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

In this Book Club episode of the Unabridged Podcast, we talk about Christina Lauren's holiday rom-com, In a Holidaze. After our Bookish Check-in, where we each share what we're reading, we chat about the novel and then offer another holiday book recommendation. We end with our Give Me One and talk about holiday songs that make us cringe. We'd love to know what holiday books you'd recommend! Head over to our social media pages to share some recs. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Nic

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we are sharing about a favorite topic of ours, seasonal reads. We discuss some favorite reads that revolve around winter in some way, including Fredrik Backman’s Beartown, Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child, Ruta Sepetys’s Between Shades of Gray, and George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. Our Recommendations Ashley - Fredrik Backman’s Beartown Neil Gaiman’s American Gods Sara - Megan Collins’s The Winter Sister Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Ch

In this episode, we're facing the new year (and new decade!) and considering our reading lives and goals. We've also each signed up for a different reading challenge including Book Riot's 2020 Read Harder Challenge, the Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge, and The Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge for 2020. We're talking all things goal and resolution-oriented, and we're making grand plans for how our reading lives will look this year. Will they work out? We'll keep you all

Just getting started with Unabridged Podcast? Welcome! We're Ashley, Jen, and Sara, and we are teachers and podcasters who are passionate about books. We have four kinds of posts here on our blog. On Mondays, we post about our Bookish Faves, on Tuesdays we do Pub Day Shout-outs, on Wednesdays our episodes drop, and on Fridays, we post book reviews. (Be on the lookout on Thursdays, too; we sometimes have an extra post then!) There are many ways to connect with us! In addition

The Unabridged debate over what makes a holiday movie gets a little contentious as Jen and Sara face off (primarily) about Love Actually. Poor Ashley serves as moderator (sorry, Ashley!). What do YOU think makes a Christmas movie? Does it have to be ABOUT Christmas, or is it enough to be set during the holiday season? Let us know what you think @unabridgedpod! Movie Mentions Love Actually Elf Christmas with the Kranks Deck the Halls Jingle All the Way Notting Hill The Polar E

Stephen and Owen King's Sleeping Beauties - "We could go on like this forever. He said, she said. The oldest story in the universe." Stephen King is consistently one of my favorite authors--his storytelling ability never fails. His recent novel with his son Owen King falls solidly within his oeuvre. Real-world issues combine with fantastical problems (in this case, women are falling asleep only to be cocooned in silky webs). The Kings take on feminism, the male tendency to vi

Thanks to partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Shea Ernshaw’s Winterwood in exchange for an honest review. The book released Tuesday, November 5. “I am a Walker. I am the thing whispered about, the thing that conjures goosebumps and nightmares” (loc. 131). Evocative. Atmospheric. Beautifully written. Shea Ernshaw’s Winterwood is a gorgeous YA fantasy novel set in a world just next door to our own. Teenager Nora Walker, the Walker (or, perhaps, witch) at the center of the

Friends, for our Unabridged Book Club book this month, we're reading Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb's epistolary novel ​Last Christmas in Paris. This book, set predominantly during World War I, unveils the relationships of two characters, Evie and Tom, through the letters they write to each other and to friends and family. Through the lens of their very personal letters, readers also gain an understanding of other concerns of the time, including the growing role of women in Gr

Get in the bookish spirit with Unabridged! We're offering our recommendations for some of the best bookish gifts out there from businesses like Lyndsey Draws, A Hum for Hope, Mountain Thread Company, and Bring Your Own. It's that time of year again, friends. You know it: the time of year when we are all about finding the perfect gift for the bookworms in your life. We have a great time in this episode talking about some of our favorite bookish shops and items for all your boo

Join us for our 2019 edition of Spooky Stories! ​​We're here again this season to share with you our latest seasonal and spooky favorites. We'll talk the latest books (including Shea Ernshaw's Winterwood, coming out on November 5th... SO GOOD!), and we will share our thoughts about some of the Book of the Month picks from this season (including Alex North's The Whisper Man, Alex Michaelides’s The Silent Patient, and Riley Sager's The Last Time I Lied).  ​ What are you reading

Our short episode in which we pair two characters from two different books, those literary folks we think might be friends in real life, proved to be more challenging than we anticipated. Fortunately, as friends in real life (ha!), we supported each other, confirming the validity (when we could) of our choices. Listen to this new short episode, and then let us know what you think: are these friendships viable? what friendships do YOU think might work in real life?. Jen’s Matc

We'll let you guess just which one of us went shopping in her Kindle closet . . . and then cheated to share an extra book (or two . . . or three!) on this episode. Well, actually, we ALL cheated because we have SO many books coming out this fall that we're eagerly anticipating. As a sneak peek, we're including Peter Heller’s Celine, Rainbow Rowell’s Wayward Son​, and Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys. Take a listen to our TBR lists, and then let us know what books you look f

What says summer more than curling up with a good book and a nice glass of  . . . something? Unabridged dives into book and drink pairings in this episode. We share some books we've read, some books we hope to read, and the drinks that pop into our minds (sometimes spontaneously, and sometimes after a bit of Googling). After you listen, head over to social media to let us know what you think of our recommendations and what you'd recommend! You can find us @unabridgedpod on In

​In this summer highlights episode, we're sharing three of our most popular Unabridged Short Story episodes! You can join us on the Rainbow Rowell Train, pick up some steamy recommendations, and learn all about our worst (or maybe best?) literary sins. We'd love to hear your newest recommendations for our TBR, your best steamy picks, and (of course!) your true confessions. timeline ​These are the episodes included in this summer highlights episode: Episode 57, "Anticipated Re

We at Unabridged are SO. Excited. About summer! As unrepentant bookworms, we have been plotting and planning which books we can fit in over our summer break. We are therefore happy to share our Summer TBR lists with you (and with each other) in this #unabridgedshort. What's on your summer TBR? Let us know on social media (@unabridgedpod). Books Mentioned Jen's TBR List Stephen and Owen King’s Sleeping Beauties Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On (to prep for the sequel!) Harry Potter s

"This is me. This is my family. This is love." ~Gretchen Anthony Spoilers are inevitable throughout our discussion, so consider whether or not to listen if you haven't yet read the book, Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners! ​ Timeline Introduction and Summary of the Book: 0:00 - 01:13 Main Discussion: 01:13 - 33:43​ Book Pairings: 33:53 - 43:15 Classroom Connections: 43:15 - 45:38 Book Pairings Jen - Helen Hanff's 84, Charing Cross Road Ashley - Jenny Han's To All the Boy