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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Mar 29, 2021
4 min

8 Amazing Books to Read by AAPI Authors (Plus 2 Picture Books!)

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Our hearts are heavy as we consider the victims of the horrific shootings in Atlanta last week and the ongoing racist assaults on the AAPI community. Be sure to check out the movement to # StandUpforAAPI on Bookstagram. Today we celebrate a few of our favorite books from AAPI authors. Adult Picks Helen Hoang's The Bride Test - I've shared my love of this romance novel many times including when I talked about it as one of my f

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Mar 24, 2021
10 min

170: Discover New Authors with Author Imprints

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we discuss author imprints and the way that those can help readers discover new authors to love. We specifically discuss the Rick Riordan Presents imprint and share books we've read from it including Kwame Mbalia’s Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Yoon Ha Lee’s Dragon Pearl, and Carlos Hernandez’s Sal and Gabi Break the Universe. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Angeline Boulley’s Firekeeper’s Daughter (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Jen - Jesse

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Mar 3, 2021
13 min

167: Mira Jacob's GOOD TALK - March 2021 Book Club

In this Unabridged Podcast Book Club episode, we discuss Mira Jacob's graphic memoir Good Talk. We talked about this amazing memoir and also shared our pairings, including Craig Thompson’s Blankets, James McBride’s The Color of Water, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Hey, Kiddo. If you're interested in discussing this one with us, be sure to join us on March 15th on Instagram to participate in our book club chat. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Robert Jones, Jr.’s The Prophets Jen - Hena

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Mar 1, 2021
3 min

Graphic Memoirs to Enrich Your TBR

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) This week, we're releasing our Unabridged Podcast Book Club episode in which we discuss Mira Jacob's graphic memoir Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations. Though we each recommend a pairing in the episode, mine (spoiler alert!) is not a graphic memoir, so I wanted to share some that I've enjoyed. (If you're interested in joining our IG chat about Good Talk on March 15, let us know!) Classics of the Format Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis: The Story

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Feb 22, 2021
7 min

6 Nonfiction Reads You Won't Be Able to Put Down

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) If you have trouble getting into nonfiction reads, then I have 5 books for you! These books are page-turners that read a lot like fiction. They have a narrative flow that keep you coming back for more. 1. American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton (Read my review of the book here.) From the publisher: "In 2011, a twenty-six-year-old libertarian programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the u

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Feb 5, 2021
3 min

Elizabeth L. Cline's THE CONSCIOUS CLOSET - A Real Eye-Opener

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Admittedly it has taken me awhile to read this book. I actually started it over the summer (summer 2020--a tough time for us all) and I read the first few chapters and really liked it, but then my entire reading life fell by the wayside (which has been chronicled (lamented?) on the pod. So, at the start of 2021, I made a promise to myself to try to learn more this year in what I am reading and, in turn, try to be a better citizen of the wor

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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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Feb 1, 2021
7 min

Five of Sara's Favorite Reads of 2020 (Part 2)

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) This is so exciting! i can't wait to share my 2nd half picks with you! My 2020 reading had some ups and downs, but as I was reflecting on some of my favorites, I found that I had some definitive favorites for the latter part of 2020. (Be sure to check our mid-year posts: here's Jen's, Ashley's, and mine.) Sandhya Menon's When Dimple Met Rishi From the publisher: "Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than

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Jan 20, 2021
13 min

161: Book Recs for Reaching Your Goals in 2021 with Adam Schaeuble from Million Pound Mission

In this episode of the Unabridged Podcast, Ashley, Jen, and Sara chat with Adam Schaeuble, host of the Million Pound Mission podcast (now called the Low Carb Hustle podcast) and the Podcasting Business School podcast. After our Bookish Check-in, Adam joins in recommending behavioral science books that can help everyone reach their life goals in 2021. If you have resolutions that you'd like to reach, be sure to check out the episode, and if you have your own self-help books to

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Jan 18, 2021
8 min

Five of Jen's Favorite Reads of 2020 (Part 2)

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Oh, friends, making book choices never gets easier for me. I had shared so many excellent books in my 2020 mid-year post AND on our 2020 Unabridged Awards Episode that I thought I would have narrowed the list from which to choose. Wow, was I wrong! (Be sure to check our mid-year posts: here's mine, Ashley's, and Sara's.) I read 345 books in 2020, and of those, 28 earned five stars from me, and 92 earned four-and-a-half stars. So, even with the

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Jan 13, 2021
12 min

160: Unabridged Podcast Book Awards for 2020

In this episode of the Unabridged Podcast, Ashley, Jen, and Sara offer up their book awards for 2020. After sharing their Bookish Check-ins, they each present their award categories and their book picks, which include adult and young adult titles. They end the episode with Non-Bookish Awards. What 2020 books have stood out for you? Bookish Check-in Ashley - Talia Hibbert’s Take a Hint, Dani Brown Jen - Lisa Ko’s The Leavers Sara - Liz Moore’s Long Bright River Our Book Picks

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Jan 11, 2021
3 min

5 Celebrity Memoir Audiobooks to Add to Your TBR

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) One of my favorite things is to listen to an audiobook memoir read by the author. There is an extra layer of awesomeness that comes with hearing an author read his or her own words. Also, as I have discussed on the pod, I LOVE celebrity gossip, pop culture, and everything in between, so I am always interested in a celebrity memoir. Here are five I have thoroughly enjoyed on audio. (Audio is definitely the way to go if the celebrity is readin

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Dec 30, 2020
8 min

158: Books We Are Excited to Read in 2021

In this episode of the Unabridged Podcast, after their Bookish Check-ins, Ashley, Jen, and Sara share books they're excited to read in 2021. These are all books by some of our favorite authors, so we also talk about our histories with the authors' previous works. It turns out there is a focus on Young Adult authors, which is not a surprise since we all love YA Lit! Then, we conclude the episode with the Give Me One segment, sharing some memories of childhood gifts we received

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Dec 26, 2020
2 min

Featured Books for January 2021

January Double Feature In January, Adib Khorram's Darius the Great Is Not Okay will be both our Book Club pick AND our Buddy Read choice. You can join us for the episode that releases on Wednesday, January 6, or participate in our two Instagram chats . . . or both! Want to look ahead? Scroll down to see our February picks! Here's the synopsis from the publisher: "Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He'

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Dec 22, 2020
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! December 22, 2020 Special Edition

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) As we move toward the holidays and the end of the year, there are not many books coming out this week. I wanted to use this as an opportunity to highlight a few of my most anticipated reads that have appeared in our pub day shout-outs! Barack Obama's A Promised Land Description from Publisher: "In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man s

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Dec 16, 2020
13 min

156: Unabridged Discusses HAMILTON

In this episode of the Unabridged Podcast, Ashley, Jen, and Sara take on the musical phenomenon that is Hamilton. After sharing their Bookish Check-in, each host discusses her Hamilton history, and then they explore together favorite songs, most emotional moments, and favorite scenes. They end the episode with the Give Me One segment, each describing one thing she wants to accomplish in the new year. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People Jen - Nancy Jooyo

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Dec 1, 2020
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for December 1, 2020, featuring Pinguicha, Joseph, and O'Leary and Coker Burks

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Diana Pinguicha's A Curse of Roses Description from Publisher: "With just one touch, bread turns into roses. With just one bite, cheese turns into lilies. There’s a famine plaguing the land, and Princess Yzabel is wasting food simply by trying to eat. Before she can even swallow, her magic–her curse–has turned her meal into a bouquet. She’s on the verge of starving, which only r

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Nov 17, 2020
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs for November 17, 2020, featuring Obama, Kuang, and Yoon

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Barack Obama's A Promised Land Description from Publisher: "In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his

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Nov 16, 2020
3 min

Books to Encourage Activism

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) As teachers, we often look to our students for inspiration: sometimes, their energy and enthusiasm for the world pushes us to be activists. But sometimes, we know, they need some inspiration, too. And that's where books can come in. Here are 9+ books we think are inspiring for young people. Mark Oshiro's Anger Is a Gift - In my post about this book, I said, "Mark Oshiro's Anger Is a Gift confronts activism and anger through the lens of Moss. M

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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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