Unabridged Podcast

Welcome to Unabridged, the podcast where teachers take on books! Every week, Sara, Jen and Ashley (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 each week.

Want to get more involved? Check out our 2021 reading challenge, join our buddy reads on Instagram, or become an Unabridged Ambassador!

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Jan 10
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
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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Dec 29, 2021
7 min

210: Encore of Our Cozy Reads Recommendations - Curl Up with a Good Book

In this encore 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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Jul 26, 2021
6 min

Some of Sara's Favorite Reads of 2021 (so far)

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) My reading has been going much better in 2021 than in 2020. I have read quite a few books (for me) in this first part of the year, and I have read some that I truly adored. If you look back at my post from last year at this same time, my reading was not going well. At all. I love sharing the books I love, so I wanted to highlight these five books that have been some of my favorites of the year (so far). These aren't necessarily books that we

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Jul 21, 2021
40 min

187: Encore of 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 (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Jen - Jennifer S. Cohe

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Jul 19, 2021
7 min

Some of Jen's Favorite Reads of 2021 (so far)

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) As usual when I set out to create a concise list of something, I struggled with this task, with creating a list of five favorite books that I've read so far in 2021. I've read a LOT of amazing books this year, and I want to tell you about them ALL. But, fear not, I've restrained myself, and I've come up with a list. I won't say that it's the definitive list because there's a great chance that tomorrow, I'll have regrets and wish I'd chosen one

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Jul 12, 2021
7 min

Some of Ashley's Favorites of 2021 (So Far)

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Phew, I have read some amazing books so far this year! Every year it feels increasingly challenging to pick favorites, and that is proving to be true for 2021. I shared some favorites from my reading challenges so far in my latest Bookish Fave. Here are a few others that I have absolutely loved during the first half of 2021! This list of five favorites so far includes Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After (Amazon | Bookshop.org)

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Jul 6, 2021
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for July 6, 2021, featuring Dev, Johnson, and Rowell

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! This list is filled with books that are near-sure things since they're all follow ups to books I've previously loved. Sonali Dev's Incense and Sensibility (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "Yash Raje, California’s first Indian-American gubernatorial candidate, has always known exactly what he wants—and how to use his privileged background to get it. He attributes

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May 28, 2021
3 min

Book Review of Deb Caletti's ONE GREAT LIE - A Stunning Book about Gender and Power

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partners NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the digital ARC of Deb Caletti’s One Great Lie (Amazon | Bookshop.org) in exchange for an honest review. The book will be released on Tuesday, June 1. Deb Caletti’s One Great Lie is a stunning YA novel about gender dynamics and issues of power, perfect for consideration in the aftermath of the #metoo movement. Told in spare, gorgeous prose, the novel focuses on a girl who’s given her drea

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Apr 14, 2021
10 min

173: Book-to-Screen Adaptation of John Green's LOOKING FOR ALASKA

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we discuss the Hulu screen adaptation of John Green's Looking for Alaska. In the episode, we only discuss the pilot episode of the series (which, spoiler alert, we all loved!), so check out the pilot if you're interested, and then give this discussion a listen! We also share our Bookish Check-ins and share some of our exercise preferences. Let us know on social media: which do you prefer—cardio or weights? Bookish Check-in Ashley - Kiley Re

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Mar 12, 2021
3 min

Taylor Jenkins Reid's THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO - Secrets Revealed After a Life of Fame

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) "Relationships are complex... People are messy, and love can be ugly. I'm inclined to always err on the side of compassion" (254). I've been wanting to read Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for quite a while, and I borrowed it ages ago intending to read it right away, but it turns out that this winter was the perfect time for it, and I'm so glad I read it when I did. If you haven't read this one, it's

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Jan 22, 2021
3 min

Ashley Schumacher's AMELIA UNABRIDGED - A Book about the Magic of Books

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC of Ashley Schumacher’s Amelia Unabridged in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, February 16. A certain category of books is magic for book lovers: books about the magic of books. (As my students would say: how meta.) Ashley Schumacher’s Amelia Unabridged offers that precise type of magic. Had I not started this YA debut novel at 11:00 on a sch

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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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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!

Unabridged Podcast

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

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

210: Encore of Our Cozy Reads Recommendations - Curl Up with a Good Book

Some of Sara's Favorite Reads of 2021 (so far)

187: Encore of Emily Henry's BEACH READ - July 2020 Book Club

Some of Jen's Favorite Reads of 2021 (so far)

Some of Ashley's Favorites of 2021 (So Far)

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for July 6, 2021, featuring Dev, Johnson, and Rowell

Book Review of Deb Caletti's ONE GREAT LIE - A Stunning Book about Gender and Power

173: Book-to-Screen Adaptation of John Green's LOOKING FOR ALASKA

Taylor Jenkins Reid's THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO - Secrets Revealed After a Life of Fame

Ashley Schumacher's AMELIA UNABRIDGED - A Book about the Magic of Books

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

Eight Winter Book Recommendations to Read This Season

151: Our Cozy Reads Recommendations - Curl Up with a Good Book

149: Read-Aloud Book Recommendations for Parents and Teachers

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for September 8, 2020, featuring Backman, Philippe, and Winters

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for September 1, 2020, featuring Woodson, Cole, and Zoboi and Salaam

6 Great Novels in Verse to Read Right Now

Featured Books for August 2020

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