Book Lounge by Libby

Latest Episodes:

Romance on Mars - A Conversation with Natasha Pulley Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

Joe is joined by Natasha Pulley to talk about her new book, The Mars House (out March 19). Natasha shares how her high school astronomy class inspired her first dive into Sci-Fi writing, writing a marriage of convenience plot to save a character's political aspirations, her deep love of science and doing your own calculations (even if they might be wrong). Come and hear how Natasha's experiences in life, academia and travel shaped her writing of this work.

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!

We hope you enjoy this episode of the Professional Book Nerds podcast. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! You can follow the Professional Book Nerds on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @ProBookNerds. Want to reach out? Send an email to professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com. We’ve got merch! Check out our two shirts in The OverDrive Shop (all profits are donated to the ALA Literacy Clearinghouse).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Borrow, Buy, Bin Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

On this episode, Joe and Emma play a little game of Borrow, Buy, Bin, a bookish take on the infamous game, Snog, Marry, Avoid. They've provided each other with authors to choose from, but without knowing what the books will be, Emma and Joe have to decide if they're going to Borrow the book for a little bit, Buy it to add to the collection at home, or put it in the donate Bin!

Titles in this game:

Sarah J Maas

Stephenie Meyer

Meg Cabot

Rachel Harrison

Tana French

Caroline Kepnes

Penny Reid

Lemony Snicket

Emily Henry

Riley Sager

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Be Bold With Tarryn Fisher Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

Emma catches up with Tarryn Fisher to discuss her new book, Good Half Gone. Tarryn also shares the inspiration behind the story, her fascination with siblings and the dynamic between twins, how women nurture in different ways, her friendship with Colleen Hoover, and being BOLD.

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today's episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reading Triumph: Conquering Goals and Slumps Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

Today on the podcast, Joe and Emma talk with their reading pals Andrea, Melissa and Shannon about how they set reading goals for the year to keep motivation and celebration high while also battling the reading slump. Join us for different ways to inspire how you view your year in books!

Don’t forget to Register to watch the virtual Libby Book Awards ceremony presented by us, your very own Professional Book Nerds via Zoom, or tune in on YouTube or Facebook Live.

What Everyone's Reading Right Now:

Nightbane by Alex Aster
Fate Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
This Bird Has Flown by Susanna Hoffs
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings / House of Earth and Blood (GraphicAudio) by Sarah J. Maas
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nerd Chat: March 2024 Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

Emma and Joe are back with another casual, chatty episode! They discuss Joe's Frieda McFadden reading marathon, Emma's thoughts on House of Flame and Shadow, and share candle recommendations, craft updates, recent book mail, and answer some questions from an AMA. Don't forget to Register to watch the virtual Libby Book Awards ceremony presented by us, your very own Professional Book Nerds via Zoom, or tune in on YouTube or Facebook Live.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Game Changer by Rachel Reid
Beard Science by Penny Reid
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas
Freida McFadden
The Coworker by Frieda McFadden
The Teacher by Freida McFadden
Manacled fanfiction
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien
Grave Expectations by Alice Bell
You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose
In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The Running Man by Stephen King
The Long Walk by Stephen King
Heartless by Elsie Silver
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron
Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
The Neighbor Wager by Crystal Kaswell

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today's episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March 2024 Book Picks! Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

It's that time again - time for Emma and Joe to look at the upcoming month's releases and share what they're most excited for! So many books, so little time... To make sure we're keeping things fresh, we've excluded titles included in our Most Anticipated Books of 2024 episode.

Don't forget to Register to watch the virtual Libby Book Awards ceremony presented by us, your very own Professional Book Nerds via Zoom, or tune in on YouTube or Facebook Live.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Author Interviews for March:

Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher
The Mars House by Natasha Pulley

Emma’s Titles:

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair
Happily Never After by Lynn Painter
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird
The Extinction of Irena Ray by Jennifer Croft
Such a Lovely Family by Aggie Blum Thompson

Joe’s Titles:

Watch Where They Hide – Tamron Hall
The Baker & the Bard by Fern Haught
Bad Like Us by Gabrielle Lepore
Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls
What I Should’ve Texted by Pierre Alex Jeanty
The Invisible Hotel by Yeji Y. Ham
Cirque du Slay by Rob Osler
Black Hole Cinema Club by Christopher Edge
Memory Piece by Lisa Ko
Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seasons of Books Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

Joe and Emma are joined by their colleague, Tiffany, to chat about seasonal reading! They chat about how they "plan" out their reading year, if the seasons influence what books they read and when, and recommend some of their favorites along the way. The group also realize what their reading "patterns" or schedules say about their tastes and preferences!

Books mentioned in this episode:

You series by Caroline Kepnes
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Will They Escape? by Daniel Huiet
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
Crescent City series by Sarah J Maas
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
Laura Vanderkam
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michellon
Holes by Louis Sachar
Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
Priest Series or anything by Sierra Simone
Maya Banks
Elin Hilderbrand
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Listen to Joe's winter reads episode with Amy from Mom Advice!

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today's episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sipping Tea and Planning Heists with Hafsah Faizal Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

On this episode, Joe is joined by Hafsah Faizal to discuss her new book A Tempest of Tea (out February 20). Hafsah is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of the Sands of Arawiya series, a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree and owner of IceyDesigns.

They talk about finding their favorite teas, Victorian blood dens in tea rooms, and planning the perfect heist.

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrating Valentine's Day with Dominique Raccah and the Sourcebooks Team! Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

Romance readers, assemble! This episode is for you. Emma chats with Dominique Raccah, Publisher and CEO, of Sourcebooks, the publisher behind some of your favorite romance reads at Sourcebooks Casablanca and Bloom Books imprints. They’re joined by Paula Amendolara (Senior Vice President of Sales), Mary Altman (Assistant Editorial Director), Molly Waxman (Executive Director of Marketing), Deb Werksman (Executive Editor), and Pamela Jaffee (Sr. Director Publicity/Brand Marketing), just some of the incredible team at Bloom Books and Sourcebooks Casablanca. They discuss insider info about how the publisher approaches each romance imprint, share trends in romance, and leave us with a long list of titles to get in the Valentine's Day spirit all February long.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh
Chloe Walsh books
Never by Jessa Hastings
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
Emily McIntire books
A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair
Wicked Villains series by Katee Robert
Elsie Silver books
Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall
Girls with Bad Reputations by Xio Axelrod
The Comeback by Lily Chu
All That We Never Were by Alice Kellen
All That We Are Together by Alice Kellen
A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole
A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair
Hades & Persephone series by Scarlett St. Clair
The Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score
Salacious Players Club series by Sara Cate
Twisted series by Ana Huang
The Striker by Ana Huang
Midnight Ruin by Katee Robert

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today's episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tea, Tales, and Twists: A Cozy Dive into Mysterious Whodunits Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

On this episode, Joe is joined by return guests Claire and Kristin to talk all about cozy mysteries! Whether you're looking for quoziess, foodie titles, bookish mysteries or the like, this episode is for you. Joe also introduces Claire and Kristin to the PokéRap.

Titles mentioned in this episode:

Claire’s Titles:

The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy
Grave Expectations by Alice Bell
Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes
Fifty-Four Pigs by Philipp Schott
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

Kristin’s Titles:

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis
Farm to Trouble by Amanda Flower
Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews
In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Joe’s Titles:

The Body in the Back Garden by Mark Waddell
Board to Death by CJ Connor
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp
Renovated to Death by Frank Anthony Polito
Devil’s Chew Toy by Rob Osler

Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library friends can shop these titles in OverDrive Marketplace.

Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices