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.

Want to get more involved? Check out our 2021 reading challenge, join our buddy reads on Instagram, or become an Unabridged Ambassador!

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May 2
6 min

A Look at Our 2022 Buddy Reads . . . So Far

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Every month, I lead a buddy read over @unabridgedpod, focusing on a YA novel. We cover backlist titles and new releases, and our genres vary as well. They're always enlightening, and whether it's a first read or a re-read, I learn something from discussing the book with our community. (We'd love for you to join us! Just message us on IG or email us at unabridgedpod@gmail.com to find out more.) In 2022, we've covered four books, and our April r

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Apr 29
3 min

Sarah Moon's SPARROW--YA Lit for Mental Health Awareness Month

by (@meaningfulmadness) Sarah Moon's Sparrow (Bookshop.org) Today, I want to talk to you about Sparrow by Sarah Moon. As we head into May, Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought I would highlight a YA book that focuses on mental health in young adults. Sparrow (the main character's name) is a story of an eighth grade girl navigating middle school, a mother with high-expectations, an affinity toward birds, and feelings that she doesn't quite understand. Having been an eight

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Apr 27
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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Apr 26
4 min

New Book Releases Featuring Jennifer Close, Kristen Dwyer, and Remma Patel

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Remma Patel's Such Big Dreams (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Description from Publisher: "Rakhi is a twenty-three-year-old haunted by the grisly aftermath of an incident that led to the loss of her best friend eleven years ago. Constantly reminded she doesn’t belong, Rakhi lives alone in a Mumbai slum, working as a lowly office assistant at Justice For All, a struggling human-rights

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Apr 19
4 min

New Book Releases Featuring James Bird, Sajni Patel, and Sascha Rothchild

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Sascha Rothchild's Blood Sugar (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Description from Publisher: “'I could just kill you right now!' It’s something we’ve all thought at one time or another. But Ruby has actually acted on it. Three times, to be exact. "Though she may be a murderer, Ruby is not a sociopath. She is an animal-loving therapist with a thriving practice. She’s felt empathy and sy

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Apr 15
3 min

Daniel José Older's BALLAD & DAGGER - A New YA Pathway for Rick Riordan Presents

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Daniel José Older’s Ballad & Dagger (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Thanks to partners NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the digital ARC of Daniel José Older’s Ballad & Dagger in exchange for an honest review. The book is out on May 3! I’ve talked often about my love for the Rick Riordan Presents imprint on the Unabridged Podcast. Of course, I’m a fan of Riordan’s work, which I enjoyed and my boys have read and re-read, but I also so app

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Apr 14
2 min

225: Teaching Tidbits - Jen with Choosing Books for Your Class

In this Unabridged Episode, Jen discusses how she chooses books for her classroom. She talks about the steps she uses to select, obtain, and vet books that she will use for literature circles, whole class reads, and individual reads. In addition, she discusses whether she uses thematic or chronological units and what she plans on sharing with you in the future. Bookish Check-in Holly Jackson's As Good As Dead (A Good Girls Guide to Murder, Book #3) (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) M

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Apr 11
5 min

10+ YA Mystery (or Mystery-Adjacent) Novels You Must Investigate*

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) *pun intended Last week, Sara and I chatted about the pilot of the adaptation of Karen McManus's One of Us Is Lying (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)—you can check out the episode here—so I thought I'd dive into some other YA mysteries (or YA books with mystery elements) I've enjoyed recently. (I'm excerpting a lot of these reviews from my Instagram account!) Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Inheritance Games (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and The Hawthorne Lega

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Apr 8
3 min

Samantha Markum's THIS MAY END BADLY - A Prank War with Heart

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Samantha Markum's This May End Badly (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Thanks to partners NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC of Samantha Markum’s This May End Badly in exchange for an honest review. The book is out on April 12! I picked up Samantha Markum’s This May End Badly when I was in somewhat of a reading slump . . . which Markum promptly ended. I could not put down this book! The novel begins with Doe and her best friends (Gemma,

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Apr 6
2 min

224: Book-to-Film Adaptation Discussion: Karen M. McManus's ONE OF US IS LYING

In this episode, Jen and Sara discuss Peacock's adaptation of Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org). They discuss the pilot episode--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 - Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Sara - Angie Thomas’s Concrete Rose (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Give Me One . . . Recent Movie You'd Recomme

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Mar 29
4 min

New Book Releases Featuring Kosoko Jackson, Dylan Marron, and Jesse Q. Sutano

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Jesse Q. Sutano's Four Aunties and a Wedding (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "The aunties are back, fiercer than ever and ready to handle any catastrophe—even the mafia—in this delightful and hilarious sequel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties. "Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now

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Mar 22
4 min

New Book Releases Featuring Dana Brown, Judy I. Lin, and Taj McCoy

by Sara (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Taj McCoy's Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org) Description from Publisher: "A delicious debut rom-com about a plus-size sweetheart who gets a full-life makeover after a brutal breakup—with the help of an irresistible cast of friends and family, a kitchen reno and a devastatingly handsome contractor. "Savvy Sheldon spends a lot of time tiptoeing around the crac

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Mar 4
3 min

Karen M. McManus's ONE OF US IS LYING--A Backlist Twisty YA Romp

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) In One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper, Nate, and Simon are assigned to detention under suspicious circumstances. When one of them is dead by the end of the detention period, the remaining four become suspects. All of them have motive. Did one of them commit the crime? This is the question that is explored over the course of the novel. I really enjoye

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Feb 15
4 min

New Book Releases Featuring Cohoe, Lindemann, and Nazemian

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Here are three books coming out today that I'm excited to read! Samantha Cohoe's Bright Ruined Things (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Description from Publisher: "Forbidden magic, a family secret, and a night to reveal it all… "The only life Mae has ever known is on the island, living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family who control the island’s magic and its spirits. Mae longs for magic of her own and to have a place among the Prosper fa

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Feb 14
6 min

5 Books I Wanted to Hug When I Finished Reading

by Sara Voigt (@meaningfulmadness) Today is Valentine's Day. Instead of making a list of romance books, I thought I would do something a little different. You know that feeling you get after reading a book that is just so satisfying that you want to hug it at the end? (Maybe it's just me, but you get my point...) Well, today, my list is going to be five of those books for me. These books aren't necessarily romance books, but they are books that hit the spot and were everythin

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Feb 4
3 min

Samantha Cohoe's BRIGHT RUINED THINGS - THE TEMPEST Doesn't Matter

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to partners NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC of Samantha Cohoe’s Bright Ruined Things (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) in exchange for an honest review. The book is out on February 15! Samantha Cohoe’s Bright Ruined Things is a YA retelling of The Tempest (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) set in the 1920s, but you definitely don’t need to have read the play to enjoy this fabulous novel. (I read the play last in college, a looong time

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Jan 14
3 min

Emma Lord's WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE - A New Book from an Auto-Read Author

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to partners NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC of Emma Lord's When You Get the Chance (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) in exchange for an honest review. When You Get the Chance is my second book by Emma Lord. (I loved You Have a Match [Bookshop.org | Libro.fm] and have Tweet Cute [Bookshop.org | Libro.fm] on my shelf to read ASAP.) Yes, she’s now an auto-read author for me. This one focuses on Millie Cooper, a super-extroverted,

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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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Nov 12, 2021
2 min

Alix E. Harrow's A SPINDLE SPLINTERED - A Twist on the Sleeping Beauty Story

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) I picked up Alix E. Harrow's A Spindle Splintered (Amazon | Bookshop.org) for two reasons: (1) I loved her novel The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Amazon | Bookshop.org) and (2) I love a good fairytale retelling. (Check out our most recent episode, all about fairytale retellings, for more recs along these lines.) This slim book—it's only 128 pages—is a retelling or remix of the Sleeping Beauty story (one of my favorites). Here, the protagonis

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Nov 10, 2021
7 min

203: Discover New Fairy Tale Retellings with Our Latest Recommendations

What is a favorite fairy tale retelling for you? At Unabridged, we are having so much fun with the Fairy Tale Retellings category on this year's Unabridged Reading Challenge! We're coming at you this week with three new fairy tale retelling recommendations, including Elizabeth Lim’s Six Crimson Cranes, Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Kalynn Bayron’s Cinderella Is Dead, all of which were excellent! Don't miss this fun discussion; you're sure to find a retellin

Unabridged Podcast

A Look at Our 2022 Buddy Reads . . . So Far

Sarah Moon's SPARROW--YA Lit for Mental Health Awareness Month

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

New Book Releases Featuring Jennifer Close, Kristen Dwyer, and Remma Patel

New Book Releases Featuring James Bird, Sajni Patel, and Sascha Rothchild

Daniel José Older's BALLAD & DAGGER - A New YA Pathway for Rick Riordan Presents

225: Teaching Tidbits - Jen with Choosing Books for Your Class

10+ YA Mystery (or Mystery-Adjacent) Novels You Must Investigate*

Samantha Markum's THIS MAY END BADLY - A Prank War with Heart

224: Book-to-Film Adaptation Discussion: Karen M. McManus's ONE OF US IS LYING

New Book Releases Featuring Kosoko Jackson, Dylan Marron, and Jesse Q. Sutano

New Book Releases Featuring Dana Brown, Judy I. Lin, and Taj McCoy

Karen M. McManus's ONE OF US IS LYING--A Backlist Twisty YA Romp

New Book Releases Featuring Cohoe, Lindemann, and Nazemian

5 Books I Wanted to Hug When I Finished Reading

Samantha Cohoe's BRIGHT RUINED THINGS - THE TEMPEST Doesn't Matter

Emma Lord's WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE - A New Book from an Auto-Read Author

Five of Sara's Favorite Reads of 2021 (Part 2)

Alix E. Harrow's A SPINDLE SPLINTERED - A Twist on the Sleeping Beauty Story

203: Discover New Fairy Tale Retellings with Our Latest Recommendations

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