In Episode 209, Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) and Chrissie (@ChrissieWhitley) join Sarah for the 5th annual Debuts Special! They're sharing their reading stats for debuts this year, along with their favorite debuts, new and backlist — so far for 2025.

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

Highlights

• How debuts from 2025 compare to those from previous years.
• A full breakdown of Sarah's, Catherine's, and Chrissie's 2025 debut-related stats.
• Featured debuts, split into two categories:
  • Favorite Debuts of 2025 (so far)
  • Favorite Backlist Debuts Read in 2025

Favorite Debuts of 2025 (so far) [9:20]

Sarah

• Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:27]
• The Slip by Lucas Schaefer (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [18:54]
• Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:12]

Catherine

• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [14:04]
• The Names by Florence Knapp (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:50]
• Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:30]

Chrissie

• Homeseeking by Karissa Chen (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [16:39]
• Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[26:34]
• Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:53]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff (2025) [10:09]
• The Compound by Aisling Rowle (2025) [10:11]
• Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje (2025) [10:14]
• Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams (2025) [10:17]
• Dominion by Addie E. Citchens (2025) [10:19]
• Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill (2014) [12:48]
• You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (2024) [12:56]
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017) [18:47]
• Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger (1990) [20:49]
• The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (2020) [22:08]
• All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall (2025) [28:58]
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014) [30:36]
• The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe (1987) [34:15]

Favorite Backlist Debuts Read in 2025 [39:09]

Sarah

• I Might Be In Trouble by Daniel Aleman (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:15]
• Out of Love by Hazel Hayes (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:26]

Catherine

• In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[42:45]
• Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:47]

Chrissie

• Fruiting Bodies by Kathryn Harlan (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:04]
• The Undertaking by Audrey Magee (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:31]

Other Books Mentioned

• Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner (2017) [44:58]
• Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (2022) [46:14]
• The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton (2022) [49:08]
• The Colony by Audrey Magee (2022) [53:26]

Additional Books Mentioned

• Victim by Andrew Boryga (2024) [3:39]
• Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (2004) [6:54]