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- Oct 5, 2020
- 3 min
The Super Rooster Is Coming--Join in the Fun!
by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) I have made no secret of my love for all things Tournament of Books related. Every year for 16 years, The Morning News holds a tournament in March to advance one of 16 books to a Rooster win. Somewhere in there, they added Camp ToB, a smaller competition, in which one winner is chosen . . . that winner advances to the Tournament of Books challenge for the following March. The Tournament runners are taking advantage of the 16th anniversary to p
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- Mar 16, 2020
- 1 min
Jen's Tournament of Books Brackets
Friends, the Tournament of Books is upon us! Though this will be no surprise, if you've been reading my (Jen's) ToB posts (here, here, here, and here) and know which books I've picked, I did want to share my pre-Tournament bracket with you. And here's how I've done so far . . . Three out of five isn't bad, right!? I'm reveling, as always, in the brilliance of the judgments. My favorites so far are Helen Rosner's discussion of Normal People vs. Fleishman Is in Trouble (even th
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- Mar 13, 2020
- 7 min
Tournament of Books - Days 7 and 8 - Jen's Take
Today, we have reached the final round of the Sweet Sixteen of The Morning News Tournament of Books. (If you'd like to read a little more background on what I (Jen) am up to here, check out this post.) This is not, I have to admit, my favorite section of the bracket (*hides face in shame*), but I'm making a valiant effort to share my opinions here. Day 7 (March 17) - Trust Exercise v. Overthrow Susan Choi's Trust Exercise - I recently listened to a podcast in which the guest
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- Mar 6, 2020
- 6 min
Tournament of Books - Days 5 and 6 - Jen's Take
Today, I (Jen) am discussing the third section of the Sweet Sixteen of The Morning News Tournament of Books. (If you'd like to read a little more background on what I'm up to here, check out this post.) I have some tough choices here, with THREE books that I really loved. And check out the end of the post, where I provide an update from the very first match-up of the competition Day 5 (March 13) - The Water Dancer v. Optic Nerve Ta-Nehisi Coates's The Water Dancer - ". . . me
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- Feb 28, 2020
- 6 min
Tournament of Books - Days 3 and 4 - Jen's Take
All right, I (Jen) am back with the next two match-ups in the The Morning News Tournament of Books. (If you'd like to read a little more background on what I'm up to here, check out this post.) Today, I have, for me, the first TRULY difficult decision of the Tournament. Day 3 (March 11) - Lost Children Archive v. Mary Toft; or, the Rabbit Queen Valeria Luiselli's Lost Children Archive - Valeria Luiselli's Lost Children Archive in some ways defies description. On one level, i
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- Feb 21, 2020
- 5 min
Tournament of Books - Days 1 and 2 - Jen's Take
You all may be well aware that I (Jen) am low-key obsessed with The Morning News Tournament of Books. I love to read as many of the books on the shortlist ahead of time as I can; I love to read the judgments throughout March (much refreshing happens until they're finally published each day!); and I love to see how my predictions fare compared to everyone else. This year, I've decided to share my OWN reviews from instagram and my picks. I'm just going to put my opinions out th
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- Jan 22, 2020
- 1 min
109: 2020 Reading Goals and Reading Challenges - I Can Share My Spreadsheet with You
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
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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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- Jan 17, 2020
- 2 min
Jami Attenberg's ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS, Jen's Review
Jami Attenberg's All This Could Be Yours is a stunning and incisive examination of the obligations we have as parents and as children to each other and about the way that loving someone is, in a sense, an obligation. It's also about what happens when someone is so horrible that he erases those obligations, that he eliminates the love others have. The novel centers on Victor, a man who is dying in the midst of a family he has abused and controlled for years. Though he excels
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