In Ep. 194, Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) and Sarah head back to the year 2017 in the book world with this second annual special retrospective episode! They share big bookish highlights for that year, including book news, award winners, and what was going on in the world outside of reading. They also talk about how their own 2017 reading shook out, including their favorite 2017 releases. Plus, a quick run-down of listener-submitted favorites! This episode is overflowing with great backlist titles to add to your TBR!

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

Highlights

The big news that was going on outside the book world.
The book stories and trends that dominated 2017.
How similar 2017 and 2025 are.
The 2017 books that have had staying power.⁠
Was this as dismal a year in books as Sarah remembers?
Sarah’s and Catherine’s personal 2017 reading stats.⁠
Listener-submitted favorites from 2017.⁠

Bookish Time Capsule (2017) [2:12] The World Beyond Books

No books mentioned in this segment.

The Book Industry

Wonder by R. J. Palacio (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [9:59]
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:04]
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:40]
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:44]
Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:08]
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:18]
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:03]
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:13]
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:23]
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:46]
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:48]
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:50]
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [14:57]
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [15:03]
James by Percival Everett (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [15:04]

Bookish Headlines and Trends

Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:41]
A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:43]
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (2006) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:48]
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:04]
The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:31]

Big Books and Award Winners of 2017

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:01]
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:06]
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:21]
Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:27]
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:48]
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:09]
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:39]
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:23]
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:40]
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:31]
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (2008) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:09]
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:51]
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:16]
Normal People by Sally Rooney (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33...