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.

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Aug 3, 2020
2 min

#iloveit: 8 Books that Take on Social Media and Going Viral

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Purely by accident, I have read some excellent books recently that have involved--to some extent--questions about social media (or just going viral). Some of these books are really contemplating the nature of social media, its pros and cons, while others include going viral merely as a plot point. Farrah Rochon's The Boyfriend Project - There's a central viral video that kicks off the plot here, and protagonist Samiah Brooks has to deal with i

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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 29, 2020
31 min

136: Get to Know the Unabridged Podcast Hosts in 2020 - Season 3 Wrap-up

As we wrap up Season 3 of the Unabridged Podcast, Ashley, Jen, and Sara look back at Give Me One, a segment we introduced this season. After our Bookish Check-in, we each recommend a Give Me One, and then we end with an episode we recommend from the season. Thank you so much for all of your support! We definitely are looking forward to Season 4. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Sandhya Menon’s 10 Things I Hate about Pinky Jen - Roselle Lim’s Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop (comi

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Jul 24, 2020
2 min

Sandhya Menon's 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT PINKY - The Attraction of Polar Opposites

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) We at Unabridged Podcast were all SO excited to see this new release from Sandhya Menon! This one just came out on Tuesday -- check out the Pub Day Shout-outs here! We all loved When Dimple Met Rishi and the awesome #unabridgedpodbuddyread discussions about it! I haven't read There's Something about Sweetie yet, but these awesome books don't have to be read in order. I'll look forward to reading that one soon! As far as 10 T

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Jul 21, 2020
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! July 21st, 2020 featuring Menon, Johnson, and Dobson

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Here are three books coming out today that I am excited to read! Sandhya Menon's 10 Things I Hate about Pinky Description from Publisher: "The delightful follow-up to When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something about Sweetie, which follows Ashish’s friends Pinky and Samir as they pretend to date in order to achieve their individual goals, to disastrous and hilarious results. "Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge

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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 15, 2020
50 min

134: How to Find Joy - Discussing WHAT YOU WISH FOR with Katherine Center

In this Unabridged podcast episode, we're talking with Katherine Center about her latest book, What You Wish For, which released on July 14th. Katherine shares her first experience as a writer, writing fan fic about Duran Duran, why clown socks are the most fashionable apparel, and how she sets out to fight for joy. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half Jen - Jennifer Weiner’s Big Summer Sara - Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds’s Stamped: Racism, Antirac

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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 10, 2020
3 min

Katherine Center's WHAT YOU WISH FOR - The Pursuit of Joy

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Katherine Center's What You Wish Forin exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, July 14. Katherine Center’s What You Wish For is devoted to the pursuit of joy. That doesn’t mean it’s always a joyful novel--in fact, it opens with a tragedy that broke my heart. What it does mean is that Center is exploring, on every page, what we can do when it’s tough to be joyful,

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Jul 8, 2020
34 min

133 - Underrated Books and Authors with Mariely Sylvette Martinez of PodQueens Latinas

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we have so much fun talking with Mariely Sylvette Martinez of PodQueens Latinas about underrated books and series. She joins us for our Bookish Check-in, and then we chat about what it means to be underrated and why some great books and authors don't seem to get as much buzz as others. Finally, we end with our Give Me One segment and recommend some podcasts that we're enjoying right now. Bookish Check In Ashley - Mindy McGinnis's A Madness

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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 3, 2020
2 min

Jasmine Guillory's PARTY OF TWO - A New Standout Romance

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner Edelweiss for the digital ARC of Jasmine Guillory's Party of Two in exchange for an honest review. The book is out now. Party of Two, the fifth book in Jasmine Guillory's loosely connectedThe Wedding Date series, is a joyful read. I loved the main characters, Olivia and Max, and we watch the development of their relationship from alternating perspectives, which I think is fun in romance novels. Olivia--who first appeared inTh

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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 23, 2020
3 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! June 23, 2020 featuring Caletti, Cho, and Guillory

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Deb Caletti's Girl, Unframed Description from Publisher: "A teen girl’s summer with her mother turns sinister in this gripping thriller about the insidious dangers of unwanted attention, from Printz Honor medal–winning and National Book Award finalist author Deb Caletti—perfect for fans of Courtney Summers’s Sadie. "Sydney Reilly has a bad feeling about going home to San Francisco before she even gets on the plane. How could she not? Her mothe

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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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Jun 2, 2020
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! June 2, 2020 featuring Bennett, Brown, and Johnson

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) As we struggle to learn more in response to the injustices we're seeing across the United States, we are highlighting three works by Black authors that are being published today. Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half Description from Publisher: "The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is di

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May 20, 2020
22 min

126: Plugging into Bookish Communities Online with @readwithtoni from Instagram

In this week's episode of Unabridged, Ashley, Jen, and Sara talk with Toni about the power of developing an online bookish community. Toni--who posts @readwithtoni--shares her own bookstagram journey, what she loves about buddy reads, and the books (like Homegoing and All the Ugly and Wonderful Things) that have resulted in some great conversations. We also each share some great, bookstagram-made-me-do-it reads. Bookish Check In Ashley - Lyssa Kay Adams’s The Bromance Book Cl

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May 19, 2020
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! May 19, 2019 featuring Collins, Henry, Santos

By Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Suzanne Collins's The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: A Hunger Games Novel Description from Publisher: "Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price. "It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate

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May 13, 2020
28 min

125: 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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May 7, 2020
2 min

Sarah Morgenthaler's THE TOURIST ATTRACTION - A Sweet Romance to Brighten Your Day

Happy Pub Week to Sarah Morgenthaler's The Tourist Attraction! Thanks to partner NetGalley for the egalley in exchange for an honest review. This sweet contemporary romance, which came out on Tuesday, was such an easy, happy read. I loved it! The book opens with super-grumpy restaurant owner Graham begrudgingly serving tourists in his restaurant, The Tourist Trap. In wanders Zoey, who has saved for years to finally take a vacation to Moose Springs, Alaska, with her wealthy fr

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