Professional Book Nerds

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

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 megapho

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

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 OverDr

Today Joe is freaking out because he gets to talk to TJ Klune and Daniel Henning. TJ wrote one of Joe's all-time favorite books, The House in the Cerulean Sea, and his newest book, In the Lives of Puppets, released in April 2023. Daniel has been the voice for both of these audiobooks and over 200 others (The House in the Cerulean Sea (audio), In the Lives of Puppets(audio)). They talk about writing, narrating audiobooks, what advice they'd give to their younger selves, post-apocalyptic queer puppets, and gas station beef jerky. 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

Emma is joined by her friendly OverDrive librarians to chat about all things book hype. They explore questions like " Is it worth the hype?" and "Do you pay attention to hype?" and how it impacts personal reading tastes or not! They also have a respectful conversation about books that did not quite live up to their expectations and then share some books they're REALLY looking forward to for the fall. Books mentioned in this episode:   The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune  Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle  Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldry (Bookshops & Bonedust coming soon)   Emily Henry  A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson   The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han  Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston  Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon  Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens  Death Valley by Melissa Broder  Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison  System Collapse by Martha Wells  Unreliable Narrator by Aparna Nancherla  What About Men? By Caitlin Moran  Sword Catcher by Cassandra Cl

Today Joe chats with Jessica Knoll about her new book, Bright Young Women. They talk about her work dissecting and researching the crimes of Ted Bundy as she crafted her novel from the perspective of two victims. Jessica also shares about her organization and process, where she finds inspiration while writing, and just how spicy she likes her Pad See Ew. 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 Cle

Read an Ebook Day is September 18th! Team OverDrive is particularly fond of this holiday that celebrates digital reading love and wanted to share what they plan to read. Let us know what you add to your TBR and how you plan to celebrate Read an Ebook Day with #ebookLove. You can also visit https://readanebookday.com/ to learn more! Books mentioned in this episode: The Only One Left by Riley Sager Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili After That Night by Karin Slaughter 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann Tom Lake by Ann Patchett An Immense World by Ed Yong Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells Holly by Stephen King The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner None of This is True by Lisa Jewell  The Pallbearer's Club by Paul Tremblay Readers can sample and borrow the

Emma and Joe are thrilled to chat with incredible horror authors, Clay McLeod Chapman and Rachel Harrison, for a special conversation about their new books, What Kind of Mother (out September 12th), and Black Sheep (out September 19th). Listen in to hear about finding inspiration in the strangest of places (Nicholas Sparks and insurance commercials), nature vs. nurture, not turning into our parents, struggling with parenthood, being fans of each others' work, the horror author community, and their friendship! We also get a tiny glimpse into what they're working on next. Books mentioned in this episode: Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison (Listen to our chat with Rachel about Such Sharp Teeth here!) Cackle by Rachel Harrison The Return by Rachel Harrison Nestlings by Nat Cassidy Edenville by Sam Rebelein The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins Find Clay at his book tour e

Join Emma and Joe as they share the September 2023 book releases they're eagerly awaiting. Upcoming author interviews (with September book releases): What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman (out 9/12)  Black Sheep by Rachel harrison (out 9/19)  Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass (out 9/12)  Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (out 9/28)  Emma’s Titles:   Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L Armentrout   The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab   The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary   A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid   The September House by Carissa Orlando  The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin     Joe’s Titles:  Mall Goth by Kate Leth The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft Playing the Witch Card by KJ Dell’Antonia  The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin Evil Eye by Etaf Rum There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer The Borrow a Boyfriend Club by Page Powars Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode on OverDrive.com or in Libby. Library f

The day has finally arrived - Emma has convinced Joe to read a popular romance title! Join the nerds as they talk about Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune. They talk about what Joe loved (and maybe didn't love) most about the book, key romance tropes, if Joe would read another romance, and of course vibes ✨ 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

Emma speaks with award-winning author, Kennedy Ryan, about her books, The Kingmaker, and Long Shot, to celebrate the Bloom Books editions in print. They also discuss Kennedy's research that goes into her writing, centering women, writing with conviction, belief, her journalism background, motherhood, romance, allllll the tropes, and so much more. CONTENT WARNINGS: Long Shot discusses issues that may be sensitive to readers. Please read all content warnings about the book beforehand. Kennedy does address these topics in broad terms in this interview. Books mentioned in this episode: The Kingmaker The Rebel King Queen Move Long Shot Block Shot Hook Shot Reel Before I Let Go This Could Be Us 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 y

Today Emma and Joe are sharing the top 5 highest rated and 5 lowest rated titles from their TBR. They discuss reviewing a title before the book is out, review bombing, and the different ways they keep track of books they want to read. Share how you track your TBR with us on social media - we're @probooknerds on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok! Emma's Titles: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros  All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir  Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir  The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson  Legendborn by Tracy Deonn  The Body Double by Emily Beyda  Topics of Conversation by Miranda Popkey  How Could She by Lauren Mechling  Looker by Laura Sims  The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward  Joe's Titles: Tweakerworld by Jason Yamas  A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales by Christine Schiefer, Em Schulz  City of Bones by Cassandra Clare  The Boys vol. 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinso

Joe and Emma chat about the "final girl" trope and share some general book recommendations that everyone should read if they're looking for a good "final girl" pick. They share their personal picks that touch on that trope. This episode is filled with book recommendations galore, but they also chat about Tuesday the 17th, Psych, the Y2K panic, Blockbuster, Stephen Graham Jones and his chat with Jill, and so much more. Books mentioned in this episode: General recs:  Final Girls by Riley Sager  You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron  The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix     Emma’s Picks:   Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth   The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes  The Night Shift by Alex Finlay   My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones   In the Woods by Tana French **   Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin     Joe’s Picks:   Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky  Survive the Night by Riley Sager  A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham  The Counselors by Jessica Goodma

On today's episode, Emma is joined by the #1 NYT bestselling author, Sarah Pekkanen, to discuss her new book, Gone Tonight, out on August 1st. Sarah dives into how much this book was a gift to write, the tightknit author community she's a part of, her connection to Colleen Hoover, the ideal writing setup, the audiobook's narrator, Kate Mara, the working title of her next book, 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

Today Emma, Joe and Kristin are taking you to summer camp! Whether you want to make friendship bracelets, lay out by the dock, or run from the serial killer through the mess hall, they've got the recommendations for you. Want to know which of us went to summer camp? Listen to this ep and find out the answer plus catch a great list of summer camp books and books that match the summertime vibes. Kristin’s Titles:   You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron   Really Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick   Lumberjanes by ND Stevenson   Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol  The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu  Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly    Emma’s Titles:  You Have a Match by Emma Lord   The Wild One by Colleen McKeegan  Wildfire by Hannah Grace   The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen   Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor     Joe’s Titles:  The Last Time I Lied by Riely Sager  Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass  Flamer by Mike Curato  To Night Owl from Dogfish by Hol

Queen of the beach read, Elin Hilderbrand, speaks with Emma about her newest release, The Five-Star Weekend. They also discuss Elin's retirement, her new 2-book deal with her daughter, what readers can expect from Swan Song, TikTok recipes, social media, her new podcast, and her return to Cleveland, Ohio! Books mentioned in this episode: The Perfect Couple The Blue Bistro 28 Summers 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. 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

In this episode, Emma and Joe share another big ole list of books they're most excited for in August 2023. Come and catch the vibe for their end of summer picks! Titles mentioned in this episode: Emma’s Titles:   Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner Under the Influence by Noelle Crooks Tom Lake by Ann Patchett The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Foxglove by Adalyn Grace Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward Never Enough by Jennifer Breheny Wallace Joe’s Titles:  Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun Zhara by S. Jae-Jones Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas Holly Horror by Michelle Jabes Corpora 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 Marketpla

Joe is joined by Christopher Hartland to talk about his debut novel Against the Stars, an LGBTQIA+, young adult, science fiction romance. Joe and Chris also talk about Dungeons & Dragons, Musicals, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. 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 and Joe are joined by author, Sierra Godfrey, to chat about her book A Very Typical Family, which is our latest Big Library Read (BLR) pick. From July 13-27, the ebook and audiobook of A Very Typical Family will be available to readers all over the world without waitlists or holds. Sierra shares more about the inspiration behind the book, being a young docent in a marine lab, how Santa Cruz feels like home, the joy of a perfect croissant, and what she's working on next! Check out Sierra's upcoming book, The Second Chance Hotel, here. 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 @ProBookNerd