In Episode 191, Sarah and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books catch up on the 16 new releases they shared in the Winter 2025 Book Preview. They share their reading stats, chat about what they liked, and what didn’t work out. 

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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Highlights

• For the first time ever, Sarah’s Preview selections resulted in a 100% success rate!
• Catherine’s reading was also successful at 75%, with 2 DNFs.
• A total of three 5-star books from the Winter Preview!
• Sarah successfully revived her reading from that “sameness” she felt in December.
• Catherine’s reading seems to revolve around “right time” and “wrong time” books even more than usual.
• They name the best and worst books from their winter picks.

Books Read Before the Preview [1:46] 

January

Sarah’s Picks

• The Favorites by Layne Fargo (Jan 14) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [2:18]
• Penitence by Kristin Koval (Jan 28) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:05]

Other Books Mentioned

• Defending Jacob by William Landay [5:12]
• All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay [5:13]  

Winter 2025 Circle Back [7:42]

January

Sarah’s Pick

• Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (Jan 14) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[11:44]

Catherine’s Picks

• All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall (Jan 7) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[7:46]
• Those Fatal Flowers by Shannon Ives (Jan 21) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [18:14]
• Call Her Freedom by Tara Dorabji (Jan 21) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [25:59] 
• Too Soon by Betty Shamieh (Jan 28) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:53]

Other Books Mentioned

• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel [9:46]  

February

Sarah’s Picks

• Yours, Eventually by Nura Maznavi (Feb 18) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:29]
• Crush by Ada Calhoun (Feb 25) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:40]
• The Strange Case by Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker (Feb 25) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:59]
• The Grand Scheme of Things by Warona Jay (Feb 25) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[43:10]

Catherine’s Pick

• This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer (Feb 4) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:44]

Other Books Mentioned

• Persuasion by Jane Austen [22:35]
• Why We Can’t Sleep by Ada Calhoun [32:09]  
• Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give by Ada Calhoun [32:11] 
• Yellowface by R. F. Kuang [43:56] 
• Victim by Andrew Boryga [44:04] 
• By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult [45:54] 

March

Sarah’s Pick

• Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (Mar 4) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:33]

Catherine’s Picks

• The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami (Mar 4) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:21]
• Kate & Frida by Kim Fay (Mar 11) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:56]
• Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh (Mar 25) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:25]

Other Books Mentioned

• Love & Saffron by Kim Fay [49:07] 
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens [50:37] 
• The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller [50:40]