Curated by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@ashley_dicksonellison) As I said earlier this week, I'm really focused on preparing for summer reading at the moment, and I'm definitely eager to read some romances this summer. (I might be on the lookout for a few thrillers as well, but we'll have to see how things go with that.) I looked back at our book reviews and found several romances that I would like to read this summer. Click on the title to see the full review. Mercedes Helnwein's

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@ashley_dicksonellison) I am eagerly gearing up for summer this year. I know it's just now the beginning of May, so maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but in my opinion, it's never too early to start getting a TBR stack together. (I'm updating this list for the summer of 2026 and wishing you happy summer reading!) And summer starts early here in South Carolina, so we always need to be ready with good books. (Our pool officially opened on Ma

by Jen Moyers ( @jen.loves.books ) Update: It's been four years since I posted this list, and we've circled around again with our Reading Challenge. This year's category is "Book about the environment." Since then, I've continued to read in this area, hoping both to broaden and deepen my knowledge of books I can share with my students . . . and just to learn more. (I've marked new books with an asterisk.) This year's Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge includes the category

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison ( @ashley_dicksonellison ) Happy spring! I'm circling back to this post from 2021 to highlight some amazing poetry collections to add to your TBR. These days, poetry seems like a beautiful way to stay connected to humanity. One reason I wanted to circle back to this post (in addition to April being National Poetry Month in the US!) is that I've been watching my own daughter develop a fierce love of poetry thanks to her teacher. She's nine years old i

Curated by Jen Moyers ( @jen.loves.books ) One of the greatest joys of reading is discovering voices that open windows into experiences, cultures, and communities beyond your own—and the authors featured in today's post do exactly that. This month, we're spotlighting books by Asian-American, Pacific-Islander (AAPI) authors across a range of genres, all of which would meet the category in this year's Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. Whether you're in a reading funk, cravi

by Jen Moyers ( @jen.loves.books ) Since March is Women's History Month, I thought it might be fun to share some recommendations focused on women throughout history. One thing I discovered, as I read through my tracking lists, is that diverse options become much harder to find as we go back in time (particularly books focused on non-white women). That could be a flaw in my personal reading, but I do think available options are scarcer. If you have any recommendations, I'd lov

Curated by Ashley Dickson-Ellison ( @ashley_dicksonellison ) For Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting books that explore the strength, struggles, and resilience of women. (I'm updating this list in 2026 to add more great recs! The new book reviews are marked with an asterisk.) From poetry that captures the essence of motherhood to retellings of Greek mythology that reframe women’s roles, these stories offer powerful perspectives on identity, history, and empowerment. We’

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison ( @ashley_dicksonellison ) We know many of you are excited about celebrating Middle Grade March by reading lots of middle grade book picks! While I'm not a middle grade expert by any means, I've read quite a few middle grade picks over the last few years, and I'm excited to share some recent favorites with you all. *I'm updating this list for 2026, and my latest recommendations are marked with an asterisk. Also, if you're wanting to read more middle

Curated by Jen Moyers ( @jen.loves.books ) Since we traditionally celebrate love in February, I'm sharing some reviews of YA romances that we've loved. Some of these are mixed with other genres, but all of them include romance as a prominent component, and each of them offers a unique take on romance: Jennifer E. Smith's THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT - An Unabridged Buddy (Jen's review): "Jennifer E. Smith's The Statistical Probability of Love at First S

by Jen Moyers ( @jen.loves.books ) Last month, I focused on an Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge category, " Book published in the year of your birth ." I thought that this month, I'd focus on "Book from a favorite author's backlist," which was also the subject of an episode last week, episode 306, " Book from a Favorite Author’s Backlist ." I keep a list of authors whose work I want to explore fully, and each of these will be inspiring some of my reading this year. Here a

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison ( @ashley_dicksonellison ) I loved seeing Jen's post about the books she's considering reading from the year she was born for our Unabridged Reading Challenge, and I thought it would be fun to do that as well. I was born in 1981, and there are several iconic books that I did not realize were written that year. To get started, I also used the Goodreads list for the most popular books written in the year of my birth, and it was a helpful way to get a

Curated by Jen Moyers ( @jen.loves.books ) I'm a planner. That means that I'm always looking ahead to what I might want to read next and what we might want to cover on the podcast (either in an episode or on the website or as a buddy read). Since it's January, that means that I'm looking ahead to middle-grade March, so I thought I'd highlight a few middle-grade reads we've loved over the years (in case some of our readers might be planners, too!). Here are some great books to

by Jen Moyers ( @jen.loves.books ) Any other Bicentennial Babies out there? One of our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenges this year asks that we read a book from the year of our birth. Since I was born in 1976, I thought I'd start researching options. Goodreads has a list called " Most popular books published in 1976: Books most frequently added to Goodreads members' shelves, updated weekly "; I also checked out Wikipedia's " 1976 in literature ." I'm using both as a start

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison ( @ashley_dicksonellison ) In this curated list of winter book recommendations, I'm sharing books where the season of winter is a pivotal part of the story. (Actually, in two of them, Fredrik Backman's Anxious People and Margarita Montimore's Oona Out of Order , the new year specifically is an important part of the story.) These are not necessarily cozy reads (though some of them are perfect for that!), and the tone, style, and subject matter of eac

by Jen Moyers ( @jen.loves.books ) While I'm fairly picky about my holiday reading, I have read some fabulous holiday romances this year! If you're looking for sweet books that don't cross that "saccharine" line, one of these books may be for you. B. K. Borison's Good Spirits ( Bookshop.org | Libro.fm ) This is my first of two takes on A Christmas Carol that I've read and loved this year. (I listened to the audio, thanks to Libro.fm, and highly recommend that format!) Noa

by Jen Moyers ( @jen.loves.books ) We've reached the end of the year and my inevitable mix of delight in reflecting on the books I've loved and angst over having to choose my favorites. It's always such an interesting exercise (and I often cheat . . . just a bit). Before I get started, make sure you check out our picks from mid-year—here are Ashley's and mine —and Ashley's end-of-year picks . John Green's Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadli

Curated by Ashley Dickson-Ellison ( @ashley_dicksonellison ) During this holiday season, we're sharing some holiday books that we've loved and reviewed on the blog. I'm pretty selective when it comes to holiday reads, but I've found over the last couple of years that I do enjoy reading some holiday-specific books (as well as seasonal books in general) as we approach different seasons. Maybe I'll try a couple of the ones below that I haven't read yet! For the book reviews, I'l

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison ( @ashley_dicksonellison ) It's hard to believe it's time for a year-end wrap-up post for 2025, but here we are. My reading life has eased up and improved since I finished my grad program in August, but my reading life has still experienced a significant impact this year. However, I do have some favorites from the second half of the year, and I'm excited about the prospect of a vibrant reading year in 2026. Marie Bostwick's The Book Club for Trouble

Curated by Ashley Dickson-Ellison ( ashley_dicksonellison ) We celebrate Indigenous authors at Unabridged, and we wanted to share a few of the many books we've recommended over the years in this curated list. These stories span genres and nations, offering powerful perspectives and unforgettable characters. Whether you’re looking for a deep dive into history, a multi-generational family saga, or a chilling contemporary read, we hope you’ll find something new to add to your TB

Just getting started with Unabridged Podcast? Welcome! We're Ashley and Jen, and we are both passionate about books and getting them into...