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Sarah's Bookshelves Live is a bi-weekly show featuring real talk about books and book recommendations from a featured guest. Each week, Sarah of the blog Sarah's Bookshelves will talk with her guest about: - 2 OLD BOOKS THEY LOVE - 2 NEW BOOKS THEY LOVE - 1 BOOK THEY DON'T LOVE - AND 1 NEW RELEASE THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT I'm getting real about all things books and serving you up a bit of snark on th... more

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Artwork for Sarah's Bookshelves Live

Latest Episodes

Welcome to the Spring 2026 Book Preview with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books!

Today, Catherine and Sarah share 12 of their most anticipated books releasing in April and May.

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small com... more

In Episode 220, Sarah and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books catch up on the 16 new releases they shared in the Winter 2026 Book Preview, now that they've read them — or at least tried to! They share their reading stats and discuss which books work... more

In Episode 219, Sarah talks with author T Kira Madden about her debut novel, Whidbey. A dark, atmospheric story that explores the long reach of violence and the lack of recourse many victims face, Whidbey tackles difficult themes including sexual abu... more

In Episode 218, Sarah chats with Enneagram author, speaker, and podcaster Sarajane Case about Reading Through the Enneagram. After a brief introduction to the Enneagram and how it differs from other personality systems, they dive into how Enneagram t... more

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Recent Guests

T Kira Madden
Native Hawaiian writer and author of Whidbey
Author of Whidbey; No Tokens; Hamilton College; University of Hawaii at Manoa
Episode: T Kira Madden (Author of Whidbey) | Ep. 219
Sarajane Case
Certified enneagram teacher and author of The Honest Enneagram
Enneagram and Coffee
Episode: Reading Through the Enneagram with Sarajane Case (Author of The Honest Enneagram) | Ep. 218
Christine Kuehn
Author of Family of Spies
None
Episode: Christine Kuehn (Author of Family of Spies) | Ep. 217
Meredith Monday Schwartz
Host of the Currently Reading Podcast and a horror enthusiast
Currently Reading Podcast
Episode: Best of Horror with Meredith Monday Schwartz (Currently Reading) | Ep. 216
Catherine Gilmore
Book blogger and guest from Gilmore Guide to Books
Gilmore Guide to Books
Episode: The Best Backlist We Read in 2025 with Catherine Gilmore | Ep. 215
Laura McGrath
Writer, literary historian, and data scientist.
Assistant Professor at Temple University
Episode: State of the Publishing Industry in 2025 with Laura McGrath, Author of the textCrunch Substack (Ep. 210)
Elizabeth Barnhill
Book buyer at Fabled Bookshop and a frequent contributor to the topic of narrative nonfiction.
Fabled Bookshop
Episode: Ep. 208: Best of Narrative Nonfiction with Elizabeth Barnhill of Fabled Bookshop (@FabledBookshop)
Regina Black
Author of August Lane, former litigator, and law school administrator.
Episode: Ep. 207: Regina Black (Author of August Lane)
Lidija Hilje
Croatian novelist and certified book coach
Author of Slanting Towards the Sea
Episode: Ep. 201: Lidija Hilje (Author of Slanting Towards the Sea) + Book Recommendations

Host

Sarah Dickinson
Host of Sarah's Bookshelves Live

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 946 ratings
  • My favorite bookish podcast

    This one is a joy to listen to. The reviews are very honest. You won’t find a lot of unrelated chit chat here. I especially enjoy the episodes with Catherine. I’ve discovered so many titles and authors that I never would have found on my own.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Retired tinknocker
    United States3 months ago
  • One of the best

    I find Sarah’s Bookshelves Live to be original and engaging without some of the annoyances of many podcasts.

    The podcast is well-edited and Sarah and her co-hosts stick to books without a ton of superfluous chit chat. They are quite forthright in their opinions, with which I often disagree, but I enjoy the counterpoints. They don’t recommend the same 20 books everyone else is discussing.

    They also are super-careful not to allow any spoilers.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Amesiowa
    United States3 months ago
  • The source of my never ending TBR

    So much on my TBR is from books mentioned on this podcast. My tastes actually align more with Susie and Catherine’s than Sarah’s, so glad they are on the show

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Paria H.
    United States7 months ago
  • Sarah’s Bookshelves Lives is one of the best bookish podcasts.

    One of my FAVORITE podcasts! I loved your episode with Anderson from Page and Pallette. Hope she is a repeat guest.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JParrish76
    United States10 months ago
  • Best book podcast

    I love this podcast. Sarah usually recommends books that I end up loving. She’s one of my most trusted rec sources.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JaM1622
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the concise, spoiler-conscious format and strong book recommendations.
Frequent patrons highlight honesty and trusted recommendations, with occasional criticisms about the breadth of titles.
Listeners appreciate absence of chitchat, focus on books, and helpful previews for NetGalley/library requests.
Praise for thoughtful interview style and diverse guest mix, with balanced opinions.
Positive feedback on variety of genres and depth of discussion; some critics wish for broader book choices.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#73
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#217
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#153
Canada/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#96
India/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#138
Philippines/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#159
Philippines/Arts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

T Kira Madden (Author of Whidbey) | Ep. 219
Q: What made you want to revisit the impact of sexual assault after processing it in your memoir, and to do so through fiction in Whidbey?
I wanted to keep asking hard questions, not settle into a single point of view, and to examine how memory and narrative can illuminate but also complicate truth, power, and accountability across different characters and time periods.
T Kira Madden (Author of Whidbey) | Ep. 219
Q: For those who haven't read it yet, can you give us a brief overview of Whidbey without spoiling anything?
Whidbey follows three women connected by the repercussions of abuse and murder, shifting between survivor perspectives and the mother of the abuser to explore how violence reverberates through families, communities, and justice systems, while also interrogating how stories are told and commodified in culture.
Ep. 208: Best of Narrative Nonfiction with Elizabeth Barnhill of Fabled Bookshop (@FabledBookshop)
Q: Any subgenres that do not work for you?
Well, very rarely do celebrity memoirs work for me because I really don't care. So that's not the fault of the celebrity. It's just not my thing.
Ep. 208: Best of Narrative Nonfiction with Elizabeth Barnhill of Fabled Bookshop (@FabledBookshop)
Q: Tell us about your background with Narrative Nonfiction.
I've always loved just interesting stories from real people and loved history as a kid, as a student. I really probably should have majored in history.
Ep. 207: Regina Black (Author of August Lane)
Q: How do you feel about sticking tightly to romance genre tropes?
Regina states she loves tropes as narrative tools but believes in creating stories that feel unique and compelling, rather than conforming strictly to tropes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Sarah's Bookshelves Live

What is Sarah's Bookshelves Live about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on candid book conversations, blending author interviews with thoughtful recommendations and book-focused analysis. Across episodes, the hosts explore 2 old loves, 2 newer picks, and a few provocative opinions about books they don't love, while highlighting 1 upcoming release they're excited about. Guests range from authors and publishers to booksellers and bloggers, with a strong emphasis on diverse genres (romance, narrative nonfiction, horror, literary fiction) and publishing industry insights. The format tends to be crisp and spoiler-conscious, valuing clear takes, fresh recommendations, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into writing, editing, and getting books into readers' hands. Notably, the show regularly features bac... more

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To see how many followers or subscribers Sarah's Bookshelves Live has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Sarah's Bookshelves Live?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Sarah's Bookshelves Live:

1. Book Talk, etc.
2. The Currently Reading Podcast
3. From the Front Porch
4. Literally Reading
5. Well-Read

How many episodes of Sarah's Bookshelves Live are there?

Sarah's Bookshelves Live launched 7 years ago and published 230 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Sarah's Bookshelves Live?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Sarah's Bookshelves Live?

Recent guests on Sarah's Bookshelves Live include:

1. T Kira Madden
2. Sarajane Case
3. Christine Kuehn
4. Meredith Monday Schwartz
5. Catherine Gilmore
6. Laura McGrath
7. Elizabeth Barnhill
8. Regina Black

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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