
Ep. 209: 2025 Debuts Special with Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) and Chrissie (@ChrissieWhitley)
10/29/2025
0:00
56:21
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]
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