Book Lounge by Libby

Latest Episodes:

Astral Projecting with Mike Albo, author of Another Dimension of Us Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

Today on the pod, Joe talks with Mike Albo about his new book Another Dimension of Us(out January 17). They dive into Mike's process, what it was like growing up in the 80s, feedback from his authenticity readers, the excitement around his audiobook, and of course- curating a new age bookshelf.

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.

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).

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February's Biggest Books Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

Emma, Joe, and Jill are back for the monthly round up of books they're most excited for coming out this month! In this episode, they also chat about gothic ghost stories, an obsession with the tv show, Supernatural, the 90s, Uggs vs. Crocs, preview some upcoming author interviews, and talk about their favorite tropes.

Emma’s Picks:

Radiant Sin by Katee Robert
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth
Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft
Immortality by Dana Schwartz
The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan
This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang

Jill’s Picks:

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
B.F.F. by Christie Tate
Cold People by Tom Rob Smith
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
Bookworm by Robin Yeatman

Joe’s Picks:

The Angel Maker by Alex North
Bad Mormon by Heather Gay
The Long Run by James Acker
Revelle by Lyssa Mia Smith
Project Nought by Chelsey Furedi
Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns
Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom by Nina Varela

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 here.

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Finding the Funny with Monica Heisey Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

Emma chats with Monica Heisey about her novel, Really Good, Actually. They also discuss divorce at a young age, the triumph of oat milk, writing for television versus writing fiction, the best advice, Toronto Public Library's reading challenge, and how to find the funny in writing and life.

Books mentioned:

Birds of America by Lorrie Moore

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Garbielle Zevin

Georgia Nicolson series

How Should a Person Be? By Sheila Heti

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Pro Book Nerds Most Anticipated Reads of 2023! Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

Starting the new year off right with our MOST anticipated books of 2023! This list was so hard to narrow down and we're surely missing a lot of releases, but here are some of the titles we cannot wait to read this year. Emma, Joe, and Jill also chat about our undying love for Santino Fontana, the struggle in pronouncing character names from fantasy books aloud, a term we're coining "murder-coms," Joe's chat with Grady Hendrix, MLMs, gothic stories and manifesting the release of the next Crescent City book from Sarah J. Maas.

Jill’s Picks

The Teachers by Alexandra Robbins
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai
Reckoning by V (formally Eve Ensler)
Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
The Golden Frog Games by Claribel A Ortega
She is a haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor
VenCo by Cherie Dimaline
Kiss me in the Coral Lounge by Helen Ellis

Emma’s Picks

Happy Place by Emily Henry
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken
A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey (and Unfortunately Yours)
A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffen
The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Joe’s Picks

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto
Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood
Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
The Male Gazed by Manuel Betancourt
The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz
Zero Days by Ruth Ware

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 here.

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Learning How to Sell a Haunted House with Grady Hendrix Jan 16, 2023

Show notes

Join Joe for a conversation with Grady Hendrix! They talk about his new book, How to Sell a Haunted House, writing structure, Lemony Snicket, and just what it takes to empty out the clutter of a life gone by.

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.

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Pro Book Nerds 2023 Reading Challenge! Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

On today's episode of the podcast, the Professional Book Nerds are here to share the prompts for 2023's reading challenge! We read some completed entries from last year's challenge, share the prompts for this year, and tell you what prompt we're most excited about. This episode marks an important milestone for Emma and Joe, too! :)

This year's challenge includes:

Greek myth retelling
A popular YA series
Book you ONLY picked for the cover
Book with a map
Audiobook narrated by the author
The highest or lowest rated book on your TBR
A book with a bilingual character
A cookbook & make a recipe
Read a poetry collection
Read a friend’s FAVORITE book
A book by an author with a pen name
A book about found family

Books mentioned in this episode:

We are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener
Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas
Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno- Garcia
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
There, There by Tommy Orange
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

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 here.

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Talking The House in the Pines with Author Ana Reyes Jan 09, 2023

Show notes

Today on the pod, Joe chats with Ana Reyes about her debut title (and Reese's Book Club January pick) The House in the Pines. They talk about writing twists, researching in your hometown, and why she thought TS Elliot was her mother's enemy!

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.

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Body positive books for kids and teens Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, Jill is joined by Sydney and Jane to share juvenile and young adult titles that showcase body diversity. They share what (if any) representation they saw when they were kids, discuss of these types of books for young readers, and even offer some romance novels with fat bodies for those adults looking for something to read.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder

Starfish by Lisa Fipps

45 Lbs (More or Less) by Kelly Barson

Taking Up Space by Alysen Gerber

My Eyes Are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman

Beautifully Me by Nabela Noor

Smaller Sister by Maggie Edkins Willis

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

The Brown Sisters books by Talia Hibbert

Any book by Olivia Dade

Brontorina by James Howe

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

Hilda Must be Dancing by Karma Wilson

Laxmi's Mooch by Shelly Anand

Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos

Fat Angie by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Dumplin by Julie Murphy

Puddin by Julie Murphy

Pumpkin by Julie Murphy

Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy

Every Body Shines by Cassandra Newbould

The Other F Word ed. By Angie Manfredi

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Talking myths about fat people with Aubrey Gordon Jan 02, 2023

Show notes

Aubrey Gordon, co-host of Maintenance Phase, comes on the Professional Book Nerds to talk about her new book "You Just Need to Lose Weight!" and 19 other myths about fat people. She and Jill discuss some of the myths contained in her book, Taylor Swift's "Anti Hero" music video, and ways to break free from yet again setting a diet-related New Year resolution.

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January's Biggest Books! Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

2023 is almost here, and with it comes a new month of amazing books we can't wait to read!

Emma’s Picks