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.

Want to get more involved? Check out our 2023 reading challenge, join our buddy reads or book club on Instagram, or sign up on Patreon!

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Jan 20
3 min

Jen Sookfong Lee's SUPERFAN: HOW POP CULTURE BROKE MY HEART: A MEMOIR

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) I listened to Jen Sookfong Lee's Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart: A Memoir (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) thanks to Libro.fm's ALC program. I'm so happy that I experienced this one via audio since the author reads it herself, communicating the tenderness, humor, and outrage she feels with great resonance. The book is a series of essays, meditations that weave together a particular pop-culture focus with the author's thoughts on different p

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Nov 4, 2022
3 min

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado's IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN - A Must-Read Memoir about Climbing Everest

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Silvia Vasquez-Lavado's In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) chronicles the author's journey as she attempts to summit Mount Everest. This memoir, read on audio by the author, is one of the most powerful books I've read in a long time. I listened to this one thanks to Libro.fm and their ALC program. In this beautiful and raw personal exploration, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado moves seamlessly b

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May 23, 2022
6 min

5 New Release Beach Reads on My TBR for This Summer

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Back in April, I gave five backlist beach reads on my TBR for this summer. You can read that here. Today, I want to share five new releases on my radar for the summer. Erika Krouse's Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation (Released March 15, 2022) Bookshop.org | Libro.fm From the publisher: "Part memoir and part literary true crime, Tell Me Everything is the mesmerizing story of a landmark sexual assault investigation and t

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May 6, 2022
3 min

Kathryn Miles's TRAILED - A Compelling Blend of Memoir and True Crime

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Kathryn Miles's Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Thanks to partners NetGalley, Libro.fm, and Algonquin Books for the ARC of Kathryn Miles’s Trailed in exchange for an honest review. The book is available for purchase! My interest in Kathryn Miles’s Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders was piqued for two reasons. First, I lived very close to the setting since 1994—in 1996

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Apr 4, 2022
4 min

5 Memoirs I'd Recommend for Your TBR

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Last week, we released our Unabridged Podcast Book Club episode featuring Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), a fabulous memoir in which Lawson shares the extreme highs and lows of her life. In honor of that episode, I wanted to share a few other memoirs I've read and enjoyed recently. Jenny Lawson's Broken (in the Best Possible Way) (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) I loved this one, too—it's

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Mar 30, 2022
6 min

223: Jenny Lawson's FURIOUSLY HAPPY - March 2022 Book Club

Are you looking for a memoir that is both laugh out loud hilarious and also deeply poignant? In this March Book Club episode, we discuss Jenny Lawson's memoir Furiously Happy. We chat about our thoughts on Lawson's work, and we share our pairings including Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half, Lindy West’s Shrill, and R. Eric Thomas’s Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore (Libro.fm | Bookshop.

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Mar 28, 2022
6 min

Five Food Books On My Radar

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Okay. Let's get real. At the moment, all I want to read is food-centered books. I have read several lately, and all I want to do is read more. Are they my comfort reads? Maybe. Am I sorry about that? Absolutely not. So, here are six books I cannot wait to read--they are on my immediate TBR. Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Description from publisher: "When Molly Wizenberg's father died of cancer, everyone told her

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Mar 25, 2022
4 min

Book Review of Stanley Tucci's TASTE: MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Stanley Tucci's Taste: My Life Through Food (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) If you listen to the pod, you know I adore food books–cookbooks, food fiction, food memoirs. You name the food book, and I’ll put it on my TBR list immediately. When I heard Stanley Tucci wrote a memoir, I was very interested. I think he is an incredible character actor, and just a true delight. When I heard his memoir was food-centered, I pushed all my chips in. I couldn

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Mar 22, 2022
4 min

New Book Releases Featuring Dana Brown, Judy I. Lin, and Taj McCoy

by Sara (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Taj McCoy's Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "A delicious debut rom-com about a plus-size sweetheart who gets a full-life makeover after a brutal breakup—with the help of an irresistible cast of friends and family, a kitchen reno and a devastatingly handsome contractor. "Savvy Sheldon spends a lot of time tiptoeing around the crac

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Feb 25, 2022
3 min

Seth Rogen's YEARBOOK--A Hysterical Memoir Told in Essays

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Seth Rogen's Yearbook (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Oh, man. I cannot tell you how much I adored this book. It was entertaining and hilarious. Rogen has a gift for telling really hilarious stories. I listened to the audiobook, which Rogen reads, but also has a FULL cast of voice work. When he quotes a celebrity, THAT CELEBRITY ACTUALLY READS THE LINE. What?!?! So, if he quotes Snoop Dogg, Snoop Dogg reads that quote in the audiobook. Perfection

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Jan 24, 2022
6 min

Five New Releases to Pre-order for 2022

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) My reading life has been up and down so far this year. However, that doesn't mean that I am not SUPER excited for several books coming out in the first half of 2022. Here are 5 books that I am ecstatic to read this (1st half of the) year: Jordan Calhoun's Piccolo Is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture (Amazon.com | Bookshop.org) Release Date: April 26, 2022 I cannot wait to read this book from Calhoun. I was fortunate enough t

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Jan 17, 2022
6 min

Five of Ashley's Favorite Reads of 2021 (Part 2)

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Oh, friends, this is such a hard decision! A lot of my reading was less than fully focused during the second half of 2021 as I spent it on the go and building up a business... so while I read a lot of books I really enjoyed, I also read differently than I have in many other years. I shared more about that on our Unabridged Awards for 2021 episode that recently came out. But these five were all five-star reads for me, and I lo

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Jan 10, 2022
10 min

Five of Jen's Favorite Reads of 2021 (Part 2)

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Oh, friends. We've come to that post that causes me so much joy and so much agony: a list of favorites. My problem is assembling books for a list. Oh no. My problem is narrowing that list because, really, I could go on forever. I'm quoting myself here, from last year's list of five (so far): "So, here's my methodology. I looked back at my monthly wrap-up posts in IG, and I ONLY allowed myself to jot down the titles of my five-star reads." Then

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Jan 3, 2022
6 min

Five of Sara's Favorite Reads of 2021 (Part 2)

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Hello, friends! I can't believe we are here at the end of 2021. My first half of the year was definitely more robust than my last half in terms of reading, but I have been fortunate to read several books in the back half that I have really enjoyed. All of us here at Unabridged have different criteria for these posts. For me, I just look at my last half of the year and pick five of the books that stuck with me. You can find my favorites for t

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Oct 25, 2021
4 min

Recent Nonfiction Favorites to Add to Your TBR

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Our episode from last Wednesday (which was episode 200!!!!) was all about memoirs, which got me to thinking about other nonfiction books I've read and loved recently. These include memoirs, essay collections, and one graphic travel diary. Although I read WAY more fiction than nonfiction, I find that a lot of the nonfiction that I read has a deep impact on me, and I enjoyed thinking about some recent nonfiction favorites! The

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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 24, 2021
3 min

Danielle Walker's Food Saved Me - An Inspiring and Insightful Memoir

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Danielle Walker's Food Saved Me: My Journey of Finding Health and Hope through the Power of Food (Amazon | Bookshop.org) I have talked about how much I enjoy reading about food and also learning about food sources and how what we eat affects our bodies and health. I have been following Danielle Walker for many years and have all of her cookbooks. So, I was so excited to read her recently released memoir, Food Saved Me: My Journey of Finding

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Sep 21, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for September 21, 2021, featuring Oshiro, Gorman and Long, and Sayman

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Mark Oshiro's The Insiders (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "Three kids who don’t belong. A room that shouldn’t exist. A year that will change everything. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut middle grade novel from award-winning author Mark Oshiro is a hopeful and heartfelt coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’

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Sep 15, 2021
13 min

195: Unexpected Joy - Books that Surprised Us in Excellent Ways

In this Unabridged episode, Jen, Sara, and Ashley share book recommendations for book picks that surprised us and brought unexpected joy. Our recommendations, including Rebecca Stead’s The List of Things that Will Not Change (Amazon | Bookshop.org), Patrik Svensson’s The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World (Amazon | Bookshop.org), and Tiffany Haddish’s The Last Black Unicorn (Amazon | Bookshop.org), are very different

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Aug 18, 2021
17 min

191: Expand Your Reading with Our Latest Graphic Novel Recs

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we talk all things graphic! We share a graphic novel, a graphic memoir, and a graphic nonfiction pick, all of which would work well for the Unabridged Reading Challenge 2021. Listen in to hear what we have to say about our picks including Roz Chast’s Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?, Gene Luen Yang’s Dragon Hoops, and Jerry Craft’s Class Act. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Rebecca Stead’s The List of Things that Will Not Change (Amaz

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