Welcome to the 200th episode of Sarah’s Bookshelves Live with a very special celebration with both co-hosts: Susie (@NovelVisits) and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books. Today, they are answering listener-submitted questions all about their reading journeys, their podcast journeys, and some about their pre-podcast blogging days!
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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
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 day-to-day lives.
- What their friends outside of the book world think about what they do.
- Would Susie or Catherine ever want to do an author interview?
- How their feelings about the podcast have changed over the years.
Topic Highlights Key Moments in Their Reading Lives [1:59]
A few of the questions answered:
- Have you always been a reader, and do you have a distinct memory of when you truly fell in love with reading? [2:11]
- Was there a time in your life when you were not reading very much? [6:34]
- What parts of your reading tastes have changed dramatically over the course of your reading life and what parts have stayed consistent? [10:56]
- Currently, what is your reading “why”? What’s the primary reason you read? [29:35]
Their Professional Reading Journeys [34:17]
A few of the questions answered:
- Why did you start your blogs? [34:26]
- Is there anything you miss from the time when you only blogged? Anything you don’t miss? [40:35]
- What is your relationship like off mic? [44:49]
- How has social media changed your reading life? [53:04]
- Anything you wish you had known about podcasting before you got involved? [1:03:13]
Books Mentioned - Dick and Jane Reading Collection [2:41]
- Ant and Bee and the ABC (1950) [4:31]
- The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (1930) [4:59]
- Kristy’s Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club, 1) by Ann M. Martin (1986) [5:02]
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (1947) [5:29]
- The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (2013) [9:47]
- Double Love (Sweet Valley High, 1) by Francine Pascal (1983) [16:09]
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1861) [16:49]
- Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering (2018) [17:42]
- Normal People by Sally Rooney (2019) [17:43]
- Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams (2025) [17:44]
- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1857) [18:46]
- Middlemarch by George Eliot (1872) [18:54]
- Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (1937) [19:17]
55 mins