Unabridged: A Book Podcast

For our November Book Club, we're discussing Maggie O'Farrell's  I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death , our first Unabridged Readers' Choice pick! This collection of connected essays elicited a different reaction from each of us . . . some of us definitely liked it more than others. We'd love to know what you think about this memoir. Join us all month on social media to discuss O'Farrell...

Join us for our 2019 edition of Spooky Stories! ​​We're here again this season to share with you our latest seasonal and spooky favorites. We'll talk the latest books (including Shea Ernshaw's  Winterwood , coming out on November 5th... SO GOOD!), and we will share our thoughts about some of the Book of the Month picks from this season (including Alex North's  The Whisper Man , Alex Michaelides’s ...

Well, we have failed at reading all of our recommendations for each other, but we had a good time with some confessions, some reflection, and some reviews of how well we know each other. In general, I'd say that we did a pretty good job recommending books for each other . . . and a pretty bad job prioritizing our TBRs. Join us on social media to share your thoughts about these books, your recommen...

​​For this short episode of Unabridged, we are talking all about Rainbow Rowell and our love for her books. While we each have unique favorites of her work, we can agree that we are all fans, and there are some things that run through her writing that we enjoy. ​And as Jen says, "Rainbow Rowell is an auto-buy for us!"   the hosts' favorites Ashley’s Pick *Rainbow Rowell's  Carry On   Jen’s Pick *R...

Our short episode in which we pair two characters from two different books, those literary folks we think  might  be friends in real life, proved to be more challenging than we anticipated. Fortunately, as friends in real life (ha!), we supported each other, confirming the validity (when we could) of our choices. Listen to this new short episode, and then let us know what you think: are these frie...

We're thrilled to discuss Anissa Gray's new novel,  The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls . Told in the alternating perspectives of the Butler sisters, this novel is timely, compelling, and, at times, heartbreaking. We offer pairings and recommendations for the ways that teachers can use this book in their classrooms. After you listen, join us on social media throughout October to partic...

For this short episode of Unabridged, we thought about journeys. Nearly every book contains some sort of journey--emotional, moral, time--but we wanted to focus on the physical journeys that often lie at the heart of novels to symbolize or catalyze something else. Our TBR lists explode (or shuffle, at the very least) as we each recommend two books with journeys at their centers. Listen to Jen reme...

We took on a new challenge for this episode, offering our ideas for songs that pair beautifully with books. While none of us would call this our wheelhouse (I don't think!), we loved hearing the others' ideas for songs that resonate, for books that somehow connect in a meaningfully way to the feeling or story of the song. We would LOVE to hear your ideas for perfect book-and-song pairings. Visit u...

In our newest short episode, we embark on a discussion of one of our favorite things: a book-to-film adaptation. This time, we're discussing the Netflix adaptation of Jenny Han's fabulous YA romance  To All the Boys I've Loved Before . While the book is fuzzier for some of us than others (it's been a loooong time for someone, folks!), we all nonetheless enjoy considering the positives and negative...

We're thrilled to discuss Elizabeth Acevedo's sophomore novel,  With the Fire on High . Protagonist Emoni is a high school student, a mother, a granddaughter, and an amazingly inspired chef in training.  Listen in for our discussion of the ways that Acevedo counters our expectations for this character. We offer pairings and recommendations for the ways that teachers can use this book in their clas...

We'll let you guess just which one of us went shopping in her Kindle closet . . . and then cheated to share an extra book (or two . . . or three!) on this episode. Well, actually, we ALL cheated because we have SO many books coming out this fall that we're eagerly anticipating. Take a listen to our TBR lists, and then let us know what books you look forward to reading this fall! Head over to socia...

There's a little bit about books and a whole lot about us in this Unabridged Short episode. Learn what books we loved to teach, what scares us, and what we do outside of reading. (This is more of a stretch for some of us than others!) Feel free to share other questions for us on social media! And let us know: what's the scariest thing YOU've ever done for fun? what are your hobbies (outside of boo...

In this episode, we are revisiting our love for audiobooks! Each of us has evolved as an audiobook listener, and we talk about that process, the types of books that work best for us on audio, how we're stretching ourselves . . . and Sara's deep, deep love for puppy dog kisses (no sarcasm there at all!). What are some of your new favorite audiobooks? Visit us on social media to share. You can find...

For the second year, we are excited to explore three of the Global Read Aloud books. (You can find out more information about the Global Read Aloud  here .) We are thrilled to begin Season 3 with a discussion of three amazing novels for middle grade, middle school, and young adult readers. Listen to the episode, and then let us know what you think!   timeline *Introduction and General Discussion:...

We could NOT be more excited about launching Season 3!!!! We have so much good stuff planned for this upcoming season and are looking forward to reaching more readers and more teachers and more listeners. In this episode, we highlight some upcoming episodes, new offerings on Teachers Pay Teachers, and ways you can become involved in our podcast discussions. Tune in to find out what we have planned...

What says summer more than curling up with a good book and a nice glass of  . . . something? Unabridged dives into book and drink pairings in this episode. We share some books we've read, some books we hope to read, and the drinks that pop into our minds (sometimes spontaneously, and sometimes after a bit of Googling). After you listen, head over to social media to let us know what you think of ou...

Back in January, we shared the books that we planned (or hoped?) to read this year. Now, it's time to share our progress. Have we read all of them? Nope. But we've made a valiant effort. (Or at least an effort.) What was on your TBR list for 2019? How are you doing? We'd love to hear about your successes and failures, the books you've loved and the ones that have disappointed you, over on social m...

​In this summer highlights episode, we're sharing three of our most popular Unabridged Short Story episodes! You can join us on the Rainbow Rowell Train, pick up some steamy recommendations, and learn all about our worst (or maybe best?) literary sins. We'd love to hear your newest recommendations for our TBR, your best steamy picks, and (of course!) your true confessions.   timeline ​Click the ep...

Spoilers are inevitable throughout our discussion of Tara Westover's Educated , so consider whether or not to listen if you haven't yet read the book! timeline *Introduction and Summary of the Book: 0:00 - 01:10 *Main Discussion: 01:11 - 51:47 *​Book Pairings: 51:57 - 58:39 *Classroom Connections: 58:40 - 63:05 book pairings  *Jen - Jeannette Walls's  The Glass Castle *Ashley - Barbara Kingsolver'...

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...

In this  Unabridged  bonus episode, Ashley interviews Jess Balac from the Collins Center in Harrisonburg, VA, who works with local preschool and elementary school kids to teach sexuality education and to promote healthy attitudes toward bodies and relationships.    books mentioned *Robie Harris's  It's NOT the Stork!: A Book about Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends   (for ages 4 an...

For our last Unabridged Highlight episode of season 2, we're discussing the influence of one of our favorite YA authors, Laurie Halse Anderson. After seeing her at the Virginia Festival of the Book and reading her new memoir in verse  Shout , we were inspired to consider her place in YA literature. It's the 20th anniversary of her seminal work  Speak , and the new edition features some excellent r...

We at Unabridged are SO. Excited. About summer! As unrepentant bookworms, we have been plotting and planning which books we can fit in over our summer break. We are therefore happy to share our Summer TBR lists with you (and with each other) in this #unabridgedshort. What's on your summer TBR? Let us know on social media (@unabridgedpod).   books mentioned  Jen's TBR List *Stephen and Owen King’s ...

In this #unabridgedbookclub episode, we discuss Bryan Stevenson's nonfiction book  Just Mercy .   Stevenson discusses his work as an attorney with prisoners on death row and with individuals who were sentenced to life in prison when they were children. During our discussion, we strive to cover the plethora of issues raised by the book, including mass incarceration, the way we deal with mental disa...

​Thanks for joining us for our discussion of the film adaptation of Nicola Yoon's  The Sun Is Also a Star ! We are big fans of Nicola Yoon's work (check out  episode 3 , when we discussed her book  Everything, Everything ), so we eagerly anticipated this movie . . . and it's no surprise that we have A LOT of feelings. Take a listen, and then let us know what you thought about this book and film on...