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- Jan 18
- 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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- Dec 14, 2020
- 5 min
Eight Winter Book Recommendations to Read This Season
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) In this curated list of winter book recommendations, I'm sharing books where the season of winter is a pivotal part of the story. (Actually, in two of them, Fredrik Backman's Anxious People and Margarita Montimore's Oona Out of Order, the new year specifically is an important part of the story.) These are not necessarily cozy reads (though some of them are perfect for that!), and the tone, style, and subject matter of each on
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- Nov 11, 2020
- 7 min
151: Our Cozy Reads Recommendations - Curl Up with a Good Book
In this autumn episode of the Unabridged Podcast, we each share some cozy read recommendations with you. After our Bookish Check-in, we talk about what makes a cozy read for us, and then we each share one that we've loved. The books we chose include Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series, Colleen Wright's The White Christmas Inn, and Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material. We end the episode with our Give Me One . . . Cozy Comfort. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Karina Yan Glaser’s The Va
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- Oct 28, 2020
- 12 min
149: Read-Aloud Book Recommendations for Parents and Teachers
In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we're discussing books for all levels that we believe would work really well for read aloud choices. We were thrilled to be joined by Holly Hicks, a third-grade teacher and Unabridged Ambassador who has experience choosing and sharing read-aloud picks with her third-grade students. We also share our own experiences with read-aloud picks both at home and in the classroom. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering Jen - Marissa
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- Sep 8, 2020
- 4 min
Pub Day Shout-Outs! for September 8, 2020, featuring Backman, Philippe, and Winters
by Sara Voigt (@meaningmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I am excited to read! Frederik Backman's Anxious People Description from the publisher: "Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t
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- Sep 1, 2020
- 4 min
Pub Day Shout-Outs! for September 1, 2020, featuring Woodson, Cole, and Zoboi and Salaam
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Jacqueline Woodson's Before the Ever After Description from Publisher: "National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson's stirring novel explores how a family moves forward when their glory days have passed. "For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone's hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he's as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays
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- Aug 31, 2020
- 4 min
6 Great Novels in Verse to Read Right Now
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) I don't know about you, but this is a VERY busy time for me! When things feel crazy, I am always on the lookout for quick reads that I'm going to love. This list features some of our favorite authors (both to read and for the classroom) including Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Elizabeth Acevedo. These novels in verse (along with one memoir in verse) are all middle-grade or YA lit books, but I believe they are all gre
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- Jul 30, 2020
- 6 min
Featured Books for August 2020
August Books In August, we're excited to share two books featuring the work of Jason Reynolds: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, written with Ibram X. Kendi, our Book Club pick, and All American Boys, written with Brendan Kiely, our Buddy Read choice. If you'd like to hear more about Reynolds' work, check out the re-release of this episode where we discuss three of his books. Let us know if you'd like to join the Buddy Read chat on Instagram discussing All American Boys!
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- Jul 17, 2020
- 2 min
Farrah Rochon's THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT - Just the Right Amount of Steam!
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Romance. Mystery. Women in STEM. Yes, please! I cannot tell you how much I loved Farrah Rochon's contemporary romance novel, The Boyfriend Project. Rochon takes the typical rom-com scenario and turns it on its head. Which, I am here for. The protagonist of the story is Samiah Brooks, a super-smart, super successful computer coder who goes on a terrible date, becomes the target of office gossip, and swears off men for 6 months along with her
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- Jul 13, 2020
- 8 min
Some of Jen's Favorite Reads of 2020 (so far)
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) I love my friends, I love my friends, I love my friends. But when we were chatting and decided to do these mid-year, five-favorites-so-far posts, I knew I would be sending a little resentment their way. Only FIVE picks!?! Really? I can't choose just FIVE favorites! I want to include all the things. 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.
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- Jul 6, 2020
- 6 min
Some of Sara's Favorite Reads of 2020 (so far)
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Reading in 2020 has been a challenge for me, friends. I have really struggled to dig into books. My reading was off the rails before our world changed in March, and it has not gotten any better. However, never fear, I have had some bright spots, and that is what I want to talk to you about today. I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite reads of 2020 (so far). Now, these aren't necessarily books that were published in
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- Jul 1, 2020
- 40 min
132: Emily Henry's BEACH READ - July 2020 Book Club
In this Unabridged podcast book club episode, we're discussing Emily Henry's Beach Read. We have a great discussion and pair this one with some other great reads, including Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again, Yes, Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering, and Josie Silver’s The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. Beach Read is a contemporary romance that balances witty banter with more serious themes. Bookish Check In Ashley - Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me Jen - Jennifer S. Cohen’s Falling Forward Sara
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- Jun 29, 2020
- 4 min
Fiction by Black Authors - Some Recent Favorites
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Looking for amazing fiction reads by Black authors? Here are a few of my recent favorites, all of which are adult fiction by Black women. These span a lot of genres and styles, so see the details below to find one (or more) for you! Brit Bennett's The Mothers - I'm here for anything Brit Bennett writes. This powerful story (realistic fiction) comments on the complex relationships between women and the way that women's relatio
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- Jun 26, 2020
- 3 min
Laura Hankin's HAPPY & YOU KNOW IT--A Wild Ride
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) When I picked my next read recently, I knew I needed contemporary fiction. Not literary fiction. Not historical fiction. So, I chose Laura Hankin's new novel Happy & You Know It. This book begins with Claire, a recently dismissed musician from a band that found fame...right after she was dismissed, as she struggles to find her footing in New York City. She finds herself entangled in a playgroup filled with a privileged, yet diverse, array of
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- Jun 15, 2020
- 2 min
Middle-Grade Books We Love by Black Authors
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) We at Unabridged stand with the Black Lives Matter movement. There are SO many books that we love by Black authors, and we look forward to lifting up those amazing books. Today we are talking about some of our favorite middle-grade authors and books that we think would be amazing in any classroom. This is definitely not a complete list, but this features some of our favorite authors for middle-grade lit, including Jason Reynolds, Sharon M. D
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- Jun 13, 2020
- 32 min
Bonus: Re-release of Jason Reynolds Highlight with LONG WAY DOWN, GHOST, and WHEN I WAS THE GREATEST
In this bonus episode, we wanted to share a re-release of an episode highlighting three novels by Jason Reynolds, one of our favorite Black authors for young people and for the classroom. We feel his body of work has applications across many age levels and grades. You can check out his body of work here. We tried to go very light on the spoilers in this episode, but a few minor spoilers were hard to avoid as we revealed what we loved about these books. Timeline Introduction a
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- Jun 9, 2020
- 4 min
Pub Day Shout-outs! June 9, 2020 featuring Tamani, Williams, and Rochon
by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Liara Tamani's All the Things We Never Knew Description from Publisher: ''Tamani masterfully bounces and slams two hearts up and down a shrouded court of first love and revelations. A hard-to-put-down backboard-breaker.'–Rita Williams-Garcia, National Book Award Finalist and New York Times-bestselling author "From the moment Carli and Rex first locked eyes on a Texas high school basketball court, they both knew it was destiny. But can you tr
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- May 27, 2020
- 45 min
127: Parenting and Partner Tips with Brandy Ferner of ADULT CONVERSATION
In this Unabridged Podcast interview episode, we had a wonderful time discussing all things parenting and partners with Brandy Ferner. We read her novel Adult Conversation, which just released on May 5th, and we all felt that the depiction of motherhood with all of its dark humor and relentlessness resonated so much with our experiences. Bookish Check In Ashley - Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible Jen - Marie Lu’s Rebel Sara - Josie Silver’s The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
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- May 6, 2020
- 35 min
124: Readers' Choice Pick - Katharine McGee's AMERICAN ROYALS
In this Unabridged Podcast book club episode, we discuss the readers' choice spring 2020 pick, Katharine McGee's American Royals. We pair it with other books we've loved, including Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians (which we discussed in a film adaptation episode here!), Kiera Cass’s The Selection series, and Melissa Bashardoust’s Girls Made of Snow and Glass. We ended the episode by sharing (confessing?) things that we love to do to relax. Timeline Intro and Bookish Check In: 0
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