Professional Book Nerds
We're not just book nerds. We're professional book nerds! We are staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks from public libraries and schools. It's our job to discuss books all day long so we thought, "Why not share the conversation!" Hear about the best books we've read, get recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming out that we can't wait to dive into. Titles discussed are available to borrow through public libraries. Get started reading at overdrive.com and subscribe to our podcast today!
Episodes
October 26, 2020 • 28 min
Ep. #491 -- On today's episode, Jill sat down with author Erin A. Craig to talk about their shared love of Daphne Du Maurier's classic Rebecca and other Gothic horror novels.
Other books discussed in this episode:
Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Nesting by CJ Cook
The House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A...
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October 22, 2020 • 56 min
Ep. #490- Contrary to the recent opinion of S.E. Hinton, graphic novels rule and they are an incredible way to enjoy a story. Whether it's a re-imagining of an existing book or something created entirely out of artwork, all graphic novels and comics offer something unique and stunning. In this chat, Adam is joined by Kristin and Marie from the OverDrive Team of Librarians. They get into a bunch of nonfiction comics and graphic ...
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October 19, 2020 • 42 min
Ep. #489 - On today's episode, Adam interviews Ann Cleeves about her newest novel The Darkest Evening. They chat about Vera Stanhope's origins, the Agatha Christie style story she decided to write, and what inspires her to keep writing a novel a year for the last three decades.
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October 15, 2020 • 51 min
Ep. #488- On today's episode, Adam interviews Maggie Stiefvater & Kami Garcia about their respective new origin story graphic novels for DC Comics. Both Maggie's Swamp Thing story Twin Branches and Kami's Teen Titans story Beast Boy are now available. They discuss why they choose the characters they did, body horror, botany, and a whole bunch more. This conversation was a delight and comic fans of all ages will ador...
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October 12, 2020 • 68 min
Ep. #487 - On today's episode, Adam chats with V.E. Schwab about her groundbreaking new novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. They discuss the ten years she worked on this story, what Addie means to her, spirituality, and much more. As is their now tradition, they end the episode exchanging book recommendations for themselves and their family members.
Today's sponsors:
Freshly- visit http://freshly.com/probooknerds for ...
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October 8, 2020 • 52 min
Ep. #486 - On today's episode, Adam offers book recommendations from Twitter reader requests and then gets into some "Like this, read that!" style picks for all sorts of classic horror novels. There is something for everyone.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Based off Twitter requests:
Holly Zander - Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid and When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey -
Long Bright River By Liz Moore
Undead Girl Gang ...
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October 5, 2020 • 28 min
Ep. #485 - On today's episode, Adam is joined by Ken Follett, #1 New York Times best selling author of The Evening and the Morning. Ken's books have sold 170+ million copies around the world and created generations of fans of his Kingsbridge series. They discuss his incredibly in depth research process, his fascination with the dark ages, and much more.
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October 1, 2020 • 39 min
Ep. #484 - Welcome all ye goblins, ghouls, witches, and whatnots! The spooky season has officially arrived and you know what that means... It's our monthly book preview for OCTOBER!
Books mentioned in this episode
A Wild Winter Swan By Gregory Maguire
Shit, Actually By Lindy West
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue By V. E. Schwab
The Searcher By Tana French
Leave the World Behind By Rumaan Alam
Black Sun By Rebecca Roanhorse
Mag...
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September 28, 2020 • 47 min
Ep. #483 - On today's episode, Adam catches up with his good buddy Sara Faring! Sara's first book The Tenth Girl was a masterpiece and her new book White Fox is more of the same perfection. They discuss voyeurism vs. exhibitionism, how we show ourselves to the world, the hardest parts of writing this book and the message of hope she wants readers to get after reading it.
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September 24, 2020 • 39 min
Ep. #482 - On today's episode, Adam shares a bunch of book recommendations to escape the everyday stresses of life and (gestures broadly) all of this.
Buy some merch and support libraries! - http://shop.overdrive.com/
Books mentioned in this episode:
Return to series you know and love in a brand new way:
The Lord of the Rings (FULL CAST DRAMATIZATION)
His Dark Materials (FULL CAST DRAMATIZATION),
The Chronicles of Narnia...
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September 21, 2020 • 36 min
Ep. #481 - On today's episode, Adam interviews Bill Konigsberg, awarding-winning and bestselling author of countless important books. Bill's work in writing LGBTQIA+ stories have been read by millions but his new book, The Bridge, may be his most essential story yet. In this conversation, Bill and Adam discuss mental health, the implications of teenage suicide, and the intricacies of our brains. If you or someone you kn...
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September 17, 2020 • 39 min
Ep. #480 - On today's episode, we're sharing what our coworkers are reading for Read an Ebook Day! September 18th (Friday) is Read an Ebook Day and what better way to prepare than with a bunch of book recs!?!?
Today's episode is sponsored by Fast Growing Trees. Visit FastGrowingTrees.com/PBN for 10% orders through November 15th!
Books mentioned in this episode
His & Hers By Alice Feeney
The Evening and the Morning...
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September 14, 2020 • 26 min
#479 - On today's episode, Jill interviews Caroline B. Cooney, author of the iconic Face on the Milk Carton, about her new adult book Before She Was Helen. Caroline talks about the "What if?" question that inspired her to write Before She Was Helen, transitioning creatively from writing young adult to adult, and tells the best librarian story ever (according to Jill).
Today's episode is sponsored by Freshly. Get $40...
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September 10, 2020 • 34 min
Ep. #478 - Back to school time has arrived and who doesn't love books set around fancy private schools? Also, there is a lot of murdery mysteries in these selections.
Books mentioned in this episode
The Sidekicks By Will Kostakis
The Secret History By Donna Tartt
Truly Devious By Maureen Johnson
Black Chalk By Christopher J. Yates
The Tenth Girl By Sara Faring
Catherine House By Elisabeth Thomas
A Spy in the House By Y. S. Lee...
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September 7, 2020 • 17 min
Ep 477 - On today's episode, Jill talks with Yaa Gyasi about her new book Transcendent Kingdom. The pair discuss the opioid crisis, family relationships, and the differences in her research process between this contemporary novel and her historical fiction debut Homegoing (which was Jill's favorite book of the previous decade!)
Interview was recorded in person at PLA 2020
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September 3, 2020 • 40 min
Ep. #476 - On today's episode, Jill and Adam catch you up on what they've been reading lately! It's pretty straightforward. They also discuss the amazing Fall book bingo template that Jill made which you can find at professionalbooknerds.com or on our instagram (@probooknerds)
Books mentioned in this episode
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp
Slay by Brittany Morris
A Beautifully Fooli...
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August 31, 2020 • 52 min
Ep. #475 - On today's episode, Adam interviews Christina Henry about her newest book, The Ghost Tree. They chat about how Christina lets character choices drive her plot, discovering them in real time, and the various subgenres within horror. They also discuss re-imagining existing titles and making it your own, and how scary stories are best when they're shared.
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August 27, 2020 • 39 min
Ep. #474 - On today's episode, Adam and Jill preview the new books coming out in September that they can't wait to read. Buckle up, because there are so many! This month features books ABOUT books, spooky mysteries, stories by some of our favorite writers of all time, and more than a few ghosties.
Books mentioned in this episode
The Evening and the Morning By Ken Follett
Transcendent Kingdom By Yaa Gyasi
A Deadly Education ...
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Ep. #473 - On today's episode, Adam interviews Margaret Owen about her books The Merciful Crow and The Faithless Hawk. They talk about her unique magical systems, the caste structure she developed, the similarities between her fantasy world and current world, and how Dungeons and Dragons has helped her writing process. They also have some fun chatting about absolutely wild birds.
Today's episode is sponsored by GiveWell. Vi...
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August 20, 2020 • 36 min
Ep. #472 - On today's episode, Adam and Jill share some book recommendations for another task in the Professional Book Nerds 2020 Reading Challenge. This time, they're sharing some of their favorite first books in a series!
Get your special "Libby Brings Readers Together" shirt here: http://shop.overdrive.com/
Books mentioned on this episode
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell
Neand...
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