by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) You know I am ALWAYS anxiously awaiting holiday reading season, and this year is no different! I am so excited to talk to you about several books I think you will love if you are into incorporating festive reads into your holiday season. Maggie Knox's The Holiday Swap (Amazon | Bookshop.org) From the publisher: "When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the LA set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness;

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) This Wednesday, we'll release our Book Club episode focusing on Darcie Little Badger's Elatsoe (Amazon | Bookshop.org). This amazing YA novel focuses on Elatsoe, a member of the Lipan Apache tribe, and blends fantastic world building with a compelling mystery, along with some great paranormal touches. Reading Elatsoe made me reflect on my reading year and some other amazing books I've read. (Be sure to read through the end for some additional

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Today is such an epic book release day that I'm afraid I can't limit myself to highlighting only three books. So, be sure to scroll to the end to check out the books I can't help shouting out. Bethany C. Morrow's So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "Four young Black sisters come of age during the American Civil War in So Many Beginnings, a warm and powerful YA remix of the classic novel

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Today, I am sharing a book that I thought was a spooky fall read. I found Hester Fox's The Witch of Willow Hall (Amazon | Bookshop.org) compelling, bizarre, and surprising, with a spookiness that caught me off guard. The protagonist, Lydia, is a likeable character, and I enjoyed the witchy elements that she brought to the story. Catherine, the eldest sister, and foil for Lydia is a haughty, cruel person and reminded me a bit of Kate from Ea

September Books On September 29, we'll release our Book Club episode focusing on Darcie Little Badger's Elatsoe (Amazon | Bookshop.org), but before that releases, we'll have two IG chats on September 13 and 27 (this is also our September Buddy Read pick!). Stay tuned @unabridgedpod for announcements and updates. Here is the synopsis from the publisher: "A Texas teen comes face-to-face with a cousin's ghost and vows to unmask the murderer. "Elatsoe—Ellie for short—lives in an

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Charlotte Nicole Davis's The Sisters of Reckoning (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "The Sisters of Reckoning is the blockbuster sequel to Charlotte Nicole Davis’s alternate Old West-set fantasy adventure. "The Good Luck Girls are free. Aster’s sister and friends have new lives across the border in Ferron, while Aster remains in Arketta, helping more girls esca

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) On Wednesday, we're sharing our recommendations for books we couldn't stop reading. Be on the lookout for our book recs when that releases Wednesday! That episode got me thinking about other books that I've found irresistible and that I couldn't stop reading... here are a few that felt that way for me! This is a bit of an eclectic mix, but what they all have in common is that I could not stop reading them! I loved all of thes

August Books On August 25, we'll release our Book Club episode focusing on Balli Kaur Jaswal's Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows (Amazon | Bookshop.org), but before that releases, we'll have an IG chat mid-month. (We're working on shuffling our episode order for Season 5!) We'll also have two IG chats about our Buddy Read pick, Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera's YA novel What If It's Us (Amazon | Bookshop.org). Stay tuned @unabridgedpod for announcements and updates. Here ar

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Jennifer Chiaverini's The Women’s March: A Novel of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini returns with The Women’s March, an enthralling historical novel of the woman’s suffrage movement inspired by three courageous women who bravely risked their lives and liberty in the fight t

July Books On July 7, we'll release our Book Club episode focusing on Jacqueline Woodson's Red at the Bone (Amazon | Bookshop.org), and we'll have an IG chat mid-month. We'll also have two IG chats about our Buddy Read pick, Laekan Zea Kemp's YA novel Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet (Amazon | Bookshop.org). Stay tuned @unabridgedpod for announcements and updates. Here are the synopses from the publisher: Red at the Bone "Moving forward and backward in time, Jacqueline Wood

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner Libro.fm for the ALC of Tahereh Mafi's An Emotion of Great Delight (Amazon | Bookshop.org). This book is now available for purchase. Tahereh Mafi has become one of my favorite YA authors. Whether it's the dystopian Shatter Me series (Amazon | Bookshop.org) or her previous historical YA novel A Very Large Expanse of Sea (Amazon | Bookshop.org), Mafi maintains a brilliant balance between complex characters and compelling plots.

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Thanks to Partner Random House for my copy of Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front. Ya’ll, I LOVED this book so much. Set in Britain during World War II, this book follows 4 women who are affected by the war and their circumstances in different ways. First, there is Audrey, a woman raising 3 boys on her own after her is killed during active duty in the war. She is an excellent baker and runs a pie business to support her sons and to make ends

June Book On May 5, we're so excited to share our Book Club episode focusing on Laura Taylor Namey's A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, which will also be our Buddy Read pick. On June 14th and 28th, we'll have IG chats about the novel. DM us @unabridgedpod to join! Here's the synopsis from the publisher: A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow "For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! And be sure to check out our review of Remy Lai's Pawcasso (Amazon | Bookshop.org) later today @unabridgedpod—this sweet graphic novel is also being published today! Alexandria Bellefleur's Hang the Moon (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "Brendon Lowell loves love. It’s why he created a dating app to help people find their one true pairing and why he’s convinced

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Last week, our episode focused on Middle-Grade Book Recs, and other than two Ashley briefly mentioned as her bonus picks—George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy (Bookshop.org | Amazon) and Thanhha Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again (Bookshop.org | Amazon)—we didn't talk much about historical fiction. So, I wanted to share a few recommendations to fill in that gap. Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's The War that Saved My Life (Amazon | Bookshop.org) and The

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) One of the categories I've been loving for the Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge is "Retelling of a Classic." Though I'm no expert on Greek epic poetry, I enjoy retellings of it SO. MUCH. Here are some I'd recommend: 1. Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles - Here's my review from 2019: "I love this book SO. MUCH. Miller crafts a brilliant story rooted in mythology and in the gritty reality of love. Her interpretation of the story of Achil

In this Unabridged episode, we talk about a favorite topic for us on the podcast—auto-buy authors! We share some favorite authors and talk about different ways to support authors. We also share our perspectives on what an auto-buy author is for each of us and what would work for that category on the Unabridged Reading Challenge! If you haven't signed up for the challenge yet, you can still join us! Find out everything here. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Sumi Hahn’s The Mermaid fr

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) This beautiful historical fiction novel explores the situation in Jeju during World War II as Japanese occupation ended and American soldiers came to occupy the island. Many thanks to Libro.fm for access to the audio of Sumi Hahn's The Mermaid of Jeju, which just came out in December! I loved this audiobook, but I am sure I would have enjoyed the print version as well. This book opens with the present time and shows Junja's m

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Denny S. Bryce's Wild Women and the Blues Description from Publisher: "In a stirring and impeccably researched novel of Jazz-age Chicago in all its vibrant life, two stories intertwine nearly a hundred years apart, as a chorus girl and a film student deal with loss, forgiveness, and love... in all its joy, sadness, and imperfections. “'Why would I talk to you abo

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner Algonquin Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC of Kaitlyn Greenidge’s Libertie in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, March 30. I jumped on the chance to read an early copy of Kaitlyn Greenidge’s Libertie. I read her first book, We Love You, Charlie Freeman, for the 2016 Tournament of Books, and I thought it was a phenomenal work with a core of historical fiction: it’s thoughtful and thoug