Professional Book Nerds

Surprise! We have a Saturday episode for you because we just had to share this conversation with Colum McCann. Adam sat down with Colum for a live event at Cuyahoga County Public Library where they discussed his new book Apeirogon, cultural appropriation vs. cultural celebration, his nonprofit Narrative 4, and why sharing stories is so important. His book is a masterpiece and you'll love this conversation.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Robin Whitten from AudioFIle joins Adam to dive into all the major Audie Award winners for the best audiobooks of 2019! They talk about the Audie Award gala and how the awards are selected before breaking down some of the biggest categories. Audie Award winners mentioned in this episode Audiobook of the year - The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff Audio Drama - Angels in America by Tony Kushner Female Narrator -Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson Male Narrator - Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny Fantasy - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow Fiction - City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert Nonfiction - Grace Will Lead Us Home by Jennifer Berry Hawes History/Biography - American Moonshot by Douglas Brinkley Mystery - The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup Short Story Collection -Full Throttle by Joe Hill Thriller - The Institute by Stephen King   Other audiobooks discussed: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead Becoming by Michelle Ob

On today's episode, Adam interviews YA Queen Cassandra Clare! They discuss her new Shadowhunter novel Chain of Gold, her research into Edwardian England, and they have a long conversation about tattoos. Her friend (and previous PBN guest) Holly Black naturally comes up as well. Today’s episode is sponsored by Grove Collaborative. Visit grove.co/pbn to get a free five piece cleaning set from Mrs. Meyer and Grove as part of your first order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spring has... just kidding, it's dark and dreary here in Nerd land but thankfully March is jampacked with a ton of amazing new books to keep us company while we wait for the sun to come out. Listen in to hear the new books coming out this month that we're most excited about. Books mentioned in this episode The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel Wow, No Thank You. by Samantha Irby Stamped--Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk New Waves by Kevin Nguyen The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card Untamed by Glennon Doyle The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu The Deep by Alma Katsu The Body Double by Emily Beyda Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman   D

On today's episode, Adam interviews mystery author Elizabeth Little in Philadelphia about her new novel Pretty as a Picture. They breakdown the storytelling aspects of writing a murder mystery, surprising herself as a writer, and they have a lengthy discussion about their favorite films.  Donate to help us support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/noh/cle20/pbooknerds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Jill and Adam dish out some recommendations for the first of the Professional Book Nerds 2020 Reading Challenge... Microhistories! Books mentioned in this episode: Timekeepers by Simon Garfield The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck Tree by David Suzuki & Wayne Grady Bourbon Empire by Reid Mitenbuler Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergrast The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson Drink by Iain Gately Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker The Way We Never Were by Stephanie Coontz Semicolon by Cecelia Watson Milk! by Mark Kurlansky   Donate to our Leukemia & Lymphoma Society pages and help us find a cure for blood cancer! Jill – https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/noh/cle20/jgrunenwal Adam – https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/noh/cle20/adamico Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Adam interviews Layla Saad, bestselling author, podcaster, and influencer in the world of social change, race, identity, and leadership. Layla's Instagram challenge #MeAndWhiteSupremacy became a global phenomenon and then a workbook before becoming an instant New York Times bestseller. They dive into how this novel came to be, communicating about race and so much more. Books mentioned in this episode White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo Highfire by Eoin Colfer  Followers by Megan Angelo   Donate to our Leukemia & Lymphoma Society pages and help us find a cure for blood cancer! Jill - https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/noh/cle20/jgrunenwal  Adam - https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/noh/cle20/adamico  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Adam interviews Pat Simmons, the Together We Read digital book club selected author about her latest novel, Lean on Me. Pat has written 30+ novels and her latest is available to U.S. library cardholders with no waitlists or holds on Libby.  Adam and Pat talk about the life of a caregiver, trying to care for parents who are sick, and take a deep dive into genealogy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Adam chats with debut YA author Phil Stamper! They discuss his brand new novel, The Gravity of Us, writing aspects of himself into his characters, his Twitter friendship with other YA authors, working in publishing, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Without Clementine Churchill the history of Winston Churchill and the history of the world would have been a very different story." We've lost count of how many times we've nerded out with Marie Benedict but it doesn't matter because each time is something new and amazing. Today, we're discussing her latest work, Lady Clementine!    Books mentioned in this episode Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi   Link to the tweet of favorite January books from our listeners: https://twitter.com/ProBookNerds/status/1223360321580040193 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Adam interviews debut author Adalyn Grace! They discuss her amazing young adult fantasy, All the Stars and Teeth, how she wrote this story so quickly, her internship at Nickelodeon, and so much more. Before the interview, Adam is joined by Andrea to offer up some additional reading recommendations.  Books mentioned in this episode All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace Save the Date by Morgen Matson Long Bright River by Liz Moore The God Game by Danny Tobey A Letter to Jo by Joseph Sieracki & Kelly Williams The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas     Today's episode is sponsored by Grove Collaborative. Visit grove.co/pbn to get a free five piece cleaning set from Mrs. Meyer and Grove as part of your first order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

February is almost here, which means it's time for Jill and Adam to share the books they are most looking forward to this month. (BONUS it's a Leap Year which means you have an entire extra day to read!) Books mentioned in this episode: Perfect Little Children by Sophie Hannah The Resisters by Gish Jen Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel Mallory Ortberg Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin Real Life by Brandon Taylor Weather by Jenny Offill The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace Apeirogon by Colum McCann 18 Tiny Deaths by Bruce Goldfarb Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare Amnesty by Aravind Adiga Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips A Perfect Explanation by Eleanor Anstruther Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara A Delayed Life by Dita Kraus Greenwood by Michael Christie Music: Provided royalty fre

On today's episode, Adam sits down with Ryan La Sala in Philadelphia to discuss his sprawling fantasy novel Reverie, the vividness of his dreams, and how Ryan became the best person on Twitter. This was a BLAST. Today's episode is sponsored by INDEED.COM. Post your job today at Indeed.com slash BOOKNERDS and get a free sponsored job upgrade on your first posting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever had a moment in time that felt like a dream even while it was happening? That's how we felt getting to interview Lois Lowry for a full hour. We chat AT LENGTH about the stories behind The Giver, Number the Stars, and her stunning upcoming book On the Horizon as well as several of her favorite stories from a lifetime of literature. I don't know what else to say... she's a living legend.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Adam interviews legendary journalist and author Scott Simon about his new books Sunnyside Plaza. The book is all about his time working with people who had developmental disabilities and how seeing the world through a different lens. They also discuss baseball, writing for children, and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, we're joined by author Joseph Sieracki (and his wife Andrea whose voice you may recognize!)  Joseph has written a stunning graphic novel titled A Letter to Jo based on his grandfather's experience in World War II. The story itself is heartwrenching and this conversation is loaded with not only the research Joseph did but also incredible detail about how much goes into creating a graphic novel. This book is an absolute must-read! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Jill and Adam interview Andrea Barber, who is best known for her iconic character Kimmy Gibbler on Full House and Fuller House. Andrea has written a memoir titled Full Circle all about her life in between her time in Hollywood. She discusses her struggle to keep her mental health balanced, how running helped, and shares some wonderful insight into the shows we've literally grown up with. This was surreal and amazing.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've entered the 2020s so we thought it'd be fun to take a look at some wonderful books set a hundred years ago in the famed Roaring 20s. We're talking flapper girls, prohibition New York, Old Hollywood, lost libraries, and so much more! Books mentioned in this episode The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann   Books set in the 1920's Fall of Giants by Ken Follett The Paris Wife by Paula McLain The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf The Hours by Michael Cunningham The Trial by Franz Kafka Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Electric Hotel by Dominic Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey Nerds! On today's wide-ranging episode, Penny Reid returns to tell us what she's been up to and it turns out... it's a lot! We discuss the multiple books she released in 2019, the exciting new projects she has coming in 2020, and her experiences making cheese, hanging out with wolves, and doing yoga with goats. We also chat about prison libraries, Adam running a half marathon with his Pops, and a whole bunch more. It's a lot.  If you'd like information about donating books to prisons you can find great info from Book Riot here: https://bookriot.com/2015/09/03/donate-books-prisons/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a new month, a new year, and a new decade! The passage of time doesn't stop and so neither will our book recommendations. Check out the books we're most excited about that are coming out in January. Books mentioned in this episode American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict The Truants by Kate Weinberg Little Gods by Meng Jin Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener Followers by Megan Angelo The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao Highfire by Eoin Colfer The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood Clean Getaway by Nic Stone All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor Infinity Son by Adam Silvera Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Zora Neale Hurston Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices