Book Lounge by Libby

Book Lounge by Libby is your cozy reading corner of the internet. Hosted by Joe Skelley, each episode invites you into candid and thoughtful conversations about books, writing, publishing and the trends shaping what we read (plus reading recommendations you won't want to miss ). Brought to you by ⁠ Libby ⁠ , the library app. Find more at: https://pages.libbylife.com/BL-Links Book Lounge airs year-round, with two 10-week seasons each year, featuring publishing conversations on Mondays and paired book recommendations on Thursdays- plus monthly Book Release Radar episodes. We release 1–3 episodes per month between seasons. Reach out to us at bookloungebylibby@overdrive.com . Happy Reading!

Book Lounge by Libby is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 949 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Book Lounge by Libby, a arts show with 949 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Book Lounge by Libby

  We Read the Wildest Reviews of Books We Love

  Aug 13, 20261h 34m

  What happens when you take the Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet approach to books? Absolute chaos.  Joe is joined by Meara to dig through reviews of books they love and discover what happens when readers have opinions. From hilarious hot takes to reviews that make absolutely no sense, this episode is full of laughs, nonsense and some truly unforgettable book commentary.  Want us to do this again? Tell us what books we should hunt for or send us random reviews to react to!  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Who’s in this episode:   Meara – link  Check out Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet here: https://www.beachtoosandy.com/  Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Intro 00:02:22 What’s your relationship with book reviews?  00:06:00 How do you write your reviews?  00:09:50 A conversation about negative reviews 00:13:50 We dive into reading reviews! 01:30:03 Wrapping up and outro  Enjoying the show? Follow Book Lounge by Libby, leave a rating or review, and watch every episode on the Libby App YouTube channel. Find us on Libbylife.com/booklounge  Got a book recommendation, dream guest or just want to say hi? We'd love to hear from you at bookloungebylibby@overdrive.com.  Looking for Book Lounge merch? Visit Plot Threads.   Library friends: Add episodes of Book Lounge by Libby to your digital collection for free in OverDrive Marketplace and Kanopy. You can also purchase the titles featured in today's episode in OverDrive Marketplace.  Happy Reading! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  Book Lounge by Libby

  August 2026 Book Releases We're Adding to Our TBRs

  Jul 30, 20261h 42m

  August 2026 books are here, and Joe is joined by Bre (@locd_booktician_) to share the new releases they're most excited to add to their TBRs. Covering everything from horror, thrillers, romance, fantasy, literary fiction, and beyond, they're highlighting some of the month's biggest releases alongside a few books that deserve more attention.  As always, the recommendations are only part of the fun. Expect plenty of laughs, bookish tangents, and chaotic energy as Joe and Bre count down the August titles they can't stop thinking about.  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Book Recommendations  Bre’s Picks:  Clean Slate – Brianna Labuskes  Ghost in the Night – Tiffany D. Jackson  Murder at University Park – Cheryl Miller Dellasega  Death Card – Jasmine Smith   The Secrets We Hide – Karin Slaughter   Stay Buried – Jennifer McMahon  The Butcher Legacy – Alaina Urquhart   Bound by Fury – Noelle Monet  These Walls Remember – Del Sandeen   Joe’s Picks:   Barbie: Dreamscape – Alex Aster  Queens of the Crypt, Vol 1 – Dom & Ink  Devil Inside – Clay McLeod Chapman  Survival Show – Juno Dawson  My Killer Family Reunion – Dinesh Thiru  (Mostly) Human Resources – Grace Viall  Killing Sadie – Rachel Peterson   Summer Coven – Kat Killis, Rosiee Thor  Who’s in this episode:   Bre - Links  Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Intro 00:01:11 Welcome and catchup with Bre! 00:13:27 August 2026 Book Picks 01:38:28 Thanks and 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 bookloungebylibby@overdrive.com. 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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  Book Lounge by Libby

  Plot Twists & Playlists: Audiobooks, Romance Reads & 2026 Book Talk with Destinee

  Jul 16, 20261h 8m

  What's better than talking about great books? Talking about all the great books.  This week, Joe is joined by romance novel matchmaker, bookseller, and creator Destinee for a delightfully bookish conversation that bounces around bookish things everyone can't stop talking about.  Grab your headphones, your library card, and maybe a notebook—you'll definitely leave with a longer TBR.  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Who’s in this episode:   Destinee - links  Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Welcome and Introductions 00:01:52 A chatty episode with Destinee 01:03:55 Wrapping up and 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.   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 bookloungebylibby@overdrive.com. 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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  Book Lounge by Libby

  Summerween 2026: The Best Horror Books to Kick Off Spooky Season Early

  Jul 9, 20261h 33m

  Summer is heating up... so naturally it's time for ghosts, monsters, haunted camps, cursed lakes, and things that go bump in the night.  Joe is joined by Bre to celebrate Summerween 2026, the growing tradition of bringing spooky season into the middle of summer. Whether horror readers are looking for gothic classics, unsettling literary horror, creepy middle grade adventures, camp slashers, psychological thrillers, or terrifying short story collections, this episode is packed with recommendations to fill every Summerween TBR.  From vampires and haunted campgrounds to folk horror, cosmic dread, ghost stories, and nostalgic Halloween favorites, this conversation explores horror across every age and subgenre. Along the way, Bre also shares details about her July Noir 2026 reading weekend and Discord community for readers looking to celebrate all month long.  Whether Summerween is already an annual tradition, or this is the first spooky-season celebration in July, this episode is full of horror book recommendations perfect for every kind of reader.  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Links:  Bre’s links  July Noir 2026 Announcement  July Noir Discord  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/locd_booktician_/   Titles mentioned:  Bre’s Picks:  Carmilla – Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu  Dead First – Johnny Compton  On Sundays She Picked Flowers – Yah Yah Scholfield  Gyo – Junji Ito  You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight – Kalynn Bayron  The Jumbies & Rise of the Jumbies – Tracey Baptiste  Why I Love Horror – ed. Becky Siegel Spratford  Joe’s Picks:   How to Survive Camping Series (Book 1: How to Survive Camping) - Bonnie Quinn   The Lady in Chains  The Ancient Things (September 2026)  The Unmothers – Leslie J. Anderson  The Bog Wife – Kay Chronister   Smothermoss – Alisa Alering  Don’t Turn Out the Lights – ed. Jonathan Maberry  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – Alvin Schwartz  Our Shadows Have Claws – ed. Yamile Saied Méndez, Amparo Ortiz  The Lake House – Sarah Beth Durst  Tastes Like Candy – Jessica Lacy   Camp Scare – Delilah S. Dawson  Summer’s Never Over – Darby Bozeman   A Murder Most Camp – Nicolas DiDomizio  13 Months Haunted – Jimmy Juliano  Chasing the Boogeyman – Richard Chizmar  80s Ghosts – VS Lawrence  Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Intro & Seasonal Update 00:01:40 Thoughts on Summerween 00:07:24 Our Summerween 2026 picks! 01:28:46 Thank you to Bre and 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 bookloungebylibby@overdrive.com. 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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  Book Lounge by Libby

  How President Lincoln Would Celebrate America 250 (and the books he'd read)

  Jul 2, 202654 min

  As the United States prepares to commemorate America 250, how can we celebrate the nation's history while also making room for reflection, honesty, and meaningful conversation? This week on Book Lounge by Libby, Cameron Walpole, Associate Director of Interpretation and Public Programs, and Callie Hawkins, Executive Director of President Lincoln's Cottage in Washington, DC, join the show to explore how their organization is approaching America's 250th anniversary with thoughtfulness, curiosity, and a commitment to telling a fuller story of our shared history. The conversation dives into Abraham Lincoln's enduring legacy, why President Lincoln's Cottage remains such an important place today, and how books help us better understand both the past and the present. Then, for a fun twist, Cameron and Callie recommend books they think President Lincoln would have loved reading if he were browsing a library today. Whether you're a history enthusiast, a Lincoln admirer, or simply looking for thought-provoking nonfiction and historical fiction recommendations, this episode offers fresh perspectives on American history, civic engagement, and the power of reading. For more info, check out: https://www.lincolncottage.org/ Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel! Book recommendations: Cameron’s Titles: Differ We Must – Steve Inskeep Macbeth – William Shakespeare Wonder – R.J. Palacio Callie’s Titles: Joyful Anyway – Kate Bowler You Better Be Lightning – Andrea Gibson James – Percival Everett Everywhere Still – MH Clark Joe’s Titles: Feeding Ghosts – Tessa Hulls A Manual for Cleaning Women – Lucia Berlin Separation of Church and Hate – John Fugelsang Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Welcome and introductions 00:02:23 What is President Lincoln’s Cottage? 00:22:56 Our recommended reads 00:51:08 Final Thoughts and 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. 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 bookloungebylibby@overdrive.com. 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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