Bonus Episode: Behind the Scenes of Amazon’s Best Books of 2024 List with Al Woodworth, Senior Editor & Manager of Amazon Books Editorial
Release Date: 12/04/2024
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 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.
Announcements
- My 2025 Reading Tracker is out! Plus, this year we’ve added another option — a LITE Tracker. Once again, the Tracker is ONLY available to Superstars patrons (i.e., no longer available as a separate purchase for $14.99 here on my website). Also, to avoid Apple’s 30% fee, be sure to join directly from Patreon’s site, mobile or desktop. Become a Superstars Patron here!
Highlights
- The impact Amazon’s #1 book of 2024 had on the editorial team
- The role of capturing “the present moment” in selecting the best books of the year
- How Amazon Editorial chose the top 5 books of 2024
- Whether the mid-year top book or other outlets’ year-end lists influenced Amazon’s decisions
- Behind the scenes: 2024’s “reading week” retreat and “war room” discussions
- The importance of selecting books that appeal across genres and to a broad swath of readers
- The group dynamic of ranking each book on the list
- Al highlights some lesser-known titles from the list
- How 2024 stacks up for Al and Amazon’s editorial team
Books From Our Discussion
- The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller | Amazon | Bookshop.org [3:03]
- The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:25]
- Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:27]
- Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:28]
- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride | Amazon | Bookshop.org [9:54]
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:37]
- James by Percival Everett | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:43]
- The Women by Kristin Hannah | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:51]
- The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:54]
- Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:59]
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain | Amazon
| Bookshop.org [13:18]
- Educated by Tara Westover | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:09]
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:26]
- We Solve Murders by Richard Osman | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:30]
- The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:34]
- The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:06]
- Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:23]
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:27]
- All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:35]
- We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:47]
- Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:21]
- When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:23]
- The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:15]
- There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak | Amazon
- John Lewis by David Greenberg | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:44]
- I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:00]
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:14]
- The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:06]
Other Links
About Al Woodworth
More 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.