Book Lounge by Libby

Latest Episodes:

Ep. #405 - Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg, creators of ASTRONUTS Dec 30, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode, Adam interviews Jon Scieszka and Steven-Weinberg about their new children's book series ASTRONUTS! They chat about creating this unique and incredible story together while Adam asks about working with family (Jon is Steven's father-in-law). Adam then has to ask about The Stinky Cheese Man and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

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Ep. #404 - The 10 best books of 2019 AND The 10 best books of the decade Dec 26, 2019

Show notes

The end of the year means it's time to look back on the best books of 2019! As a bonus, we also share our selections for the best books of the entire decade!

Books mentioned in this episode:

The 10 Best Books of 2019

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O'Meara

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

The 10 Best Books of the Decade

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

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Ep. #403- The Professional Book Nerds 2020 Reading Challenge Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

We're excited to share our brand new 2020 reading challenge! In this episode, we explain each of the following challenges in depth. Be sure to subscribe to hear upcoming episodes loaded with recommendations.

You can find the form to fill out at professionalbooknerds.com or on our pinned tweet over at @ProBookNerds on Twitter. Be sure to share your progress using the hashtag #PBNread2020

The Professional Book Nerds 2020 Reading Challenge

Book translated from a language other than your own
Book written by an LGBTQ+ author
A collection of short stories or an anthology
A graphic novel
Read two books on the same subject, 1 fiction & 1 nonfiction
A microhistory
A book you haven't read since high school
A self-published book
A book with Nontraditional formatting

Book featuring a cat or dog
First book of a series

A book published between 2000 & 2010

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Ep. #402: The Best Audiobooks of 2019 Dec 19, 2019

Show notes

We brought our good friend Robin Whitten from Audiofile Magazine on to run through their (and our) selections for the best audiobooks of 2019. Take a listen!

The Best Audiobooks of 2019

Akin by Emma Donoghue, narrated by Jason Culp

Full Throttle by Joe Hill, narrated by Zachary Quinto, Wil Wheaton, Kate Mulgrew, Neil Gaiman, Ashleigh Cummings, Joe Hill, Laysla De Oliveira, Nate Corddry, Connor Jessup, Stephen Lang, and George Guidall.

The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson, Narrated by George Newbern

The First Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer, Narrated by Scott Brick

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, Narrated by Meryl Streep

The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman, Narrated by Michael Sheen

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Aye-Aye and I by Gerald Durrell, narrated by Rupert Degas

A Dream About Lightning Bugs by Ben Folds

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey, Narrated by Xe Sands

Run Away by Harlan Coben

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, Narrated by Ann Dowd

An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo

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Ep. #401 - Katharine McGee, author of American Royals Dec 16, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode, Adam is joined by bestselling author Katharine McGee! They chat about her transitioning from Science Fiction to writing romantic comedies with her new, phenomenal book American Royals. They also discuss Katharine's love of intricate period piece shows, share thoughts on His Dark Materials, and, of course, chat about Les Mis.

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Ep. #400 - Steve Potash, Rakuten OverDrive Founder and CEO (Part 1) Dec 12, 2019

Show notes

It is not an understatement to say that Steve Potash is the reason we are able to do this podcast. Steve is the founder and creator of Rakuten OverDrive as well as one of the main reasons digital library reading is such a prevalent part of our lives. Each day, we come to work at the OverDrive office excitement to help create a world enlightened by reading and it all starts with Steve's energy and passion. But OverDrive has been around much longer than you likely realize and it didn't start with libraries.

On today's episode, Steve joins us to discuss the humble origins of this incredible company we get to call home.

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Ep. #399 - Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King Dec 09, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode, Adam interviews Maaza Mengiste about her new novel, The Shadow King. This book tells the story of Mussolini's 1935 invasion of Ethiopia and how it changed lives forever on both sides. Maaza shares the incredible true story of her ancestor who fought for her right to join the Ethiopian army to defend her home, the paths her research led her down, and so much more.

This episode is sponsored by https://literatibooks.com/. Use our promo code PROBOOKNERDS for $20 off your first box of teacher-curated books and beautiful artwork for kids! These unique gifts also feature some amazing holiday themes this month!

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Ep. #398 - Kate Racculia, author of Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghost Dec 05, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode, Adam interviews Kate Racculia, author of the award-winning Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts. They chat about Edgar Allan Poe, Kate's many exceptional past jobs, her experience working in a library and so much more wonderful nerdery. Take a listen!

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Ep. #397 - Barbara and Teeba Furat Marlow, authors of A Brave Face Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode, Adam and Jill sit down with local authors Barbara and Teeba Furat Marlowe. Their book, A Brave Face, tells the incredible true story of how two families from halfway around the world became forever connected, turning a tragedy into a heartwarming story of perseverance, faith, and hope.

This episode is sponsored by https://scandigital.com/. Use our promo code BOOKNERDS for 50% off your order!

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December's Biggest Books! Nov 28, 2019

Show notes

Jill is here with the biggest books of December the Professional Book Nerds can't wait to read!

Children of Virtue and Vengence by Tomi Adeyemi

Good Girls Lie by JT Ellison

Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer

Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra

Disney's Land by Richard Snow

The Dead Girl's Club by Damien Angelica Walters

The Book of Science and Antiquities by Thomas Keneally