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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Sep 9
2 min

Jennifer Lynn Barnes's THE INHERITANCE GAMES — The Trilogy Is Finished!

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Since book three of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Inheritance Games trilogy (Bookshop.org) came out last week, I thought it would be a good time to revisit my review of books one and two! Here's what I said . . . I've been on a YA mystery kick for a while now, which kicked off with Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series (Bookshop.org; Libro.fm - book 1), continued with Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Bookshop.org; Libro.fm) (I'm wa

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Sep 7
4 min

5 Books to Bring Your Reading Mojo Back

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) As listeners know, I have had quite the tumultuous year, and that has made reading very difficult at times - hard to find the time, hard to find the motivation, hard to find the headspace. So as I looked over the reading I've done recently, I wanted to share some books that helped me get my reading mojo back during a difficult and busy season of my life. Here are five of my favorites that I could not wait to get back to readi

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May 20
2 min

Jessie Q. Sutanto's FOUR AUNTIES AND A WEDDING--Good, Campy Fun

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Jesse Q. Sutanto's Four Aunties and a Wedding (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) I was delighted when Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Four Aunties and a Wedding (Book 2 in the Aunties series) came out in March. I really enjoyed the audio of Dial A for Aunties, and I just knew Four Aunties and a Wedding was going to be just what I needed. I also knew I had to get the audiobook–Risa Mei, the narrator, brings these characters to life. We last left Meddy, her mom, a

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Apr 11
5 min

10+ YA Mystery (or Mystery-Adjacent) Novels You Must Investigate*

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) *pun intended Last week, Sara and I chatted about the pilot of the adaptation of Karen McManus's One of Us Is Lying (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)—you can check out the episode here—so I thought I'd dive into some other YA mysteries (or YA books with mystery elements) I've enjoyed recently. (I'm excerpting a lot of these reviews from my Instagram account!) Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Inheritance Games (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and The Hawthorne Lega

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Apr 6
2 min

224: Book-to-Film Adaptation Discussion: Karen M. McManus's ONE OF US IS LYING

In this episode, Jen and Sara discuss Peacock's adaptation of Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org). They discuss the pilot episode--what they liked, what they didn't, and their overall feelings about the adaptation. Check it out and let us know what you think! Bookish Check-in Jen - Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Sara - Angie Thomas’s Concrete Rose (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Give Me One . . . Recent Movie You'd Recomme

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Mar 29
4 min

New Book Releases Featuring Kosoko Jackson, Dylan Marron, and Jesse Q. Sutano

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Jesse Q. Sutano's Four Aunties and a Wedding (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "The aunties are back, fiercer than ever and ready to handle any catastrophe—even the mafia—in this delightful and hilarious sequel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties. "Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now

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Mar 4
3 min

Karen M. McManus's ONE OF US IS LYING--A Backlist Twisty YA Romp

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) In One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper, Nate, and Simon are assigned to detention under suspicious circumstances. When one of them is dead by the end of the detention period, the remaining four become suspects. All of them have motive. Did one of them commit the crime? This is the question that is explored over the course of the novel. I really enjoye

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Feb 2
7 min

215: Cuddle Up with These Cozy Mystery Recs

Are you looking for a perfect cozy mystery to add to your TBR stack? Listen in to hear these cozy mystery book recommendations from Sara, Jen, and Ashley. We feature Abby Collette’s A Deadly Inside Scoop, Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Dial A for Aunties, and Mia P. Manansala Arsenic and Adobo, and we share our thoughts about what works for it when it comes to cozy mysteries as well as thinking about what exactly qualifies as a cozy mystery! Bookish Check-in Ashley - Kacen Callender’s Ki

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Jan 24
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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Oct 1, 2021
2 min

Maureen Johnson's TRULY DEVIOUS Series - A Satisfying Mystery Trilogy . . . Plus One

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) I don't know the last time that I was drawn into a book the way Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious (Amazon | Bookshop.org) drew me in. I quickly got through the rest of my "have-to" reads to devour the next two books in the trilogy (Amazon | Bookshop.org). Truly Devious runs through two timelines. In the historical timeline, it's 1936, and we're with millionaire Albert Ellingham whose wife and daughter have been kidnapped from their home on the c

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Aug 17, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for August 17, 2021, featuring Moreno-Garcia, Moyes, and Parker

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Here are three books coming out today from authors I love that I'm excited to read! Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Velvet Was the Night (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "1970s, Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who lives for one thing: the latest issue of Secret Romance. While student protests and political unrest consume the city, Maite escapes into stories of passion and danger. "Her next-door neighbor, Leonora, a beautiful art st

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Apr 27, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs for April 27, 2021, featuring Garvin, O'Neal, and Sutanto

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Jesse Q. Sutanto's Dial A for Aunties Description from Publisher: "When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cak

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Apr 26, 2021
3 min

2 Cozy Mystery Series to Binge! (23 books in all!)

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Do you like a good mystery but have trouble finding mystery books without gore or too much violence? If so, do I have two amazing cozy mystery series for you to check out. You may be wondering what makes a mystery book a cozy mystery. A cozy mystery is mystery book wherein all of the violence (and sex—if referenced at all) takes place off stage—it isn't described in gruesome detail. A cozy mystery often takes place in small town, where most

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Apr 9, 2021
2 min

Matthew Sullivan's MIDNIGHT AT THE BRIGHT IDEAS BOOKSTORE- Mystery and a Bookstore—Yes, Please!

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) I am coming at you with another backlist title that I REALLY enjoyed! Matt Sullivan's Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is a treat. Oh, how I want to work at the Bright Ideas Bookstore! I saw this book recommended by one of the bookish bloggers I follow on Instagram way back, and I loved the cover. Also, I just loved the name of the book. Throw in the review I read, and this book was a must read for me. Luckily, my library had it, and

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Feb 2, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for February 2, 2021, featuring Harper, McGarrahan, and Watson

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Renee Watson's Love Is a Revolution "When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night for her cousin-sister-friend Imani’s birthday, she finds herself falling in instant love with Tye Brown, the MC. He’s perfect, except . . . Tye is an activist and is spending the summer putting on events for the community when Nala would rather watch movies and try out the new

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Jan 15, 2021
2 min

Jane Harper's THE SURVIVORS - An Atmospheric Mystery

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Happy Friday! Today, I am here to write about Jane Harper's most recent release, The Survivors. (Thanks to Libro.fm #partner for my audio copy of this book!) One of my favorite things about Harper's work is her ability to write the setting of the story as an almost main protagonist in the story. Every book I have read of Harper's has had a strong atmospheric tone throughout the whole book. The Survivors is no different. Harper establishes th

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Dec 29, 2020
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for December 29, featuring de León, Benedict, Sullivan, and Wielberg

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Here are four books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Aya de León's A Spy in the Struggle Description from Publisher: "Since childhood, Yolanda Vance has forged her desire to escape poverty into a laser-like focus that took her through prep school and Harvard Law. So when her prestigious New York law firm is raided by the FBI, Yolanda turns in her corrupt bosses to save her career—and goes to work for the Bureau. Soon she's sent under

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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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Oct 6, 2020
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for October 6, 2020, featuring Mbalia, Faruqi, and Gansworth

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) All right, book lovers, this is one of those pub days that overwhelms me, so I'm feeling obligated to share some extras today. I have FIVE books pre-ordered today, FOUR that I've already read thanks to NetGalley, and THREE more than I can't resist mentioning. Here we go: Pre-Ordered Books Jerry Craft's Class Act - My boys and I are SO excited about this follow up to the award-winning graphic novel New Kid. Tana French's The Searcher - French i

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Sep 15, 2020
3 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for September 15, 2020, featuring Jackson, LaCour, and Yang

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Here are three(-plus!) books coming out today that I'm excited to read. Tiffany D. Jackson's Grown Description from Publisher: "Award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another riveting, ripped-from-the-headlines mystery that exposes horrific secrets hiding behind the limelight and embraces the power of a young woman’s voice. "When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous sing

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