Book Lounge by Libby

• Festive Fiction: Talking Holiday Reads for Cozy Winter Nights

  Season 2 is wrapping up with a bow! In this festive finale of Book Lounge by Libby, Joe gathers holiday-lit icons Alexandra Benedict, Jenny Bayliss, Maisha Oso, and Matthew Norman for a lively conversation about writing wintery stories across genres—from heartfelt romance to twisty mystery to big-hearted contemporary fiction.  Then in Segment 2, our guest hosts slide down the chimney with their best holiday reading recommendations to keep your TBR merry and bright.  Pour a mug of something warm, cozy up under your favorite blanket, and celebrate the end of another incredible season with us. And don’t forget—more great content is coming your way in the new year, so make sure you're subscribed!  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Link to our full book list:  Find all the books by our guests and mentioned in this episode here: https://www.libbylife.com/blog/festive-fiction-talking-holiday-reads-for-cozy-winter-nights-book-lounge-by-libby-season-2-episode-10   Guest host recommendations:  Cece  Make My Wish Come True - Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick   Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology - ed. Ellen Datlow  Jananie  A Little Holiday Fling – Farah Heron  The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year – Ally Carter  Meara  The Afterlife of Holly Chase - Cynthia Hand   The Christmas Murder Game - Alexandra Benedict  Joe  You Better Watch Out – James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth  Season of Love – Helena Greer  Follow the guests & guest hosts:   Segment 1:  Alexandra Benedict – Instagram    Jenny Bayliss - Instagram  Maisha Oso - Website  Matthew Norman – Website  Segment 2:   Cece - link  Jananie K. Velu – link  Meara - link  Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title  00:00:22 Intro  00:01:53 Writing for the Season with Alexandra Benedict, Jenny Bayliss, Maisha Oso & Matthew Norman!  01:01:29 BREAK – Some holiday reads from Kensington Books  01:04:22 Holiday Reads with Cece, Jananie & Meara!  01:41:22 Outro    Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode in Libby. Library friends can add these titles to their digital collections for free in OverDrive Marketplace and Kanopy. Check out our Cumulative List for the whole season, or this list for today’s episode!  Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!  We hope you enjoy this episode of Book Lounge by Libby. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! You can watch the video version of our show on the Libby App YouTube channel. Keep up with us on social media by following the Libby App on Instagram!   Want to reach out? Send an email to [email protected]. Want some cool bookish swag? Check out our merch store at: http://plotthreadsshop.com/booklounge!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Page to Screen Magic: Authors on Adaptations

  Buckle up, book lovers — we’re going full Hollywood this week in an extended edition of Book Lounge! Joe kicks things off with the iconic Louis Sachar, who spills delightful behind-the-scenes tea about writing the Holes screenplay, hanging out on set, and the surreal experience of getting residual checks for his cameo.   Then Danielle Valentine pops in to chat about Delicate Condition and its evolution into American Horror Story: Delicate.   For the grand finale, Joe is joined by Jananie K. Velu and Meara for a joyfully nerdy celebration of book-to-screen adaptations.  It’s big. It’s bookish. It’s cinematic. And it’s a blast.  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Link to our full book list:  Find all the books by our guests and mentioned in this episode here: https://www.libbylife.com/blog/page-to-screen-magic-authors-on-adaptations-book-lounge-by-libby-season-2-episode-9  Guest host recommendations:  Jananie  Howl’s Moving Castle - Dianna Wynne Jones  The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson  Frankenstein – Mary Shelley  Meara  It’s Kind of a Funny Story – Ned Vizzini   Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion  The Long Walk - Stephen King as Richard Bachman  Joe  Mommie Dearest – Christina Crawford & With Love, Mommie Dearest - A. Ashley Hoff  Watch Mommie Dearest on Kanopy  Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer  Watch Into the Wild on Kanopy  Follow the guests & guest hosts:   Segment 1:  Louis Sachar - website  Danielle Valentine – website  Segment 2:   Jananie K. Velu – Links  Meara - Links  Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title  00:01:06 Intro  00:02:47 Louis Sachar on HOLES  00:42:47 Break!  00:44:11 Danielle Valentine on DELICATE CONDITION & AHS: DELICATE  01:33:15 Page to Screen Recs with Jananie K. Velu & Meara!  02:28:17 Outro  Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode in Libby. Library friends can add these titles to their digital collections for free in OverDrive Marketplace and Kanopy. Check out our Cumulative List for the whole season, or this list for today’s episode!  Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!  We hope you enjoy this episode of Book Lounge by Libby. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! You can watch the video version of our show on the Libby App YouTube channel. Keep up with us on social media by following the Libby App on Instagram!   Want to reach out? Send an email to [email protected]. Want some cool bookish swag? Check out our merch store at: http://plotthreadsshop.com/booklounge!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Food for Thought: Holiday Feasts, Mamrie Hart, and the Books We’re Thankful For

  Comedian, writer, and foodie extraordinaire Mamrie Hart joins Joe in the Book Lounge to talk about her new cookbook All I Think About Is Food, her must-haves for holiday hosting, and why laughter really is the secret ingredient. Then, Carmen, Kevin Norman, and Meara pull up a chair to share the books they’re most thankful for this holiday season. A feast of laughs, stories, and reads you’ll want seconds of! 🦃📚  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Link to our full book list:  Find all the books by our guests and mentioned in this episode here: https://www.libbylife.com/blog/food-for-thought-holiday-feasts-mamrie-hart-and-the-books-we-re-thankful-for-book-lounge-by-libby-season-2-episode-8   Follow the guests & guest hosts:   Segment 1:  Mamrie Hart - Instagram , podcast: This Might Get Weird  Segment 2:   Carmen - link  Kevin T. Norman – link  Meara - link  Guest host recommendations:  Carmen  Charlotte’s Web - E. B. White  Signal to Noise - Silvia Moreno-Garcia   Kevin  Inferno’s Heir - Tiffany Wang  Black Salt Queen – Samantha Bansil  Meara  Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - Caitlin Doughty  UnWind - Neal Shusterman  Joe   Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse - Kevin Henkes  The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket  Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging - Louise Rennison  You – Caroline Kepnes  Sailor Moon volume 1 – Naoko Takeuchi  Cardcaptor Sakura volume 1 - CLAMP  Tsubasa volume 1 - CLAMP  Holic volume 1 - CLAMP  I Think Our Son Is Gay volume 1 - Okura   The House in the Cerulean Sea – TJ Klune  Witchlings - Claribel A. Ortega  Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title  00:00:22 Intro  00:01:20 Segment 1 with Mamrie Hart!  00:53:54 BREAK – check out these cozy Fall Reads from Kensington Books  00:56:08 Segment 2 with Carmen, Kevin Norman & Meara!  01:42:06 Outro  Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode in Libby. Library friends can add these titles to their digital collections for free in OverDrive Marketplace and Kanopy. Check out our Cumulative List for the whole season, or this list for today’s episode!  Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!  We hope you enjoy this episode of Book Lounge by Libby. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! You can watch the video version of our show on the Libby App YouTube channel. Keep up with us on social media by following the Libby App on Instagram!   Want to reach out? Send an email to [email protected]. Want some cool bookish swag? Check out our merch store at: http://plotthreadsshop.com/booklounge!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Science Fiction Double Feature: Exploring New Worlds through Books

  It’s time to go beyond the stars! In this episode of Book Lounge by Libby, Joe is joined by Alex Segura, Daniel H. Wilson, and Ken Liu for a cosmic conversation on the ever-evolving world of science fiction. They dive into the genre’s growth, the art of writing in shared universes, and their own galaxy-sized reading recs. Then, Cece and Meara join for segment two with stellar sci-fi book recommendations to add to your TBR.  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Link to our full book list:  https://www.libbylife.com/blog/science-fiction-double-feature-exploring-new-worlds-through-books-book-lounge-by-libby-season-2-episode-7   Guest host recommendations:  Cece  The Seep - Chana Porter  Salvation Day - Kali Wallace  Meara  The End of Men - Christina Sweeney-Baird  Annie Bot - Sierra Greer  Joe   August Kitko and the Mechas from Space – Alex White   The Bones Beneath My Skin – TJ Klune  Follow the guests & guest hosts:   Segment 1:  Alex Segura - website  Daniel H. Wilson - website  Ken Liu - website  Segment 2:   Cece – links  Meara - links   Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title  00:00:23 Intro  00:01:23 Segment 1 with Alex Segura, Daniel H. Wilson & Ken Liu  00:52:53 Break  00:53:51 Segment 2 – Sci-Fi Recs with Cece & Meara!  01:29:12 Outro  Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode in Libby. Library friends can add these titles to their digital collections for free in OverDrive Marketplace and Kanopy. Check out our Cumulative List for the whole season, or this list for today’s episode!  Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!  We hope you enjoy this episode of Book Lounge by Libby. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! You can watch the video version of our show on the Libby App YouTube channel. Keep up with us on social media by following the Libby App on Instagram!   Want to reach out? Send an email to [email protected]. Want some cool bookish swag? Check out our merch store at: http://plotthreadsshop.com/booklounge!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Library Love Letters

  This episode is our ode to the library—the beating heart of every book lover’s story. In segment one, Joe is joined by authors (and librarians, both current and former!) Terah Shelton Harris, Eva Jurczyk, PJ Nelson, and Jenn McKinlay to talk about how their time in libraries shaped their writing and storytelling.  Then, in segment two, Joe and our guest hosts share book recommendations by librarians, about librarians, and featuring that unmistakable library charm.  Whether you’re a lifelong cardholder or just love the scent of a good book, this episode is for you.  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Link to our full book list:  https://www.libbylife.com/blog/library-love-letters-book-lounge-by-libby-season-2-episode-6   Guest host recommendations:  Amy  The Lions of Fifth Avenue - Fiona Davis  The Reading List - Sarah Nisha Adams  Carmen  The Next Best Fling - Gabriella Gamez  That Librarian - Amanda Jones  Cece  Gay the Pray Away - Natalie Naudus  84 Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff  Meara   If the Shoe Fits - Julie Murphy  The Archived - Victoria Schwab  Follow the guests & guest hosts:   Segment 1:  Eva Jurczyk - website  Jenn McKinlay - website  Phillip DePoy (PJ Nelson) - website  Terah Shelton Harris - website  Segment 2:   Amy Allen Clark – links  Carmen – links  Cece – links  Meara - links  Articles mentioned in this episode:  https://www.libbylife.com/blog/2025-03-06-search-like-a-pro-expert-tips-for-finding-your-next-read-in-the-libby-app   Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title  00:00:22 Intro  00:02:10 Segment 1 with Eva Jurczyk, Jenn McKinlay, PJ Nelson & Terah Shelton Harris!  01:02:27 Libby Tip: Search like a Pro!  01:07:52 Segment 2 with Amy, Carmen, Cece & Meara!  01:58:05 Outro  Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode in Libby. Library friends can add these titles to their digital collections for free in OverDrive Marketplace and Kanopy. Check out our Cumulative List for the whole season, or this list for today’s episode!  Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Blog!  We hope you enjoy this episode of Book Lounge by Libby. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! You can watch the video version of our show on the Libby App YouTube channel. Keep up with us on social media by following the Libby App on Instagram!   Want to reach out? Send an email to [email protected]. Want some cool bookish swag? Check out our merch store at: http://plotthreadsshop.com/booklounge!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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