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- 5 days ago
- 7 min
6 Nonfiction Reads You Won't Be Able to Put Down
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) If you have trouble getting into nonfiction reads, then I have 5 books for you! These books are page-turners that read a lot like fiction. They have a narrative flow that keep you coming back for more. 1. American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton (Read my review of the book here.) From the publisher: "In 2011, a twenty-six-year-old libertarian programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the u
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- Feb 15
- 3 min
Poetry Collections for People Who Don't Love Poetry
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) I recently talked in a Teaching Tidbit episode about incorporating poetry into class activities, which is something I had to learn to do but have come to love. Over time, I have developed a passion for poetry, and I wanted to share some of my favorites with you in this bookish fave. Some of the collections include many poets, and others are collections from a single poet, but all of these are amazing! For the Classroom You He
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- Feb 8
- 3 min
Love Is in the Air 2021: Even More Romance Recommendations
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) In February, we're all about romance! We recently released our Book Club episode focusing on Sonali Dev's Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, and this Wednesday, we're releasing our newest episode of romance recommendations, "Love Is in the Air 2021." I can never resist, however, offering even more book ideas. (You know I always want to read all the things.) So, here are some other romance novels I've enjoyed . . . each of these would also wo
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- Feb 1
- 7 min
Five of Sara's Favorite Reads of 2020 (Part 2)
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) This is so exciting! i can't wait to share my 2nd half picks with you! My 2020 reading had some ups and downs, but as I was reflecting on some of my favorites, I found that I had some definitive favorites for the latter part of 2020. (Be sure to check our mid-year posts: here's Jen's, Ashley's, and mine.) Sandhya Menon's When Dimple Met Rishi From the publisher: "Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than
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- Jan 30
- 4 min
Featured Books for February 2021
February Books On February 3, we're so excited to share our Book Club episode focusing on Sonali Dev's Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, a retelling of the Austen classic. (This book was chosen by our Unabridged Ambassadors!) We'll also have an IG Book Club chat on February 15. Then, on February 8 and February 22, we'll have IG chats about Emily Henry's A Million Junes (voted on by our followers). DM us @unabridgedpod to join! Here are the synopses from the publisher: Prid
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- Jan 25
- 7 min
Five of Ashley's Favorite Reads from 2020 (Part 2)
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) I was lucky to read so many amazing books this year! Consequently, I had a really hard time with coming up with my list for this post. It's a good problem to have, I suppose, but I'm realizing that it's really tough for me to pick out "winners" for the year when it comes to reading. Like Jen, I tried to pick books that represented the range of the kinds of reading I have done this year, and that is part of what I considered w
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- Jan 18
- 8 min
Five of Jen's Favorite Reads of 2020 (Part 2)
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Oh, friends, making book choices never gets easier for me. I had shared so many excellent books in my 2020 mid-year post AND on our 2020 Unabridged Awards Episode that I thought I would have narrowed the list from which to choose. Wow, was I wrong! (Be sure to check our mid-year posts: here's mine, Ashley's, and Sara's.) I read 345 books in 2020, and of those, 28 earned five stars from me, and 92 earned four-and-a-half stars. So, even with the
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- Jan 11
- 3 min
5 Celebrity Memoir Audiobooks to Add to Your TBR
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) One of my favorite things is to listen to an audiobook memoir read by the author. There is an extra layer of awesomeness that comes with hearing an author read his or her own words. Also, as I have discussed on the pod, I LOVE celebrity gossip, pop culture, and everything in between, so I am always interested in a celebrity memoir. Here are five I have thoroughly enjoyed on audio. (Audio is definitely the way to go if the celebrity is readin
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- Jan 4
- 4 min
6 Great YA and Middle Grade Lit Book Picks Addressing Mental Health and Bullying
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) In this month's book club pick Darius the Great Is Not Okay (which is also our buddy read—DM us on Instagram if you'd like to join those chats! There's still time!), Adib Khorram discusses living with depression as a teenager in a meaningful and focused way. I wanted to share some other amazing young adult lit books (as well a middle grade lit pick) that address mental health and bullying (another important topic in Darius th
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- Dec 28, 2020
- 2 min
A Year of Unabridged: A Look at 2020 by the Numbers
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) As we approach the end of 2020 (thank goodness!), I thought it would be interesting to look back on the year. Despite the many, many challenges this year has brought, Unabridged does have some cause for celebration. The Episodes 62 Total Episodes 52 Regular Episodes 2 Bonus Episodes 8 Teaching Tidbits This feels like a triumph for sure! Despite the bizarre schedules, generalized anxiety, and overwhelming challenges, we were able to publish MOR
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- Dec 26, 2020
- 2 min
Featured Books for January 2021
January Double Feature In January, Adib Khorram's Darius the Great Is Not Okay will be both our Book Club pick AND our Buddy Read choice. You can join us for the episode that releases on Wednesday, January 6, or participate in our two Instagram chats . . . or both! Want to look ahead? Scroll down to see our February picks! Here's the synopsis from the publisher: "Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He'
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- Dec 21, 2020
- 3 min
5 Holiday Movies to Watch as a Family
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Apparently my new MO is going to be doing a non-bookish fave on Bookish Fave day. However, I know a lot of us will be home with our kids for most of the week, and I thought you might like to have some ideas of movies that are appropriate (for the most part) for the whole family. The Christmas Chronicles One and Two on Netflix This is a two for one. You're welcome. This duology is available on Netflix. It stars Kurt Russell as Santa in both,
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- Dec 14, 2020
- 5 min
Eight Winter Book Recommendations to Read This Season
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) 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 each on
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- Dec 7, 2020
- 3 min
My Reading Challenge Made Me Do It
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) I took my Reading Challenges this year more seriously than usual (talking about them on an episode of your podcast will do that!), and so I wanted to reflect on the books I found (or finally got to) because of those challenges. We all reflect this Wednesday on our reading challenges in general—don't miss that episode!—but here are some of the amazing books I read to fulfill my challenges. I'm sharing a short excerpt from each of my IG posts an
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- Nov 30, 2020
- 2 min
11 Books that Support Advocacy and Education on Human Trafficking
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) It is the eve of the first of December, which means for me, the eve of Dressember, an organization I have been advocating for for several years. My friend RuthAnn is the person who inspired my involvement. I am a part of her Dressember team. We were lucky enough to have her as a guest on the podcast last November. (Listen to the episode here.) In it, RuthAnn discusses Dressember, advocacy, and some of the books on this list. In addition, thi
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- Nov 23, 2020
- 5 min
9 Books Considering Culture: Coming of Age as Children of Immigrants
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) In this bookish fave, I wanted to share some of my favorite middle grade and young adult lit recommendations that comment on the experience of children of immigrants. While each story is unique and their life experiences are all quite different, these books have common threads, such as an examination of the different facets that create identity and an exploration of the periodic tension between the parents' native culture and
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- Nov 16, 2020
- 3 min
Books to Encourage Activism
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) As teachers, we often look to our students for inspiration: sometimes, their energy and enthusiasm for the world pushes us to be activists. But sometimes, we know, they need some inspiration, too. And that's where books can come in. Here are 9+ books we think are inspiring for young people. Mark Oshiro's Anger Is a Gift - In my post about this book, I said, "Mark Oshiro's Anger Is a Gift confronts activism and anger through the lens of Moss. M
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- Nov 9, 2020
- 2 min
5 Books to Gift the Book Lover in Your Life
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Do you have a bookworm in your life? Here are five books to gift your bookish friend or family member. Enjoy! 1. Annie Spence's Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks: A Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life Why it is on the list: A book that compiles a list of books? Yes, please. And then a librarian writing love letters or break-up letters to said books. Um, no brainer. This book is sure to res
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- Nov 2, 2020
- 6 min
Looking for an Escape? 12 Stories and Series to Dive Into
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Friends, it is a tense time. This week is an especially tense one. If there is anything that helps me during tense times (in addition to yoga, dark chocolate, and a nice glass of red wine...), it's reading an immersive story. Romance This past year (and especially in the time since the pandemic began), I've discovered that I really enjoy some romance books. It's been a welcome discovery, although I'm still learning what does
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