Professional Book Nerds

On today's episode, Adam sits down with Jack Gantos, who has written books for readers of all ages. The conversation focuses on Jack's latest work, Writing Radar, in which he details all the ways aspiring writers can set themselves up for success. We also discuss the many twists and turns his life has taken, including getting caught for helping traffic drugs and how this turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com  Music "Buddy" and "Sci Fi" by www.bensound.com  Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming out that we can't wait to dive into. For more great reads, find OverDrive on Face

Half an hour after peak viewing time of the 2017 Solar Eclipse, Jill sat down with three of her colleagues (including first time caller, long time listener Bob) to discuss science fiction! From hard science fiction to dystopian fiction to everything in between.     Books Mentioned in Today's episode Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski Hyperion by Dan Simmons The Martian by Andy Weir Artemis by Andy Weir Seveneves by Neal Stephenson  The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones The Last One by Alexandra Olivia Red Rising series by Pierce Brown Iron Gold by Pierce Brown The Fifth Season by N. K. Jamison Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'engle Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie Provenance by Ann Leckie He, She and It by Marge Piercy Cinder by Marissa Meyer Old Man's War by John Scalzi Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdhrich   Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibrar

On today's episode, Adam chats with his favorite debut author of 2017, Amanda Foody! Amanda is the author of Daughter of the Burning City which Adam lovingly describes as a YA-Fantasy Carnival Freak Show Murder Mystery. That's a lot of words... Amanda takes us through building her worlds, determining how magic works in these and explains why this incredible fantasy is a standalone novel. After taking a listen we absolutely implore you to get this book. It's magical and dark and mysterious and all and all wonderful. Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com  Music "Buddy" and "Epic" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com  Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendat

On today's episode, Adam is joined by frequent friends of the pod (and 2/3rds of the 3-headed Sass Monster) Andrea and Christina. The three of them hand out bunches of book recommendations that would best be categorized as falling under Young Adult, New Adult, Mystery AND/OR Romance. They talk diverse books, fan fiction, Andrea's birthday and the fact that since the birth of her child she's been reading some DARK novels. Books mentioned on this episode: The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn   Hush by John Hart   The Last Child By John Hart   One of us is Lying by Karen M. McManus   The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah   Ghost by Jason Reynolds   Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds   All American Boys by Jason Reynolds   The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas   When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon   Magic City by Jewell Parker Rhodes   The Pigeon Man by Joel Edward Stein   The Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley   The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick   The Out

On today's episode, Adam chats with the incredible Brandy Colbert. Brandy's well known for her debut novel Pointe and her latest book Little & Lion was just released. Brandy and Adam discuss diversity in YA novels, the importance of being able to find characters like yourself in books and what goes into creating her characters.  We can't recommend Little & Lion enough. It's an incredibly powerful book about understanding and the strength of family bonds. Give a listen!  Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com  Music "Buddy" and "Epic" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com  Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming

As a librarian who loves fantasy novels, Jill naturally loves fantasy novels that feature a fantastic library! For today's episode she's giving a rundown on some of her favorite fantasy libraries and librarians.  Share your own favorite fantasy libraries by emailing us at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com or find us on Twitter @ProBookNerds   Books Mentioned in this Episode Harry Potter series by JK Rowling A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin The Kingkiller Chronicle series by Patrick Rothfuss The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman Discworld series by Terry Prachett Sandman series by Neil Gaiman   Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com  Music "Buddy" and "Epic" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com  Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at Ov

On today's episode, Adam sits down with the incredible and wildly popular bestselling author Meg Cabot. Meg is best known for her Princess Diaries series and she's written 8- books in total, having sold over 25 million copies. Meg is promoting her latest book Royal Crush but we touch on all of her work as she's written books for readers of all ages.  Meg shares her experiences of struggling before finally getting published, writing under pen names and being persistent in her craft. She also tells us how she stays motivated to create as much content she does and informs us of a project she's working on that she hasn't told anyone else about yet! Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com Music "Buddy" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audio

The calendar has turned to a new month which means we get to share our picks for the top books of August! Join us as we dive into the new releases coming this month we're most excited for including everything from bestsellers to debut authors, fiction and nonfiction alike! We're crossing all genres here so there is something for everything. Be sure to connect with us and share your favorite new books as well. Our TBR list can never be too long... Books mentioned in this episode: Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker   The Address by Fiona Davis   America 51 by Corey Taylor   The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory   Hail to the Chin by Bruce Campbell and Craig Sanborn   Sour Grapes by Jenny Zhang   Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo   Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel Wilson   The Rattled Bones by S.M. Parker   The Half-Drowned King by Lianna Hartsuyker   Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert   The Readymade Thief by August Rose   See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt   The Hole b

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Who doesn't love a good murder to set off their summer vacation? In today's episode, Jill is joined by previous guests Emma, Meghan, and Kristin to discuss some of their favorite mystery, suspense, and thriller books! They also share some of the cozy mysteries they have been reading, complete with puntastic titles.  Books Mentioned In This Episode:  Into the Water by Paula Hawkins Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris The Breakdown by B. A. Paris My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn The Girl Before by JP Delaney The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter The Dark Room by Jonathan  Moore Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith The Trespasser by Tana French Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne Mister Tender's Girl by Carter Wilson In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware  The Lying Game by Ruth Ware Once Upon a Spine by Kate Carlisle Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampt

Tra la Laaa! Today's episode is a chat with legendary children's author and illustrator Dav Pilkey! Dav is best known for creating Captain Underpants which has been read by millions of children around the world and is responsible for countless people falling in love with reading.  Dav shares how he created his characters and what it feels like to interact with so many fans around the world. He also happens to have the best "Favorite reading spot" of all time.    Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com  Music "Buddy" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com  Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming out that we can't

On today's episode, Adam and Jill chat with Nancy Pearl! Nancy regularly offers book recommendations on NPR, was named Librarian of the Year in 2011 by Library Journal and even has her own action figure. Nancy has long been known for her ability to recommend books and now she's written her own debut novel, George and Lizzie. During the conversation, Nancy discusses her new book, libraries and a whole slew of other fun topics. She then does us the honor of providing loads of book recommendations (listed and linked below). Take a listen! Books featured in this episode George and Lizzie by Nancy Pearl   The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey   The Passage by Justin Cronin   The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey   The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck   A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson   The True Flag by Stephen Kinzer   The Brothers by Stephen Kinzer   The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge   Half Magic by Edward Eager   Defectors by Joseph Kanon   A Legacy of

On today's episode, Adam is joined by #1 bestselling author B. A. Paris whose debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, became an instant international sensation. Her latest novel, The Breakdown, is being released on July 18th and is already garnering massive amounts of buzz and praise.  During their chat, B. A. discussed the difference between writing her first novel as a complete unknown and writing her second with the expectations of so many readers and what is was like to experience her whirlwind journey to becoming a bestseller. Adam and B. A. spoke about how she finds her ideas in normal everyday experiences as well as the books she read growing up.  Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com  Music "Buddy" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com  Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and

On today's episode, Adam and Jill travel to Chicago to speak with Colson Whitehead about his #1 New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Underground Railroad. Their conversation covered how this book came to be, how he views his book in relation to the incredible success it has achieved, race relations throughout American history and a dive into the music Colson listens to while writing.  In addition to winning the 2017 Pulitzer Prize, the Underground Railroad was also selected as the winner of the National Book Award and Carnegie Medal. Both Oprah and President Obama chose it for their respective book clubs and the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Buzzfeed and Esquire named it their best book of the year.  It was an honor to speak with Colson and we'd love to hear your thoughts on this conversation! Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com  Music "Bud

In today's episode, Adam and Jill sit down with bestselling and award winning author Jonathan Safran Foer. Well known for his immensely popular novels Extremely Loud and Incredible Close and Everything is Illuminated, Jonathan published his latest hit, Here I am, in 2016.   During their chat, Jonathan discussed how he takes on the craft of writing, how he traveled to Eastern Europe to research his first novel and his thoughts on being considered one of the defining writers on contemporary Jewish life. Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com  Music "Buddy" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com  Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendations, and learn about

It's our monthly episode of forthcoming books we can't wait to read! ::Insert Kermit Arms:: Like every month, Jill and Adam break down some of the books coming out this month that they can't wait to read. So get your TBR lists ready!  Books Mentioned in This Episode The Breakdown by BA Paris Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris Because You Hate To Love Me by Ameriie The Many Lives of Catwoman by Tim Hanley Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell Policing the Black Man by Angela J. Davis What She Ate by Laura Shapiro, et. al. The Lying Game by Ruth Ware In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware What Goes Up by Katie Kennedy What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons An Oath of Dogs by Wendy Wagner The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase The Witches of New York by Ami McKay Sorry to Disrupt the Peace by Patty Yumi Cottrell Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with

On this week's author interview episode we feature Greg Iles, the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of the Natchez Burning series. Greg talks about his experiences as a writer of the South and the importance of dealing head on with the past and the real life situations that inspired his series. Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com Music "Buddy" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming out that we can't wait to dive into. For more great reads, find OverDrive on Facebook and Twitter.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last weekend, Adam and Jill were in Chicago for the American Library Association. Along with getting to meet some of our library partners, podcast listeners, publishing company friends, they also got to interview some incredible authors and Jill, at least, got to do some sightseeing in the Windy City. Books mentioned in this episode The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Evicted by Matthew Desmond This Is What a Librarian Looks Like by Kyle Cassidy Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict The Address by Fiona Davis Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco The Breakdown by B.A. Paris Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore   Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com  Music "Buddy" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com  Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who w

This episode is presented by Libby, the new app from OverDrive that's the fastest and easiest way to enjoy your next great digital read. Today's episode is an interview Adam did with Doree Shafrir. Doree has worked at Buzzfeed and Gawker Media, amongst other sites and her new debut novel STARTUP is now available.  During their chat, Adam and Doree go into her book, working at Buzzfeed, having a podcast of her own with her husband Matt Mira and what she's excited about in the tech industry. Take a listen!   Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com Music "Buddy" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendations, and learn abo

Today's episode is presented by Libby, the new app from OverDrive that's the fastest and easiest way to enjoy your next great digital read. Our episode today is a very special conversation as Jill and Adam sat down with two librarians who were integral in the creation of OverDrive. Both these women have decades of experience working as libraries and now they offer their services consulting IN OUR OFFICES. They have worked closely with OverDrive's CEO, Steve Potash, over the years and have helped make OverDrive the global company it is today. Hear how the company came to be while also celebrating the importance of libraries in our community on this American Library Association special episode.  Book Recommendations Check out these two lists at overdrive.com for some perfect books to enjoy now that summer has arrived. 2017 Beach Reads OverDrive Staff Librarians Summer Picks Say Hello! Find OverDrive on Facebook at OverDriveforLibraries and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbookne