For Ep. 174, due to an unexpected change in our episode schedule, we’re bringing you an episode from our newest Patreon bonus series, Unscripted. This series is our sandbox for any bookish topic, whether it’s publishing news, behind-the-scenes insights from the podcast and our reading lives, or patron-submitted discussions. Most Unscripted episodes feature both co-hosts, Susie Boutry (@NovelVisits) and Catherine Gilmore (@GilmoreGuide), along with me — and this April episode was no exception. We dive into the topic of Auto-Buy Authors, submitted by patrons! Tune in for a candid chat about the authors we always buy, former favorites, and those we’ve learned to avoid.
This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).
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Introduction [4:19]
Books Mentioned
- The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo [5:12]
Auto-Buy Authors [11:12]
Catherine
- Elizabeth George
- Anna Quindlen
- Paula McLain
- Alice Hoffman
- Thrity Umrigar
- Barbara Kingsolver
- Natalie Haynes
- S. A. Cosby
- Maggie O’Farrell
- John Boyne
- Water | Amazon [43:48]
- The Heart’s Invisible Furies | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:16]
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:23]
- All the Broken Places | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:25]
- A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:04]
- A Ladder to the Sky | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:18]
- Abbi Waxman
- Percival Everett
- Jennifer Saint
- Laini Taylor
Susie
- Claire Fuller
- Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Sally Rooney
- Beautiful World, Where Are You | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:31]
- Intermezzo (September 24, 2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:06]
- Normal People | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:22]
- Madeline Miller
- David Joy
- Rebecca Makkai
- Peter Heller
- The River | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:50]
- The Guide | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:56]
- The Last Ranger | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:59]
- Burn | Amazon | Bookshop.org (August 13, 2024)[35:29]
- The Dog Stars | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:43]
- Celeste Ng
- William Kent Krueger
- Annie Hartnett
- Fredrik Backman
- Lily Brooks-Dalton
- Anna Pitoniak
- Emma Straub
Sarah
- Ann Patchett
- Rufi Thorpe
- Garrett M. Graff
- Kevin Wilson
- Amy Jo Burns
- Liz Nugent
- Meg Wolitzer
- Tayari Jones
- Brit Bennett
- Angie Kim
- Mary Laura Philpott
- Rachel Khong
- Hanna Halperin
- Gabrielle Zevin
| Former Auto-Buy Authors [1:03:23]
Catherine
- Mark Halperin
- Paul Auster
- John Irving
- Nelson DeMille
- Colson Whitehead
Susie
- Chris Bohjalian
- Skeletons at the Feast | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:05:37]
- The Sleepwalker | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:05:55]
- The Flight Attendant | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:05:57]
- The Princess of Las Vegas | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:06:26]
- The Double Bind | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:06:57]
- Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:07:06]
- The Sandcastle Girls | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:07:17]
- Midwives | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:07:21]
- Sally Hepworth
- Stephen King
Sarah
- Anna Quindlen
- Beatriz Williams
- Michael Lewis
Auto-Avoid Authors [1:14:50]
Catherine
- Paula Hawkins
- Colleen Hoover
- Fredrik Backman
- Alix E. Harrow
Susie
- Rachel Kapelke-Dale
- Elle Cosimano
- Annabel Monaghan
- Benjamin Stevenson
- T. J. Newman
- Emma Cline
Sarah
- Riley Sager
- Emily Henry
- Liane Moriarty
- Kristin Hannah
- Emma Straub
Other Books Mentioned
- Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano [1:23:44]
- Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano [1:23:47]
- 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard [1:25:04]
- The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard [1:25:16]
- Writers & Lovers by Lily King [1:25:41]
- Euphoria by Lily King [1:25:44]
About Susie Boutry
Blog | Facebook | X | Instagram
Susie has loved reading for as long as she can remember. Some of her fondest childhood memories involve long afternoons at the library and then reading late into the night. More than ten years ago, she began journaling about the books she read and turned that passion into writing about books. Her first forays were as a guest reviewer on a friend’s blog, but she soon realized she wanted to be reviewing and talking about books on a blog of her own. From there, Novel Visits was born. That was in 2016 and, though the learning curve was steep, she loves being a part of the book community. Novel Visits focuses on new novel reviews (print and audio), previews of upcoming releases, and musings on all things bookish.
About Catherine Gilmore
Blog | Facebook | X | Instagram
Catherine started The Gilmore Guide to Books over 10 years ago after wrapping up a career as a corporate librarian. She loves books and reading (surprise!) and currently lives in Seattle, WA.
Next Episodes
In two weeks (August 7), Susie will be back with me for our 2024 Micro Genres We Love episode.
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Loved today’s podcast on “auto-buy” authors. Always great to have all 3 of you together. So many recos to investigate 🙂
Like Catherine, I don’t buy a lot of books so my approach is more “auto-consider”. If I’ve like 2 or more books from an author, I will thoughtfully consider anything they write. If it sounds interesting, I’m in and I’m rarely disappointed.
Wanted to add a few non-fiction authors for those who might be interested: Hampton Sides, Jonathan Eig, Sy Montgomery, Mitchell Zuckoff, Candace Millard, Mary Roach, Robert Kurson, Bill Bryson, David Grann.