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 2023 reading challenge, join our buddy reads or book club on Instagram, or sign up on Patreon!

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4 days ago
3 min

Ashley Schumacher's THE RENAISSANCE OF GWEN HATHAWAY - Bards, Princesses, and More!

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Thanks to partners NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC of Ashley Schumacher’s The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway (Bookshop.org). The book came out this week! Ashley Schumacher’s The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway, her third novel, centers on the story of Madeline Hathaway. Maddy’s life is just a bit unusual: since she was born, she’s traveled with her parents on the Renaissance Faire circuit. She’s never attended in-person school. In

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Feb 17
3 min

Priyanka Taslim’s THE LOVE MATCH - Jane Austen with a Twist

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) After my epic, #readausten22 buddy read in 2022, I’m primed for some amazing retellings of Jane Austen’s books, and Priyanka Taslim’s The Love Match (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) exceeded my expectations. Zahra Kahn is a Bangladeshi American teenager who has just graduated from high school. She lives with her mother and two younger siblings in a small apartment in Paterson, New Jersey, where they try to make ends meet after her father’s death seve

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Oct 5, 2022
5 min

7 Deliciously Witchy, Supernatural, and Magical Books Perfect for This Spooky Season

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Longtime listeners know that these days, I'm not usually big on spooky reads or horror books. However, I do love atmospheric reads, and I (perhaps contradictorily!) am a big fan of seasonal reads for the fall. The books I included here, all of which are middle grade or YA lit, are perfect for readers who enjoy a great seasonal book but who aren't looking for the kind of story that gives you nightmares. If you're looking for m

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Sep 23, 2022
3 min

Rachel Lynn Solomon's SEE YOU YESTERDAY - A New Take on the Time Loop Story

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Rachel Lynn Solomon's See You Yesterday (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) I love a time loop story. Groundhog Day. Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall. Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life. Russian Doll. And now? Rachel Lynn Solomon’s See You Yesterday takes its place among my favorites. I’m regrettably late to Solomon’s work, but I’m so excited to read more—she excels at both YA and adult romance. In See You Yesterday, Solomon uses the time loop premise to expl

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Sep 9, 2022
2 min

Jennifer Lynn Barnes's THE INHERITANCE GAMES — The Trilogy Is Finished!

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Since book three of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Inheritance Games trilogy (Bookshop.org) came out last week, I thought it would be a good time to revisit my review of books one and two! Here's what I said . . . I've been on a YA mystery kick for a while now, which kicked off with Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series (Bookshop.org; Libro.fm - book 1), continued with Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Bookshop.org; Libro.fm) (I'm wa

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Sep 2, 2022
3 min

Emiko Jean's TOKYO EVER AFTER - Discovering Japan and the World

by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@teachingtheapocalypse) Emiko Jean's Tokyo Ever After (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) I just finished Emiko Jean'sTokyo Dreaming (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), book 2 in this series, which I devoured on audio all in one sitting. (Yes, I was also driving across several states at the time, which I've done a lot of this summer. The book was a great driving companion!) Listening to Book 2 reminded me of all of the things I absolutely love about this brilliant

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Aug 26, 2022
2 min

Ashley Schumacher's FULL FLIGHT - A Strong Second Novel

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Ashley Schumacher's Full Flight (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) I absolutely loved Ashley Schumacher’s debut, Amelia Unabridged (Libro.fm), sobbing my way through that gorgeous YA romance, so I was eager to read her second book, Full Flight. This one did not disappoint! This tale of young love and marching band set in small-town Texas made my heart happy. Weston Ryan is an outcast in Enfield, set apart by his divorced parents, his leather jacket, an

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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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Jun 3, 2022
3 min

Rachel Lynn Solomon's SEE YOU YESTERDAY - A Fabulous YA Time Loop Story

by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books) Rachel Lynn Solomon's See You Yesterday (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Thanks to partners NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the digital ARC of Rachel Lynn Solomon’s See You Yesterday in exchange for an honest review. I love a time loop story. Groundhog Day. Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall. Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life. Russian Doll. And now? Rachel Lynn Solomon’s See You Yesterday takes its place among my favorites. I’m regrettably late to Solo

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May 2, 2022
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, 2022
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, 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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Apr 26, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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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