302: Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley’s Three Holidays and a Wedding - December Book Club

Do you love a good holiday story that brings different traditions, and unexpected friendships, together in one cozy, snowed-in town? We’re diving into our December Book Club pick, Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Before we get into the book club chat, we start with a bookish check-in: Jen shares about Nadia Davids’s Cape Fever (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Ashley talks about A. R. Abbott’s Founded on Blood and Magic (Bookshop.org).

From there, we get into all things Three Holidays and a Wedding. We talk about the way Maryam and Anna’s unlikely friendship becomes the heart of the story, the charm of the Snow Falls setting, and the beauty of seeing Ramadan, Hanukkah, and Christmas all woven into the same timeline. We also share book pairings, including Ali Brady’s Merry Little Bookshop (Bookshop.org) and Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and wrap up with our bookish heart ratings and a couple of Unabridged Favorites.

This is our final new episode of 2025, and we’ll be back soon with a re-release of a past book club discussion before we head into a new year of reading together. Also be sure to check out our 2026 Reading Challenge as we turn toward the new year! 

Bookish Check-in

Ashley - A.R. Abbott’s Founded on Blood and Magic (Bookshop.org)

Jen - Nadia Davids’s Cape Fever (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Our Book Club Pick

Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Our Pairings

Ashley - Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) 

Jen - Ali Brady’s Merry Little Bookshop (Bookshop.org)

Unabridged Favorites

Ashley - Man on the Inside season 2

Jen - Task

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Full Transcript for Episode

[00:00:34] Ashley: Hi, and welcome to Unabridged. This is episode 302. Today, we are discussing our December book Club Pick, and that is Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley. Before we get into our book club discussion today, we wanted to share our bookish check-in. Jen, what are you reading?

[00:00:55] Jen: As always, I am going to cheat just slightly. I just finished this book, and I've not started a new one yet. So this is Nadia Davids' Cape Fever, and by the time this episode releases, this will have been published, so it'll be last week for you all listening. I really love this. Davids is a new author for me.

[00:01:16] I'm not sure if this is her debut or not. The book is sort of gothic. It has a gothic feeling, and I really enjoyed it. It is set in South Africa, and it is about a young woman who is 19. Her name is Soraya, and she is looking for a job. The year is 1920 and her family and she's one of four children.

[00:01:40] Her mom does laundry in the community and works really hard. Her father can write, and that is his profession, so he will write messages to people like different stores and things like that. He is well educated, but they just aren't bringing in enough money. So, Soraya has recently left one position.

[00:02:03] The circumstances there were not great, and she's looking for another one. So she applies for a position with Mrs. Hattingh, and Mrs. Hattingh lives alone in this very large house. Her husband has died she has a son who was in the war. And he has never come back from London, so he's living there, but he keeps promising to visit.

[00:02:26] And so when Soraya takes this job, she knows that she will just be living with Mrs. Hattingh at first. Soraya is hoping that she can just go each day, but Mrs. Hattingh insists that if she wants the job that she has to live at the home, and it just becomes really claustrophobic. So Soraya's life becomes intertwined in ways that she did not anticipate with Mrs. Hattingh's life. Soraya is engaged to a young man who is in school to become a teacher, and Mrs.Hattingh knows that Soraya can't read or write, and says that she should write letters on 

Soraya's behalf to her fiancé. And so she sets aside a time each week that she will write these letters, and she starts decreasing the number of days that Soraya is allowed to leave the home to go visit her family.

[00:03:23] She's just like pulling Soraya in and getting more and more controlled, not just over where she spends her time, but also about how she expresses herself and about the communication she has with other people. And Soraya, she's picking up on this, but some of it is happening so gradually that there's no one point that she feels it's over the line.

[00:03:44] It's just this gradual creep. Yeah, I don't know that I should go any further in the plot, but I will say I felt like it was so atmospheric. I felt that David did such a good job creating a character in Soraya who is very dedicated to her family, and she has a lot of inclination to fight back against Mrs.

[00:04:05] Hattingh and to stand up for herself. But because she knows that to be a good maid and to keep a job and to help her family, she has to suppress all of that. So her inner voice is really strong, and you see her trying to work against her inclinations in ways that then make her very susceptible to someone like Mrs.

[00:04:23] Hattingh, who is just willing to take over her life. And, oh my gosh, a lot happened. So the setup was great. So yeah, I really loved it. It was Nadia Davids' Cape Fever.

[00:04:33] Ashley: Man, that sounds very interesting, Jen.

[00:04:37] Jen: Yeah, it was really good. It was very tense.

[00:04:40] Ashley: I'm like. What genre do you think? Like, thriller?

[00:04:44] Jen: It doesn't feel fast-paced enough to be a thrill. I mean, I kept thinking gothic horror and

[00:04:49] Ashley: Okay.

[00:04:49] Jen: Uhhuh.

[00:04:50] There are some. I wouldn't say it is a supernatural book, but there are some supernatural elements. It may verge on magical realism. I just listened to a whole podcast about what that is and isn't, and so I'm not sure it quite falls into that, but it's like verging on that because it is very grounded in reality and yet there are some spirits and Soraya does have the ability to see some things that other people can't, that affect this feeling of claustrophobia and that make her.

[00:05:20] More aware of some of the things that Mrs. Hattingh is doing. Yeah, so I think gothic horror, maybe, but horror feels a bit strong,

[00:05:28] Ashley: Uhhuh.

[00:05:29] Jen: So maybe just gothic.

[00:05:31] Ashley: There you go.

[00:05:31] Jen: I don't know.

[00:05:33] Ashley: Sorry to put you on the spot with genre identification, but I was like, when you were describing it, it was hard to say. Yeah, it was hard to tell, but that sounds intriguing.

[00:05:39] Jen: Yeah, and it's beautifully written. Yeah. I really thought I liked it a lot. I would read more by her, so, yeah. How about you? What are you reading?

[00:05:47] Ashley: So I've got a few things going, but one that I am reading is A.R. Abbott's Founded On Blood and Magic. And this one, first I found it because my friend Samantha Archuleta is the audiobook narrator for it. And so that is super fun. So she had said she really enjoyed reading it and that it was such a great book.

[00:06:07] And then it's been fun to listen to her read. She's a fantastic

[00:06:09] narrator. You guys are really cool. So, that was what led me to it, but it has several perspectives. But you start with Kate, and Kate is. Someone who feels the emotions of everyone around her all the time, like so she is human, but she's like very perceptive to the point that she has to sort of block out other people's emotions sometimes to identify her own feelings about things.

[00:06:37] And right in the beginning, Kate is in an accident, and it is a catastrophic accident. So she winds up at the hospital, and we meet James, and he has a sire. He is in the vampire world, and so things start to evolve. And normally, there are all these like rules and protocols within the vampire space in this world-building.

[00:07:02] And they require consent and other things for people to be turned, but they make an exception for Kate. Well, because of that, of course, she does not know that they have chosen her to wind up in the vampire world. And of course, she does not know that any of this exists, and then she has a best friend, Sarah, who

[00:07:22] is a very, very important part of her life. And Sarah also has some unusual things that make her and Kate feel camaraderie between them, but they don't discuss those things outright. Well, after Kate wakes up in the morgue, she comes to realize that Sarah is not quite what she thought either. And so things kind of evolve from there.

[00:07:42] and I am loving it. I'm really captivated by the story. I think that the world-building is strong, but also inviting, and that you get a sense quickly of. What are things like? A nd I also am loving the different perspectives within the book. And I didn't realize, like I was listening to it and then all of a sudden I was like, oh, there's only an hour and a half left.

[00:07:59] So, there is a lot of stuff to resolve. So I might be doing the whole trilogy because was oh goodness, that means like very little of what I thought was going to be sorted is going to be figured out by the end of this. But I'll probably continue 'cause it's been really a fun and compelling read, and I especially love the relationship between Kate and Sarah.

[00:08:19] And so I think that friendship component is really rich and well done. So again, that is A.R. Abbott's Found on Blood and Magic and is the beginning of a series.

[00:08:28] Jen: So you really had me until that part because it sounds great, but recently I have been reluctant to commit to a series before they is completely finished.

[00:08:37] Maybe I'll wait and add it to my later list.

[00:08:40] Ashley: Well, I have to say, so I was pulling it up on Goodreads 'cause again, I didn't realize, I mean, it was last night, I was like, oh, there is not a lot of this book left. Like, how am I so far into this story? But it looks like, maybe it's a trilogy, and maybe I'll have three out.

[00:08:53] I will investigate. But if that's the case, I will definitely be continuing with it, 'cause yeah, it's really compelling and really interesting and good character building. Like, I think it's much more character-driven than sometimes, like, not entirely plot-focused.

[00:09:06] I like it. Moving right along. As I mentioned before, today we are discussing Three Holidays And A Wedding.

[00:09:14] And I wanna start with the publisher's synopsis. Three times the holiday magic. Three times the chaos as strangers and Seatmates, Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays, Maryam to her sister's impromptu wedding, and Anna to her boyfriend's wealthy family for the first time. Neither expect the severe turbulence, which will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they'll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam's life wasn't sitting two rows behind them, hearing it all. Oops. An emergency landing finds Anna safe and Maryam and her sister's entire bridal party snowbound at the quirky Snowfalls Inn. In a picture-perfect town where fate has Anna's actor crush filming a holiday romance as Maryam finds the courage to open her heart to safe, and Anna feels the magic of being snowbound with an unexpected new love.

[00:10:08] Both women soon realize there's no place they'd rather be for the holidays. So yes, lots of holiday shenanigans this one. It's set at a time when Ramadan, Hanukkah, and Christmas all align very closely together. And so that's where you get the three holidays. And that's a big part of this story.

[00:10:26] Jen, what was your overall impression of this one?

[00:10:29] Jen: I really enjoyed this. I thought it was really sweet. I loved the way that Maryam and Anna found each other and created such a strong friendship. I didn't think the romance was the shining star of this book. For me, it was actually seeing each character, each has a sort of personal journey to go through with things from their past that are still causing some conflict in their lives.

[00:10:54] And yeah, so I really loved it at just as a book; I don't know that I'd highlight the holiday romance part of it. But yeah, I really loved it. I thought the writing was strong. I thought the character development was great.

[00:11:07] I loved Maryam's family, especially her Dadu.

[00:11:10] Jen: I just thought he was a great character, and so yeah, I really enjoyed it. I would, I think it's a great holiday read. How about you?

[00:11:18] Ashley: Yeah, I loved it. I listened to this one on audio, and I was totally sucked in, and I have had a lot of audiobook fatigue recently, so I've been trying to find things that I want to listen to on audiobook. And this one I found myself eager to. You know, put my headphones back in and like dive back into it.

[00:11:36] I just felt like, as you said, Jen, I loved the female friendships that developed the most. I think that was definitely a highlight of the book, and I think that the way that Maryam at first kind of resists getting to know Anna is like really compelling and relatable. I think, like adults with busy lives, it's really hard to make space for friendships and

[00:11:59] I think we see that. I also love, like, I loved all the flight stuff because I just was like, Anna was like so annoying with a lot of the things that she did, and then she was like trying to correct it, which was making it worse. And like, I just thought all of that was so relatable, and so, yeah, I enjoyed that piece as well.

[00:12:18] So, I thought it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it, and it made me eager to read more. Holiday books. I find that some seasons I'm really into it, and then other times I don't want to at all. But this one was good. This is the first holiday read I've done so far this year, and I definitely will do more.

[00:12:34] Jen: I felt the same way. I am sometimes resistant to them. And we are recording this in November, and often I would resist reading them until December because I can get tired of them very quickly.

[00:12:45] But I felt like this one just was really joyful, and it did make me want to read more to recapture that feeling. So I think that's a good testament to the book.

[00:12:55] Ashley: What is something that specifically worked for you with this one?

[00:13:00] Jen: So I think Maryam was my favorite character, and I think that there's a great development of her character as someone who is number one, just her personality is more reserved than that of her sister, and she has always seen herself as being in the role of oldest sister, and it's her responsibility to make sure the family's working and to take care of everybody else, even if it means sometimes she has to be the boring one.

[00:13:25] And as an older sister, you know, sometimes that is a role we are put in, so maybe that's why she resonated with me so much. But I loved the way, despite all of that and this sort of hard shell she built around herself, she still really wants connections. And she initially sees Anna just on the surface, and she looks very glossy and very put together.

[00:13:49] And some of that is because of. And a storyline with her horrible boyfriend, Nick. But the fact that she's willing to look past that surface and to see her as someone that she could connect with and could build a relationship with. I really loved that, and I love the way Maryam finds her way back to her writing with the help of Safe, and just her sort of, her journey of self-discovery was very compelling to me, and deciding what matters and how much of the role she saw herself in, she had created herself, so that other people didn't necessarily expect that.

[00:14:24] I think we all do that. We get used to fulfilling roles, and then we feel as if it's been put upon us, and then we realize, oh. I did that myself. I have the power to change that. So yeah, I just found her to be really compelling, and hers was the point of view that I was always eager to come back to, even though I liked Anna fine.

[00:14:43] I just really loved Maryam's perspective.

[00:14:46] Ashley: Yeah, I agree with all that, that I felt like we understood really well why. She carried what she carried, but then also could see as she came to see. I think we, as the readers, also come to understand how she can let go of some of that, and she does have more agency in it than she thought she did, which is really powerful.

[00:15:09] Jen: Yeah. How about you? What is something that worked for you?

[00:15:12] Ashley: You know, I really loved the setting. I think I loved Snow Falls Town, and I think that what I loved about that is the community aspect and the way that everyone knew and loved each other and felt connected. And I also believed that small towns are often more than we think they are and that they can have more diversity and awareness and heart than maybe people assume. And so I think like I, I really loved that. I think that was part of what I enjoyed was just like, I think I like a book that forces people together in unexpected ways, and then they're kind of stuck in those situations. Like, I find those kinds of books really interesting 'cause I think that helps.

[00:16:00] We dig into what makes people who they are, because they start to see themselves in a different way. Like, you know, you're in an unusual situation, and then suddenly you know new things about yourself. So, I really like the setting piece.

[00:16:12] Jen: Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I'm not a big like Hallmark movies. My mother-in-law is a huge fan, but I've watched some, and you would think I would like them the way I like romance, but. I thought this one, as you said, did a nice job of showing how that, again, like Anna, that is just the surface, and then there's all this depth underneath that.

[00:16:31] It's easy to look past if you want to, but when you do pay attention, you see the way they're really welcoming. Yeah. It's a great place.

[00:16:39] Ashley: Yeah, same. That I'm not a big Hallmark movie fan, which you think I would be, because I really like things that I know for sure are gonna work out okay. But there's something about them I resist. So, but that's all right. Jen, what's a quote that you wanted to share?

[00:16:53] Jen: I actually marked a lot. Okay. I think I'm going to go with this. This is a quote from Anna. "I've been dealing with a few things in my life, and he, this is Dadu, suggested I try to spend the day sort of fasting from worry. I have this idea that fasting is like an act of radical compassion, and I guess I was trying to apply some of the compassion to myself." That hit home a lot because I am

[00:17:14] just a chronic worrier, and I know that it is just giving me the illusion of control that I don't actually have, because worrying about things does not actually make a change, and yet I still do it. And so I just love that idea of giving yourself a break from that moment and of being compassionate to ourselves and letting, yeah, making decisions.

[00:17:39] that let us take a break from the things that are causing us stress or that have become burdens. So I thought that was really beautiful. I thought a lot of the quotes that I marked were about being kind to ourselves and making choices that take us away from stress and worry. And that doesn't mean the problems go away, but it means you can give yourself a break. And I found that really resonated with me throughout the story.

[00:18:04] Ashley: Yeah, I loved that quote, and I loved the way that because she put aside her worries, she discovered all these things she otherwise would've missed, and I think like that is just really powerful, and I think it is so hard. For us to do that, especially since we have endless distractions, it's like hard to quiet yourself enough to then find your way through something difficult.

[00:18:28] But for sure, it was giving herself that compassion, putting aside her worry, that made space for her to realize how terrible her relationship was. I mean, that piece was less convincing than some other parts of the book for sure, because I was like, gosh, this guy is terrible. I mean, but you know, she also, it was an opportunity to have kind of a picture-perfect relationship is I think, how she felt about it.

[00:18:52] and so then by taking this radical compassion and applying it to herself, she was able to buy herself the time that she needed to recognize even when he was super pushy about it and trying to make things right. She was able to stand up against that, so yeah, I love that.

[00:19:07] Jen: What about you? What's a quote that you wanna highlight?

[00:19:12] Ashley: Mine is from Dadu as well; he just had so many gems of wisdom to share with everyone. He was such a sweet character, but he says, "You have to take happiness as it comes to you while accepting that grief will always live with you too." And I think a lot of what I didn't feel like it was like Chekhov’s gun with the letter, you know, that, like, it just came up 10,000 times, and I was like, please open the letter.

[00:19:32] but you know, with Anna trying to make peace with her, or maybe she didn't even realize she needed to make peace with her stepmother, but that she felt so betrayed by her stepmother having remarried. And I thought about what he shared with her. The opportunity that came to him after he had lost his wife, and then he chose, you know, he felt like it was too soon.

[00:19:55] And so then he didn't marry. And, he was just so honest to say, like, you know, that he regretted that he worried so much about the time that then he missed out on someone whom he could have continued to have a great relationship with, and I just loved all that. I think that a lot of, and I think Maryam, that is very much her.

[00:20:13] Her journey is also like she has grief for the things that have happened to her in the past. And it's like learning to embrace that there can be happiness alongside that. I think we really see both of them walking that journey, and for sure, with Anna trying to heal from having lost her father. I thought that was beautiful because I think that it's only with his lifetime full of coming to understand that wisdom that he can share that with her, and it's just very much about, I mean, similarly to what you shared with Jen about their radical compassion. Like it's very much about, like it is the journey. The journey of doing that is, is the practice of doing it that's really going to yield different results, and I think that's really beautiful.

[00:20:54] Jen: Yeah. Yeah, there was, so Dadu had some great advice. I just loved a lot of the quotes, which were his or inspired by things that he had told them.

[00:21:02] Speaker: Yeah, absolutely. Well, we wanted to share our pairings. Jen, what did you choose for a pairing?

[00:21:09] Jen: So I chose another new holiday release. This is Ali Brady Merry Little Bookshop. It is technically a novella, but it's a pretty long novella or short novel. And so Allie Brady is also, collaborative writer. Ali is Alison Hammer, and Brady is Brady Godfrey. And they've, they write a lot collaboratively.

[00:21:31] I recommend them in general. So Merry Little Bookshop is another novel that deals with the ways small towns might deal with people who come from very different religious traditions and have different holiday traditions. So this one is set in Azalea, Texas, and

[00:21:50] The main female protagonist is Shira Schwartz, and she is assigned by her boss to go to Azalea on Thanksgiving Day. And because she doesn't really have family that she celebrates with, and set up this pop-up bookshop in a new holiday market.

[00:22:08] And the reason she's chosen is that she is the only Jewish employee he has, and he's like, well, you want Miss Christmas? He doesn't think about Hanukkah. He's a jerk, basically. So she goes to Azalea and has a meet-cute with this guy, and that is Johnny McKay, and he grew up in Azalea, and his family is beloved there.

[00:22:31] He has a lot of siblings, but he was always sort of the black sheep. He was kind of a ladies' man. He played a lot of pranks, and so when he grew up, he moved away, but he's come home for the holidays to help his dad, who's had to have surgery, and his sister is in the latter stages of a high-risk pregnancy.

[00:22:50] So he's coming there to help, and they meet each other, and of course, you know, there are all these misunderstandings. One of the biggest though is an intentional misunderstanding.

[00:23:00] So Shira anglicizes her name when she introduces herself to a lot of people, because Shira often causes misunderstandings, and she just doesn't want to have to get past that whole conversation. She also does not tell him that she's Jewish, and so Azalea is very Christmas-centered. They have this holiday market that is essentially a Christmas market.

[00:23:23] And so for a while, she is just trying to ease any friction that would occur from being, as far as she can tell, the only Jewish person in the town. And one of the things I really liked is, thankfully, that did not go on too long, that after she shares her heritage and her culture with him, he and the town really make an effort to be accepting.

[00:23:44] So I saw a lot of parallels with Three Holidays And A Wedding, just again, of the fact that we make assumptions about small towns that aren't always true, and we assume maybe that they won't be as accepting, and maybe they just don't know, and that if you have the conversation, that's uncomfortable. Yeah, I felt like that was really nice.

[00:24:03] Yeah, I like the characters. Again, I think both of them are on a journey. They have things from their past that they're dealing with, and so I really love those parallels with three holidays and a wedding. So that again, is Ali Brady Merry Little Bookshop.

[00:24:17] Ashley: Oh man, I can't wait to read that. That sounds great.

[00:24:20] Jen: I think you're gonna love it. It's so sweet.

[00:24:22] Ashley: I loved with Three Holidays and a Wedding, all the discussion about the fasting for Ramadan. And then, you know, I just think with Maryam's family being at the center and showing their Muslim faith, like I just thought all of that was really beautiful because I think that while outside of the Muslim community, people might be aware of fasting a little bit.

[00:24:43] I think that a lot of times, like there's not a lot of education around how that's managed or what it looks like. I loved with Dadu and the way that he can't fast all day. He likes carrying some grief, but then, like sorting his way through that, I mean, I thought, and that was related to the quote that you shared earlier, Jen, about the radical compassion.

[00:25:03] but I just think like all of that I really loved as being a central part of the story.

[00:25:09] Jen: Agreed. Yeah. How about you? What's your pairing?

[00:25:12] Ashley: So I have a pairing, but I did wanna mention, the pairing that I have is not a holiday book. It's set over New Year's, so it is like related to this time of year, but it is not a holiday story; however, Talia Samuels, the Christmas swap, was a holiday book. I really enjoyed it came out last year.

[00:25:29] but it's another one where there are some circumstances that put people together in an unusual situation, and then there's a, you know, love blossoms in an unlikely way, I guess, is what I would say.

[00:25:40] and I thought it was really sweet. So if you're looking for more holiday books that are fun, that was one I really enjoyed. But what I wanted to share from my pairing is that Fredrik Backman’s an anxious person. We discussed this one. I did not look it up, so I can't tell you. But I'll put it in the show notes.

[00:25:56] But we discussed it as one of our book club picks, and again, it is set over the new year. But the reason I wanted to share it as a pick is because in it centers around a very specific event. And the event is that people are at this open house for, an apartment that's for sale. And while they're there, they get held hostage amid a robbery situation. And why it came to my mind for this is just that idea of like the flight that didn't make it to Toronto, and then they get stranded and then there's the snowstorm, and then they're really stuck in this place that they don't expect to be, and then they come to know each other like Anna and Maryam would never have become friends if this.

[00:26:39] unlikely situation hadn't occurred. Anxious people are very much like that. The people in the flat wind up stuck together in this very stressful situation, and because of that, you come to know them, and they come to know each other, and each of their lives is so complex on their own, but then they start working together toward this like collective goal that's a lot like where they're working on the play and

[00:27:08] three holidays and a wedding. And this one, I don't wanna spoil anything, but they come to have a common cause that they're all working toward. And all of them discover a lot of things about themselves and each other through that journey of trying to make this common goal happen. And so I feel like it is not an on-the-nose pairing, but is one that crossed my mind quite a bit during this reading.

[00:27:30] And I think there are a lot of similarities in that way. Very different tone. Definitely a lot more like heavy things that happen and have happened in that book, but I just think it's a beautiful book. I love it so much, but I think that idea of like, take all these people, dump them into a place, and then shake it up a little bit, and then see what happens.

[00:27:49] You get that vibe with this one as well. So again, that's Fredrik Backman, Anxious People.

[00:27:54] Jen: Yeah, I saw that on the show notes page, and I was like, I don't know that I would've come to that, but it is a perfect pick. Yeah, I thought it was really great.

[00:28:01] Ashley: Yeah, I mean, again, very different in some ways, but there are just a lot of things that are similar in the way that we get to know Maryam, the whole family. Like some of that, of just like the layers of how we are who we are and how that can play out with other people we've never met before, like her and Anna.

[00:28:19] So, we wanted to end with our bookish hearts. Jen, how many bookish hearts,

[00:28:25] Jen: I think four and a half for me. How about you?

[00:28:27] Ashley: Yeah, I would say for me, it was really good.

[00:28:31] Jen: Yeah.

[00:28:32] Ashley: We wanna close today with our unabridged favorites. Jen, what is a favorite for you this month?

[00:28:37] Jen: So I am going to talk about Task, which is a series on HBO. I will say it is heavy, so proceed with caution, but I really loved it. So Task is starring Mark Ruffalo is probably the most famous actor in the cast, but it is about. So Mark Ruffalo's character is heading up this FBI task force that is investigating a gang of people who are robbing drug dealers and

[00:29:10] Yeah, some violence is occurring, and you know, so that part is compelling enough. But what's really interesting is that you get the backstories of all of these people. You get the backstories of the people on the FBI task force. You really do a deep dive into the people who are robbing these drug dealers, and you get a backstory on the drug dealers themselves.

[00:29:27] So, there's like a biker gang involved. Anyway, it's very complex, and it started a little slowly for me, but by the end, I just really loved it. I think ultimately it's a very compassionate series that doesn't excuse the things that people do, but it looks at the reasons maybe that they make the choices that they make and acknowledges them as flawed people.

[00:29:53] Who has some hope of change? So I really loved it. So that was the Task. And that is on HBO.

[00:29:59] Ashley: That sounds really interesting, Jen. And also not for me.

[00:30:02] Jen: Yeah. I don't think it's an Ashley show. I think you would. Yeah. No, not a good match. Yep. How about you? What's your favorite?

[00:30:10] Ashley: So I wanted to share Man On The Inside. I think I've talked about this before because I really enjoyed season one, but as we're recording, season two just came out, and I have only seen one of the episodes so far, but I love it. This is Ted Danson, who, in the first season, infiltrates a retirement community to try to help solve a crime that is happening there.

[00:30:35] And it is lovely and hilarious and really tender. And then this one is set in a community college. So at first I was like, Oh no, I have to adjust to a new place. But I think that right away, the things that I loved from season one, we start to see in season two, of just getting to know the intricacies of

[00:30:57] how things come together. Like in this beginning part, there's this scandal involving somebody who has insane amounts of money, but is also like really corrupt. And the community college is trying to walk that line because they want a donation from this guy. And so I think just, yeah, relatable. And then there are all these characters that we start to get to know, who are all really quirky.

[00:31:19] and then it's super sweet. Right at the beginning in the first episode, Mary Steenburgen, who is Ted Danson's wife in real life, is in this, and plays an important role, and that is really I don't know, I just find it really precious to like see them as characters getting to know each other, but then, knowing that they have had a longstanding marriage outside of that, is just really sweet. So yeah, Man, On The Inside,

[00:31:43] Jen: That's so good. Ashley got to the document first, or that would've been my pick, too. No resentment here, but yes, I highly recommend it as well, and I'm amazed by the people who haven't heard of it yet. So get on the train. It's a fast watch. The first season is eight half-hour episodes, so

[00:31:58] Ashley: Yeah, it's on Netflix, and yeah, Jen and I were saying I've been surprised also that more people aren't aware. 'Cause I feel like Ted Danson, I mean, like with The Good Place and some of the other things he's done recently, I think he still has a lot of tension. People are still aware of him as an actor.

[00:32:12] But I just, yeah, this one hasn't gotten as much publicity, but it's great.

[00:32:16] Jen: And Mike Shore, who was the showrunner for The Good Place, is also the showrunner of this one. So it's not the same at all, but I just feel like he's great. I like everything he does, so

[00:32:25] Ashley: I do too. Like, I just think like, yeah, really clever the way that it comes together. And you're right, it's not the same at all, but the vibes are somewhat similar.

[00:32:32] Jen: Yeah.

[00:32:34] Ashley: Thanks so much for listening. We hope that you enjoyed hearing this discussion. And if you did read Three Holidays and a Wedding, we would love to hear what you thought about it. You can always find us on Instagram at Unabridged Pod, and we are. This concludes our new episodes for this year, for 2025

[00:32:50] Ashley: And we will have one more. We wanna re-release an episode we've enjoyed from another book club, so we'll share that. Later this month, but then we'll be back with you in 2026. Hope you have a great holiday season.

[00:33:02] Jen: Do you have comments or opinions about what you heard today? We'd love to hear them. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at unabridged pod or on the web at unabridgedpod.com for ways to support us. To get more involved, you can sign up for our newsletter. Join a Buddy Read or become an ambassador.

[00:33:22] Thanks for listening to Unabridged.

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