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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Aug 19
2 min

Dolen Perkins-Valdez's TAKE MY HAND - Illuminating Historical Fiction

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Dolen Perkins-Valdez's Take My Hand (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Dolen Perkins-Valdez's Take My Hand is a powerful work of historical fiction that explores the complexity of one nurse's attempts to help her patients. In 1973, Civil Townsend is a Black nurse who has just graduated from nursing school. Her first job is with the local family planning clinic, where one of her duties is to administer new Depo-Provera shots to women and girls in her co

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Aug 5
3 min

Alexis Hall's A LADY FOR A DUKE - Historical Romance with a Twist

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Longtime listeners to the podcast may remember how much I (Ashley) loved Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material. (Check out my review of that one here.) I am eagerly anticipating reading Husband Material (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), which just came out on Tuesday! I saw this one, Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke, come out in spring of 2022, and I couldn't wait to dive in! I l

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May 30
4 min

15 Books that Broke through My WWII Book Skepticism

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) I read Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) for the first time in 2014, which was—as far as I can tell—around the time what I'll call my "World War II Book Fatigue" began. (Check out last week's discussion of Guernsey, and listen this week, when we discuss the adaptation!) While this isn't an observation backed by any statistics, it certainly seems as if most historica

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May 18
4 min

230: Our Historical Fiction Recs

Do you need a recommendation for a historical fiction book? Listen to this episode to hear recommendations from Sara, Jen, and Ashley. We feature Ruta Sepetys’s The Fountains of Silence, Sarah Winman’s Still Life, and Kim Fay’s Love & Saffron, and we discuss what we loved about these picks. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Laura Dave’s Eight Hundred Grapes (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Jen - Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Sara - Jordan Calhoun’s Piccolo Is

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May 9
3 min

6 More Film Adaptations Starring Meryl Streep

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Last week, we discussed the film adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Looming large in our discussion was, of course, the brilliant Meryl Streep: she embodies Miranda Priestley so fully that we couldn't imagine anyone else in the role. Given her brilliance, I thought it might be fun to highlight some other adaptations of which Streep has been a part. She has, of course, starred in many, many adapta

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Feb 14
6 min

5 Books I Wanted to Hug When I Finished Reading

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Today is Valentine's Day. Instead of making a list of romance books, I thought I would do something a little different. You know that feeling you get after reading a book that is just so satisfying that you want to hug it at the end? (Maybe it's just me, but you get my point...) Well, today, my list is going to be five of those books for me. These books aren't necessarily romance books, but they are books that hit the spot and were everythin

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Nov 1, 2021
5 min

5 Holiday Books to Add to Your Holiday Reading List

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;

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Sep 27, 2021
4 min

10 Books by Indigenous Authors

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

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Sep 7, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for September 7, 2021, featuring Morrow, Rooney, and Streep

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

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Sep 3, 2021
3 min

Hestor Fox's THE WITCH OF WILLOW HALL - A Spooky Autumn Read

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

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Aug 28, 2021
3 min

Featured Books for September 2021

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

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Aug 10, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs for August 10, 2021, featuring Davis, Harding, and Pearce

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

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Aug 2, 2021
4 min

Looking for a Book You Can't Stop Reading? Try These Recs!

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

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Jul 31, 2021
4 min

Featured Books for August 2021

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

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Jul 27, 2021
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs for July 27, 2021, featuring Chiaverini, Craig, and Widder

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

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Jun 27, 2021
5 min

Featured Books for July 2021

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

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Jun 18, 2021
2 min

Tahereh Mafi's AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT - A Compelling Character Study

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.

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Jun 11, 2021
3 min

Jennifer Ryan's THE KITCHEN FRONT-- Historical Fiction at Its Best

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

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May 29, 2021
4 min

Featured Books for June 2021

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

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May 25, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs for May 25, 2021, featuring Bellefleur, Williams-Garcia, and Yoon

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

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