Novel Pairings – Details, episodes & analysis

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

In today's recap episode, we discuss Book One of The Custom of the Country (that's chapters 1-10 if your book is not divided into books). This episode includes detailed discussion of the plot and characters introduced in this first section of the novel, so spoilers abound. We discuss our initial impressions of the unforgettable character that is Undine Spragg, how well this book would translate to the screen, a close read of a mythology reference, and what we've learned about parenting from this portion of the novel because we desperately want to avoid raising Undines!

Some more background on this episode: twice a year, we choose a big bucket list classic to read together as a community. For every book we read, we dust off our 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.

Books Mentioned:

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Eloise at The Plaza by Kay Thompson

Also Mentioned:

Gossip Girl

Today, Chelsey and Sara share their most anticipated spring book releases paired with backlist selections. After  listening today, your TBR will be filled with delightful fiction, thrilling mysteries, historical romance and literary books from favorite writers, all releasing between late February and May. As always, our go-to pairings will keep your spring both entertaining and engaging. 

If you love our recommendations on the podcast, we have even more books to share over 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, eclectic 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.

Listeners can also stay in the loop with all things Novel Pairings by giving us a follow on Instagram and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on Substack. Thank you for supporting public scholarship!

Books Mentioned:

Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliver

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft 

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrush 

Victim by Andrew Boryga

Erasure by Pervical Everett

The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett 

Sirens of Sussex series by Mimi Matthews 

James by Percival Everett 

The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn by Mark Twain

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Clear by Carys Davies

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Colony by Audry McGee

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay by Octavia Butler

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

The Oracle of Delphi by William J. Broad 

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Oye by Melissa Mogollon

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

A Gamble at Sunset by Vanessa Riley

Also Mentioned:

Beforeigners 

Bridgerton

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 

Episode 141: Bookish Pairings for our favorite period dramas

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. 

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

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. 

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:

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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

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

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

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (Amazon)

Sara's pick of the week: Austenland

Chelsey's pick of the week: Austen ASMR room

We’re back with another TBR toppling episode! Today,  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. If you pick up any of the books we mention today, we’d love to hear about it! 

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

Check out our show notes to see every title in this episode on our blog. 

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)

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)

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 and MORE). 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!

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:

https://youtu.be/YaHoNnedp1g

Sparknotes Character Analysis:

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

The Proposal Scenes:

https://youtu.be/h-CJ2CioJVc

https://youtu.be/tWx7AF8B0R8

https://youtu.be/yBqyLoWtYg8

https://youtu.be/IGr8QbWY19s

Picks of the week:

The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Kantor 

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on Youtube

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. Today’s 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 month! To celebrate one year of podcasting and the launch of our new Patreon community, we’re enjoying all things Austen for the whole month of March 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. 

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

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

March 9th Episode: Part One (we’ll discuss Chapter 1-34 or Volume I-Volume II, Chapter 11)

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

1. Listen to the audiobook

Amazon: Rosamund Pike

Libro.fm: Kate Redding, Emilia Fox, Elizabeth Klett and Karen Savage

2. Research some Regency customs

Sparknotes context

Historical context

The Georgian Era

(and more in our upcoming Patreon class!)

3. Investigate Jane Austen’s writing style

Free indirect discourse

Austen’s voice

Austen Said

Irony and Elizabeth Bennett

4. Use Sparknotes, LitCharts, or Schmoop

5. Watch a film adaptation

Our favorite: 1995 BBC series on Hulu

Most popular: 2005 film on Peacock or Amazon Prime

Throwback: 1980 film on Amazon Prime

Today, 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)

Disability Visibility, edited by Alice Wong (Amazon)

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (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

April 6th: Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

April 20th: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

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

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

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