Unabridged Podcast

Welcome to Unabridged! Ashley and Jen (shown left to right in the photo) talk books, share recommendations, and celebrate all things bookish. On our blog (see our posts below!) we share bookish faves, pub day shout-outs, show notes, and book reviews.

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Nov 26, 2021
3 min

Anne Bogel's I'd Rather Be Reading - A Perfect Book to Gift the Bookworm in Your Life

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) When I was thinking about what to review for Black Friday, I thought a book that I think makes an excellent gift would be perfect. That is why I chose to review I'd Rather Be Reading (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) by Anne Bogel. Do you know Anne Bogel?! If not, let me acquaint you. Anne Bogel is an author (Her previous book, Reading People, is great! And she also recently released a reading journal for book lovers.), a blogger--her Modern Mrs. D

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Jul 30, 2021
4 min

John Green's THE ANTHROPOCENE REVIEWED - A Rating of a Book of Ratings

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) I knew before I started reading that I would be giving John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet (Amazon | Bookshop.org) five stars. How did I know? I've been a long-time John Green fan. I started with The Fault in Our Stars (Amazon | Bookshop.org), in 2012, as the book was becoming a sensation. I picked up the novel, not suspecting the effect it would have on me, and didn't put it down until I finished it, ugly

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Mar 31, 2021
12 min

171: Update on Our Season 4 Book Recs to Each Other

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we circle back to the books we recommended to each other in episode 139. Each of us got a recommendation from each of our co-hosts, and we read those books and are reporting back about how we felt about them! Be sure to check out episode 139 if you'd like to hear more about why the books were recommended. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Raquel Vasquez Gilliland’s Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything (Bookshop.org | Amazon.com) Jen

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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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Sep 25, 2020
3 min

Lindy West's SH*T, ACTUALLY: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Omg. This book came at THE most perfect time for me. Both Jen and Ashley have talked about Lindy West's work on the podcast and in our bookish off-mic conversations, but I have never read one of her books. Shit, Actually, has made me a forever fan. First, Lindy West is not afraid to tell it like it is. She doesn't care if she offends you (or me) or if you don't agree with her. And I. Am. Here. For. It. In Shit, Actually, West delves into so

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Aug 25, 2020
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for August 25, 2020, featuring Khorram, Lozada and Lörincz, and Taussig

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Before I share three books coming out today that I'm excited to read, I wanted to highlight two that I've already read. You can read my reviews of Kristina Forest's Now that I've Found You and Daisy Johnson's Sisters at jenlovesbooks.com. Now, on to three brand-new books I haven't read yet! Adib Khorram's Darius the Great Deserves Better Description from Publisher: "In this companion to the award-winning Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Darius su

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Aug 19, 2020
28 min

139: Great Book Recommendations - Our Season 4 Recs for Each Other

In today's episode of the Unabridged Podcast, we each do our best to recommend a book that our friends and co-hosts will love. Be sure to listen to our Bookish Check-in and our Give Me One, where we pick a favorite karaoke song. We'd love to know what books you'd recommend for each of us! Bookish Check-in Ashley - Thanhha Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again Jen - Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic (@bookishladiesclub buddy read) Sara - Lori Gottlieb’s Maybe You Should Talk to

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Aug 7, 2020
3 min

R. Eric Thomas's HERE FOR IT - Hilarity Ensues

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) I picked up R. Eric Thomas's new book, Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, Essays (on both audio and e-book) after hearing rave reviews about it. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I am not an easy customer when it comes to essay collections. Often, I find it hard to stay engaged in essay collections, and more often than not, an essay collection takes me a LONG time to finish. This is not the case with Here for It. I

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Jul 14, 2020
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for July 14, 2020, featuring Dave, Center, Klune, and Belcourt

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Saumya Dave's Well-Behaved Indian Woman Description from Publisher: "From a compelling new voice in women's fiction comes a mother-daughter story about three generations of women who struggle to define themselves as they pursue their dreams. "Simran Mehta has always felt harshly judged by her mother, Nandini, especially when it comes to her little 'writing hobby.' But when a charismatic and highly respected journalist careens into Simran's lif

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Jun 22, 2020
2 min

Adult Nonfiction by Black Authors

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) We at the Unabridged Podcast stand with the Black Lives Matter movement. There are SO many books that we love by Black authors, and we look forward to lifting up those amazing books. We are continuing our celebration by focusing on adult nonfiction by Black authors. There's true variety here. I've included essay collections, memoirs, and multi-genre pieces. Some of these works are explicitly about race in the United States, while others are ab

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Apr 13, 2020
2 min

Comfort Reads: The Long List

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Last week, we released episode 120 in which we recommended books that could be Comfort Reads for you during this very stressful time! Check out my long list of recommendations, and let us know what books you'd recommend to round out these lists. What other books are bringing you comfort? Books to Escape Sarah J. Maas’s House of Earth and Blood Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone Elana K. Arnold’s Damsel Brigid Kemmerer’s A Curse So Dark

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Apr 7, 2020
3 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! April 7, 2020 - Alvarez, Carr, War

I (Jen) had a really hard time narrowing my choices today to just three--so if you scroll down, you'll find that I cheated and recommend a few extras (sorrynotsorry). Julia Alvarez's Afterlife Description from Algonquin Books: "Antonia Vega, the immigrant writer at the center of Afterlife, has had the rug pulled out from under her. She has just retired from the college where she taught English when her beloved husband, Sam, suddenly dies. And then more jolts: her bighearted b

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Jan 22, 2020
2 min

Welcome - Introduction and Overview

Just getting started with Unabridged Podcast? Welcome! We're Ashley, Jen, and Sara, and we are teachers and podcasters who are passionate about books. We have four kinds of posts here on our blog. On Mondays, we post about our Bookish Faves, on Tuesdays we do Pub Day Shout-outs, on Wednesdays our episodes drop, and on Fridays, we post book reviews. (Be on the lookout on Thursdays, too; we sometimes have an extra post then!) There are many ways to connect with us! In addition

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Nov 6, 2019
1 min

98: Maggie O'Farrell's I AM, I AM, I AM - Defiance of Death

For our November Book Club, we're discussing Maggie O'Farrell's I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, our first Unabridged Readers' Choice pick! This collection of connected essays elicited a different reaction from each of us . . . some of us definitely liked it more than others. We'd love to know what you think about this memoir. Join us all month on social media to discuss O'Farrell's work. Timeline Introduction and General Discussion: 00:00 - 39:28 Book Pairings

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Aug 28, 2019
2 min

88: Autumn TBR Lists - Shopping in My Kindle Closet

We'll let you guess just which one of us went shopping in her Kindle closet . . . and then cheated to share an extra book (or two . . . or three!) on this episode. Well, actually, we ALL cheated because we have SO many books coming out this fall that we're eagerly anticipating. As a sneak peek, we're including Peter Heller’s Celine, Rainbow Rowell’s Wayward Son, and Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys. Take a listen to our TBR lists, and then let us know what books you look f

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Feb 6, 2019
1 min

59: The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer - Our Fascinating Discussion

In this Unabridged podcast episode, we're discussing our February Book Club book, The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer, which centers on issues related to feminism. This novel focuses first on college student Greer Kadetsky who meets her mentor, Faith Frank, when Frank speaks at Greer’s college. Their initial meeting leads to a productive and ultimately contentious relationship focused on advocacy for feminism. Along the way, a rich cast of secondary characters, including G

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Dec 19, 2018
2 min

52: Beat the Holiday Reading Slump - Our Confessions Being Made

-Alternate Titles- I could recite to you precisely what it says. OR If you're into pretty books OR There is no picture of Cleopatra OR It's a lovely book to look at. OR They all had imaginary friends. OR I got a little fatigued. OR That is not a great plan for me. OR I will be taking my own advice. Children's Anthologies Mentioned in Episode Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls edited by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade H

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Aug 1, 2018
1 min

32: Tiffany Haddish's THE LAST BLACK UNICORN - Describe That in Detail

In this book club discussion, we talk about Tiffany Haddish's The Last Black Unicorn with all of its intrigue, humor, and heart.

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