Category: Uncategorized

We’re excited to be back in your podcast feeds to pair highly anticipated fall book releases with beloved backlist favorites. Prepare to overload your TBR pile as we dive into an exciting fall publishing season filled with moody, atmospheric  titles.

In today’s episode, we’ll share our carefully curated lists of outstanding upcoming fiction from both renowned authors and indie presses, along with a selection of diverse fiction and nonfiction we think you’ll enjoy, all paired with a backlist book to explore while you await your library holds and pre-orders.

Before diving into the books, we want to remind our community that Chelsey will be on maternity leave this fall. As a small (very small!) business, this requires significant planning and adjustments. To best manage our schedules while preserving the community we’ve created, we will take a short break from the main feed while focusing on providing fun, nerdy new content on Patreon at patreon.com/novelpairings. 

We aim to return to the main feed in December or January with a special episode featuring the best books of 2024, along with a thrilling spring season. In the meantime, we will continue to offer bonus episodes, discussion-based classes, and book club events through our Patreon community. You can join us at either the $5 or $10 level, depending on your desired level of participation.

We are incredibly thankful for your support. Thank you for being with us! 

Books Mentioned

• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
• Guide Me Home by Attica Locke 
• The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz 
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia 
• The Professor by Charlotte Bronte
• Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
• The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
• Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
• My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
• Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
• Graveyard Shift by ML Rio 
• If We Were Villians by ML Rio
• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osmond
• The Wildes by Louis Bayard
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde 
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Jackie & Me by Louis Bayard
• The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
• Heir by Sabaa Tahir 
• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
• The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
• Don’t Be a Stranger by Susan Minot
• Sandwich by Catherine Newman
• All Fours by Miranda July
• The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister 
• Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann
• The Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
• Curdle Creek by Yvonnne Battle-Felton
• Ours by Philip B. Williams
• Lone Women by Victor Lavalle
• The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews
• The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews
• Persuasion by Jane Austen
• The Wedgford Trials by Courtney Milian
• The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes 
• Homefire by Kamila Shamsie
• Rental House by Weike Wang
• Chemistry by Weike Wang
• Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang
• Goodbye Vitamin by Rachel Kong
• The Fortnite In September by RC Sheriff

Also Mentioned

• The English Teacher
• A Discovery of Witches
• Fiction Matters Substack
• Joyce Carol Oates
• Algonquin Books
• Anonymous Divorce/Sex Substack
• Cup of Jo Substack

As the summer reading season comes to a close, we’re turning our eyes to fall. With Chelsey on maternity leave, we’ve made some thoughtful adjustments to our plans and structure here at Novel Pairings. Our goal is to ensure that we stay connected and continue to foster the amazing community we’ve built together. The best way to stay connected this fall is through our Patreon community; we’re excited about the bonus episodes, discussion based classes and book club events we have planned! 

On today’s episode, we revisit last summer’s buzzy book reviews from our Patreon archives. Each summer, we sit down for a conversation where we share our thoughts on the latest buzzworthy books we’ve read. Today, we’re re-airing last summer’s discussion on popular titles, which features some unconventional opinions on well-known works.

Follow us on Instagram @novelpairingspod and subscribe to our newsletter at novelpairings.substack.com.

Books Mentioned

• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’ Donaghue
• The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Saddiqi
• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
• Congratulations, the Best is Over by R. Eric Thomas
• Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
• Happy Place by Emily Henry
• Talking at Night by Claire Daverley
• Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
• Loot by Tania James

Also Mentioned

• Our Town on YouTube 
• Chelsey’s Recipe for a Summer Romance Reading Guide 
• Sara’s Reading in Public newsletter on long books and active attention

Today’s episodes are extra special! Twice a year, we choose a big bucket list classic to read together as a community. For every book we read, Chelsey and Sara dust off their English teacher skills to break down plot, themes, style, and more in recurring recap podcast episodes.

We have our Big Book Summer Read Along of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables on the horizon and we’d love for you to join us! We do know that it can be hard to sign up for a subscription community if you don’t know what you’re getting so we wanted to give you a taste for what we do in our Patreon Classics Club by putting two of our recent recap episodes here on the main feed. Over the winter months, we read Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country and we think it would make for a great summer read if you haven’t read it yet. 

If you love these two episodes, head over to our Patreon at patreon.com/novelpairings. Enrolling at the $10 Literature Scholar level will get you access to the rest of our Custom of the Country recap series, the corresponding classes, our entire Odyssey recap series from last summer, and all of our previous bonus episodes and class recordings. Plus, you’ll get access to our current summer recap series of Les Misérables.

151. Introduction

Books Mentioned:

The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Also Mentioned:

The Buccaneers

Bridgerton

The Gilded Age

Downton Abbey

152. Book One Recap

Books Mentioned:

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Eloise at The Plaza by Kay Thompson

Also Mentioned:

Gossip Girl

Today, we’re wrapping up our spring season with Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, a theme-driven novel that recreates the social world of an elite liberal arts college, exploring issues through nuanced satire on race, class, and beauty. We dig into the stories of the Belsey and Kipp families and Smith’s use of the academic setting to discuss identity and social satire. Our pairings for On Beauty include callbacks to previous classic episodes, essays by Zadie Smith, and surprising historical fiction.

Our Slow Down Summer Read Along of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is starting soon! Just like our readalongs for The Odyssey and The Custom of the Country, you can expect exclusive Patreon content, including book clubs and classes, to guide you through this ginormous classic. We’d love for you to join us! Go to patreon.com/novelpairings to sign up. 

Books Mentioned:

• Howard’s End by E.M. Forster
• There is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset
• Passing by Nella Larsen
• Members Only by Sameer Pandya
• Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays by Zadie Smith 
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• Love Marriage by Monica Ali
• Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliver
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
• Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
• A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
• Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Get ready for your summer TBR to pile high as we share our most anticipated titles releasing this summer! Plus, each new release that we preview in today’s episode is perfectly paired with a backlist book or two, giving us plenty to read while waiting for pre-orders and library holds to come in.

If you enjoy our recommendations on today’s episode, we have even more book suggestions to explore in our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great place to discuss books with a smart group of readers, and now is the perfect time to join as we’re about to start our Slow Down Summer Read Along of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. Visit patreon.com/novelpairings to learn more.

You can also stay up-to-date with all things Novel Pairings by following us on Instagram and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on Substack. Thank you for supporting our book-loving community!

Books Mentioned:

• Fire Exit by Morgan Talty 
• LaRose by Louise Erdrich
• The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma
• At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop
• Every Day Is For the Thief by Teju Cole 
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 
• Unseen World by Liz Moore
• In the Woods by Tana French
• Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan 
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith
• One Star Romance by Laura Hankin 
• Beach Read by Emily Henry
• Bear by Julia Phillips 
• The Hunter’s Wife by Anthony Doerr
• Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn
• Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
• Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
• The Latecomer by Jean Hanf Korelitz
• The Plot by Jean Hanf Korelitz
• The Coin by Yasmin Zaher 
• You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
• The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman 
• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
• Liars by Sarah Manguso 
• Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
• Colored Television by Danzy Senna 
• Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
• A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abudrraqib
• Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa
• The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
• The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
• The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto
• By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

Also Mentioned:

Novel Pairings Summer 2023 Book Preview and Backlist Pairings

On today’s Modern Readers episode, we’re placing “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift in context with pieces of contemporary political satire. We’ll explore how satire is being used today to comment on politics and social issues, and the power, or limits, of its influence. Throughout our discussion, we discuss the lasting legacy of Swift’s essay, the rise of satirical media, and how satire is used as a rhetorical tool. Listen to the end for contemporary satirical examples in TV, online media, and comedy.

We’re also excited to  announce our Summer Big Book Read Along: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. We’re looking forward to digging into this classic with you! This Big Book Read Along includes 5 recaps spread over June, July, and August, 3 book club meet ups to discuss along the way, an active Discord chat for support and motivation, classes and bonus content. The summer is a great time to join our scholarly community! 

Find more details on our summer plans in our free Substack newsletter or head to patreon.com/novelpairings to join our community. 

Books Mentioned:

• A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
• The Odyssey by Homer
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Also Mentioned:

• A Modern Proposal on Project Gutenberg 
• Little Women Musical
• Jo Musical
• A Point of View: What’s the point of satire?
• The Onion
• Saturday Night Live
• The Daily Show
• The Colbert Report
• White Lotus
• Abbott Elementary
• Veep
• The West Wing
• John Oliver

In today’s episode, we’re discussing The Importance of Being Earnest by the ever-delightful Oscar Wilde. A classic example of British theater, this play is known for its biting social satire and brilliant comedic dialogue. Throughout our conversation, we dive into the play’s themes, discuss Wilde’s mastery of wordplay, and his ability to write characters that satirize Victorian society in the cleverest ways. As always, we share our complementary pairings, and we hope this episode adds a few books to your TBR pile! 

If you love our extra nerdy discussion on the podcast today, we have a hunch that you would also love participating in our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great space to take part in public scholarship and talk about books with a smart group of readers. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. To learn more about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.

Books Mentioned:

• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
• Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
• Nevada by Imogen Binnie
• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
• The Best of Me by David Sedaris
• I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett
• Dr. No by Percival Everett
• What a Difference a Duke Makes by Lenora Bell
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith

Also Mentioned:

• Bonus: 127. An Introduction to The Importance of Being Earnest
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
• R. Eric Thomas

We’re thrilled to welcome Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks Podcast, to Novel Pairings for a thought-provoking discussion on one of Shakespeare’s darkest comedies, Measure for Measure. In this conversation, we’ll dive deep into the play’s timeless themes including punishment, gender, power, and politics. We discuss how these themes continue to resonate with modern audiences, revealing the parallels between the play and our contemporary world. We also talk about how Shakespeare masterfully uses this satire in this work, even when satire doesn’t necessarily equate to laugh-out-loud humor. Listen to the end for Traci’s book recommendations, including Shakespeare pairings and a soon-to-be-released title. 

Connect with Traci:

The Stacks Podcast 

Unstacked 

Instagram: @thestackspod 

Join our community!

Patreon

Substack

Instagram: @novelpairingspod

Books Mentioned:

Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race by Farah Karim-Cooper

Blackface (Object Lessons) by Ayanna Thompson

New People by Danzy Senna

Color Television by Danzy Senna

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Erasure by Percival Everett

Severance by Ling Ma

Victim by Andrew Boryga

Love’s Labor Lost by William Shakespeare

All’s Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare

Othello by William Shakespeare

Richard III by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Also Mentioned:

Ask a Shakespeare Professor 

Macbeth

The Stacks episode on Romeo and Juliet