Professional Book Nerds

Ep. #507 - ~TREAT YO SELF 2020, IT'S THE BEST DAY OF THE YEAR~ It's that time. These are our favorite books released in 2020. What was yours? Sponsors: Literati Kids – Visit http://www.Literati.com/ProBookNerds for 25% off your first two orders GiveWell – Visit http://www.givewell.org/probooknerds and select PODCAST and PROFESSIONAL BOOK NERDS at checkout to have your donation — up to $250 — matched. Books mentioned in this episode: Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria Schwab Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano Shit Actually by Lindy West The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole Long Bright River by Liz Moore You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #506 -- Back in May, Jill was joined by her friends Sydney and Tiffany to discuss the challenges of reading and finishing a book at the beginning of the pandemic. Jill has brought Sydney and Tiffany back to see if reading has gotten any easier over the past seven months (spoiler alert: it has and they have book recommendations!) Books mentioned in this episode: Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline Plain Bad Heroines by emily m. danforth Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey Normal People by Sally Rooney You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade The Switch by Beth O'Leary The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow The Return by Rachel Harrison Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle

Ep. 505 - P. Djèlí Clark chats with Adam about his exceptional novella Ring Shout, his work as a professor teaching slavery in cinema, how to approach problematic content like H.P. Lovecraft, and the ways history shapes his fantasy writing. Sponsors: Headspace – Visit http://headspace.com/pbn for a free one-month trial with access to meditations for every situation Man Crates – visit mancrates.com/pbn for incredible discounts on personalized gifts for the guys in your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #504 - On today's episode, we share all the tasks for our upcoming reading challenge! We kick off the show with what we've read lately before getting into the tasks. Visit professionalbooknerds.com to download the reading challenge and, if you participated in 2020, be sure to email your completed form to professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com! Sponsors Literati Kids – Visit http://www.Literati.com/ProBookNerds for 25% off your first two orders BlendJet – visit BlendJet.com/PBN for an extra 12% off your order Get your PBN and Libby swag for the holidays at shop.overdrive.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #503 - Marie Benedict, a true PBN all star, returns to chat about her latest book The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. This was a live Zoom event that you can also watch if you prefer on OverDrive's YouTube channel. This books tells a story about the 11 days when Agatha Christie disappeared and then reappeared but never discussed what happened during that time. It's a wonderful story you might not know about a woman you likely do! Sponsors: Freshly - Visit freshly.com/probooknerds to get forty dollars of your first two orders. Givewell - GiveWell – Visit http://www.givewell.org/probooknerds and select PODCAST and PROFESSIONAL BOOK NERDS at checkout to have your donation — up to $250 — matched. Get some Libby and PBN swag - http://shop.overdrive.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #502 - Robin Whitten of AudioFile Magazine joins the Nerds to discuss a few of their Best Audiobooks of the year. They also chat about the process for how the audiobooks are selected, and how the AudioFile staff manages to review more than 2,000 audiobooks per year. See the full "best of" list and subscribe to their daily podcast at https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/ Sponsors: Headspace – Visit http://headspace.com/pbn for a free one-month trial with access to meditations for every situation Theragun - Try Theragun for 30 days by going to http://theragun.com/pbn Books mentioned in this episode: All the Devils Are Here By Louise Penny The Yosemite By John Muir Vesper Flights By Helen Macdonald Intimations By Zadie Smith His Truth Is Marching On By Jon Meacham Stamped By Jason Reynolds Caste By Isabel Wilkerson Fire in Paradise By Alastair Gee A Most Beautiful Thing By Arshay Cooper Kent State By Deborah Wiles Mexican Gothic By Silvia Moreno-Garcia Deacon King Kong By James McBride Learn more about your ad

Ep. #501 - On today's episode, Jill is joined by actress Rachel True (Rochelle from the iconic 1996 THE CRAFT) to talk about her new book and Tarot deck TRUE HEART INTUITIVE TAROT. Rachel has been studying Tarot from a very young age, and in their conversation she discusses how her book and deck came about, how she first got into Tarot, busts some Tarot myths, and shares tips for first time writers. Sponsors: GiveWell – Visit http://www.givewell.org/probooknerds and select PODCAST and PROFESSIONAL BOOK NERDS at checkout to have your donation -- up to $250 -- matched. Literati Kids - Visit http://www.Literati.com/ProBookNerds for 25% off your first two orders Books mentioned in this episode: True Heart Intuitive Tarot by Rachel True WTF is Tarot? by Bakara Wintner Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #500 - On today's episode, the nerds talk about how this podcast came to be, say thank you to all the people who have helped make this happen, and share some of their favorite memories from the 5 years of doing this little side project. Sponsor: Headspace – visit http://headspace.com/pbn for a free one-month trial with access to meditations for every situation Memories discussed on today’s episode Interviewing George Saunders (ep. 105) and Lois Lowry (ep 412) over the phone  Adam's first trip to NYC - James Patterson (Ep. 28) and Brad Meltzer Getting to interview JILL FOR HER FIRST MEMOIR (ep. #79)  Interviewing Colson Whitehead (ep. 135) and Matthew Desmond (ep 171) on the same day  Driving around Leigh Bardugo (ep 54) in Adam’s Ford Focus  Doing our Trans authors (ep 452) / antiracist reading list (ep 450) episodes Interviewing childhood heroes Mikel Jollett (ep. 447) and Ben Folds (ep. 377)  Interview with Jessamyn Stanley, live (Ep #126) Interviewing Jennifer Weiner (Ep. 342) and then findi

Ep. #499 - Layla Saad joined the nerds for a special Zoom event to discuss her bestselling book Me & White Supremacy, the new guided journal which is now available, and the upcoming version she's working on for young readers. We also have a conversation about the publishing world and the experiences of black authors, and her wildly successful podcast. Thank you to everyone who attended and a special thank you to Layla, Sourcebooks, and our ASL interpreters. Watch the video of this event on OverDrive's YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/c/OverDriveInc/videos Episode Sponsor Man Crates - visit mancrates.com/pbn for incredible discounts on personalized gifts for the guys in your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #498 - On today's episode, Adam and Jill share the new books coming out in December they both plan to read. It's a bit of a genre swap situation as they both have books the other one would normally recommend. Things are getting crazy in nerd land. Episode sponsors BlendJet - visit BlendJet.com/PBN for an extra 12% off your order Headspace - visit http://headspace.com/pbn for a free one-month trial with access to mediations for every situation Sign up for our special live event with Marie Benedict on December 3rd! - https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pSBuERMQTQuyjaTnA_PlfA Books mentioned in this episode The Mystery of Mrs. Christie By Marie Benedict Mediocre By Ijeoma Oluo Admission By Julie Buxbaum The Arctic Fury By Greer Macallister This Time Next Year By Sophie Cousens The Mermaid from Jeju By Sumi Hahn Out of the Ether By Matthew Leising D By Michel Faber The Cousins By Karen M. McManus We Hear Voices By Evie Green The Ballad of Ami Miles By Kristy Dallas Alley Marion Lane and the Midn

Ep. #497 - On today's episode, Mallory O'Meara joins Adam to chat about their post Halloween reading adventures, holiday bookish traditions, and her upcoming book Girly Drinks! Also, the paperback of Lady from the Black Lagoon is now available! Episode Sponsors: GiveWell - Get your first charitable donation matched - up to TWO HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS when you go to http://givewell.org/probooknerds JennyLife - Visit https://www.givewell.org/probooknerds to get a FREE quote right now! Books mentioned in this episode Wandering in Strange Lands by Morgan Jerkins A Girl Is a Body of Water By Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco Who I Was with Her By Nita Tyndall The Devil & The Dark Water by Stuart Turton The Midnight Library By Matt Haig The Neil Gaiman Reader Migrations By Charlotte McConaghy Fable by Adrienne Young Surrender Your Sons By Adam Sass Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals By Becky Mandelbaum A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Hidde

Ep. #496 - On today's episode, Ryan La Sala is back and we're doing it live! This took place on 11/10 and it was our fabulous Big Library Read live event in which Ryan answered audience questions and Jill and Ryan used Tarot to interpret some dreams. Things got wild. If you'd like to watch the whole event you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/c/OverDriveInc/videos Also, be sure to sign up for our social justice conversation with Layla Saad on 11/17 – https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4VsN_FSYTm-_3AIiB_TbYA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #495 - On today's episode, Adam sits down with Raj Haldar about his exceptional children's books, his life as a rapper, creating music and stories for all ages, and much more. Today's episode is sponsored by FRESHLY. Visit freshly.com/probooknerds to get forty dollars of your first two orders. Sign up for our live Big Library Read Zoom event with Ryan La Sala – https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sBK7aDCRRuCRLfH5Y-yN7w Sign up for our social justice conversation with Layla Saad on 11/17 – https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4VsN_FSYTm-_3AIiB_TbYA Buy some PBN and Libby swag – http://shop.overdrive.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #494 - On today's episode, Adam and Jill share a few book recommendations   Sign up for our live Big Library Read Zoom event with Ryan La Sala – https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sBK7aDCRRuCRLfH5Y-yN7w   Sign up for our social justice conversation with Layla Saad on 11/16 – https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4VsN_FSYTm-_3AIiB_TbYA   Buy some PBN and Libby swag – http://shop.overdrive.com/     Books mentioned in this episode Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade Shit, Actually by Lindy West When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #493 - On today's episode, we're joined by Anne Helen Petersen, former senior culture writer for Buzzfeed and author of Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. We talk about burnout, stress, our collective anxiety leading up to the election, and trying to create a work-life balance amidst the pandemic. Sign up for our live Big Library Read Zoom event with Ryan La Sala - https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sBK7aDCRRuCRLfH5Y-yN7w Sign up for our social justice conversation with Layla Saad on 11/16 - https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4VsN_FSYTm-_3AIiB_TbYA Buy some PBN and Libby swag - http://shop.overdrive.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest Big Library Read author is the one and only Ryan La Sala! His book Reverie is a wild fantasy title that can be described as Inception meets The Magicians and also there is a Drag Queen Sorceress. Back in the before times of January, Adam sat down with Ryan in Philadelphia to chat about this amazing story. Now, hundreds of thousands of people around the world are going to read it at the same time thanks to the Big Library Read digital book club. Visit biglibraryread.com to join our discussion board and to sign up for our live Zoom event with Ryan on November 10th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. #492 - It's that time again! We're wishing October a happy goodbye and previewing the books we are most excited to read in November. We nerd out about Ready Player One for a bit and talk about some exciting upcoming live events you can join us for. First up is our live Big Library Read Zoom party with Ryan La Sala that you can sign up for here: https://biglibraryread.com/ Ready Player Two By Ernest Cline One Life By Megan Rapinoe Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man By Emmanuel Acho The Woman Who Stole Vermeer By Anthony M. Amore The Thirty Names of Night By Zeyn Joukhadar The Harpy By Megan Hunter The Children of Red Peak By Craig DiLouie The Way Back By Gavriel Savit What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat By Aubrey Gordon Miss Benson's Beetle By Rachel Joyce Before the Coffee Gets Cold By Toshikazu Kawaguchi The Orchard By David Hopen Magic: A History By Chris Gosden   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Craig Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 novels, touch on web comics they love, and get on a soapbox about how all reading formats are equally awesome. This episode is sponsored by Jenny Life. Visit https://www.jennylife.com/pbn to get your free life insurance quote today. Books mentioned in today's episode Something New by Lucy Knisley Harrow County by Cullen Bunn Kent State by Derf Backderf My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf Thornhill By Pam Smy Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu The Daughters of Ys By M. T. Anderson The Low Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming White Bird by RJ Palacio Crowded B

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices