Category: Show Notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are  toppling your TBRs with backlist books to enjoy this summer. We know hardback books are pricey and library waitlists for the hottest new releases are long, so we’re going to be pairing some of 2020’s most exciting books of summer with older books that are easier to get your hands on.

Shop our Backlist Recs on Bookshop:  

Use our referral code to get TWO  audiobooks for the price of one through Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/redeem/novelpairings

Books mentioned:

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett 

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld 

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Abigail Adams: A Life by Woody Holton

Beach Read by Emily Henry 

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

A Burning by Megha Majumdar 

There There by Tommy Orange

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner 

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

All Adults Here by Emma Straub 

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett 

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory 

Dreamers series by Adrianna Herrera (American Fairytale #2)

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

Friends and Strangers by J Courtney Sullivan 

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan 

A Room with a View by EM Forrester

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

Beloved by Toni Morrison  

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson 

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Other mentions:

Kazuo Ishiguro’s new book

The Stacks Podcast

Attica and Tembi Locke

Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting about Passing by Nella Larsen. Published in 1929, Passing is a book about two women: Clare and Irene, who grew up in the same middle class Black community in Chicago and come back into each other’s lives as adults. Irene is living in Harlem with her husband, a successful doctor, while Clare has left the family and friends of her youth behind to marry a white man and pass as white. Clare and Irene’s bond is built on a shared past and a deep mutual affection, but also curiosity and jealousy over the lives each of them might have had. As their lives become more and more intertwined the tension builds, and a sense of impending doom makes this book impossible to put down.

Our discussion includes:

•  Gatsby connections galore, and an argument for replacing Gatsby with Passing [16:35]
•  Intersectionality and Irene’s struggle with loyalty across race, gender, and class lines [27:56]
•  Who should pick this up? [32:15]

Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic,  including a literary thriller and one of this summer’s buzziest books.

This episode will be mostly spoiler-free, except for a brief discussion of the ending. We’ll warn you in advance before we get into it, and timestamps are listed below.

Chelsey’s Pairings:

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite [40:48]

Black is the Body by Emily Bernard [47:05]

The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert [53:17]

Sara’s Pairings:

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson [37:50]

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah [43:14]

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett [50:00]

Pick of the Week:

You Must Remember This podcast “Passing for White, Merle Oberon”13th the Ava DuVerny documentary

We’re excited to welcome our first guest on the podcast today! Alli Hoff Kosik is the host of the SSR Podcast, where she breaks down an old school read from her tween and teen years with a special guest every Tuesday. Today, we’re chatting about classic and contemporary YA lit, the magic of middle grade, how childhood books stick with us into adulthood, and more. As always, we’re offering some novel pairings—this time with classic kid lit or YA books and contemporary adult reads. 

You can find the SSR Podcast wherever you download your podcast episodes. Follow Alli on Instagram and Twitter and say hello! 

PS: Congratulations on 100 episodes, Alli!

Listen to Chelsey and Alli talk about Tuck Everlasting on Ep. 34

Listen to Sara and Alli talk about Jacob Have I Loved on Ep. 87

Books mentioned:

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin

Speak by Laurie Hals Anderson

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Pairings:

Little Women & The Most Fun We Ever Had

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks & Fleishman is in Trouble

The Baby-Sitters Club & Most Likely

Guest Rec:Open Book by Jessica Simpson

Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting about I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, one of the first novels categorized as Young Adult fiction. We discuss the nostalgia associated with our favorite children’s books, Today’s discussion includes:

• Formative experiences with books from our childhoods [8:40]
• Which couples we ship and which handsome actor captured our hearts in the movie version [15:00]
• Who should read this book? Downton Abbey fans, we’re looking at you…[20:17]

Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic including a YA novel in verse and a Regency-era romance novel.

Shop the pairings: https://bookshop.org/shop/novelpairings

Resources mentioned:

I Capture the Castle film 

Comforting Classics episode

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Today’s episode is brought to you by Bookshelf Tees, a small female-owned business we love. We each own several comfy t-shirts from Bookshelf Tees and always look forward to Lauren’s new designs. You can get 20% off your next order by using code NOVELPAIRINGS at checkout.

Chelsey’s Pairings:

I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest [28:05]

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare [35:56]

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert [43:22]

Sara’s Pairings:

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo [25:03]

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell [32:10]

By the Book by Amanda Sellet [39:36]

Chelsey’s Pick of the Week: Never Have I Ever on Netflix

Sara’s Pick of the Week: Harry Potter vs. Huckleberry Finn

As we wind down our spring season,  Chelsey and Sara are talking about our favorite Novel Pairings episodes and the best books we read over the last three months. We also discuss some of the books we’ve both read recently including a celebrity memoir and a delightful book about the writing life.

Books mentioned in this episode: Open Book by Jessica Simpson [8:37], The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel [12:02], The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare [15:50], Beach Read by Emily Henry [19:29], The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende [24:43], Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo [27:19], Pride by Ibi Zoboi [28:38], The Illness Lesson by Clare Beams [29:25], Most Likely by Sarah Watson [31:24], We Wish You Luck by Caroline Zancan [34:24], Here for It: Or How to Save Your Soul in America by R. Eric Thomas [36:40], Wow No Thank You by Samantha Irby [37:46]  Severance by Ling Ma [38:13], The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham [41:51], Young Jane Young by Gabrille Zevin [44:42], Unscripted by Nicole Kronzer [47:26]

Shop our Quarterly Favorites on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/quarterly-favorites-spring-2020/

Listen to He Read She Read Episode 50 on The Duchess Deal
Use our referral code to get THREE audiobooks for the price of one through Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/redeem/novelpairings

Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting about Beloved by Toni Morrison. This American masterpiece and 1988 Pulitzer winner tells the story of Sethe, a woman who escaped from slavery to find freedom for herself and her children, only to be haunted by the traumas of her past. It’s a story of motherhood, womanhood, freedom, and redemption, and Morrison’s genius and language are incomparable. Today’s discussion includes:

• Sara sharing her experience with teaching this book and why it’s the perfect book to bring into the classroom [4:10]
• Reading Beloved symbolically and being okay with not understanding everything [10:30]
• The power of repetition and leitmotifs in the novel [22:34]
• Each of us sharing why we love Toni Morrison and why this book might just be THE Great American Novel [36:03]

Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic including a heartbreaking work of middle grade fiction and a debut novel from an award-winning nonfiction writer.

Shop the pairings: https://bookshop.org/shop/novelpairings

Resources mentioned:

The Stacks Episode 60 [27:27]

BBC World Books Toni Morrison Interview [30:28]

Subscribe to our Substack newsletter

Today’s episode is brought to you by Libro.fm, the only audiobook company that allows you to purchase audiobooks directly from your favorite indie bookstore. You can get THREE audiobooks for $15 by clicking this link or by using code NOVELPAIRINGS at checkout.

Chelsey’s Pairings:

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward [46:18]

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes [52:39]

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora [57:53]

Sara’s Pairings:

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates [42:48]

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson [48:59]

The Mothers by Brit Bennett [55:29]

Chelsey’s Pick of the Week: Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am 

Sara’s Pick of the Week: The 1619 Project

Today Chelsey and Sara are sharing the lineup for Novel Pairings’ summer season. We discuss what makes a great summer read, different readerly tastes in summer books, and then reveal the six classics we’ll be reading and discussing in June, July, and August. The books include a southern literature classic, a class work of young adult fiction, and several epic adventures. All of the books were chosen to fit with different summer reading moods and as the perfect books to pair with the contemporary books we love to read in the summer.

To shop all of the books in the summer lineup visit our Bookshop storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/novelpairings

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith [6:21]

Passing by Nella Larsen [8:06]

The Odyssey by Homer [9:51]

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston [11:24]

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel [13:17]

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein [14:50]

Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting about The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. We’re discussing iconic literary mothers and the depiction of motherhood in Amy Tan’s debut novel. Plus, we talk about the blurred lines between Tan’s fiction and her real life and which characters really captured our attention. Our discussion includes:

•  Our love for novels told in short stories that all tie together [9:50]
•  Approaching texts from cultures different from our own, as teachers and readers [11:42]
•  The beautiful theme of female friendship depicted along with complex mother-daughter relationships [27:42]

Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic include a and a YA graphic novel and a 2019 Booker Prize winner.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Libro.fm, the only audiobook company that allows you to purchase audiobooks directly from your favorite indie bookstore. You can get THREE audiobooks for $15 by clicking this link or by using code NOVELPAIRINGS at checkout.

Books Mentioned:

The Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Chelsey’s Pairings:

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan [42:38]

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang [49:20]

Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee [56:06]

Sara’s Pairings:

Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi [39:16]

Girl Woman Other by Bernardine Evaristo [45:19]

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu [52:51]

Picks of the Week:

Ugly Delicious on NetflixMinor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong

Today Chelsey and Sara are trying something a little different and discussing a short story. First, we’ll deep dive into the dishy, gossipy, and glitzy world of Edith Wharton’s Roman Fever (this conversation sounds more like a discussion of The Bachelor than a work of classic lit!) and then we’ll share some contemporary authors who remind us of Wharton and short story collections we’re eager to read. Today’s discussion includes:

• Our relationships with short stories and why this one in particular made our jaws drop.
• Why Edith Wharton is the perfect classic author for lovers of Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls, and anyone who loves reading about “rich people problems.”
• The contemporary author Chelsey realized was the perfect pairing for Wharton’s sassy and drama-filled books.

Plus, as always, we’re recommending lots of contemporary books along the way, including short story collections we love and our favorite rich people problems books.

Read Roman Fever online for free: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/pleasureofthetext/files/2016/10/Roman-Fever.pdf

Books discussed in today’s episode: 

Big Little Lies and The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (29:03)

The Garden Party and Other Stories Katherine Mansfield (30:08)

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (31:10)

The Six Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (31:40)

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (32:22)

All this Could be Yours by Jami Attenberg (32:24)

Succession (32:30)

How Long til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemison (33:20)

Tales of Two Cities: The Best and Worst of Times in Today’s New York (35:13)

Florida by Lauren Groff (37:03)

Laugable Loves by Milan Kundera (38:22)

You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld (39:22)

Heads of the Colored People  by Nafissa Thompson-Spires (40:06)

Lot by Bryan Washington (40:49)

Sabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (41:20)

Cowboys are My Weakness by Pam Houston (41:43)

Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting about Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This play is the perfect match for spring fever, and for many of us, it was our first encounter with Shakespeare. We share lots of thoughts on reading this play as freshmen in high school and later as English teachers. Plus, we have opinions on how Shakespeare should be read and taught in general. Listen in for book recommendations that capture the star-crossed lovers theme but don’t end quite so tragically. Our discussion includes:

• How we may have misunderstood the main characters (11:58)
• Why Mercutio is our favorite character (20:57)
• Content warning: brief discussion on teaching suicide awareness as part of the Romeo and Juliet curriculum (26:10-29:00)
• Why this play endures, and is still read in high schools (31:18)

Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic include an unexpected literary retelling and a few YA romances.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Libro.fm, the only audiobook company that allows you to purchase audiobooks directly from your favorite indie bookstore. You can get THREE audiobooks for $15 by clicking this link or by using code NOVELPAIRINGS at checkout.

Librofm: https://libro.fm/membership/new

Shop our pairings at Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/lists/novel-pairings-for-romeo-and-juliet

Shakespeare in Love Prologue

Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing

Ian McKellen as King Lear

The American Player’s Theatre

10 Things I Hate About You

She’s the Man

Chelsey’s Pairings:

The Opposite of Always by Jason Reynolds (47:00)

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (51:31)

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (55:41)

Sara’s Pairings:

The Shakespeare Miscellany by Ben and David Crystal (45:41)

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson (49:02)

Circe by Madeline Miller (53:06)

Sara: Don’t Quill the Messenger podcast 
Chelsey: No Holds Bard “So You’re Going to See Shakespeare” podcast episodes