Book Lounge by Libby

Not everyone grows up a reader—and that’s okay. 

In this episode of Book Lounge by Libby, Joe talks with his friend Sam about what it’s like when reading finally works for you. They dig into unlearning what reading is “supposed” to look like, finding joy without pressure, and how discovering books later in life can quietly change how you see yourself. 

Along the way, Sam shares how becoming a reader also sparked the beginning of her journey as a writer. This conversation is for anyone who’s ever felt outside of reading culture—and is finding their way in. 

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

Who’s in this episode:  


Find Sam’s Bookstagram @worldwakerreads  


Check out @lizabethanneauthor 


Check out Forget Me Not 

Time stamps: 

00:00:00 Title 

00:00:23 Intro 

00:01:10 Becoming a Reader 

00:46:46 Becoming an Author 

01:06:03 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! 

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

New month, new books, and a very full TBR. 📖✨ 

In this episode of Book Lounge by Libby, Joe is joined by Meara to dive into the most exciting books releasing in February 2026. From buzzy new novels to under-the-radar gems, we’re breaking down what’s catching our attention, what we’re most hyped to read, and which releases are moving straight to the top of our TBRs. 

If you love tracking upcoming book releases, planning your reading life, or just want to know what February’s literary lineup has in store, consider this your official February 2026 Book Release Radar. 

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

Book recommendations: 

Meara’s Picks: 


A Little Buzzed – Alys Murray 


The Sun and the Starmaker – Rachel Griffin 


Greedy - Callie Kazumi 


Books & Bewitchment - Isla Jewell 


How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates - Shailee Thompson 


Cruelty Free - Caroline Glenn 


For Human Use - Sarah G Pierce   


Weavingshaw – Heba Al-Wasity  


The Hospital at the End of the World - Justin C. Key 


The Forest on the Edge of Time – Jasmin Kirkbride  


The Red Winter - Cameron Sullivan  

Joe’s Picks: 


Operation Bounce House – Matt Dinniman 


Heap Earth Upon It – Chloe Michelle Howarth  


Murder Bimbo – Rebecca Novack 


Superfan – Jenny Tinghui Zhang 


She Made Herself a Monster – Anna Kovatcheva 


I am the Ghost Here – Kim Samek 


Good People – Patmeena Sabit  


The Jills – Karen Parkman  


Dollface – Lindy Ryan 


Language as Liberation – Toni Morrison 

 Who’s in this episode:  


Meara - Links 

Time stamps: 

00:00:00 Title 

00:00:22 Intro 

00:01:02 Catching up with Meara 

00:05:38 February 2026 Book Picks 

01:08:35 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

Winter is a vibe—and so is the way we read during it. 

In this episode, Joe is joined by Cece and Meara to talk all things winter reading vibes, from how mood reading works for us to whether TBRs ever stand a chance. We get honest about DNFing books (when we quit, why we quit, and how we make peace with it) and then wrap things up with book recommendations that feel just right for the colder months—think cozy, atmospheric, emotional, and immersive reads. 

If your winter reading life looks nothing like your reading goals… you’re in good company. 

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

Book recommendations: 

Cece’s Picks: 


The Boys in the Valley – Philip Fracassi 


Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children series – Book 1 Every Heart a Doorway) – Seanan McGuire 


The Forgotten Girl – India Hill Brown 


Echo After Echo – A.R. Capetta 

 Meara’s Picks: 


The Hush – Sara Foster 


These Immortal Truths - R. Raeta 


These Godly Lies – R. Raeta 


Cold - Drew Hayden Taylor 


One Dark Window - Rachel Gillig 

 Joe’s Picks:  


Strange Pictures - Uketsu 


Strange Houses - Uketsu  


Bad Dolls – Rachel Harrison  


The Writing Retreat – Julia Bartz  


Breathe In, Bleed Out – Brian McAuley  


The Staircase in the Woods – Chuck Wendig  


Idle Grounds - Krystelle Bamford  


Old Country by Matt & Harrison Query 


The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson  


Bochica – Carolina Florez-Cerchiaro  


Play Nice – Rachel Harrison  


The Apartment Across the Hall – Jack Dane  


The Most – Jessica Anthony  


The Three of Us – Ore Agbaje-Williams 

 Who’s in this episode:  


Cece – Links 


Meara - Links 

Time stamps: 

00:00:00 Title 

00:00:23 Intro 

00:01:13 Diving into winter vibes & mood reading with Cece & Meara! 

00:16:05 Meara’s tracker spreadsheet & fixing a reading slump 

00:20:33 Do TBRs exist anymore?  

00:35:10 How do your reading habits change with the season? 

00:38:41 DNF’ing books 

00:48:41 Some recommended reads for the vibe 

01:05:03 Wrap 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. 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

New year, new books, and SO many reasons to freak out (in the best way). 

In this bonus episode of Book Lounge by Libby, Joe is joined by Jananie K. Velu and Meara to kick off 2026 with a full-on Book Release Radar—highlighting the upcoming titles they’re most excited to read this year. 

From buzzy new releases to books that already feel like future favorites, they're sharing what’s climbing to the very top of the TBRs and why 2026 is shaping up to be an exceptional year for readers. Consider this your official permission slip to start planning your holds early. 

Season 3 is coming in April but make sure you’re following us so you don’t miss out on our monthly episodes while you wait! 

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

Book recommendations: 

Jananie’s Picks:  


A Kiss of Crimson Ash – Anuja Varghese  


We Dance Upon Demons – Vaishnavi Patel  


TRAD WIFE – Saratoga Schaefer 


The Rise of the Celestials – Kritika H. Rao 


Read Between the Lies – Jesse Q. Sutanto 


Aicha – Soraya Bouazzaoui  


Burn the Sea – Mona Tewari  


Seasons of Glass and Iron – Amal El-Mohtar  

 Meara’s Picks:  


A Vow in Vengeance - Jaclyn Rodriguez 


Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke 


She Haunts Me Still - De Elizabeth  


Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It – Brooke Averick  


The Wretched Divine – Adalyn Grace 


Clara & the Devil – Olivie Blake & Little Chmura  


Dead Beat - Leigh Bardugo 


Light Wielder - Rachel Schneider 


Victorious – VE Schwab 

 Joe’s Picks:  


Nothing Tastes as Good – Luke Dumas 


Japanese Gothic – Kylie Lee Baker 


We Burned so Bright – TJ Klune 


Spoiled Milk – Avery Curran  


Plastic, Prism, Void – Violet Allen 


Fruitcake – Rex Ogle 


Missing in Soho – Holly Stars 


Lights! Camera! Frendo! - Adam Cesare 

 Who's in this episode:  


Jananie K. Velu – Links 


Meara - Links 

Time stamps: 

00:00:00 Title 

00:00:23 Intro 

00:01:55 Gettin’ chatty with Jananie & Meara 

00:03:14 Relationships with book releases 

00:07:54 2026 Book Release Radar 

01:04:59 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. 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

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