny and gripping satire about success and identity. Through the adventures of Javier, Victim explores what “diversity” means, why society loves a victim narrative, and the pitfalls of chasing fame online. Boryga combines humor with biting social commentary without sacrificing heart. This is a juicy and highly discussable story! In our chat, Andrew shares his inspiration behind the book, his decade long road to publication, and what he finds most effective in a satirical novel.  Plus, Andrew shares some fantastic 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.

• A spoiler-free overview of Victim.
• Andrew shares the inspiration and decade-long development of the story.
• How his journalism background is reflected in his book.
• Why Andrew decided to craft Javier’s story as a memoir.
• Andrew’s journey to finding an agent and getting published.
• Why Andrew followed his dream of writing fiction, rather than publishing an essay collection like many publishing insiders were advising him.
• The way his story drafts and characters evolved over time.
• How his MFA workshop helped shaped the story.
• Riding that fine line for a balanced satire: focusing on the social commentary without going over the top.
• The themes Andrew is exploring in his next book!

Two OLD Books He Loves

• Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quiñonez | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:30]
• Loving Day by Mat Johnson  | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [36:11]
• Other Book Mentioned:
  • Pym by Mat Johnson [37:56]

Two NEW Books He Loves

• The Birthparents by Frank Santo | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:09]
• Blackouts by Justin Torres | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:38]
• Other Book Mentioned:
  • We the Animals by Justin Torres [40:57]

One Book He DIDN’T Love

• Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah | Amazon | Bookshop.org[42:13]
• Other Book Mentioned:
  • The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz [43:21]

One NEW RELEASE He’s Excited About

• Oye by Melissa Mogollon (May 14, 2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:14]

Last 5-Star Book Andrew Read

• Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:37]

• Yellowface by R. F. Kuang [27:31]
• The Sellout by Paul Beatty [31:14]

Website | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)

Andrew Boryga is a writer, editor, and author from the Bronx, New York, currently residing in Miami, Florida with his wife and two children. Victim is his debut novel.

Boryga began his career writing for a local newspaper in the Bronx at age 16, eventually securing an internship with The New York Timesby age 18. His nonfiction writing has since been featured in prominent publications such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, and The Daily Beast, among others.  Boryga’s contributions to writing education extend beyond his own work, encompassing teaching roles for elementary school students, college students, and incarcerated individuals in Florida. He has also shared his insights on writing and the writing life through lectures at various academic institutions.  Throughout his career, Boryga has been awarded prizes by Cornell University, The University of Miami, The Susquehanna Review, and The Michener Foundation. 

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!).

• Catherine’s take on why classics are so long.
• A book that totally shocked both of us when we read it years ago, but we wonder if would shock as much today given other books and movies that have come out since.
• Our inverse initial experiences with Anna Quindlen.
• Sarah’s “unicorn” book.

Sarah

• Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [4:42]
• Shelter by Jung Yun (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [12:09]
• The Charm School by Nelson DeMille | Buy from Amazon [20:18]
• Every Last One by Anna Quindlen (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [26:34]
• Kindred by Octavia Butler | Buy from Amazon [32:48]
• The Wanderers by Meg Howrey (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [38:54]
• The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [42:53]
• The Miracle of St. Anthony by Adrian Wojnarowski | Buy from Amazon [48:17]

Catherine

• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cakeby Aimee Bender (Catherine’s Review)| Buy from Amazon [8:28]
• The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope | Buy from Amazon [16:44]
• The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian | Buy from Amazon [23:54]
• The Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus III | Buy from Amazon [29:55]
• Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin | Buy from Amazon [35:51]
• The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford (Catherine’s Review) | Buy from Amazon [41:09]
• Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok | Buy from Amazon [45:12]
• The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor (Catherine’s Review) | Buy from Amazon [51:04]

• When She Woke by Hillary Jordan | Buy from Amazon [5:50] 
• The Butterfly Lampshadeby Aimee Bender (Catherine’s Review)| Buy from Amazon [11:46]
• Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [13:19] 
• The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [14:30] 
• The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille | Buy from Amazon [21:00] 
• Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen | Buy from Amazon [26:54]
• House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III | Buy from Amazon [31:55] 
• The Martian by Andy Weir (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [39:07] 
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [39:35] 
• The Ensemble by Aja Gabel (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [40:42] 
• Wanderers by Chuck Wendig | Buy from Amazon [40:55] 

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.

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!).

• Syed’s inspiration for The Bad Muslim Discount.
• How early drafts of the book were different from the final version.
• The spectrum of levels of devotion to the Muslim faith covered in the book.
• Syed’s literary hero.
• How he felt about using irreverent humor to talk about religion (and why he chose to do this).
• Whether Anvar and Amir’s parents and grandmother are based on his real life parents and grandmother.
• How Syed used the theme of destiny in the book.
• How the immigrant experience is a condensation of the broader human experience.
• His connection to the game of Checkers, which plays a role in the story.
• What it was like for Syed to publish 2 books (one adult and one YA) within 6 months of each other.
• The process differences between writing adult and YA.

Two OLD Books He Loves

• The Plotters by Un-Su Kim | Buy from Amazon [32:03]
• My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [34:58]

Two NEW Books He Loves

• This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry | Buy from Amazon [37:23]
• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Buy from Amazon [39:33]

One Book He DIDN’T LOVE

• I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes | Buy from Amazon [43:39]

One NEW RELEASE He’s Excited About

• Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri  (May 4, 2021) | Buy from Amazon [46:32]

• The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers | Buy from Amazon [49:09]

• The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed Masood | Buy from Amazon [0:41]
• More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood | Buy from Amazon [22:58]
• On Writing by Stephen King | Buy from Amazon [26:51]
• Sway With Me by Syed M. Masood (Coming Fall 2021) | Buy from Amazon [30:52]
• The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro | Buy from Amazon [40:48]
• Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri | Buy from Amazon [46:43]
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri | Buy from Amazon [47:02]
• Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [50:25]

Website | Instagram | Twitter

I grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, and currently live in Sacramento, California. There have been plenty of stops in between though. I’m a first generation immigrant, twice over. I’ve been a citizen of three different countries and lived in nine cities. I am, as Goethe, said, “nothing but a wanderer […] on this earth.”

Living among different people, in different countries at fascinating times in their histories, has shaped both my view of the world and my writing. Ultimately, human beings are the same everywhere (despite the fact that they tell themselves, everywhere, that they are different from each other), and the theme of this fundamental human unity informs everything I write.

As to my life outside of writing, I went to the William and Mary School of Law, and before that attended the University of Toronto, where I studied English Literature. I am currently practicing as an attorney and must “measure out my life in coffee spoons” on a daily basis.

Some members of my family will tell you that I’m also a poet. This isn’t true. I wrote a few poems in Urdu when I was a teenager, and I’ve never heard the end of it…which I wouldn’t mind, honestly, if they were any good. As it is, I’m very happy living in prose, thank you very much.

Other interests include good food, video games, sitcoms, and books of all kinds. Most of my time that doesn’t go to writing or billable hours is consumed by my two children, four and two years of age.

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 make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

• The origin of the concept for Laura’s book and her podcast.
• Laura’s view on why women in mid-life particularly tend to have trouble sharing.
• How Laura chose these particular 10 questions for readers to ask themselves.
• Why being less “married” to this book idea helped it succeed more than her previous book ideas.
• If being a published author will change the way Laura talks about books on her podcast moving forward.
• A teaser of Laura’s second book.
• How long it took Laura to write Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.
• How Laura’s reading life has looked over the past couple months.
• How Laura’s book club chooses the books they read.
• How Laura’s podcast listeners’ reading taste aligns with her own.
• The next Stephen King book for someone who loved 11/22/63, but doesn’t love King’s horror.

Two OLD Books She Loves

• A Woman of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey | Buy from Amazon [37:29]
• The Passage by Justin Cronin | Buy from Amazon [42:10]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• Hollywood Park by Mickel Jollett | Buy from Amazon [46:34]
• Caste by Isabel Wilkerson | Buy from Amazon [51:06]

One Book She DIDN’T LOVE

• The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix | Buy from Amazon [55:29]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

• Later by Stephen King (March 2, 2021) | Buy from Amazon [59:39]

• We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [1:03:33]

• Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.by Laura Tremaine | Buy from Amazon [1:49]
• Educated by Tara Westover (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [49:44]
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo | Buy from Amazon [54:24]
• Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King | Buy from Amazon [1:01:34]
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King | Buy from Amazon [1:01:52]
• The Institute by Stephen King | Buy from Amazon [1:02:18]
• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson | Buy from Amazon [1:06:20]
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote | Buy from Amazon [1:06:20]

• 10 Things to Tell You Podcast

Website | Instagram | Twitter

Laura Tremaine grew up in small town Oklahoma and moved to Los Angeles sight unseen when she was twenty-two years old. She worked in film and television production for many years at MTV, VH1, Fox, and Paramount Pictures, before pursuing writing full time.

Laura has been sharing her life online for ten years. She writes about friendship, anxiety, motherhood, and marriage. Her blog posts and podcast episodes resonate with women looking for ways to connect more deeply with others as they transform from one era of life into another.

Laura lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeff, and their two children.

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!).

Support the podcast on Patreon here!

For $5 a month, you’ll get access to…

• Monthly “Superlatives” bonus podcast episodes (every full length episode guest will answer 5 bookish “superlative” questions just for Patrons).
• Monthly “Book Recommendations” bonus podcast episodes (Sarah shares her own book recommendations in the same format as the big show).
• NEW: Book Preview Extras bonus podcast episode (quarterly episode featuring additional new releases Catherine Gilmore and I are excited for that we didn’t talk about on the big show’s Preview).
• NEW: Weekly “Real-Time Reading” newsletter and Facebook discussion (quick overview of what Sarah is currently reading, just finished reading, DNF’d, and is thinking about reading next).
• NEW: Monthly Recap newsletter (quick thoughts on every book I read that month + round-up of all Patron benefits for that month).
• Goodreads Choice Awards Breakdown (bonus podcast episode).
• NEW: Patrons’ Best Books of the Year Tournament (bracket-style with bonus podcast episode breakdown). 
• 25% discount on purchase of my Rock Your Reading Tracker and access to a bonus podcast episode about how to use the tracker.
• Priority placement on the waiting list to appear as a guest on a mini episode of Sarah’s Bookshelves Live (currently on hold).
• the Sarah’s Bookshelves Live Patrons-Only Facebook Group where you can share book recommendations with other Sarah’s Bookshelves Live listeners, ask for recommendations, share your thoughts about upcoming podcast episodes, suggest questions for podcast guests, and get exclusive behind the scenes information from Sarah.

For $3 a month, you’ll get…

• the Sarah’s Bookshelves Live Patrons-Only Facebook Group (see details above).

Your support will go towards…

• First and foremost, I’ll be using this money to pay for a professional podcast editor. This means better audio quality for you and a considerable amount of time freed up for me to develop more bookish content for you.
• I’ll also be using this money to cover the general expenses of producing a podcast (hosting fees, recording software, recording equipment, etc).

Two OLD Books She Loves

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. van der Kolk | Buy from Amazon [9:58]
• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson | Buy from Amazon [13:11]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• Landslide by Susan Conley | Buy from Amazon [17:00]
• Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu | Buy from Amazon [19:33]

One Book She DIDN’T LOVE

• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah | Buy from Amazon [22:20]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

• The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing by Sonia Faleiro (February 9, 2021) | Buy from Amazon [24:56]

• The Nightingaleby Kristin Hannah (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [23:46]
• Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay’s Dance Bars by Sonia Faleiro | Buy from Amazon [26:17]
• We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [26:36]

• Read or Dead Podcast

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 cost to you!).

• Generational differences in how society views motherhood and interesting feedback Ashley has gotten from mothers in her parents’ generation.
• What the overwhelming response to The Push has been like for Ashley and whether she expected this type of reaction from readers.
• How (and when) she found out The Push was going to be a GMA Book Club pick.
• How Ashley’s publishing marketing / PR background during The Girl on the Train‘s heyday influenced an early draft of The Push, which she eventually changed.
• How Ashley felt about writing such a dark book about a revered topic.
• What Sarah gets out of reading dark books.
• Some interesting feedback from men that Ashley has heard about The Push.
• Harmful phrases that are thrown around about motherhood all the time and how they can impact mothers’ mental health.
• Ashley’s thought process as she was writing Violet’s character.
• Ashley’s memories of reading We Need to Talk About Kevin.
• How / why Ashley decided to go with a slightly ambiguous ending (and her revision journey to get there).
• A preview of Ashley’s next book (called The Whisperers).

Two OLD Books She Loves

• The Mothers by Brit Bennett (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [34:19]
• The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani | Buy from Amazon [37:54]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• The Harpy by Megan Hunter | Buy from Amazon [40:37]
• Luster by Raven Leilani | Buy from Amazon [43:34]

One Book She DIDN’T LOVE

• Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips | Buy from Amazon [45:52]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

• The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker (May 18, 2021) | Buy from Amazon [49:11]

• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Buy from Amazon [52:17]

• The Pushby Ashley Audrain (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [0:51]
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [10:55]
• A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold | Buy from Amazon [27:39]
• We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver | Buy from Amazon [27:49]
• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Buy from Amazon [28:44]
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [34:43]
• The End We Start From by Megan Hunter | Buy from Amazon [40:47]

Website | Instagram

Ashley previously worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada. Prior to Penguin, she worked in public relations. She is a graduate of the Media, Information & Technoculture program at Western University. She lives in Toronto, where she and her partner are raising their two young children.

The Push is her first novel.

There 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 Laura Tremaine, the author of Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First. and the host of the podcast 10 Things to Tell You (airing February 17).

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!).

• Whether publishers stuck to the stated mission of the prize when they submitted books.
• The role of the Reading Committee and how it works with the judges.
• How Sara was approached to do this and if she got paid.
• The types of people that are able to take on a role like this given the time commitment and small payment (and some ways the process could be streamlined to open up a role like this to a larger subset of people).
• Sara’s personal process for reading, rating, and ranking the 185 submissions.
• Whether Sara was allowed to DNF and what guidance the Prize gave her about DNF’ing.
• How Sara balanced her personal enjoyment of a submission with the book’s literary merit.
• How Sara handled books where her personal views on the issue being highlighted differed dramatically from the viewpoint put forth in the book.
• The book Sara would choose as the winner if she was the sole judge.
• The impact judging the prize had on Sara’s reading life (including what she read when she wasn’t reading Prize submissions, things she learned through this process that she’ll integrate into her reading life moving forward, and it she’d ever do something like this again).

Two OLD Books She Loves

• The Affairs of the Falcons by Melissa Rivero | Buy from Amazon [35:18]
• Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony | Buy from Amazon [36:56]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford | Buy from Amazon [40:43]
• The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson | Buy from Amazon [43:10]

One Book She DIDN’T LOVE

• The Silence by Don DeLillo | Buy from Amazon [45:42]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

• The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed Masood | Buy from Amazon [47:57]

• The Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland | Buy from Amazon [50:02]

• Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa | Buy from Amazon [26:18]
• Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [28:26]
• Fiebre Tropical by Juliana Delgado Lopera | Buy from Amazon [29:07]
• In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado | Buy from Amazon [34:14]
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald | Buy from Amazon [36:28]
• We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [52:15]

• Fiction Matters blog
• Novel Pairings Podcast
• Fiction Matters Patreon community
• Aspen Words Prize website

Website | Instagram | Podcast

Sara Hildreth is a reader, teacher, and lifelong learner. 

Prior to this year, Sara taught high school English at an all-girls school in Colorado. 

While working on her MA in Literature at Georgetown University, Sara began sharing her reading life publicly on Instagram as a way to connect with bibliophiles outside of academia. Through her participation in this community, Sara fell in love with recommending books to a larger audience all while challenging her thinking and expanding her own reading taste.

She lives in Denver, CO with her husband and their puppy, Mr. Bingley.

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!).

• How we feel our 2021 reading taste (compared to the weirdness of 2020) might pan out based on the first couple releases we’ve read.
• Catherine and my success rate for books we shared in our Fall 2020 Preview episode.
• Our Best and Worst picks from the Fall 2020 Preview episode.
• Sarah’s and Catherine’s #1 Winter book picks.

January

Sarah’s Picks:

• The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington (January 5) | Buy from Amazon [7:13] 
• The Push by Ashley Audrain (January 5) | Buy from Amazon [13:40] 
• What Could Be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz (January 12) | Buy from Amazon [20:15] 

Catherine’s Picks:

• Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson (January 5) | Buy from Amazon [11:39]
• A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (January 26) | Buy from Amazon [18:25] 

February

Sarah’s Picks:

• The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed Masood (February 2) | Buy from Amazon [26:48]
• All Girls by Emily Layden (February 16) | Buy from Amazon [31:41]

Catherine’s Picks:

• Zorrie by Laird Hunt (February 9) | Buy from Amazon [23:58]
• Dark Horses by Susan Mihalic (February 16) | Buy from Amazon [29:20]

March

Sarah’s Picks:

• What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster (March 2) | Buy from Amazon [37:31]
• The Babysitter by Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan (March 2) | Buy from Amazon [41:18]
• Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering (March 2) | Buy from Amazon [44:51]
• Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge (March 30) | Buy from Amazon [48:28]

Catherine’s Picks:

• The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen (March 2) | Buy from Amazon [34:05]
• Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi (March 2) | Buy from Amazon [39:37]
• How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (March 9) | Buy from Amazon [43:21]
• The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan (March 9) | Buy from Amazon [46:31]

• A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom by John Boyne | Buy from Amazon [4:19] 
• Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [4:53]
• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [5:10]
• A Knock at Midnight by Brittany Barnett | Buy from Amazon [5:17]
• The Searcher by Tana French | Buy from Amazon [5:45]
• Earthlings by Sayaka Murata | Buy from Amazon [6:13]
• Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [7:59] 
• Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson | Buy from Amazon [11:55]
• We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver | Buy from Amazon [15:53]
• Circe by Madeline Miller (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [18:53]
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller | Buy from Amazon [18:53]
• The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [22:33]
• The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [22:33]
• Concussion by Jeanne Marie Laskas (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [28:16]
• More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed Masood | Buy from Amazon [28:52]
• We Wish You Luck by Caroline Zancan (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [33:48]
• The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen | Buy from Amazon [34:59]
• Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [38:12]
• Halsey Street by Naima Coster | Buy from Amazon [38:31]
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [38:37]
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [38:37]
• We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [42:25]
• The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule | Buy from Amazon [42:25]
• Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [44:20]
• Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering | Buy from Amazon [45:37]
• Salt Houses by Hala Alyan | Buy from Amazon [47:47]
• We Love You, Charlie Freeman by Kaitlyn Greenidge | Buy from Amazon [49:11]

• Fall 2020 Book Preview

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.

There will not be a new episode next week since the podcast is on a bi-weekly schedule.

The following week’s episode will feature Sara Hildreth of @fictionmatters and the Novel Pairings Podcast going behind-the-scenes of judging a literary prize (airing January 20).