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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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]
About Susie Boutry
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
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 (July 23), Sarah will be joined by Lidija Hilje, author of Slanting Towards the Sea.
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