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.

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May 27
4 min

Joshilyn Jackson's MOTHER MAY I--Unexpected and Twisty

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Joshilyn Jackson's Mother May I (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) I have read several of Joshilyn Jackson’s books and have enjoyed them, so I was excited to see her new release in April. I was in the mood for a twisty book, so I listened to this one on audio. Jackson narrated the audiobook, and hearing her narrate her own characters added an extra layer of authenticity to the characters as I read. *Before I proceed, I want to make a clear trigger wa

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Feb 22
4 min

New Book Releases Featuring Ali-Afzal, Pek, and Wrobel

by Sara (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Aliya Ali-Afzal's Would I Lie to You (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Description from Publisher: "At the school gates, Faiza fits in. It took a few years, but now the snobbish white mothers who mistook her for the nanny treat her as one of their own. She’s learned to crack their subtle codes, speak their language of fashion and vacations and haircuts. You’d never guess, seeing her at the t

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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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Oct 18, 2021
4 min

Perfect October Reads to Feed Your 90s Nostalgia

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Last week, my 90s nostalgia was on full display with our episode all about the 90s horror classic Scream. Sara and I had a great time diving into our re-watch in which we discovered what aged well—and didn't—about that scary movie fave. Thinking about that film made me want to revisit some spooky (or spooky-adjacent) books I read and loved in the 90s. Two caveats: (1) These books were not all published in the 90s. (2) I have NOT re-read these

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Sep 20, 2021
3 min

5 Versatile Authors to Check Out Now

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) On Wednesday, we'll be sharing authors who write either for multiple age groups, genres, or both. We discussed several of our favorite authors on the episode. Here are some other authors who we love who write broadly! Jason Reynolds: It is no secret that here at the podcast, we adore Jason Reynolds. He has a myriad of books written for both upper elementary/middle grade readers and young adult readers. Some of our favorites include The Track

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Jul 9, 2021
2 min

Rachel Donohue's THE TEMPLE HOUSE VANISHING - A Haunting, Atmospheric Read

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner Algonquin Books for the ARC of Rachel Donohue's The Temple House Vanishing (Amazon | Bookshop.org) in exchange for an honest review. This one just came out on July 6! Rachel Donohue's The Temple House Vanishing is an atmospheric, gorgeous novel about the friendship between two girls and the charismatic teacher who lies at the center of their relationship. Louisa is the new girl at the Temple House, a scholarship girl who is m

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Jun 15, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs for June 15, 2021, featuring Diamond, Michaelides, and the Nanuas

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) There are SO many good books coming out today, but here are just three books that I'm excited to discuss! Cheryl Diamond's Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "By the age of nine, I will have lived in more than a dozen countries, on five continents, under six assumed identities. I’ll know how a document is forged, how to withstand an interrogation, and most important, how to disapp

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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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May 7, 2021
2 min

Jennifer Weiner's THAT SUMMER - Compelling Characters Build Suspense

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to Partner NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital ARC of Jennifer Weiner’s That Summer (Amazon | Bookshop.org) in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, May 11. Somehow, That Summer is only my third book by Jennifer Weiner, but I definitely need to dive into her backlist because I devoured this novel. I could NOT put it down. It’s (1) a great summer read (and it’s finally feeling like summer!); (2) a bo

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Apr 13, 2021
4 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for April 13, 2021, featuring Jalaluddin, Stoeve, and Thorne

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read (plus two more that I've already read!) Uzma Jalaluddin's Hana Khan Carries On Description from Publisher: "Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighbourhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio

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Dec 29, 2020
5 min

Pub Day Shout-Outs! for December 29, featuring de León, Benedict, Sullivan, and Wielberg

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Here are four books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Aya de León's A Spy in the Struggle Description from Publisher: "Since childhood, Yolanda Vance has forged her desire to escape poverty into a laser-like focus that took her through prep school and Harvard Law. So when her prestigious New York law firm is raided by the FBI, Yolanda turns in her corrupt bosses to save her career—and goes to work for the Bureau. Soon she's sent under

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Oct 14, 2020
8 min

147: Our 2020 Spooky Reads Recommendations

This week, Unabridged Podcast is launching into the Halloween spirit with some spooky recommendations. After our Bookish Check-in—featuring a guest appearance by Unabridged Ambassador Talie—each of shares a perfect October pick, and then (for our Give Me One) we talk about our autumn favorites. What spooky reads would you recommend? Are you a seasonal reader? We'd love to hear from you on social media or in comments below! Bookish Check-in Ashley - Nic Stone’s Shuri Jen - V.

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Feb 10, 2020
4 min

Best Reads of 2019--Sara's Picks

You are going to notice right away that my "Best of 2019" list isn't nearly as long as my counterparts. Honestly, 2019 was just not a great year of reading for me. I read a lot of books, but there just weren't a ton that really stood out to me. However, the ones that I did read, made a huge impact. I will say that I have read way more non-fiction this year than I have in other years AND OVER HALF (!) of the books on my list are non-fiction! My fingers are crossed for a more s

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Jan 31, 2020
3 min

Nick Bilton's AMERICAN KINGPIN: High-Suspense Narrative Nonfiction - Sara's Review

Oh, boy! Do I have a book for you. This book is a true-crime, narrative nonfiction, and it is fabulous. It is Nick Bilton’s 2017 Bestseller American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road. So, here’s the thing, if you don’t like true crime, you still might want to give it a go. If you don’t like nonfiction, you might still want to give it a go. If you read John Carreyrou’s 2018 New York Times bestseller Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon

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Jan 22, 2020
2 min

Welcome - Introduction and Overview

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

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Jun 26, 2019
1 min

79: Our Recommendations to Each Other - I Just Love This Book

The Unabridged crew took time in our most recent short episode (#unabridgedshorts) to recommend books to each other, which was fun . . . and a little scary! (It's weirdly vulnerable.) Check out what we chose to recommend for each other, and let us know if you have other books you think we'd would appreciate (or, of course, if you think we got something really wrong!). Jen’s Recs For Ashley - Ingrid Rojas Contreras’s Fruit of the Drunken Tree Sujata Massey’s The Widows of Mal

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Oct 10, 2018
1 min

42 - Our Children Making Their Rounds: Bring Your Own Book Game #2

-Alternate Titles- There was a lot of this type of laughter. OR When you giggle before you start, I feel trepidation. OR I feel like the awkward has gone up a slight bit. OR Always an adventure around here. OR I can't wait, or maybe I can. Maybe a long time. Prompt #1: A phrase that would be extra creepy if you whispered it. Jen - Fredrik Backman's Us Against You Ashley - Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass Sara - Shea Ernshaw's The Wicked Deep Prompt #2: The Name of a Popular

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