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In this September book club episode, Jen and Ashley discuss Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), a post-apocalyptic novel that both of us first read more than a decade ago and still deeply love. The film adaptation of this one just came out, so we wanted to revisit it before watching, and we also recommend it as a book-to-film pick for this year’s reading challenge. We talk about what it was like to return to this story after so many years, the relationships that help Hig hold onto his humanity, and the surprising hope at the heart of such a bleak world. We also explore Heller’s distinctive writing style, the small rituals that give life meaning, and what the novel asks about survival, connection, and what remains when almost everything else is gone. We also share our latest reads in our Bookish Check-in, and we end with our Unabridged Favorites. Spoilers abound, so be sure to read The Dog Stars before listening if you want to avoid them! We’d love to hear what you thought of the book and how it landed for you. 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.

What books have stayed with you because you read them in a classroom, or because you had the chance to teach them yourself? We’re kicking off season 10 with episode 316 and a conversation about books we love to teach. Jen shares why Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) has been such a meaningful text for her students, and Ashley revisits Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and the many reasons it works so well in the classroom. Before we dive into our teaching discussion, we're also sharing our current reads: Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s Almost Life (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Stuart Turton’s The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Bookshop.org). Plus, we wrap up with our first This or That of the season: physical book or e-reader? We’re so glad to be back for season 10, and we hope you’ll join us! 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.

Can a story about extinction still leave room for hope? In episode 315, we’re discussing Charlotte McConaughy’s Migrations (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), our June 2026 book club pick, a haunting climate fiction novel about grief, survival, and the fragile beauty of the natural world. We start with a bookish check-in: Jen is listening to Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Ashley is reading My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Then we dive into Migrations, talking about Franny’s journey, the book’s bleak but powerful vision of the future, and the questions it raises about extinction, responsibility, and hope. We also share quotes, book pairings, bookish hearts ratings, and our Unabridged favorites. This is our last book club episode before summer break, and we’d love to hear what you thought of Migrations. We’ll be doing buddy reads on Instagram this summer, and we’ll be back with new episodes in September. 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.

Looking for a few romances to add to your summer reading list? In this episode, we’re sharing romances that would make great beach reads, with stories full of second chances, complicated friendships, family expectations, emotional depth, and plenty of momentum. During our bookish check-in, Ashley shares Jessica Parra’s Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), a YA novel about baking, ambition, family pressure, and finding your own path. Jen shares June Hur’s The Forest of Stolen Girls (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), a historical mystery set on Jeju Island in 1426. Then we move into our main discussion with two summer romance recommendations: Alisha Rai’s Partners in Crime (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Carley Fortune’s Our Perfect Storm (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). We close with a round of Lit Chat about DNFing books, skipping to the end, and whether it ever feels okay to spoil yourself just a little. We’d love to know what romances are on your summer TBR or which beach reads you think we should add to ours. 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.

What book has broken your heart in the best possible way? In episode 313, we’re discussing Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), our May 2026 Book Club pick. Before we dive into this moving novel inspired by the life and loss behind Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we share our Bookish Check-in. In our discussion of Hamnet, we talk about Maggie O’Farrell’s stunning portrayal of grief, motherhood, art, and love. We discuss Agnes as such a compelling and unconventional character, the emotional power of Hamnet and Judith’s bond, and the way the novel captures both intimate family moments and sweeping questions about loss and creativity. We also share pairings, including Weyward by Amelia Hart (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). Whether you’ve already read Hamnet or have been meaning to pick it up for years, we’d love for you to join us for this conversation. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Sally Smith’s A Case of Mice and Murder (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) Jen - Vauhini Vara’s Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age (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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Are you the kind of reader who loves a little structure, or do reading challenges make you want to run the other way?  In Episode 304 (our first episode of 2026!), we’re ringing in the new year with a conversation about reading challenges, reflecting on what worked for us in 2025, what didn’t, and how we’re thinking about setting reading intentions for 2026.  Then we dive into the 2026 Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge, walking through all 12 categories and sharing a few ways we hope the challenge will feel flexible, fun, and community-centered as you read along with us this year. We’re excited to kick off another reading challenge for the new year and can’t wait to have you join us. For more about the 2026 reading challenge, check out this info on our website.  If you’re joining our challenge (or tackling another one), come tell us what you’re reading on Instagram @unabridgedpod! 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.

Have you read Jean Meltzer yet, and are you in the mood for a holiday romance with real heart? In this special encore episode, we’re bringing back our December 2021 Book Club episode (Ep. 207), featuring Jean Meltzer’s The Matzah Ball (Libro.fm | Bookshop.org), her delightful debut. We loved revisiting this one: it’s funny and festive, but it also has surprising depth as Meltzer thoughtfully explores chronic illness and the power (and weight) of keeping parts of yourself hidden. We also talk about the rich portrayal of Jewish traditions, the book’s strong family dynamics, and the second-chance chemistry between Rachel and Jacob. If you’re new to Meltzer, this is a perfect place to start, especially since she’s also written another holiday romance we adore, The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm). We hope you enjoy this cozy throwback, and we’d love to hear what holiday reads you’re loving this season!   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.