Borrowed for the Cover: Books That Hooked Us at First Glance episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 30, 2026 · 1H 21M

Borrowed for the Cover: Books That Hooked Us at First Glance

from Book Lounge by Libby · host Book Lounge by Libby

Be honest, how many books have you borrowed purely because the cover looked amazing?  This week on Book Lounge, Joe is joined by Bre for a very honest, slightly chaotic, and deeply relatable conversation about judging books by their covers. Before diving into our recommendations, we get into what Bre loves in a cover design.  We also talk about the covers that live rent-free in for Bre, and how special editions have completely changed the way readers collect (and display) books. Plus, a love-filled detour into The Diviners series and why its design continues to stand out.  Then, we get to recommending books we only read BECAUSE of the cover.  We didn’t read the synopsis.  We didn’t check reviews.  We saw the cover… and that was enough.  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Book recommendations:  Bre’s Picks:  How to Solve Your Own Murder – Kristen Perrin  The Jumbies - Tracey Baptiste   To Steal a Throne - Gabi Burton  On Sundays She Picked Flowers - Yah Yah Scholfield   Joe’s Picks:   Sky Daddy – Kate Folk  Just Like Mother – Anne Heltzel  Dollface – Lindy Ryan  Butter – Asako Yuzuki   Who’s in this episode:   Bre - Links  Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Intro 00:00:40 Welcome to Bre The Loc’d Booktician 00:01:02 What are some of your favorite cover designs? 00:05:56 Do you have a book cover that comes to mind when you think of a good design? 00:06:57 Thoughts on special editions 00:19:11 Here’s our recommendations! 01:17:35 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

Be honest, how many books have you borrowed purely because the cover looked amazing?  This week on Book Lounge, Joe is joined by Bre for a very honest, slightly chaotic, and deeply relatable conversation about judging books by their covers. Before diving into our recommendations, we get into what Bre loves in a cover design.  We also talk about the covers that live rent-free in for Bre, and how special editions have completely changed the way readers collect (and display) books. Plus, a love-filled detour into The Diviners series and why its design continues to stand out.  Then, we get to recommending books we only read BECAUSE of the cover.  We didn’t read the synopsis.  We didn’t check reviews.  We saw the cover… and that was enough.  Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel!  Book recommendations:  Bre’s Picks:  How to Solve Your Own Murder – Kristen Perrin  The Jumbies - Tracey Baptiste   To Steal a Throne - Gabi Burton  On Sundays She Picked Flowers - Yah Yah Scholfield   Joe’s Picks:   Sky Daddy – Kate Folk  Just Like Mother – Anne Heltzel  Dollface – Lindy Ryan  Butter – Asako Yuzuki   Who’s in this episode:   Bre - Links  Time stamps:  00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Intro 00:00:40 Welcome to Bre The Loc’d Booktician 00:01:02 What are some of your favorite cover designs? 00:05:56 Do you have a book cover that comes to mind when you think of a good design? 00:06:57 Thoughts on special editions 00:19:11 Here’s our recommendations! 01:17:35 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

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Borrowed for the Cover: Books That Hooked Us at First Glance

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This episode was published on April 30, 2026.

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Be honest, how many books have you borrowed purely because the cover looked amazing?  This week on Book Lounge, Joe is joined by Bre for a very honest, slightly chaotic, and deeply relatable conversation about judging books by their covers. Before...

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