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 2022 reading challenge, join our buddy reads on Instagram, or sign up on Patreon!

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Nov 19, 2021
3 min

Julie Tieu's THE DONUT TRAP - A Sweet Romance Full of Heart

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) I absolutely loved this beautiful story, which I listened to thanks to Libro.fm and their ALC program. I've been in a little bit of a reading funk, but this one helped me along with my progress and left me ready to pop in my earbuds to do some more listening! (I was so surprised to see that this was a DEBUT! I can't wait to read more by Julie Tieu!) The Donut Trap (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) centers 22-year-old Jasmine Tran, a

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Nov 5, 2021
2 min

Maggie Knox's THE HOLIDAY SWAP - A Charming Holiday Read

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Holiday reading is here! And I am all for it! I wrote a blog post on 5 holiday reads to add to your list for a Bookish Fave on Monday--you can find it here. One of the books on the that list is Maggie Knox’s The Holiday Swap (Amazon | Bookshop.org). I don’t know about you, but I love a nice, cozy holiday book that I can snuggle up and read with a nice cup of coffee or hot cocoa. The Holiday Swap did not disappoint. This charming tale is abo

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Nov 1, 2021
5 min

5 Holiday Books to Add to Your Holiday Reading List

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) You know I am ALWAYS anxiously awaiting holiday reading season, and this year is no different! I am so excited to talk to you about several books I think you will love if you are into incorporating festive reads into your holiday season. Maggie Knox's The Holiday Swap (Amazon | Bookshop.org) From the publisher: "When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the LA set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness;

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Sep 14, 2021
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for September 14, 2021, featuring Daria, Jackson, and Whitehead

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Alexis Daria's A Lot Like Adiós (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "Hi Mich. It’s Gabe. "After burning out in her corporate marketing career, Michelle Amato has built a thriving freelance business as a graphic designer. So what if her love life is nonexistent? She’s perfectly fine being the black sheep of her marriage-obsessed Puerto Rican-Ital

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Aug 31, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for August 31st, 2021, featuring Halle, Levithan and Niven, and Stone

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! David Levithan and Jennifer Niven's Take Me With You When You Go (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "Subject: You. Missing. "Ezra Ahern wakes up one day to find his older sister, Bea, gone. No note, no sign, nothing but an email address hidden somewhere only he would find it. Ezra never expected to be left behind with their abusive stepfather and their neglectfu

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Aug 28, 2021
3 min

Featured Books for September 2021

September Books On September 29, we'll release our Book Club episode focusing on Darcie Little Badger's Elatsoe (Amazon | Bookshop.org), but before that releases, we'll have two IG chats on September 13 and 27 (this is also our September Buddy Read pick!). Stay tuned @unabridgedpod for announcements and updates. Here is the synopsis from the publisher: "A Texas teen comes face-to-face with a cousin's ghost and vows to unmask the murderer. "Elatsoe—Ellie for short—lives in an

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Aug 25, 2021
11 min

192: Balli Kaur Jaswal’s EROTIC STORIES FOR PUNJABI WIDOWS - August 2021 Book Club

For our Unabridged Book Club pick for August of 2021, we're discussing Balli Kaur Jaswal’s Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows (Amazon | Bookshop.org). We talk about our overall impressions, what worked for us, some quotations, and then we pair this one with other books we think readers who loved this would enjoy including Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X (Amazon | Bookshop.org), Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi (Amazon | Bookshop.org), and Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians (Am

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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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Aug 3, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs for August 3, 2021, featuring Allen, Asaka, and Jafari

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Jayne Allen's Black Girls Must Die Exhausted (Amazon | Bookshop.org) ***PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PUB DATE CHANGED! It will now be available on September 28th, so preorder your copy today!*** Description from Publisher: "The first novel in a captivating three-book series about modern womanhood, in which a young Black woman must rely on courage, laughter, and love—and

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Aug 2, 2021
4 min

Looking for a Book You Can't Stop Reading? Try These Recs!

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) On Wednesday, we're sharing our recommendations for books we couldn't stop reading. Be on the lookout for our book recs when that releases Wednesday! That episode got me thinking about other books that I've found irresistible and that I couldn't stop reading... here are a few that felt that way for me! This is a bit of an eclectic mix, but what they all have in common is that I could not stop reading them! I loved all of thes

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Jul 31, 2021
4 min

Featured Books for August 2021

August Books On August 25, we'll release our Book Club episode focusing on Balli Kaur Jaswal's Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows (Amazon | Bookshop.org), but before that releases, we'll have an IG chat mid-month. (We're working on shuffling our episode order for Season 5!) We'll also have two IG chats about our Buddy Read pick, Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera's YA novel What If It's Us (Amazon | Bookshop.org). Stay tuned @unabridgedpod for announcements and updates. Here ar

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Jul 28, 2021
29 min

188: Encore of Thrillers that You Can't Put Down - Better on Audio

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we're discussing specific thrillers that we've read and LOVED (including books by Ruth Ware, Oyinkan Braithwaite, and T.M. Logan), and we're talking more generally about what does and does not work for us when it comes to the thriller genre. We've talked a lot recently about comfort reads and light reads, but we know from our Bookstagram community that thrillers are also a great escape for many readers. Let us know what you have read and lo

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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 13, 2021
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for July 13th featuring Guillory, Nolan, and Ge

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Jasmine Guillory's While We Were Dating (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "Two people realize that it’s no longer an act when they veer off-script in this sizzling romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory. "Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, fam

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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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Jun 27, 2021
5 min

Featured Books for July 2021

July Books On July 7, we'll release our Book Club episode focusing on Jacqueline Woodson's Red at the Bone (Amazon | Bookshop.org), and we'll have an IG chat mid-month. We'll also have two IG chats about our Buddy Read pick, Laekan Zea Kemp's YA novel Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet (Amazon | Bookshop.org). Stay tuned @unabridgedpod for announcements and updates. Here are the synopses from the publisher: Red at the Bone "Moving forward and backward in time, Jacqueline Wood

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Jun 7, 2021
3 min

6 Books to Throw in Your Beach Bag This Summer

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) No one loves a good beach read like I do. When I think about reading at the beach, I think about fast-paced thrillers, romances that make me swoon, and compelling, plot-driven narratives. Here are six books to put in your beach bag this summer. Emily Henry's Beach Read was a favorite of the pod last summer. We even did a Book Club episode on it! Henry creates an intriguing romance using two flawed—but extremely likable— characters. I LOVED t

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Jun 2, 2021
14 min

180: Laura Taylor Namey's A CUBAN GIRL'S GUIDE TO TEA AND TOMORROW - June 2021 Book Club

In this Unabridged Book Club episode, we talk about Laura Taylor Namey's young adult romance novel, A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. After our discussion (spoiler alert: this one was a big hit for all of us!), we share our pairings including Stephanie Perkins’s Anna and the French Kiss, Amy Spalding’s We Used to Be Friends, and Elizabeth Acevedo’s With the Fire on High. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Ace of Spades (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Jen - Isab

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