

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

Mar 4, 2024 • 49min
Nerd Chat: March 2024
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.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

Feb 29, 2024 • 55min
March 2024 Book Picks!
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!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

Feb 22, 2024 • 55min
Seasons of Books
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.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

Feb 19, 2024 • 37min
Sipping Tea and Planning Heists with Hafsah Faizal
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!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

Feb 15, 2024 • 40min
Celebrating Valentine's Day with Dominique Raccah and the Sourcebooks Team!
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.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

Feb 8, 2024 • 1h 3min
Tea, Tales, and Twists: A Cozy Dive into Mysterious Whodunits
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!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

Feb 5, 2024 • 44min
A Distraction from Reality with Ali Hazelwood
Emma is joined by bestselling author, Ali Hazelwood, to discuss her new paranormal romance, Bride. Emma and Ali also manage to discuss fated mates, the writing process, Ali's next release and what's been on her TikTok FYP lately.Ali's chess book, Check & Mate, released last fall.Not in Love comes out later this year.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

Feb 1, 2024 • 52min
The One Where We Talk A Lot
Emma and Joe try something new in this chatty, casual episode. They discuss some recent life updates, new hobbies, books they've been reading lately, mood reading, and more.Joe’s recent reads:
All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Released by Gypsy Rose Blanchard
The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell
#CrimeTime by Jeneva Rose & Drew Pine
The Coworker by Freida McFadden –
Emma’s recent reads:
Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas (inspired by @newlynovabooks )
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell
Emma’s want to reads:
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle Jensen
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Happily Never After by Lynn Painter
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

Jan 25, 2024 • 49min
February 2024 Book Picks!
It's that magical time again - let's see what books Emma and Joe are most looking forward to in February 2024. Join the Nerds as they talk about the cold weather, the February blahs, and of course, eagerly awaited reads.Titles mentioned in this episode:Emma’s Titles:
The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Teacher by Freida McFadden
The Guest by B.A. Paris
A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
At First Spite by Oiivia Dade
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
Fate Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek
The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers by Sarah Tomlinson
Joe’s Titles:
Ways and Means by Daniel Lefferts
The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by CJ Miller
The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond
Out of Body by Nia Davenport
No Time Like Now by Naz Kutub
Bunt! By Ngozi Ukazu (shoutout Freshman Year by Sarah Mai)
Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander
Relit edited by Sandra Proudman
The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert
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

Jan 22, 2024 • 48min
Worldbuilding and Writing with Saara El-Arifi
Emma chats with Saara El-Arifi about her new book, Faebound. They also chat about world-building, writing sex scenes, the book's original title, the plan for this new trilogy, fated mates, enemies to lovers, and so much more!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