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 ]
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