Ep. 173: Circling Back to Micro Genres We've Loved (2024) with Susie (@NovelVisits)

Sarah's Bookshelves Live

For Ep. 173, Susie Boutry (@NovelVisits) joins me as we circle back to one of our favorite topics — niching down our reading into micro genres! In this special Circle Back, we revisit some previously shared micro genres from our two past Micro Genres We Love episodes and introduce two additional micro genres from a Patreon bonus episode not yet heard on the big show! We give examples that define each micro genre for us and share new books we’ve read that fit into these niches. Plus, we share books for that DIDN’T work for us. This episode is full of over 100 books for you to add to your TBR!

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

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

Romances That Deal With Fame [4:04]

Sarah’s Additions

• Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:53]
• Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner | Amazon | Bookshop.org [5:14]

Other Books Mentioned

• Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld [4:31]
• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston [4:34]
• You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi [6:01]
• Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura (July 9) [6:37]

Frenzied but Favorable Family Dynamics [7:43]

Sarah’s Additions

• Mercury by Amy Jo Burns | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:21]
• Banyan Moon by Thao Thai | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:37]
• The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:44]
• Something Wild by Hanna Halperin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:59]

Susie’s Additions

• Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo | Amazon | Bookshop.org [8:19]
• Sandwich by Catherine Newman | Amazon | Bookshop.org [8:46]
• Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan | Amazon | Bookshop.org [9:31]
• Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro | Amazon | Bookshop.org [9:40]
• The Things We Didn’t Know by Elba Iris Pérez | Amazon | Bookshop.org [9:42]
• Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp | Amazon | Bookshop.org [9:50]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo [8:12]
• Happiness Falls by Angie Kim [10:35]
• The Bee Sting by Paul Murray [12:17]
• You Only Call When You’re in Trouble by Stephen McCauley [12:35]

Novels about the Dynamics of the Creative Process [12:53]

Sarah’s Addition

• Margo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:49]

Susie’s Addition

• The Art Thief by Michael Finkel | Amazon | Bookshop.org [14:24]

Other Books Mentioned

• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin [13:16]
• The Ensemble by Aja Gabel [13:23]

Hell No! Women’s Stories [15:16]

Susie’s Additions

• The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff | Amazon | Bookshop.org [16:05]
• Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane | Amazon | Bookshop.org [16:49]
• Margo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:10]
• Go As a River by Shelley Read | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:34]
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:37]
• Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:51]

Other Books Mentioned

• Circe by Madeline Miller [15:51]
• The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir [15:55]

Intense, (Sometimes) F-ed Up Love Stories, that Most Definitely Are Not Romances [18:10]

Sarah’s Additions

• Talking at Night by Claire Daverley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [19:04]
• Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler | Amazon | Bookshop.org [19:17]
• Leaving by Roxana Robinson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [19:29]

Susie’s Addition

• How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:09]

Other Books Mentioned

• Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering [18:52]
• Normal People by Sally Rooney [18:55]
• I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin [18:58]

Time Travel Done Right [20:31]

Susie’s Additions

• The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:09]
• The Husbands by Holly Gramazio | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:33]
• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:03]

Other Books Mentioned

• 11/22/63 by Stephen King [20:58]
• Life After Life by Kate Atkinson [21:02]

Books by Former or Current Attorneys [22:37]

Sarah’s Additions

• Gone But Not Forgotten by Phillip Margolin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:30]
• Happiness Falls by Angie Kim | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:47]
• All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:52]
• Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:03]

Susie’s Addition

• What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:32]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Damage by Caitlin Wahrer [22:54]
• Miracle Creek by Angie Kim [23:23]
• The Eddie Flynn Series by Steve Cavanagh [23:26]

Faithful Friends / Ensembles [25:07]

Sarah’s Addition

• The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:39]

Susie’s Additions

• We Are the Light by Matthew Quick | Amazon | Bookshop.org [25:53]
• Piglet by Lottie Hazell | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:16]
• Good Material by Dolly Alderton | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:36]
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:10]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer [25:37]
• The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall [25:41]
• The Ensemble by Aja Gabel [25:45]
• Come and Get It by Kiley Reid [27:28]

Suspenseful Books That Are Not Truly Thrillers,But That Publishers Market as Thrillers [28:20]

Sarah’s Additions

• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:26]
• All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:50]

Susie’s Addition

• Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:21]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb [29:08]
• My Sunshine Away by M. O. Walsh [29:11]
• The Cutting Season by Attica Locke [29:20]

Literary Angst [30:52]

Sarah’s Addition

• Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:01]

Susie’s Additions

• Yellowface by R. F. Kuang | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:06]
• Victim by Andrew Boryga | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:30]
• I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:16]

Other Books Mentioned

• Writers & Lovers by Lily King [31:26]
• Groundskeeping by Lee Cole [31:30]
• We Wish You Luck by Caroline Zancan [31:33]
• The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz [33:44]
• A Million Little Pieces by James Frey [34:22]
• Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James [34:24]

Oral Histories [34:35]

Sarah’s Additions

• The Hop by Diana Clarke | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:18]
• Kill Show by Daniel Sweren-Becker | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:38]
• Welcome to the O.C. by Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, and Alan Sepinwall | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:52]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff [34:58]
• Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid [35:05]

Retellings of Classics or Beloved Books [36:43]

Sarah’s Addition

• Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:53]

Susie’s Additions

• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:27]
• Bear by Julia Phillips | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:46]

Other Books Mentioned

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver [37:03]
• Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor [37:08]
• Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes [37:13]
• The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood [37:17]
• Birnham Wood by Eleanor Catton [38:38]
• James by Percival Everett [39:05]
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen [39:55]

Badass Female Athlete Fiction / Competition Novels [40:14]

Sarah’s Addition

• Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:42]

Other Books Mentioned

• Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid [40:35]
• Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley [40:38]
• The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe [41:02]

Trust No One [41:33]

Susie’s Additions

• First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:46]
• Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:07]

Other Books Mentioned

• I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid [42:03]
• Foe by Iain Reid [42:04]
• Cover Story by Susan Rigetti [42:17]
• Sunburn by Laura Lippman [42:21]
• Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson [43:45]
• The Fury by Alex Michaelides [44:19]

Workplace Dramas or Thrillers [44:58]

Sarah’s Additions

• Exit Interview by Kristi Coulter | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:38]
• Private Equity by Carrie Sun | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:50]
• Bully Market by Jamie Fiore Higgins | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:05]

Susie’s Additions

• The Sisterhood by Liza Mundy | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:48]
• Correspondents by Tim Murphy | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:11]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger [45:13]
• The Boys’ Club by Erica Katz [45:17]
• All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris [45:19]
• Code Girls by Liza Mundy [47:04]

Novels With a Focus on Found Family [47:28]

Sarah’s Additions

• Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:47]
• The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman | Amazon | Bookshop.org [51:17]

Susie’s Additions

• Who We Are Now by Lauryn Chamberlain | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:25]
• The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:48]
• All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:23]

Other Books Mentioned

• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara [48:04]
• We Are the Light by Matthew Quick [48:09]
• Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda [48:15]
• Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen [49:14]
• Family Family by Laurie Frankel [49:48]