Unabridged Podcast

Welcome to Unabridged! Ashley and Jen (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.

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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Jan 25
5 min

246: Celeste Ng's OUR MISSING HEARTS - January 2023 Book Club

Have you read this propulsive near future dystopian novel by podcast favorite Celeste Ng? To kick off the new year, we're pleased to share our thoughts on our first book club pick of 2023, Celeste Ng's Our Missing Hearts (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). We also include our pairings, Valeria Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Veronica Roth’s Poster Girl (Bookshop.org). We're discussing this one on Instagram on January 30th at 8 PM EST, so message us if

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Jan 11
4 min

245: Reading Challenges - 2022 Review and 2023 Plans

Have you found a 2023 reading challenge yet? We're excited to share our 2023 Unabridged Reading Challenge, which we discuss on today's episode. Jen and Ashley also share our reflections on our 2022 reading challenges as we look back over the year, and we share our other reading challenge plans for 2023. Jen plans to do the #23backlistin2023 challenge, the ToB reading list, and her own Jane Austen reading challenge (#readausten2023). Ashley plans to participate in the Uncorked

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Dec 28, 2022
6 min

244: Sonya Lalli's A HOLLY JOLLY DIWALI - December 2022 Book Club

Looking for a fun, illuminating holiday-centered read? Check out Sonya Lalli's A Holly Jolly Diwali (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), our December Unabridged book club pick. In this episode, Jen and Ashley discuss thoughts about A Holly Jolly Diwali and share our book pairings including Jean Meltzer’s The Matzah Ball (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Thrity Umrigar’s Honor (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Are you interested in more content from Unabridged? Join us on Patreon where for $5 a mo

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Dec 14, 2022
6 min

243: Unabridged Book Awards for 2022

In this annual episode that causes us much consternation, Jen and Ashley share some special books we've read during 2022. We reflect over the year, and we each create and give awards to some of our top reads from our 2022 reading lists. It's so hard each year to choose! For a few more picks, join us on Patreon for an extra bonus episode featuring additional bookish awards. (We just couldn't fit them all in here!) For $5 a month, you can be a Bookish Best Friend with access to

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Nov 23, 2022
5 min

242: Kelly Barnhill's THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON - November 2022 Book Club

Looking for an amazing children's book that is perfect for many audiences? For our November book club pick, Jen and Ashley discuss Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). We offer our pairings, including Tae Keller’s When You Trap a Tiger (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Melissa Albert’s Our Crooked Hearts (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). We wrap up by talking about our feelings about whether we are morning or night people. Interested in supporting us?

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Nov 9, 2022
5 min

241: Our Cozy Reads 2022 Book Recommendations

On today's Cozy Reads 2022 Recommendations episode, Ashley and Jen share some recent books they've loved that fall into the cozy reads camp. We share abo Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake and Sarah Addison Allen’s Other Birds. (Ashley would like to note that her pick has some cozy components but is an open door romance!) As we mention in the episode, Libro.fm is doing Credit Bundles for the holidays, and we're happy to support them as an affiliate! Looking for more cozy reads? B

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Oct 26, 2022
5 min

240: Tiffany D. Jackson's THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD - October 2022 Book Club

Oh my goodness, drop what you are doing and read this book! Spoiler alert: Jen and Ashley both loved Tiffany D. Jackson's The Weight of Blood (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) so much, and there is a ton to discuss. This one just came out in September. In the episode, we also offer a couple of other spooky reads perfect for the fall reading season including R. J. Jacobs’s Always the First to Die (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Ace of Spades (Bookshop.org | Libro

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Oct 12, 2022
4 min

239: Interview with Barrett Holmes Pitner, Author of THE CRIME WITHOUT A NAME

In this episode, Ashley talks with Barrett Holmes Pitner, author of The Crime Without a Name: Ethnocide and the Erasure of Culture in America (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Pitner shares some thoughts and perspectives on what ethnocide looks like in American history, where we are culturally today, and what we can do to look toward a more fulfilling future tomorrow. In addition to being an author and journalist, Barrett is founder of The Sustainable Culture Lab. You can connect wi

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Sep 28, 2022
4 min

238: Madeline Miller's THE SONG OF ACHILLES - September 2022 Book Club

Do you enjoy retellings of the epics? Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) is a retelling of Homer's The Illiad. Jen and Ashley share our thoughts about this book club pick, and we share our pairings including Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Looking for more Unabridged content? Join us on Patreon, where we release an additional episode each month. Bookish Chec

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Sep 14, 2022
4 min

237: Environmental and Nature Book Recs Perfect for the Reading Challenge

Have you read any books that center nature or the environment lately? In this episode, Ashley and Jen share books they've read recently - including Charlotte McConaghy's Once There Were Wolves (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - that consider the role of nature as part of the story. These recommendations are perfect for the 2022 Reading Challenge category about the environment. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Abdi Nazemian’

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Aug 24, 2022
5 min

236: Laura Gao's MESSY ROOTS - August 2022 Book Club

In our August 2022 book club episode, we discuss Laura Gao's Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American. We share pairings for Gao's memoir including Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club and Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese. Join us for the book club discussion of this one on Instagram! Just message us to be added to the chat. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Steven Rowley’s The Editor (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Jen - Lalita Tademy’s Red River (Bookshop.org |

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Aug 10, 2022
2 min

235: Great Middle Grade Recs for 2022

In this episode of the Unabridged Podcast, Ashley and Jen share some middle grade recs by authors of color perfect for anyone working on the Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. Kacen Callendar's King and the Dragonflies and Varsha Bajaj’s Count Me In would both be fantastic additions to your TBR. We round out our book discussion with our Bookish Check-in and share some favorite pet stories. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Maureen Johnson’s The Box in the Woods (Truly Devious #4)

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Jul 27, 2022
5 min

234: Season 5 Wrap Up

Ashley, Jen, and Sara describe—in the bookish check-in—some summer reads they loved this summer, including Diana Gabaldon's Go Tell the Bees that I Am Gone, Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke, Peter Swanson's Before She Knew Him, and Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s The Golden Couple. Sara shares a big announcement: she's signing off, so we send her off with so much love. And they offer some of their favorite ice cream flavors and places. Bookish Check-in / Summer Reads Ashl

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Jun 9, 2022
2 min

233: Teaching Tidbits - Jen with A Teacher's Plan for Summer

In this Unabridged Episode, Jen discusses the end of the school year and her plan for summer. She talks about taking some much needed rest and relaxation. In addition, she discusses some of the processes she will go through to prepare for the next school year. Bookish Check-in Micaiah Johnson's The Space Between Worlds (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) #shownotes #jensteachingtidbits (A note to our readers: click on the hashtags above to see our other blog posts with the same hashta

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Jun 1, 2022
3 min

232: Book-to-Film Adaptation Discussion:THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

In this episode, Jen and Sara discuss 2018's adaptation of Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org). They discuss this movie--what they liked, what they didn't, and their overall feelings about the adaptation. Check it out and let us know what you think! And don't miss their discussion on the book in last week's episode! Bookish Check-in Jen - T. E. Kinsey’s The Burning Issue of the Day (read by Elizabeth

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May 25, 2022
2 min

231: Shaffer and Barrows's THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY - May 2022 Book Club

In this Unabridged episode, Sara and Jen discuss Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. We also share our pairings, including works by Helen Hanff and Kim Fay. Bookish Check-in Jen - Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees (Bookshop.org) Sara - Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Forever, Interrupted (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Pairings Jen - Helen Hanff’s 84, Charing Cross Road (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Sara - Kim Fay's Love and Saffron (Bo

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May 18, 2022
4 min

230: Our Historical Fiction Recs

Do you need a recommendation for a historical fiction book? Listen to this episode to hear recommendations from Sara, Jen, and Ashley. We feature Ruta Sepetys’s The Fountains of Silence, Sarah Winman’s Still Life, and Kim Fay’s Love & Saffron, and we discuss what we loved about these picks. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Laura Dave’s Eight Hundred Grapes (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Jen - Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Sara - Jordan Calhoun’s Piccolo Is

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May 11, 2022
1 min

229: Teaching Tidbit - Sara with the Creator Studio Add-On For Google Slides

In this Unabridged Episode, Sara discusses an add-on for Google Slides. She talks about Creator Studio, an add on that allows you to convert any Google Slide Show to an animated GIF for video slideshow. Bookish Check-in Jesse Q. Sutanto's Four Aunties and a Wedding (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Mentioned in Episode Jesse Q. Sutanto's Dial "A" for Aunties (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Episode 215: Cuddle Up with These Cozy Mystery Recs #shownotes #sarasteachingtidbit (A note to our re

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May 4, 2022
3 min

228: Book-to-Film Adaptation Discussion: Lauren Weisberger's THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

In this episode, Jen and Sara discuss 2006's adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org). They discuss this beloved movie--what they liked, what they didn't, and their overall feelings about the adaptation. Check it out and let us know what you think! Bookish Check-in Jen - Charmaine Wilkerson’s Black Cake (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Sara - Rebecca Serle’s One Italian Summer (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Give Me One - Childhood Character #shown

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Apr 27, 2022
7 min

227: Angie Thomas's CONCRETE ROSE - April 2022 Book Club

We are long-time Angie Thomas fans here at Unabridged (check out our episodes focused on The Hate U Give here and its adaptation here), so Ashley, Jen, and Sara were thrilled when we heard she was publishing a prequel focused on Maverick. Concrete Rose is (spoiler alert!) a five-star read for us, so we have a wide-ranging discussion of the book. We also share our pairings, including works by Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, and Laekan Zea Kemp. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Thi

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