Ep. 178: Behind the Scenes of Amazon's Best Books Lists with Al Woodworth, Senior Editor & Manager of Amazon Books Editorial + Book Recommendations
Release Date: 09/18/2024
Ep. 202: 2025 Micro Genres We Love with Susie (@NovelVisits)
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
In Episode 202, Susie () and Sarah explore some of their new favorite Micro Genres. Since starting the Micro Genres series, they’ve loved taking the opportunity each year to examine and define their tastes in these sub-sub-genres. This year, they have curated a list of 10 all-new Micro Genres, along with notable books for each category. With over 80 books mentioned, this is another year of niching down for some 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!). Books Told From the Perspective...
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Ep. 201: Lidija Hilje (Author of Slanting Towards the Sea) + Book Recommendations
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
In Episode 201, author Lidija Hilje talks with Sarah about her debut novel, . Spanning two decades and one transformative summer in Croatia, is a love story that also delves into the profound journey of coming of age in a nation younger than you are. Lidija shares lots of details about how this book came to be and the inspiration for the story and its lush Croatian setting, which becomes a character of its own. They also discuss how the Croatian War of Independence influenced both her own childhood and the novel’s narrative. Plus, Lidija shares some of her top book...
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Ep. 200: 200th Episode Celebration with Susie and Catherine
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
Welcome to the 200th episode of Sarah’s Bookshelves Live with a very special celebration with both co-hosts: Susie () and Catherine of . Today, they are answering listener-submitted questions all about their reading journeys, their podcast journeys, and some about their pre-podcast blogging days! This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Their early reading lives. The most surprising things about their reading history. Susie’s secret endeavor! How much they talk about books in their...
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Ep. 199: Best Books of 2025 (So Far) with Susie and Catherine
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
In Ep. 199, Susie Boutry (), Catherine Gilmore (), and Sarah are all back on the mic, ready to catch up on how their reading is shaping up for 2025 — so far! They talk about the current publishing landscape, what books are topping bestseller lists to date, and their personal reading as it stands halfway through the year. They share reading stats and talk about expectations and hopes for the remainder of the year. Plus, their TOP 5 books and their biggest disappointments so far. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no...
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Ep. 198: Best of Thrillers with Anderson McKean of Page & Palette (@PagePalette)
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
Ep. 198 is the second episode of our brand-new “Best of…” series. Anderson McKean of 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!). Highlights What draws her to the thriller...
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Ep. 197: Summer 2025 Book Preview with Catherine (@GilmoreGuide)
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
Welcome to the Summer 2025 Book Preview with Catherine of ! 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!). Announcement One of the many benefits to supporting the podcast through either our or our (both for just $7/mo) is that you get access to several bonus podcast episode series, including Book Preview Extras! In these episodes, Catherine and I share at least 4 bonus books we...
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Ep. 196: Spring 2025 Circle Back with Catherine (@GilmoreGuide)
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
In Episode 196, Sarah and Catherine of catch up on the 12 new releases they shared in the , 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!). Our Printable Cheatsheet for the is available to anyone who signs up for either a 7-Day FREE TRIAL of our Patreon Community (sign up ) OR a 30-day FREE TRIAL of our paid Substack Community (sign up ). We...
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Ep. 195: 2025 Summer Reading Special with Susie (@NovelVisits)
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
In Ep. 195, Susie () 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 . 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!). Once again, we are happy to offer a Printable Cheatsheet for this year’s Guide: Summer Reading The Evolution of Our Summer Reading Journeys Books Mentioned by Susie by Edward Rutherfurd (1997) by Stieg...
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Ep. 194: Bookish Time Capsule (2017) with Catherine (@GilmoreGuide)
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
In Ep. 194, Catherine () 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...
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Ep. 193: Clare Leslie Hall (Author of Broken Country) + Book Recommendations
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
In Episode 193, author Clare Leslie Hall talks with Sarah about her US debut, — a breakout hit and a . 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!). Highlights Books by Clare Leslie Hall: , (previously published as Mine),...
info_outlineIn Episode 178, Al Woodworth, Senior Editor and Manager at Amazon Books Editorial, goes behind the scenes of Amazon’s editorial division, including the start-to-finish process of building the “Best Books” lists, what “best” might mean, and what helps a book make the list. Plus, Al shares some of 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.
Highlights
- How Al fits reading into her busy weekly schedule
- The start to finish process of building the Amazon “Best of” lists
- How Amazon balances genre diversity in their “Best of” lists
- What “best” means to Amazon’s editorial team
- Publication date criteria for the Best Books of the Month and Year lists
- How the team discusses, votes, and makes decisions for the lists
- Whether sales numbers influence the year-end list
- How Amazon’s editorial team handles publisher influence
- What 2024 looks like so far for Al and the editorial team
Al’s Book Recommendations [38:26]
Two OLD Books She Loves
- Horse by Geraldine Brooks | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:39]
- Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:20]
- Other Books Mentioned
- Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe [41:32]
Two NEW Books She Loves
- James by Percival Everett | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:05]
- There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak | Amazon
| Bookshop.org [44:18]
One Book She DIDN’T Love
- Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:21]
One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About
- The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami (Nov 19) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:54]
- Other Books Mentioned:
Last 5-Star Book Al Read
- There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak | Amazon
- Other Books Mentioned:
- John Lewis: A Life by David Greenberg (Oct 8) [52:26]
Books From Our Discussion
- All the Worst Humans by Phil Elwood [9:25]
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach [14:54]
- Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie [18:05]
- All the Broken Places by John Boyne [18:11]
- All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker [19:38]
- James by Percival Everett [21:40]
- Educated by Tara Westover [22:07]
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver [24:09]
- Spare by Prince Harry [25:25]
- The Testaments by Margaret Atwood [31:13]
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood [31:25]
- The 9/11 Commission Report by National Commission on Terrorist Attacks [31:34]
About Al Woodworth
More about Amazon Book Review
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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.