Book Lounge by Libby

As we head into the holiday season, we’re already looking ahead—because nothing pairs better with cocoa and cozy time off than planning your next year’s TBR 🎄📚  For our January 2026 Book Picks (and the final Book Lounge episode of 2025!), I'm joined by Madison to break down the new releases we cannot wait to snag in the new year. These are the books we’re placing holds and adding to notify me tags in Libby, lining up for holds, and mentally reading before the wrapping paper’s even recycled ✨  This episode is equal parts holiday sendoff and new year reading hype. We’re taking a short break, soaking up the season, and coming back in January 2026 with all-new episodes.  🎁 One last thing before the year ends! Help shape the future of Book Lounge by completing our listener survey by January 5: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8564187/2025-Book-Lounge-Listener-Survey  Happy holidays, happy reading, and may your holds come in early. ✨📖  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Titles mentioned in this episode:  Madison’s picks:  Graceless Heart – Isabel Ibañez  The Midnight Carousel – Fiza Saeed McLynn  Silver & Blood – Jessie Mihalik  The Elsewhere Express – Samantha Sotto Yambao  Women of a Promiscuous Nature – Donna Everhart  Dragon Cursed – Elise Kova  When Trees Testify – Beronda L. Montgomery  Joe’s picks:   Half His Age – Jennette McCurdy  Is This a Cry for Help? - Emily Austin  How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder – Nina McConigley  Meet the Newmans – Jennifer Niven  Fustuk – Robert Mgrdich Apelian  Gaslit – Megan Davidhizar  Better the Devil – Erik J. Brown  Check out Madison’s Bookstagram  Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title  00:01:07 Intro  00:07:33 January 2026 Book Picks with Madison!’  01:17:11 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

We're wrapping up 2025 with a big, bookish bow! In this year-end celebration, Joe is joined by Carmen, Cece, Jananie K. Velu, Kayla, and Meara as everyone brings two of their favorite reads of the entire year. From unforgettable characters to gasp-worthy plots, these are the books that rose straight to the top of our 2025 lists.   Whether you're building your 2026 TBR or reliving your favorite reads of the year, settle in — this is the coziest way to close out the season.    ✨ Don’t forget to take our podcast survey!  Running now through January 5. We want to hear from you!  Survey link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8564187/2025-Book-Lounge-Listener-Survey   Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Guest host recommendations:  Carmen  Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings - Myriam Gurba  The Possession of Alba Diaz - Isabel Canas  Cece  Listen to Your Sister – Neena Viel  The Luis Ortega Survival Club – Sonora Reyes  Jananie  Dust Settles North – Deena ElGenaidi  Immaculate Conception – Ling Ling Huang  Kayla  Julie Chan is Dead- Liann Zhang  The Compound- Aisling Rawle  Meara  Girl Dinner – Olivie Blake  Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng - Kylie Lee Baker  Joe   When the Wolf Comes Home – Nat Cassidy   Victorian Psycho – Virginia Feito  Hungerstone – Kat Dunn   Follow the guests & guest hosts:   Carmen – link  Cece - link  Jananie K. Velu – link  Kayla - link  Meara – link   Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title  00:01:07 Intro  00:03:54 Best Reads of 2025  00:03:22 The Summer Book on KANOPY  00:31:52 Best Reads of 2025  01:03:01 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

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

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

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