Ep. 198: Best of Thrillers with Anderson McKean of Page & Palette (@PagePalette)
Release Date: 06/11/2025
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
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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_outlineEp. 198 is the second episode of our brand-new “Best of…” series. Anderson McKean of Page & Palette Bookstore 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!).
CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
Highlights
- What draws her to the thriller genre.
- From domestic to psychological thrillers, Anderson talks about the variety of the genre.
- Her favorite sub-genres and what doesn’t work for her.
- Anderson picks a few books from her list that would be good starter books for those new to the genre.
Anderson’s All-Time Top Ten Thrillers [10:33]
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:44]
- Room by Emma Donoghue (2010) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [16:57]
- It Girl by Ruth Ware (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:41]
- A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:16]
- Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:43]
- The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:38]
- Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:17]
- Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:48]
- When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:12]
- These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:37]
High-Profile Thrillers That She Didn’t Love [48:35]
- The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:41]
- None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:01]
Other Books Mentioned
- The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (2021) [13:23]
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (2015) [16:06]
- The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (2024) [16:13]
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (2021) [16:38]
- The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (2016) [20:58]
- I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (2023) [21:50]
- Zero Days by Ruth Ware (2023) [23:05]
- Vantage Point by Sara Sligar (2025) [23:11]
- One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (2024) [23:54]
- The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (2003) [24:51]
- Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong (2025) [27:35]
- What Have You Done by Shari Lepena (2024) [30:09]
- The Couple Next Door by Shari Lepena (2016) [30:24]
- Someone We Know by Shari Lepena (2019) [30:31]
- Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent (2023) [32:23]
- The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth (2019) [33:26]
- The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth (2022) [33:50]
- The Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (2023) [33:53]
- Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister (2023) [36:36]
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005) [38:04]
- The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (1980) [39:24]
- In Light of All Darkness by Kim Cross (2023) [42:25]
- The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (2025) [44:17]
- Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller (2015) [47:20]
- The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant (2024) [48:11]
- The Fury by Alex Michaelides (2024) [49:47]
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2019) [49:53]