Unabridged: A Book Podcast

Ashley Dickson-Ellison and Jen Moyers
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Unabridged is a bookish podcast hosted by teachers. We release episodes twice a month, including a monthly Book Club episode and other bookish topics full of recommendations for your TBR list. Join us for bookish fun at our website unabridgedpod.com, on social media @unabridgedpod, or via email at unabridgedpod@gmail.com.

  1. Cozy Mystery Recommendations for 2026

    MAY 13

    Cozy Mystery Recommendations for 2026

    Are cozy mysteries one of your favorite comfort reads, or are you looking for a place to start? In episode 312, we’re sharing a couple of cozy mystery recommendations that surprised and delighted us in very different ways. Before we dive into mysteries, we kick things off with our Bookish Check-in: Jen shares Edward Humes’ Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Ashley talks about Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Then we discuss two cozy mysteries we highly recommend: Alexia Gordon’s Murder in G Major (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), featuring a ghostly composer in Ireland, and The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), a historical mystery set in 1920s London. We also wrap up with a Lit Chat about how we keep track of our ever-growing TBR lists. Whether you’re already a cozy mystery fan or just curious about the genre, we hope you’ll join us for the conversation. 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 out our Featured Books page. Want to support Unabridged? The number 1 way to support us is by purchasing Bookshop.org books from our Unabridged shop. Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram or Facebook. | Join our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. | Visit our curated list of books at Bookshop.org. | Become a patron on Patreon. | Check out our Merch Store. | Visit the resources available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

    22 min
  2. Sherri L. Smith’s FLYGIRL - April 2026 Book Club

    APR 22

    Sherri L. Smith’s FLYGIRL - April 2026 Book Club

    Have you ever read a historical novel that shines a light on a perspective you hadn’t considered before? We’re discussing Sherri L. Smith’s Flygirl (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), our April 2026 Book Club pick, which tackles the role of women pilots in WWII. Before we dive in, we share our Bookish Check-in: Jen talks about Eliot Schrefer’s The Darkness Outside Us (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Ashley shares her thoughts on Clint Smith’s How the Word Is Passed (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). In our discussion of Flygirl, we talk about the complexity of Ida Mae’s decision to pass, the novel’s exploration of colorism and identity, and the tension between following your dreams and staying connected to who you are. We also share our pairings, including Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray’s The Personal Librarian (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Nella Larsen’s Passing (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). We wrap up with our latest Unabridged favorites. We’d love to hear what you thought of Flygirl and hope you’ll join us for the conversation. 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 out our Featured Books page. Want to support Unabridged? The number 1 way to support us is by purchasing Bookshop.org books from our Unabridged shop. Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram or Facebook. | Join our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. | Visit our curated list of books at Bookshop.org. | Become a patron on Patreon. | Check out our Merch Store. | Visit the resources available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

    38 min
  3. Books about Animals

    APR 8

    Books about Animals

    Have you ever been surprised by how powerful a story about an animal can be? In this episode, we’re sharing book recommendations for the “books about animals” category of our 2026 Reading Challenge. We start with a quick bookish check-in: Ashley is reading Pugs and Kisses by Farrah Rochon (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Jen is listening to With Love from Harlem by ReShonda Tate (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Then we each share a featured recommendation: Ashley highlights Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Jen recommends The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James (Bookshop.org), two very different but equally compelling stories where animals play a central role. We wrap up with a Lit Chat about books that have inspired us in real life. Whether you’re checking off a challenge category or just looking for a great read, we hope you’ll join us for the conversation! 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 out our Featured Books page. Want to support Unabridged? The number 1 way to support us is by purchasing Bookshop.org books from our Unabridged shop. Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram or Facebook. | Join our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. | Visit our curated list of books at Bookshop.org. | Become a patron on Patreon. | Check out our Merch Store. | Visit the resources available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

    25 min
  4. John Schu’s LOUDER THAN HUNGER - March 2026 Book Club

    MAR 25

    John Schu’s LOUDER THAN HUNGER - March 2026 Book Club

    What happens when a book captures both the hardest parts of life and the possibility of hope? In episode 309, we’re discussing John Schu’s Louder Than Hunger (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), our March 2026 Book Club pick. Before we dive into this powerful middle-grade novel in verse, we share our Bookish Check-in: Ashley talks about Annie Hartnett’s The Road to Tender Hearts (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Jen shares her thoughts on Maggie Su’s Blob: A Love Story (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). In our discussion of Louder Than Hunger, we talk about the emotional power of Schu’s storytelling, the way the verse form brings readers into Jake’s experience, and how the novel offers such an important portrayal of eating disorders, mental health, and healing. We also recommend our pairings, including Yara Zgheib’s The Girls at 17 Swann Street (Bookshop.org) and Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper (Vol 3 Bookshop.org | Vol 4 Bookshop.org). We wrap up with a couple of our latest Unabridged favorites. We’d love to hear what you thought of Louder Than Hunger and hope you’ll join us for the conversation. 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 out our Featured Books page. Want to support Unabridged? The number 1 way to support us is by purchasing Bookshop.org books from our Unabridged shop. Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram or Facebook. | Join our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. | Visit our curated list of books at Bookshop.org. | Become a patron on Patreon. | Check out our Merch Store. | Visit the resources available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

    39 min
  5. Nonfiction Audiobook Recommendations

    MAR 11

    Nonfiction Audiobook Recommendations

    Have you discovered a nonfiction audiobook that completely drew you in? In this episode, we’re sharing some of our favorite nonfiction audiobooks as part of the 2026 Unabridged Reading Challenge. Before diving into our recommendations, we start with our bookish check-in. Then we turn to nonfiction audiobooks we’ve loved. Jen recommends Hannah Ritchie’s Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), an accessible and hopeful look at climate change that balances honest data with practical, actionable solutions. Ashley shares Juno Dawson’s This Book Is Gay (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), a candid, funny, and informative guide to exploring gender and sexuality that tackles complex topics with openness and compassion. We wrap up with a Lit Chat question about how we treat our books, including whether we annotate, use book darts, or keep every page pristine. If you’re looking for a great nonfiction audiobook to add to your TBR (or your reading challenge list), we hope you’ll join us for the conversation! 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 out our Featured Books page. Want to support Unabridged? The number 1 way to support us is by purchasing Bookshop.org books from our Unabridged shop. Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram or Facebook. | Join our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. | Visit our curated list of books at Bookshop.org. | Become a patron on Patreon. | Check out our Merch Store. | Visit the resources available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

    23 min
  6. Lauren Kung Jessen's LUNAR LOVE - February 2026 Book Club

    FEB 25

    Lauren Kung Jessen's LUNAR LOVE - February 2026 Book Club

    Do you believe love is written in the stars, or is it something we shape for ourselves? We’re discussing our February Book Club pick, Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Before we dive in, we start with a quick bookish check-in: Jen shares about What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), a speculative literary mystery about art, archives, and the future of the humanities, and Ashley talks about Damsel by Elana K. Arnold (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), a dark, fairy-tale-inspired story that’s already raising big questions. Then we get into Lunar Love, where we talk about the tension between tradition and modern dating apps, what it means to inherit a family legacy, and whether compatibility should be rigidly focused on matchmaking. There’s a lot to unpack here about identity, growth, and opening yourself up to love—even when it doesn’t look the way you expected. We also share a couple of pairings, including Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and we close with our latest Unabridged Favorites.

    38 min
  7. Book from a Favorite Author’s Backlist

    FEB 11

    Book from a Favorite Author’s Backlist

    Have you ever loved an author so much but then realized you’ve barely scratched the surface of their backlist? In episode 306, we’re talking about the “Book from a Favorite Author’s Backlist” category from the Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge and why exploring earlier works can be such a rewarding reading experience. Before diving into our backlist picks, we kick things off with a bookish check-in. For our main discussion, Ashley shares about The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), reflecting on how dramatically tone can shift across an author’s body of work. Jen shares her backlist pick, The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and we talk about nuanced characters, moral complexity, and the joy of reading an author’s interconnected world over time. We wrap up with a Lit Chat question all about book recommendations. Whether you’re tackling this category for the reading challenge or just looking for a nudge to revisit a favorite author, we hope this conversation inspires your next pick. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Laura Dave’s The Night We Lost Him (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Jen - Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) 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 out our Featured Books page. Want to support Unabridged? The number 1 way to support us is by purchasing Bookshop.org books from our Unabridged shop. Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram or Facebook. | Join our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. | Visit our curated list of books at Bookshop.org. | Become a patron on Patreon. | Check out our Merch Store. | Visit the resources available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

    31 min
  8. Rabih Alameddine's THE TRUE TRUE STORY OF RAJA THE GULLIBLE (AND HIS MOTHER) - January 2026 Book Club

    JAN 28

    Rabih Alameddine's THE TRUE TRUE STORY OF RAJA THE GULLIBLE (AND HIS MOTHER) - January 2026 Book Club

    Have you ever finished a book you absolutely loved but found hard to explain? In this episode of Unabridged, we’re discussing our January 2026 Book Club pick, National Book Award winner The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), which is brilliant in ways that are sometimes hard to articulate. Before diving into the discussion, we start with a bookish check-in: Ashley shares about Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Jen talks about Life on a Little-Known Planet: Dispatches from a Changing World by Elizabeth Kolbert (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). From there, we dig into Raja the Gullible, talking about Raja’s unforgettable narrative voice, the novel’s nonlinear structure, and the way humor and tragedy coexist on the page. We explore Raja’s complicated, tender relationship with his mother, the impact of memory and trauma across decades, and how personal stories are shaped by larger national and historical forces. We also share book pairings, give this one a resounding five bookish hearts, and wrap up with a couple of Unabridged favorites. If you’re participating in the 2026 Unabridged Reading Challenge, this book fulfills the category “book from an awards list.” If you read this one, we’d love to hear what you thought! 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 out our Featured Books page. Want to support Unabridged?   The number 1 way to support us is by purchasing Bookshop.org books from our Unabridged shop. Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram or Facebook. | Join our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge. | Visit our curated list of books at Bookshop.org. | Become a patron on Patreon. | Check out our Merch Store. | Visit the resources available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.

    42 min
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About

Unabridged is a bookish podcast hosted by teachers. We release episodes twice a month, including a monthly Book Club episode and other bookish topics full of recommendations for your TBR list. Join us for bookish fun at our website unabridgedpod.com, on social media @unabridgedpod, or via email at unabridgedpod@gmail.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Ashley Dickson-Ellison and Jen Moyers
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    309
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Unabridged: A Book Podcast

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