Join us as we dive into the captivating world of cults! We're recommending both fiction and nonfiction titles that explore that mysterious and chilling allure... From gripping thrillers to eye-opening accounts, we've got recommendations that will keep you on the edge of your seat. We'll wax poetic on cult dynamics and discuss the enduring fascination with these enigmatic communities.Titles mentioned in this episode:Jill’s Titles:   The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn  The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead  The Sullivanians by Alexander Stille  The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi  Joe’s Titles:  Member of the Family by Dianne Lake  Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffett  The Project by Courtney Summers  Sex Cult Nun by Faith Jones  Emma’s Titles:   The Girls by Emma Cline   Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose  The Lightness by Emily Temple  Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey   Meredith’s Titles:   Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life by Sarah Edmondson  Fierce Little Thing by Miranda Beverly-Whittmore   A Billion Years by Mike Rinder   Don’t Call It a Cult by Sarah Berman  Cults & Exteme Belief - A&E (Kanopy)   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!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

Emma and Joe welcome back Claire and Kristin to chat about modern gothic reads. They discuss the characteristics they enjoy in a modern gothic and share a wide variety of books to get your creepy, vibey, gothic fix!Emma’s Picks:   The Clinic by Cate Quinn  A Place for Vanishing by Ann Fraistat  The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins   One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (Sheperd King series)   Claire’s Picks:   Diavola by Jennifer Thorne  The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste  A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock  Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk  Kristin’s Picks:   Bluebeard’s Castle by Anna Biller  The Black Tree Atop the Hill by Karla Yvette  House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson  When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen  Joe’s Picks:   Vampires of el Norte by Isabel Canas  House of Cotton by Monica Brashears  Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas  House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland  Check out our Botanical Books episode from 2023 here. Other books mentioned in this episode included The Hacienda by Isabel Canas, The Only One Left by Riley Sager, and Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.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

The mean girl gets murdered in this one (not a spoiler)! Dive into the mind of Cindy RX He as she delves deep into her debut title, Perfect Little Monsters. Find out why it's hard to trick thriller readers with your twists, what makes the queen bee so compelling, and where Cindy's inspiration came from for this story.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!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

Join Joe and Emma on this episode of the Professional Book Nerds podcast as they dive deep into the ever-evolving landscape of the literary canon. They shine a spotlight on contemporary books that challenge traditional notions of what it means to be considered "canonical" and explore the complexities of defining literary greatness.Emma and Joe offer up some modern works and their potential to reshape our understanding of literature and join a new canon. From diverse voices to innovative storytelling techniques, they celebrate the richness and diversity of contemporary literature that deserves a place in the canon.Titles mentioned in this episode: Emma’s Titles:  Atonement by Ian McEwan  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins   The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon  A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan  The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas   Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn   Joe’s Titles:   The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz  Fun Home by Alison Bechdel  The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead  Life of Pi by Yann Martel   Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara  Past episodes mentioned in this episode: The Hunger Games Retrospective Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Ep. #135 - Colson Whitehead, 2017 Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Underground Railroad 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!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

Emma is thrilled to welcome Carley Fortune to talk about her new book, This Summer Will Be Different. In this fun chat, you'll also hear about Carley's life-changing writing advice from Taylor Jenkins Reid, writing about different kinds of family dynamics and dreamy male leads, Anne of Green Gables, long-distance best friends, the power of libraries, and how romance books can and do save and change lives.Books mentioned in this episode: This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Meet Me At the Lake by Carley Fortune 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

Emma is joined by Sydney and Jane to discuss 1990s nostalgia, essential books of the 90s, and share a list of fresh books set in their favorite decade! This episode is packed full of book recommendations and waxing poetic about malls, layered tank tops, time travel, and revisiting our favorite decade from a 2024 perspective.Emma’s Picks:   Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid   This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub   The Mall by Megan McCafferty   Jane’s Picks:   How to Build a Girl - Caitlin Moran  Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison  Attachments by Rainbow Rowell  I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai  Sydney’s Picks:   The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides  Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott  The Crow Road by Iain Banks  If you want to listen to our conversation with Rainbow Rowell, you can listen here. If you want to listen to the conversation with Emma Straub, that's here. If you're a librarian and you're looking to shop more 90s reads in OverDrive Marketplace, check out As If: Modern Books Featuring 80s and 90s Nostalgia, Books of the 90s, and Smells Like Teen Spirit.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

It's that magical time again - Joe and Emma are sharing the books being released this May (2024) that they're most looking forward to. The Nerds talk about the eclipse, catch up, and have a silly, goofy time!Titles mentioned in this episode: Author Interviews for May:  This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune  Perfect Little Monsters by Cindy RX He  Think Twice by Harlan Coben   And Then? And Then? What Else? by Daniel Handler    Emma’s Titles:  You Never Know by Tom Selleck   The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren  The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton  Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown   When Among Crows by Veronica Roth  Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum  Evocation by S.T. Gibson   When We Were Silent by Fiona McPhillips  The Ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson  Swiped by L.M. Chilton    Joe’s Titles:   Cunning Folk by Tabitha Stanmore  Keepers of the Stones and Stars by Michael Barakiva  The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley  How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler  In Our Stars by Jack Campbell  Have You Seen This Girl by Nita Tyndall  Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda  If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay  The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley  Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life by Helen Fisher  Need a refresher on what our most anticipated books of the year are? Listen here: PBN’s Most Anticipated Books of 2024 episodeReaders 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!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

Emma and Joe talk about some VERY specific reading moods and offer recommendations to match! Emma’s moods & book picks:  A romance book that’s 10/10 and has Easter eggs a plenty   Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez  Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez  Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez   A cozy fantasy book that's equal parts wholesome and magical   Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree  The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields   The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst A memoir written by the cast member of a 2000s mega-sensation tv show   Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz   The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop   Tell Me Everything by Minka Kelly   The Next Chapter by Jana Kramer  A book with a couple that are murders/serial killers/contract killers  My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing   Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver   Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver **  They Never Learn by Layne Fargo    Joe’s moods & book picks:  A secluded cabin in the woods or small town were something creepy is definitely going on  The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan  The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf  The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay  Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger  Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey  Misery by Stephen King  Books that feel like a hug/cozy vibes The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth  Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emile Lang  The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley  Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? By Lizzie Damilola Blackburn  Gentrification thrillers  When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole  Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older  The Blade Between by Sam J. Miller  Uh-oh, there’s a stalker  With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson  Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall  Watching You by Lisa Jewell  The Good Girl by Mary Kubica   Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron  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

Today on the pod, Joe is joined by Jane, Quinton and Sarah to chat coming of age stories. Today's recommendations run the gamut from middle grade through adult fiction, from graphic novels to fantasy. These character-driven narratives open our eyes to the many ways we all experience life. There's a story here for everyone, and we hope you enjoy!Titles mentioned in this episode:Quinton’s Titles:   The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card  Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher  The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi   Sarah’s Titles:   Tumble by Celia Perez   Huda F are You? By Huda Fahmy   Mid-Air Alicia D Williams   Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow  Jane’s Titles:   Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton  Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt  Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau  Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley  Joe’s Titles:  Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez  If I Can Give You That by Michael Gray Bulla  Damned by Chuck Palahniuk  What the Fireflies Know by Kai Harris  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!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

On this episode, Joe talks with fellow Clevelander Douglas Westerbeke about his debut novel A Short Walk Through a Wide World (out April 2 from Avid Reader Press).They talk about writing an adventure story, the difficulties between writing strong "walk-on" characters versus writing your main character's whole life story, and of course, what the library means to Doug.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