Today, we’re celebrating the 100th episode of Sarah’s Bookshelves Live with a very special Ask Me Anything episode co-hosted by Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books. Catherine turns the tables to ask me all the questions you submitted. We go behind the scenes of the podcast, talk about my reading life, and my life outside of reading. Plus, Catherine answers a few questions! This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). An...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 100
In Episode 99, Susie Boutry ( @NovelVisits ) and I share our favorite books from 2021, overall and by genre, along with a ton of bookish superlatives. We also talk about whether our reading has recovered from COVID and I reflect on the past year of the podcast. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). I also included Bookshop.org affiliate links. Announcements Upcoming “Ask Me Anything” podcast, airing December 8, t...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 99
In Episode 98, the three founders of The Book & Cover (@thebookandcover) join me to share a behind-the-scenes look at everything that goes into opening an independent, brick-and-mortar bookshop. We discuss non-traditional way they financed the business, how they learned the reading taste of their community, and how a new indie builds its inventory. Highlights Blaes and Emily talk about balancing this new venture alongside their full-time day jobs. How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their decisio...
Nov 10, 2021•51 min•Ep. 98
In Episode 97, Christine Pride and Jo Piazza share how their co-authored novel ( We Are Not Like Them) explores how hard it is to have conversations about difficult topics even between dear friends. We discuss why they decided to write a book with a lifelong, interracial friendship at its core, and how they handled collaborating on a book with a plot revolving around a fraught topic. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost ...
Oct 27, 2021•58 min•Ep. 97
In Episode 96, Susie Boutry ( @NovelVisits ) and I share some of our favorite debut novels and discuss why we gravitate toward debuts. We also discuss our reading stats for debut novels, as well as exploring some sophomore novels...the good, the not so good, and those we're still awaiting. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). I also included Bookshop.org affiliate links. Highlights Why I like having debut autho...
Oct 13, 2021•56 min•Ep. 96
In Episode 95, Cheryl Diamond joins me to discuss what it was like to have been “born a ghost,” her outlaw life with her fugitive parents, on the run from Interpol and other government agencies, and what brought her to detail her tumultuous childhood in her latest memoir, Nowhere Girl . This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights What prompted Cheryl’s decision to write this memoir now. How Cheryl weighed h...
Sep 29, 2021•54 min•Ep. 95
Today, we’re bringing you a sneak peek of a new podcast series for patrons! Double Booked is a monthly series where a co-host (Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books and Susie from Novel Visits will alternate months) and I will each share our own book recommendations in the same format as the big show (2 old books we love, 2 new books we love, 1 book we didn’t love, and 1 upcoming release we’re excited about). Moving forward, these episodes will be available to “Superstars” patrons for $7 / month (...
Sep 22, 2021•58 min
In Episode 94, Kimberly McCreight (author of Friends Like These ) joins me to deep dive into the mysteries & thrillers genre (including the difference between a mystery and a thriller, how involved authors are in deciding their books’ titles, and what makes a great twist…and to talk about the inspiration behind her new novel. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights A bit about Friends Like These includi...
Sep 15, 2021•51 min•Ep. 94
Catherine and I share our most anticipated books coming out August – December 2021. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Announcement Join our Patreon Community ($5/mo) to get our bonus podcast episode series called Book Preview Extras ! In these episodes, Catherine and I share at least 4 bonus books (we’re sharing 5 this month) that we’re excited about that we did not share in the regular Preview episode. Get ...
Sep 01, 2021•53 min•Ep. 93
In the Summer 2021 Book Preview (Ep. 86) , Catherine and I shared our most anticipated books coming out June – July 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!). Bonus Bo...
Aug 25, 2021•51 min•Ep. 92
In Episode 91, Caitlin Wahrer (author of The Damage ) shares how she decided to tackle sexual assault of a man by a man, how she felt about writing a gay male protagonist as a straight woman, and how the U.S. legal system is re-traumatizing for sexual assault victims. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Why Caitlin doesn’t use cases she actually worked on as inspiration for her fiction writing. How ...
Aug 18, 2021•52 min•Ep. 91
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. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Where Megan got the inspiration for this story. Whether Megan feels The Turnout is her darkest book yet. How she turns off the “dark” part of her brain outside of writing. ...
Aug 04, 2021•48 min•Ep. 90
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!). Highlights How Elizabeth got her job as book buyer at Fabled Bookshop with no “official” previous experience (and if the owner was nervous to hire someone with no experience). The most surprising thing Elizabeth discovered ...
Jul 21, 2021•52 min•Ep. 89
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!). Highlights Jesse’s inspiration for Dial A for Aunties . How Jesse managed to keep such an over-the-top plot out of eye-roll territory. What a typical Indonesian-Chinese wedding is like (and some things Jess...
Jul 07, 2021•48 min•Ep. 88
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!). Highlights Tia’s inspiration for Seven Days in June. Whether Shane was inspired by anyone in her real life. How Tia went about writing a love story with such ...
Jun 23, 2021•44 min•Ep. 87
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 ...
Jun 18, 2021•17 min
Catherine and I share our most anticipated books coming out June – July 2021. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Announcements Join our Patreon Community ($5/mo) to get (get more details about all the goodies available to our patrons and sign up here !): Our new monthly bonus podcast episode series called BEYOND BOOKSTAGRAM where a featured patron shares 3 books she/he loves that are not splashed all over Boo...
Jun 09, 2021•51 min•Ep. 86
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!). Announce...
Jun 02, 2021•51 min•Ep. 85
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!). Highlights Why Paula decided to break from her historical fiction roots at this particular time in her career. Paula’s writing style and how it works with suspense...
May 26, 2021•49 min•Ep. 84
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 . 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!). Our Summer Reading Guid...
May 12, 2021•55 min•Ep. 83
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!). Highlights How JoAnne’s prior career as a trial lawyer, judicial officer, and mediator inspired her to become ...
Apr 28, 2021•51 min•Ep. 82
In Episode 81, audiobook narrator Julia Whelan goes behind the scenes of narrating audiobooks. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights How Julia started narrating audiobooks and a bit about her career path. How Julia got her breakout job narrating Gone Girl . How Julia typically gets hired to narrate an audiobook. How Julia decides which audiobooks she will and won’t narrate. How many audiobooks Julia n...
Apr 14, 2021•52 min•Ep. 81
Welcome to the Spring 2021 Book Preview with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books ! Catherine and I share our most anticipated books coming out April – May 2021 (plus, 2 June 1 releases!). Also, stay tuned for my Most Anticipated Books of Spring 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!). ...
Mar 31, 2021•53 min•Ep. 80
Welcome to the first Winter 2021 Circle Back Episode with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books ! In the Winter 2021 Book Preview (Ep. 73), Catherine and I shared our most anticipated books coming out January – March 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 lin...
Mar 24, 2021•51 min•Ep. 79
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!). Highlights 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 o...
Mar 17, 2021•55 min•Ep. 78
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!). Highlights Syed’s inspiration for The Bad Muslim Discount . How early drafts of the book were different from the final version. The spectrum of levels...
Mar 03, 2021•52 min•Ep. 77
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!). Highlights The origin of the concept for Laura’s book and her pod...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 76
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!). Patron Benefits (including 4 New Benefits) Support the podcast on Patreon here ! For $5 a month, you’ll get access to… Monthly “Superlatives” bonus podcast episodes (every full length e...
Feb 11, 2021•30 min
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!). Highlights Generational differences in how society views motherhood and interesting feedb...
Feb 03, 2021•56 min•Ep. 75
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!). Highlights 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...
Jan 20, 2021•55 min•Ep. 74
