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]