Category: Uncategorized

99. Literary adaptations we can’t wait to read this fall99.

ChelseyLeave a comment

Welcome to fall, readers! Today, Sara & Chelsey dive into all things adaptations: why we enjoy them, when they fall short, and how adaptations fit into literary and pop culture conversations. We discuss how literature thrives on adaptations, and Sara shares some salty opinions. Subscribe to our newsletter for more resources on adaptations and the topics we covered in this episode.

Books Mentioned

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald) 

Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

Chelsey:

Epically Earnest by Molly Horan (The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde)

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells) 

Two Wrongs Make A Right by Chloe Liese (Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare)

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne (Frankenstein by Mary Shelley)

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese (The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne) 

Marmee by Sarah Miller (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott) 

Sara

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe) 

Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra (Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare)

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald) 

Ithaca by Claire North (The Odyssey by Homer) 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (David Copperfield by Charles Dickens) 

Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

Coming Up

September: Persuasion by Jane Austen

October: Macbeth by William Shakespeare

November: The Chosen and The Beautiful by Nghi Vo

To support Novel Pairings:

98. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

ChelseyLeave a comment

Today, Sara and Chelsey discuss Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. This novel surprised us in the best ways, and we loved reading along with you all summer. Tune in to hear us talk about the fantastic characters and McMurtry’s narrative style in this sweeping tome, drawing surprising similarities with Jane Austen. This novel touches on themes of love, family, masculinity, and so much more. If you’re looking for a fantastic book club selection with more to discuss than could possibly fit in an hour, consider this novel along with some of our pairings.  This episode is mostly spoiler free, with warnings included before we share important plot details.

To support Novel Pairings:

Books Mentioned 

Some links are affiliate links. Every time you make a purchase through one of these links, it helps us keep the podcast running. Thank you! 

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 

Listen to our pairings: [56:15]

Chelsey:

Sara: 

Pick of the Week:

Chelsey: The Harder They Fall (Netflix)

Sara: The Watch: Lonesome Dove

97. Romance in Marseille and postcolonial novels to expand your world

ChelseyLeave a comment

Today, Sara and Chelsey discuss Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay. We discuss the classic nature of this novel along with some of its modern elements, as well as our own personal impressions and individual reading experiences of the book.. This Harlem Renaissance novel touches on important themes that pushed the boundaries of its time: disability, the physical body, race, migration, post-colonialism, Marxism, economics. If you’re looking for a short classic novel that covers many important topics, consider this one alongside some of our pairings.  

Listen HERE. 

Books Mentioned 

Some links are affiliate links. Every time you make a purchase through one of these links, it helps us keep the podcast running. Thank you! 

Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay (Penguin Classics) 

Listen to our pairings: [41:05]

Chelsey: 

Sara: 

Also Mentioned 

The Best New Novel Was Written 90 Years Ago by Molly Young (Vulture) 
A Book So Far Ahead of Its Time, It took 87 Years to Find A Publisher by Tayla Zax (NYTimes)

96. Must-read books of the summer paired with beach-worthy backlist titles

ChelseyLeave a comment

It’s that time of year, readers! Pull out your favorite book tote and get thee to pre-ordering (or library requesting) because we’ve got an episode full of our most anticipated reads for summer 2022. Since we can’t help ourselves, we’ve paired each buzzy new title with a backlist pick. We’re also talking about summer reading hopes (not goals), our favorite summertime genres, and what’s happening in Classics Club this season. 

LISTEN HERE.

If you’re enjoying our content, please write a review on Apple Podcasts, share an episode with a friend, or shout us out on social media. Growing this show (as our families have grown, too) is only possible because of our lovely listeners. Thank you!

Books Mentioned

Thanks for supporting us by shopping our Bookshop affiliate links!

May

5/3 The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

5/3 When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

5/17 We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu

5/17 Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces by Elamin Abdelmahmoud

5/24 Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

5/31 Half-Blown Rose by Leesa Cross-Smith

June

6/7 Woman of Light by Kali Farjado-Anstine

6/7 Fibbed by Elizabeth Agyemang

6/14 Horse by Geraldine Brooks

6/28 American Royalty by Tracey Livesay

July

7/5 Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

7/5 Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

7/12 The Crane Wife by C.J. Hauser

7/12 Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevinn

7/19 Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

95. Love and Freindship by Jane Austen and adding pure FUN to your TBR list

ChelseyLeave a comment

Sara and Chelsey discuss Jane Austen’s silly, ridiculous, and absolutely delightful work of juvenilia: Love and Freindship. From fainting spells to the history of parody, this episode is full of nerdy information and fun Austen context. If you’re looking to lighten up your reading life with irreverent novels and humorous romance, these pairings are for you, regardless of whether you’ve picked up Love and Freindship. 

Listen HERE.

Books mentioned:

Love and Freindship by Jane Austen

Chelsey:

Sara:

94. Ask Us Anything with Sara, Chelsey, and a special surprise guest

ChelseyLeave a comment

How did Sara and Chelsey meet? What goes into making a Novel Pairings episode? And how do they find time to read with busy, curious babies in their lives? Today’s episode holds all the answers to YOUR questions about classic literature, teaching English, baby bookworms, reading habits, and more. (Plus plenty of book recommendations. We can’t help it.)

Some links are affiliate links. Every time you make a purchase through one of these links, it helps us keep the podcast running. Thank you!

Books Mentioned:

Also Mentioned:

Don’t forget to:

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

91. Bookish superlatives from an unprecedented reading year

ChelseyLeave a comment

After a few months off, we’re back in your feeds to discuss some of our favorite (and least favorite) books of 2021. We’ve organized this episode into bookish superlatives that let us share books you may not hear us talk about otherwise. We also offer a reflection on our reading year as a whole, including what it’s been like to read with newborns around. It’s great to be back at the mic talking all things books!

Books Mentioned:

  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  • A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
  • Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney
  • The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
  • Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith
  • My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
  • Wintering by Katherine May
  • Insurrecto by Gina Apostol
  • Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
  • The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
  • We’re All in This Together by Amy Jones
  • Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman
  • Kid Gloves by Lucy Knisley
  • Detransition, Baby by Torrie Peters
  • The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
  • The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
  • Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann
  • Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
  • A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
  • The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
  • Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
  • Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski
  • Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

92 & 93. Novel Pairings for Middlemarch by George Eliot

ChelseyLeave a comment

In Episode 92, Sara and Chelsey check in and discuss Middlemarch by George Eliot. What does this 800-page Victorian novel have in common with Love is Blind on Netflix? Tune in to hear literary analysis, pop culture connections, and personal reflections on reading this giant tome. Plus, Sara and Chelsey reveal plans for a new episode format and which classic they’re reading next. 

Listen here.

Books mentioned:

Picks of the week:

Chelsey: Love is Blind (Netflix)
Sara: My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead 

Also mentioned:

“It Can Be Embarrassing to Love Dorothea” The Paris Review

In Episode 93, Sara and Chelsey consider Middlemarch by George Eliot through a contemporary lens with paired books about marriage, community, and time-tested advice. You don’t need to read Middlemarch to put a book recommendation in your pocket today, so enjoy this unique collection of titles and a spoiler-free conversation. 

Listen here.

Books mentioned:

90. Our love/hate relationship with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

ChelseyLeave a comment

“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.” So begins the book that launched a million little girls’ love affair with reading. While we here at Novel Pairings have pretty mixed feelings about Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, our discussion of this beloved childhood classic is one of our favorites. 

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without some discussion of Little Women, so whether you love them or loathe them, we hope you enjoy today’s rerelease as we deep dive into the world of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.

For more bonus episodes, nerdy classes, and extra book talk,  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.

Books Mentioned:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Amazon)

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (Amazon)

Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Amy Boyd Rioux (Amazon)

So We Read On: How the Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures by Maureen Corrigan (Amazon)

March by Geraldine Brooks (Amazon)

Also mentioned:

Episode 40 with Annie B. Jones

Skip to the pairings with this timestamp: [36:14]

Shop the pairings with our affiliate links below:

Chelsey’s Pairings:

Sara’s Pairings:

Picks of the week:

Home Cooking Podcast

Why the British Tell Better Children’s Stories

89. Behind the scenes of the shop around the corner with Annie B. Jones

ChelseyLeave a comment

Here at Novel Pairings, if there’s one thing we love almost as much as reading it’s supporting independent bookstores. Today, we’re re-airing an interview with one of our favorite indie bookstore insiders, Annie B. Jones, owner of The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia. Annie shares a little about her own reading life and tastes, and offers some sweet and moving book pairings for one of her favorite classics: Little Women. 

Remember, you can support The Bookshelf or your favorite local indie bookstore and the Novel Pairings podcast by signing up or gifting a Libro.fm membership. Use our code NOVELPAIRINGS when you join, and help boost business at your favorite bookstore through another difficult holiday season.

For more bonus episodes, nerdy classes, and extra book talk,  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.

Books mentioned:

Our book list includes a mix of affiliate links and links to The Bookshelf inventory. If you want to own one of the books we talked about today, we hope you consider supporting The Bookshelf with your purchase. 

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

The Baby-Sitters Club Box

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Franny & Zoey by J.D. Salinger

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konig

Bloomability by Sharon Creech

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Amy Boyd Rioux

Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz

What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer

Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel

House Lessons by Erica Bauermeister

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Ex Libris by Michiko Kakutani 

HRH by Elizabeth Holmes

Passing by Nella Larsen

Emma by Jane Austen

Also mentioned:

“The Baby-Sitters Club Taught Me Everything I Needed to Know About Literary Fiction”