72. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and contemporary novels with plenty of drama

Today, Chelsey and Sara discuss a melodramatic classroom staple: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. We relive our classroom experiences, investigate why this play is still taught, and dig into the iconic characters made famous by Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh in the 1951 film adaptation. Plus, as always, we offer six contemporary pairings that capture similar themes.

For more bonus episodes, nerdy classes, and extra book talk,  join our Classics Club: patreon.com/novelpairings.com.

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Get two audiobooks for the price of one from Libro.fm. Use our Libro.fm affiliate code NOVELPAIRINGS and support independent bookstores.

Skip to the pairings: [43:50]

Books mentioned:

Thank you for supporting the show by shopping our affiliate links! 

Chelsey

Sara

Picks of the Week:

You Must Remember This: On the Waterfront and Eliza Kazan

The Morgan Tennessee Williams Exhibit

54. Pride and Prejudice retellings, sequels, and pastiche

We couldn’t close our immersive Pride and Prejudice experience without sharing a bunch of book recommendations for readers who want to stay with Elizabeth and Darcy awhile longer. Today, Chelsey and Sara share their favorite and least favorite Pride and Prejudice pastiche, sequels, adaptations, and retellings. 

Download the episode in your favorite podcast app or use this link to listen in your web browser.

For more Austen nerdiness, including a class on Jane Austen and a bonus episode on Regency customs, join our Classics Club: patreon.com/novelpairings.com.

Connect with us  on Instagram or Twitter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get updates and behind-the-scenes info.

Get two audiobooks for the price of one from Libro.fm. Use our Libro.fm affiliate code NOVELPAIRINGS and support independent bookstores.

Sequels, Pastiche, and Alternate Perspectives

The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going (Amazon)
Longbourn by Jo Baker (Amazon)
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James (Amazon)
The Clergyman’s Wife by Molly Greeley (Amazon)
The Heiress by Molly Greeley (Amazon)
First Impressions by Charlie Lovett (Amazon)
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow (Amazon)
Cozy Classics (Amazon)
Babylit Counting (Amazon)

Retellings

Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Amazon)
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (Amazon)
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld (Amazon)
Heartstone by Elle K. White (Amazon)
Pride and Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev (Amazon)
Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev (Amazon)
Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal (Amazon)
Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding (Amazon)
Unequal Affections by Laura S. Ormiston (Amazon)

Also mentioned

Why are so many romance novels set in the Regency period?
Regency romance recommendations
And a few more Regency romances
Death Comes to Pemberley TV adaptation

53. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Part Two

In today’s episode, Chelsey and Sara discuss Part Two of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and share their contemporary pairings for romantic and insightful books that feature similar themes. We talk about the sweeping drama, swoony moments, and satisfying ending of the second half of Lizzie and Darcy’s love story, with plenty of nerdy asides. This episode covers Chapters 35-61 or Volume II, Chapter 12 – Volume III. 

Listen in your web browser with this link.

For more Austen nerdiness, including a class on Jane Austen and a bonus episode on Regency customs, join our Classics Club: patreon.com/novelpairings.com.

Connect with us  on Instagram or Twitter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get updates and behind-the-scenes info.

Skip to the pairings with this timestamp: [49:35]

Shop the pairings with our affiliate links below:

Chelsey’s Pairings

The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going (Amazon)

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa (Amazon)

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (Amazon)

Sara’s Pairings

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (Amazon)

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (Amazon)

Red , White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (Amazon)

Sara’s pick of the week: Austenland

Chelsey’s pick of the week: Austen ASMR room

52. Backlist pairings for our most anticipated Spring 2021 book releases

Chelsey and Sara pair brand new and upcoming spring book releases with backlist titles that share similar themes, plotlines, or settings. We haven’t read all of these new releases, so our pairings are based on speculation and best guesses.

Listen to this episode in your favorite podcast player or in your web browser.

Connect with us  on Instagram or Twitter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get updates and behind-the-scenes info.

For more literary content, join our Classics Club: patreon.com/novelpairings.com

Get two audiobooks for the price of one from Libro.fm. Use our Libro.fm affiliate code NOVELPAIRINGS and support independent bookstores.

Books mentioned:

These links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, Novel Pairings will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Out in March

3/2/2021

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel (Amazon)
Fiebre Tropical by Juliana Delgado Lopero (Amazon)

What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster (Amazon)
Nice White Parents podcast
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet (Amazon)
There is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset (Amazon)

3/9/2021

Brood by Jackie Polzin (Amazon)
My Antonia by Willa Cather (Amazon)
Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unswerth (Amazon)

The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Chonda Prescod-Weinstein (Amazon)
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Amazon)
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Amazon)

The Salt Fields by Stacy D. Flood (Amazon)
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (Amazon)
Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward (Amazon)

3/16/2021

That Way Madness Lies by Dahlia Adler (Amazon)
His Hideous Heart by Dahlia Adler (Amazon)
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (Amazon)
The Radical Element by Jessica Spotswood (Amazon)
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell (Amazon)
Because You Love to Hate Me by Amerie (Amazon)

Lolita in the Afterlife by Jenny Minton Quigley (Amazon)
Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov (Amazon)
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (Amazon)
Excavation by Wendy C. Oriz (Amazon)
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (Amazon)
Living with Shakespeare by Susannah Carson (Amazon)

3/23/2021

There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura (Amazon)
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (Amazon)

3/30/2021

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge (Amazon)
Everything Inside by Edwinge Danticat (Amazon)

Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce (Amazon)
Let Us Dream by Alyssa Cole (Amazon)

Ad break: Libro.fm Reads

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Culture Warlords by Talia Lavin
Here for It by R. Eric Thomas

Out in April

4/6/2021

Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi (Amazon)
Snowpiercer by Jaques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette (Amazon)
Stream Snowpiercer or Parasite

Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian (Amazon)
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (Amazon)

4/8/2021

Hamlet by Gillian Flynn
Anything in the Hogarth Shakespeare project

4/13/2021

Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin (Amazon)
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (Amazon)
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord (Amazon)
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (Amazon)

4/27/2021

Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Salfe (Amazon)
Ellen @reading_theend
Life After Life by Kate Atkinison (Amazon)
Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore (Amazon)
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab (Amazon)

Out in May

5/4/2021

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel (Amazon)
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (Amazon)
Maintenance Phase podcast

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (Amazon)
Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead  (Amazon)
Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead  (Amazon)
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain (Amazon)
Amelia Earhart by Doris Rich (Amazon)

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (Amazon)
Beloved by Toni Morrison (Amazon)
Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark (Amazon)

5/25/2021

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams (Amazon)
The Coyotes of Carthage by Steven Wright (Amazon)

The Guncle by Steven Rawley (Amazon)
Be Frank With Me by Julia Claybourn Johnson (Amazon)
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (Amazon)

Out in June 

6/1/2021

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Amazon)
Passing by Nella Larsen (Amazon)
The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell (Amazon)
Luster by Raven Leilani (Amazon)

51. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Part One

In today’s episode, Chelsey and Sara discuss Part One of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, including fond memories of reading the book and in-depth character analysis. (Plus plenty of gushing about Darcy and Elizabeth). We’d love for you to  read along with us this month! Part One covers Chapters 1-34 or Volume I-Volume II, Chapter 11. You can listen to this episode before reading to guide you through Part One or after reading to feel like you’re in book club!

Listen to the episode in your web browser: https://novelpairings.libsyn.com/51-pride-and-prejudice-part-1

For more Austen nerdiness, join our Classics Club: patreon.com/novelpairings.com

Connect with us  on Instagram or Twitter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get updates and behind-the-scenes info.

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, annotated and edited by David Shapard

Teacher Scholarships for Oxford Summer Program: https://www.esuus.org/esu/programs/study_abroad_for_teachers/programs_1/oxforduniv/

Learn a Regency dance:

Sparknotes Character Analysis:

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/pride/characters/

The Proposal Scenes:

Picks of the week:

The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Kantor 

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on Youtube

5 tips for reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

We’re sharing our top five tips for reading Jane Austen’s novels with you, whether you’re a frequent re-reader or new to her work. Our accompanying podcast episode is meant to help you get the most out of any Austen novel, but we hope you’ll read Pride and Prejudice with us this March 2021! To celebrate one year of podcasting and the launch of our new Patreon community, we’re enjoying all things Austen for the whole month with discussion episodes and a bunch of bonus content (available for our Classics Club members on Patreon). To sign up, go to patreon.com/novelpairings and listen in to hear about our plans for the Classics Club this month. 

Listen to the episode in your browser (or download it in your favorite podcast app).

March 9th Episode: Part One (we’ll discuss Chapter 1-34 or Volume I-Volume II, Chapter Eleven).

March 23rd Episode: Part Two (we’ll discuss the rest of the book and share our pairings).

How to Read Jane Austen

1. Listen to the audiobook

2. Research some Regency customs

3. Investigate Jane Austen’s writing style

4. Use Sparknotes, LitCharts, or Schmoop

5. Watch a film adaptation

50. Quarterly Favorites: the stand-out books we read in Winter 2020-2021

Chelsey and Sara share some stand-out titles they read over the winter season, including amazing audiobooks, short story collections, and page-turning romance. These quarterly wrap-ups include reflections on our winter season, previews of what’s coming up, and a bunch of book recommendations. We can’t wait to hear what you think of our favorites from the quarter.

Connect with us  on Instagram or Twitter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get updates and behind-the-scenes info.

Use our Libro.fm affiliate code NOVELPAIRINGS to get an audiobook subscription and support independent bookstores.

Books mentioned:

Chelsey:

Whiteout by Adriana Anders (Amazon)

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (Amazon)

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (Amazon)

The Toni Morrison Book Club (Amazon)

Wintering by Katherine May (Amazon)

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (Amazon)

Sara:

My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland (Amazon)

On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee (Amazon)

Anna K by Jenny Lee (Amazon)

Four Hundred Souls by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain (Amazon)

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Amazon)

Disability Visibility, edited by Alice Wong (Amazon)

Also mentioned:

The Head on HBO Max

Deesha Philyaw on The Stacks Podcast

Spring lineup:

March 9th & 23rd: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Amazon)

April 6th: Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (Amazon)

April 20th: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (Amazon)

May 4th: In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (Amazon)

May 18th: The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (Amazon)

49. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and twisted Gothic fairytales to read in one sitting

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter. This collection of twisted, gothic fairytales is perfect for fans of Rebecca, Jane Eyre, or Edgar Allan Poe. We’re keeping this episode spoiler-free, though we do discuss specific aspects of several stories. We loved connecting this collection across literary movements, explaining the heroine’s journey, and (as always) recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic, including short story and poetry collections.

Follow Novel Pairings on Instagram or Twitter

Use our Libro.fm affiliate code NOVELPAIRINGS to get an audiobook subscription and support independent bookstores.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get updates and behind-the-scenes info.

Skip to the pairings with this timestamp: [35:15]

Shop the pairings with our affiliate links below:

Books mentioned:

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (Amazon)

Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier (Amazon)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (Amazon)

Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories (Amazon)

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Amazon)

50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James (Amazon)

The Witch Must Die: The Hidden Meaning of Fairytales by Sheldon Cashdan (Amazon)

Chelsey’s Pairings

Burning Girls and Other Stories by Victoria Schanoes (Amazon)

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (Amazon)

A Universe of Wishes, ed. by Dhonielle Clayton (Amazon)

Sara’s Pairings

Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link (Amazon)

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (Amazon)

The World’s Wife by Carol Ann Duffy (Amazon)

Picks of the week:

Chelsey: Promising Young Woman (19.99 on Amazon Prime) & Wolfwalkers (Apple TV)

Sara: The Witch Must Die: The Hidden Meaning of Fairytales & Singing Bones Podcast

Also mentioned:

Gail Carriger’s Heroine’s Journey 

Maureen Murdock’s Heroine’s Journey

More heroine’s journey resources

48. Fairytale retellings for readers of all ages

In Episode 48, Sara and Chelsey topple your TBR lists with fairytale retellings for every type of reader. They reminisce about the book that sparked their love of retellings and discuss why fairytales are still so appealing to adult readers.

Books mentioned:

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (Amazon)
The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine (Amazon)
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (Amazon)
The Princess Test by Gail Carson Levine (Amazon)
Ogre Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (Amazon)
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Amazon)
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (Amazon)
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (Amazon)
Austenland by Shannon Hale (Amazon)
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)  by Marissa Meyer (Amazon)
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (Amazon)
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (Amazon)
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly (Amazon)
A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (Amazon)
Thorn by Intisar Khanani (Amazon)
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig (Amazon)
The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (Amazon)
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory McGuire (Amazon)
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (Amazon)
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (Amazon)
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno Garcia (Amazon)
The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg (Amazon)
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me by Kate Bernheimer  (Amazon)
An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (Amazon)
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare (Amazon)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (Amazon)
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (Amazon)

Also mentioned:

SSR Podcast Episode 12: Ella Enchanted
Gail Carriger’s Heroine’s Journey 
Maureen Murdock’s Heroine’s Journey
More heroine’s journey resources

Up next: The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

47. There is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset and ambitious family stories that span generations

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing There is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset. We loved this Austen-like Harlem Renaissance novel, and we kept this episode spoiler free in the hopes that it’ll encourage you to pick it up! Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic, with a mix of historical fiction and satire.

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Use our Libro.fm affiliate code NOVELPAIRINGS to get an audiobook subscription and support independent bookstores.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get updates and behind-the-scenes info.

Skip to the pairings with this timestamp: [33:15]

Shop the pairings with our affiliate links below:

Books mentioned:

There is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset (Amazon)

Passing by Nella Larsen (Amazon) [30:39]

Chelsey’s Pairings

Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Amazon) [36:06]

This Lovely City by Louise Hare (Amazon) [42:23]

Becoming by Michelle Obama (Amazon) [49:18]

Sara’s Pairings

On Beauty by Zadie Smith (Amazon) [33:33]

No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts (Amazon) [39:35]

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour (Amazon) [45:52]

Picks of the week:

Chelsey: How WWI Sparked and Artistic Movement that Transformed Black America [53:30]

Sara: New Yorker article on Fauset (by Morgan Jerkins) [52:09] and Women of the Harlem Renaissance by Cheryl A. Wall [52:40]