Ashley, Jen, & Sara Podcasts

Have you read this propulsive near future dystopian novel by podcast favorite Celeste Ng? To kick off the new year, we're pleased to share our thoughts on our first book club pick of 2023, Celeste Ng's Our Missing Hearts (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). We also include our pairings, Valeria Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and V…

Have you found a 2023 reading challenge yet? We're excited to share our 2023 Unabridged Reading Challenge, which we discuss on today's episode. Jen and Ashley also share our reflections on our 2022 reading challenges as we look back over the year, and we share our other reading challenge plans for 2023. Jen plans to do the #23backlistin2023 challen…

Looking for a fun, illuminating holiday-centered read? Check out Sonya Lalli's A Holly Jolly Diwali (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), our December Unabridged book club pick. In this episode, Jen and Ashley discuss thoughts about A Holly Jolly Diwali and share our book pairings including Jean Meltzer’s The Matzah Ball (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Thrity U…

In this annual episode that causes us much consternation, Jen and Ashley share some special books we've read during 2022. We reflect over the year, and we each create and give awards to some of our top reads from our 2022 reading lists. It's so hard each year to choose! For a few more picks, join us on Patreon for an extra bonus episode featuring a…

Looking for an amazing children's book that is perfect for many audiences? For our November book club pick, Jen and Ashley discuss Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). We offer our pairings, including Tae Keller’s When You Trap a Tiger (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Melissa Albert’s Our Crooked Hearts (Bookshop.org…

On today's Cozy Reads 2022 Recommendations episode, Ashley and Jen share some recent books they've loved that fall into the cozy reads camp. We share about Alexis Hall’s Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake and Sarah Addison Allen’s Other Birds. (Ashley would like to note that her pick has some cozy components but is an open door romance!) As we mention …

Oh my goodness, drop what you are doing and read this book! Spoiler alert: Jen and Ashley both loved Tiffany D. Jackson's The Weight of Blood (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) so much, and there is a ton to discuss. This one just came out in September. In the episode, we also offer a couple of other spooky reads perfect for the fall reading season includin…

In this episode, Ashley talks with Barrett Holmes Pitner, author of The Crime Without a Name: Ethnocide and the Erasure of Culture in America (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Pitner shares some thoughts and perspectives on what ethnocide looks like in American history, where we are culturally today, and what we can do to look toward a more fulfilling fut…

Do you enjoy retellings of the epics? Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) is a retelling of Homer's The Illiad. Jen and Ashley share our thoughts about this book club pick, and we share our pairings including Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls (Bookshop.org | Lib…

Have you read any books that center nature or the environment lately? In this episode, Ashley and Jen share books they've read recently - including Charlotte McConaghy's Once There Were Wolves (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - that consider the role of nature as part of the story. These r…

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. Visit the Unabridged website for our full show notes and links to the books mentioned in the episode…

In this episode of the Unabridged Podcast, Ashley and Jen share some middle grade recs by authors of color perfect for anyone working on the Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. Kacen Callendar's King and the Dragonflies and Varsha Bajaj’s Count Me In would both be fantastic additions to your TBR. We round out our book discussion with our Bookish …

Ashley, Jen, and Sara describe—in the bookish check-in—some summer reads they loved this summer, including Diana Gabaldon's Go Tell the Bees that I Am Gone, Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke, Peter Swanson's Before She Knew Him, and Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s The Golden Couple. Sara shares a big announcement: she's signing off, so we send h…

In this Unabridged Episode, Jen discusses the end of the school year and her plan for summer. She talks about taking some much needed rest and relaxation. In addition, she discusses some of the processes she will go through to prepare for the next school year. Visit the Unabridged website for our full show notes and links to the books mentioned in …

In this episode, Jen and Sara discuss 2018's adaptation of Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. They discuss this movie--what they liked, what they didn't, and their overall feelings about the adaptation. Check it out and let us know what you think! And don't miss their discussion on the book in la…

In this Unabridged episode, Sara and Jen discuss Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. We also share our pairings, including works by Helen Hanff and Kim Fay. Visit the Unabridged website for our full show notes and links to the books mentioned in the episode. Interested in what else we're reading? …

Do you need a recommendation for a historical fiction book? Listen to this episode to hear recommendations from Sara, Jen, and Ashley. We feature Ruta Sepetys’s The Fountains of Silence, Sarah Winman’s Still Life, and Kim Fay’s Love & Saffron, and we discuss what we loved about these picks. Visit the Unabridged website for our full show notes and l…

In this Unabridged Episode, Sara discusses an add-on for Google Slides. She talks about Creator Studio, an add on that allows you to convert any Google Slide Show to an animated GIF for video slideshow. Visit the Unabridged website for our full show notes and links to the books mentioned in the episode. Interested in what else we're reading? Check …

In this episode, Jen and Sara discuss 2006's adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org). They discuss this beloved movie--what they liked, what they didn't, and their overall feelings about the adaptation. Check it out and let us know what you think! Visit the Unabridged website for and links to the books ment…

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 (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) is (spoiler alert!) a five-star read for us, so we have a wide-ranging …

Are you a true crime fan? Lucky for you, we have a wide range of opinions on this genre, so our recommendations include picks that would work for any reader depending on your interest and preferences. Our picks include Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff’s Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy…

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 i…

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! Visit the Unabridged website for our full show notes and links…

Are you looking for a memoir that is both laugh out loud hilarious and also deeply poignant? In this March Book Club episode, we discuss Jenny Lawson's memoir Furiously Happy. We chat about our thoughts on Lawson's work, and we share our pairings including Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half, Lindy West’s Shrill, and R. Eric Thomas’s Here for It: Or…

In this episode, we're talking all things backlist books! We share our recommendations for some favorites that were published before the year 2000. We share Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, Louise Edrich’s Tracks, and Lois Lowry’s The Giver. These recommendations are also perfect for those doing the 2022 Unabridged Reading Challenge! Visit …