Book Lounge by Libby

What actually makes a book club GOOD? And how do you get people to come back month after month without turning it into homework?

This week on Book Lounge by Libby, we're going behind the scenes of the book club. Joe is joined by Amy Allen Clark of Book Gang Podcast and book club, Dave McNally, Adult Services Supervisor at Cuyahoga County Public Library, and Meara of (@mearaisreading) to talk about what makes a great book club, how groups choose what to read, the biggest barriers that keep people from joining and what happens when a book club meeting goes completely off the rails.

We're talking book club tips, discussion drama, choosing books, reading outside your comfort zone, building community and, naturally, some very important book club gossip.

Whether you're already a devoted book club person, thinking about joining one or wondering if you should finally start your own, this conversation has something for you.

And yes, we get into the books that brought people together, the ones that divided them and the stories that have become legendary around the book club table.

If you're watching or listening on Spotify, comment and let us know: If you're part of a book club, tell us about it! How big is your group? How often do you meet? What's the best book you've ever read together? And, perhaps most importantly, what's the book that nearly started a civil war?

OR come comment on today's post over on Instagram at @bookloungepod.

Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!

Book recommendations:

Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut

Heart the Lover – Lily King

Daughters of Shandong – Eve J. Chung

Woodworking – Emily St. James

The Rachel Incident – Caroline O’Donoghue

Sula – Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison

I See You’ve Called in Dead – John Kenney

Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer

Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer

The Art Thief – Michael Finkel

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev – Dawnie Walton

Big Swiss – Jen Beagin

Death in Her Hands – Ottessa Moshfegh

The End of Men – Christina Sweeney-Baird

Tuesdays With Morrie – Mitch Albom

Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

Chain-Gang All-Stars – Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Guillotine – Delilah S. Dawson

Who’s in this episode:

Amy Allen Clark - Links

Meara - Links

Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:19 Welcome and intro 00:12:10 Different styles and sizes of Book Clubs 00:21:48 Preparing for Discussion 00:47:24 Do you always finish the book? 01:01:57 What should you know before you walk into book club the first time? 01:05:52 Comment Question 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.

Browse our cumulative reading list for the season: https://marketplace.overdrive.com/Marketplace/OneCopyOneUserAndMeteredAccess/SuggestedList/41378

Happy Reading!
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What REALLY happens behind the reference desk? On this episode of Book Lounge by Libby, host Joe Skelley is joined by Becky Cameron and Kate Merlene from Cuyahoga County Public Library and Morgan Schultz from Lutheran West School for a very candid, very fun conversation about life as a librarian.

We're spilling the librarian tea on wild patron questions, unexpected library requests, book recommendations, overhyped authors, underrated reads and the services your library offers that you might not even know about.

Plus, we're getting into librarian superpowers, memorable library moments, favorite programs and the realities of working with readers of all ages.

Whether you're a lifelong library lover, a curious reader or someone who has ever wondered what librarians REALLY think, this is your invitation behind the scenes.

Get ready for library secrets, bookish hot takes, hilarious stories and plenty of reasons to visit your local library. Grab your library card and join the conversation!

Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!

Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:20 Intro 00:01:03 Getting to know our guests 00:05:12 Assumptions about librarians 00:15:55 The most checked-out authors 00:25:07 Let’s get shady 00:32:40 Strangest patron questions 00:55:06 What’s a favorite program or service? 00:59:27 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.

Browse our cumulative reading list for the season: https://marketplace.overdrive.com/Marketplace/OneCopyOneUserAndMeteredAccess/SuggestedList/41378

Happy Reading!
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What happens when you let your local library surprise you? For the Season 4 premiere of Book Lounge by Libby, we're celebrating Library Card Sign-Up Month with a little literary mystery, a few unexpected projects and a whole lot of library love.

Joe is joined by Meara (@mearaisreading) for a Blind Date with a (Library) Book! We each head to our local libraries with three missions: get a book recommendation from a librarian, choose a book from a library display and discover a third surprise in the form of a unique activity, craft or project.

Then we come back together to reveal our picks, share what we got up to and compare notes on our library adventures. Expect book recommendations, library discoveries, creative chaos and a lil vlog moment because apparently talking about books wasn't enough.

Whether you're a lifelong library lover or haven't stepped into your local branch in a while, this episode is your invitation to explore, get curious and let your library surprise you.

Grab your library card and come hang out in the Book Lounge!

Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!

Book recommendations:

We – Yevgeny Zamyatin

West with Giraffes – Lynda Rutledge

The Unfortunates – JK Chukwu

Checked Out – Katie Fricas

Who’s in this episode:

Meara - Links

Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:20 Intro 00:02:06 Vlogging to the Library 00:04:40 Diving into our library prompts and experience 01:04:41 What’s next 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.

Browse our cumulative reading list for the season: https://marketplace.overdrive.com/Marketplace/OneCopyOneUserAndMeteredAccess/SuggestedList/41378

Happy Reading!
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What scares you? For bestselling author Jeneva Rose, the answer might be… literally anything. 👀

Jeneva joins Book Lounge by Libby to talk about her new horror collection, Sometimes I Scare Myself, a trio of twisted stories filled with séances gone wrong, creepy houses, cursed objects and the kind of decisions that make you want to yell at a character through the page.

We’re getting into what makes a horror story actually scary, why familiar settings can make the best nightmares and what happens when you take classic horror tropes and give them a Jeneva Rose twist. Plus, Jeneva reveals what scares her — because apparently even the person writing the nightmares has nightmares.

If you’re looking for your next horror book, spooky-season read or thriller to keep you up way too late, consider this your sign to add Sometimes I Scare Myself to your TBR.

Sometimes I Scare Myself is out September 22, 2026.

Book Lounge by Libby is your place for book conversations, recommendations and the people behind the stories. Grab your favorite drink, get cozy and meet us in the Lounge.

Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!

Who’s in this episode:

Jeneva Rose – links

Books by Jeneva:

Sometimes I Scare Myself (out September 22, 2026)

The Perfect Marriage

The Perfect Divorce

One of Us is Dead

You Shouldn’t Have Come Here

#CrimeTime

Home is Where the Bodies Are

The Girl I Was

Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Intro 00:01:07 Getting to know Jeneva Rose 00:02:01 Scaring Yourself 00:26:37 A trope you’re determined to reinvent 00:49:52 Horror Lightning Round 00:52:19 Outro

Enjoying the show? Follow Book Lounge by Libby, leave a rating or review, and watch every episode on the Libby App YouTube channel.

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.

Browse our cumulative reading list for the season: https://marketplace.overdrive.com/Marketplace/OneCopyOneUserAndMeteredAccess/SuggestedList/41378

Today's featured books: https://marketplace.overdrive.com/Marketplace/OneCopyOneUserAndMeteredAccess/SuggestedList/41555

Happy Reading!
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Virginia Woolf has inspired generations of readers, but what happens when you take one of her novels and bring it to a modern audience?

This week, Joe is joined by Justine Waddell, writer and producer of Virginia Woolf’s Night & Day, to talk about her love of Woolf, the process of adapting a classic novel and the changes that have to be made when bringing an older story into the present day.

They dig into what makes Woolf’s work so enduring, the challenges of translating a classic for contemporary audiences and the decisions that come with adapting a beloved novel while staying true to its spirit. And yes, there are spoilers! Spoilers begin around 26:10 and run through 32:36.

Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!

Book recommendations:

Night and Day – Virginia Woolf (ebook)

Night and Day – Virginia Woolf (audiobook)

Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Welcome and Intro 00:00:45 Conversation with Justine Waddell 00:50:18 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.

Browse our cumulative reading list for the season: https://marketplace.overdrive.com/Marketplace/OneCopyOneUserAndMeteredAccess/SuggestedList/41378

Happy Reading!
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