

Book Lounge by Libby
Book Lounge by Libby
The Professional Book Nerds podcast is now, Book Lounge by LibbyBook Lounge by Libby is the podcast where authors, book lovers, and industry insiders come together to talk about the stories we love and the impact they have. Hosted by Joe Skelley, each episode invites you into a cozy, candid conversation about books, writing, publishing, and the trends shaping the literary world.PLUS, every episode features book recommendations from some of your favorite online content creators.Book Lounge airs two seasons per year, along with special monthly episodes. Whether you're into sweeping romances, chilling thrillers, epic fantasies, or powerful memoirs, there's something in the Lounge for every reader. So, grab your favorite drink, get cozy, and meet us in the Book Lounge.Find more at: https://pages.libbylife.com/BL-Links Brought to you by Libby, the library app.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 6, 2023 • 51min
Rebecca Yarros Believes in Happily Ever Afters
Emma spends roughly an hour fangirling at bestselling author, Rebecca Yarros, and chats about the highly-anticipated release of Iron Flame. They also discuss work-life balance, the biggest obstacles facing Xaden and Violet, Rebecca's favorite dragon and go-to coffee order, being a Dain apologist, and so much more in this casual, chatty interview.Books mentioned in this episode:
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros
Undelivered by Jeff Nussbaum
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
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

Nov 2, 2023 • 52min
Romancelandia Chat with Librarian, Robin Bradford!
Emma is joined by librarian, Robin Bradford, to chat about her book, The Reader's Advisory Guide to Romance. They also chat all things Romancelandia, how to talk about spice levels, the cyclical nature of romance trends and tropes, libraries, and a bunch of recommendations! You can find Robin on Twitter @Tuphlos. Authors mentioned in this episode:
Katee Robert
Jill Shalvis
Tasha Harrison
D.L. White
Naima Simone
Tracey Livesay
Eva Leigh
Rosie Danan
Samantha Chase
Dylan Allen
Rachel Howzell Hall
Books mentioned in this episode:
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
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

Oct 30, 2023 • 1h 7min
Reality and Romantic Tropes with Penny Reid
Emma catches up with Penny Reid to discuss the ways Penny innovates in self-publishing/indie publishing, her amazing Kickstarter campaign, the Smarty Pants Romance imprint, what happens when you add reality to romance tropes, and the Charles Dickens retelling you didn't know you needed. Plus, hear some scoop on what books you can expect next, news about the Winston Brothers tv show, and which characters still speak to Penny the loudest, even after their books are "done." Books mentioned in this episode:
Truth or Beard
Prom King (coming soon)
Drama King
Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend
Marriage and Murder
Beard Science
Beard in Hiding
Totally Folked
Folk Around and Find Out
Marriage of Inconvenience
All Folked Up (coming July 2024)
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 26, 2023 • 53min
November Book Picks
Emma and Joe's favorite episode of the month is here with a roundup of November book releases! Grab a warm beverage and your TBR list!Author Interviews this month: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros The Future by Naomi Alderman Emma’s Picks
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Betting on You by Lynn Painter
Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry
Enchanted Hill by Emily Bain Murphy
Endgame by Omid Scobie
Welcome to the O.C. by Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Alan Sepinwall
Wish of the Wicked by Danielle Paige
Joe’s Picks
The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor
The Core of an Onion by Mark Kurlansky
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan
Only She Came Back by Margot Harrison
No One Left But You by Tash McAdam
Wren Martin Ruins it All by Amanda DeWitt
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng
Dolls of Our Lives by Mary Mahoney (audio only currently)
Data Baby by Susannah Breslin
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 19, 2023 • 41min
A Guide to Haunted Houses
Halloween is fast-approaching, so what better way to get into the spirit 👻 than with some Haunted House reads! Grab your flashlights and EMF detectors and join the Nerds as they give you a guide to books about haunted houses.Titles mentioned in this episode:Emma’s Titles:
Starling House by Alix E Harrow
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
Charnel House by Graham Masterton
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Joe’s Titles
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
The Night House by Jo Nesbo
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
Let Him In by William Friend
The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
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

Oct 12, 2023 • 59min
No-Brainer Book Buys
Emma is joined by Sydney and Tiffany to talk about what makes an author an "always buy." They also discuss the different ways they interact with an author or their titles, including placing holds at the library, using Libby tags, reading in print versus digital versus audiobook, personal connections to books, and go on a slight tangent to recommend some horror reads. It's a grab bag book-ish chat with a very long list of recommended authors and titles!Books mentioned:
The Korean Vegan Cookbook by Joanne Lee Molinaro
Joshua Weissman
Molly Wizenberg
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
The Return by Rachel Harrison
Yellowface by RF Kuang
Babel by RF Kuang
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Laura Vanderkam
Jenny Odell
Cackle by Rachel Harrison
11/22/63 by Stephen King
The Outsider by Stephen King
Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King
The Shining by Stephen King
The Institute by Stephen King audiobook
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
The Silent Companions by Lauren Purcell
Jackal by Erin E Adams
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 9, 2023 • 44min
High Fantasy and Political Intrigue with Cassandra Clare
Emma unbelievably chats with Cassandra Clare about her stunning new adult fantasy book, Sword Catcher. Emma and Cassandra also discuss nobles behaving badly, the surprising inspiration behind this story and the characters, romance, found family, and what we can expect next in Castellane. Listen to the end to hear the title of Book 2 in this series and Cassandra's preferred method of organizing her book collection at home.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 5, 2023 • 57min
Emma Reads a Horror
After Joe Read a Big Romance, everyone wanted Emma to do the same - so today, Emma Reads a Horror! Emma read Jackal by Erin E. Adams - one of Joe's favorite reads of 2022. The Nerds get into a spoilery discussion of the book, talking about folklore, horror, and dive in deep in the book's topics.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

Oct 2, 2023 • 56min
Finding the Bodies with Adam Sass
On this episode, Joe is joined by return guest Adam Sass to talk about his new book, Your Lonely Nights are Over. They talk about building and investing in a community, dual POV writing, beautiful, dreamy pondering, and Adam answers the question - what's your favorite scary movie?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

Sep 28, 2023 • 43min
October Book Picks
Joe and Emma share what books released in October 2023 that they're MOST excited for. Get your TBRs ready!Emma’s Picks:
Lucky Me by Rich Paul
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
Wildfire by Hannah Grace
A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber
A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone (Snow Place Like LA)
Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead
The Sun Sets in Singapore by Kehinde Fadipe
Making It So by Patrick Stewart
Joe’s Picks:
The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
Brooms by Jasmine Walls
The List by Yomi Adegoke
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
Family Meal by Bryan Washington
Mary and the Birth of Frankestein by Anne Eekhout
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub
Author interviews upcoming:
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
Your Lonely Nights are Over by Adam Sass
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


