Today, Sara and Chelsey reflect on their summer reading season with short reviews of their favorite reads, and they look ahead to their upcoming fall season. Do you enjoy hearing about our recent reads? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get weekly reading updates and podcast news or joining our Patreon community, where we share bonus episodes, nerdy classes, and a whole bunch of book talk at patreon.com/novelpairings.com.

Connect with us  on Instagram or Twitter. Get two audiobooks for the price of one from Libro.fm. Use our Libro.fm affiliate code NOVELPAIRINGS and support independent bookstores.

Books mentioned:

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

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Amazon)

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (Amazon)

Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann (Amazon)

The Guide by Peter Heller (Amazon)

The River by Peter Heller (Amazon)

All’s Well by Mona Awad (Amazon)

Bunny by Mona Awad (Amazon)

The Round House by Louise Erdrich (Amazon)

The Sentence by Louise Edrich (Amazon)

The Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich (Amazon)

Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley (Amazon)

The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee (Amazon)

The Guncle by Steven Rowley (Amazon)

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (Amazon)

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb (Amazon)

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters (Amazon)

Read with us this fall season:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëJane Eyre Norton Critical Edition (great introduction, annotations, and scholarly articles)Jane Eyre Vintage Classics (wide margins for annotating, affordable, and a nice paperback weight)Jane Eyre Penguin Classics Deluxe (one of the coolest covers out there)

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan PoeRead the story for free online The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales by Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe: Collected Works 

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins GilmanRead the story for free online The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Writings by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Gibbs Smith Women's Voices Series)The Yellow Wallpaper and Selected Writings by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Penguin Vitae Collection)

Today, Sara and Chelsey gush about a new favorite novel-in-short-stories: The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor. We focus on Naylor’s memorable prose and mastery of structure, avoiding spoilers so you can listen before reading. Plus, as always, we offer six contemporary pairings that capture similar themes, featuring short story collections and well-crafted memoirs.

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.

Skip to the pairings: [34:43]

Books mentioned:

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

The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor (Amazon)

The Men of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor

Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor (Amazon)

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (Amazon)

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (Amazon)

Chelsey

• The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom (Amazon)
• The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (Amazon)
• Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (Amazon)

Sara

• Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor  (Amazon)
• Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz (Amazon)
• Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey (Amazon)

Picks of the week:

Chelsey: The Women of Brewster Place Reissue Review (NPR)

Sara: The Promise podcast

Influenced by a delightful book club discussion with Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas, Chelsey and Sara share a pile of  mythology-inspired books in today’s TBR toppling episode. Myth retellings and adaptations might be a hot trend in publishing right now, but their popularity dates back centuries. In today’s discussion, Chelsey and Sara explore the resurgence of Greek mythology, what makes a great retelling, and which mythological novels they love or want to read.

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:

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

Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann (Amazon)

Circe by Madeline Miller (Amazon)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Amazon)

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (Amazon)

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (Amazon)

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker (Amazon)

Lovely War by Julie Berry (Amazon)

xo Orpheus: Fifty New Myths, edited by Kate Bernheimer (Amazon)

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (Amazon)

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough (Amazon)

Bull by David Elliot (Amazon)Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (Amazon)

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (Amazon)

Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard (Amazon)

Weight by Jeanette Winterson (Amazon)

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (Amazon)

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis (Amazon)

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera (Amazon)

Lore by Alexandra Bracken (Amazon)

Mythos by Stephen Fry (Amazon)

Troy by Stephen Fry (Amazon)

Also mentioned:

Episode 18: The Odyssey by Homer and mythology retellings for adventurous readers

The Last Five Years

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.

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.

Skip to the pairings: [43:50]

.

.

.

.

Books mentioned:

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

Chelsey

• Luster by Raven Leilani (Amazon)
• Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison (Amazon)
• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (Amazon)

Sara

• Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (Amazon)
• Real Life by Brandon Taylor (Amazon)
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters (Amazon)

Picks of the Week:

You Must Remember This: On the Waterfront and Eliza Kazan

The Morgan Tennessee Williams Exhibit

We have an extra special Friday bonus episode for you! We've expressed our love for Laurie Frankel and her new book One Two Three on the podcast. Today, we're sharing an episode from Storybound, in which Laurie reads an excerpt from her book. This is paired with an original piece of music to make an immersive soundscape of original music and sound effects. 

Storybound comes to you from The Podglomerate and Lit Hub Radio. Season 4 is the best yet, so subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or wherever you’re listening now.

Today, Sara and Chelsey share their favorite books of the year (so far) with a series of bookish superlatives to guide them. From most surprising to most disappointing, we discuss the books that have shaped our reading lives in the first half of 2021. We love this low pressure format for sharing "the best" books and would love to hear about YOUR favorites, using our superlatives list.

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:

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

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jandrowski (Amazon)

Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian (Amazon)

Anna K by Jenny Lee (Amazon)

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (Amazon)

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Amazon)

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters (Amazon)

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro 

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

Writers & Lovers by Lily King (Amazon)

Share Your Stuff, I’ll Go First by Laura Tremaine (Amazon)

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel (Amazon)

Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (Amazon)

Wintering by Katherine May (Amazon)

How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America by Kiese Laymon (Amazon)

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint (Amazon)

Malibu Rising  by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Amazon)

Matrix  by Lauren Groff (Amazon)

 You Got Anything Stronger? by Gabrielle Union (Amazon)

Chelsey and Sara discuss The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton*, a glittering Gilded Age classic that feels particularly relevant today. We chat about our experiences rereading one of Wharton’s early novels, how we felt about the divisive character Lily Bart, and our recommendations for contemporary pairings—including one of our favorite essay collections and a coming of age novel set at a boarding school. 

*This episode does include spoilers, so listen carefully for spoiler warnings if you haven’t read The House of Mirth yet.

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.

Listen to our pairings: [45:58]

Books mentioned:

Thank you for supporting us by shopping our affiliate links!

Chelsey

• The Rogue of Fifth Avenue (Uptown Girls series) by Joanna Shupe (Amazon)
• Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino (Amazon)
• Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (Amazon)

Sara

• The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Amazon)
• The Party Upstairs by Lee Conell (Amazon)
• Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (Amazon)

Also mentioned:

The Gilded Age Girls Club series (Duchess by Design #1) by Maya Rodale

The Gossip Girl of Her Time: On the Pleasures of Edith Wharton

Today in “Short Story Club,” Chelsey and Sara are discussing “The Prairie Wife” by Curtis Sittenfeld. It’s a quick, absorbing read about summer camp, social media, and how stories shape our identities.  We’d love to hear your thoughts on it! Note: Short Story Club episodes do contain spoilers. Read the story first, and then come back to hear our nerdy discussion.

Join our Patreon community for an extended Short Story Club discussion on Discord. 

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

Connect with us  on Instagram or Twitter. 

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

.

.

.

.

.

.

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!

Short stories for summer from Bustle

Chelsey

• Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (Amazon)
• Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler  (Amazon)
• Under the Influence podcast with Jo Piazza 

Sara

• No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood  (Amazon)
• Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey  (Amazon)
• Be There in Five podcast with Kate Kennedy

Today, Chelsey and Sara discuss The Summer Book by Tove Jansson*, a contemplative and vivid book in translation about a young girl, her grandmother, and the little island they inhabit. We discuss our favorite vignettes, the endearing characters, and our recommendations for contemporary pairings—including memoir, literary fiction, and poetry. 

*This episode is spoiler-free.

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.

Listen to our pairings: [31:50]

Books mentioned:

Thank you for supporting us by shopping our affiliate links!

Moomin books by Tove Jansson (Amazon)

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (Amazon)

.

.

.

Chelsey:

Castle of Water by Dane Hucklebridge (Amazon)

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver (Amazon)

Memories of Low Tide by Chantal Thomas (Amazon)

Sara:

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson  (Amazon) // SSR Episode 87

Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson (Amazon)

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (Amazon)

Pick of the week:

Chelsey: We Can Do Hard Things podcast: What the hell is FUN and why do we need it?

Sara: Tove Jansson’s Moomins and her private universe.

Today, Sara and Chelsey share their favorite classic and contemporary sweeping family sagas. We recommend intergenerational stories that take place over decades or centuries—or across multiple continents. We also define and discuss this sub genre and speculate about why it’s become such a popular phrase in publishing. Do you have a favorite novel that fits on our list?

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:

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

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (Amazon)

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (Amazon)

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich (Amazon)

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (Amazon)

East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Amazon)

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (Amazon)

Middlemarch by George Eliot (Amazon)

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Amazon)

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (Amazon)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (Amazon)

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (Amazon)

Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley (Amazon)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley (Amazon)

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Amazon)

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Amazon)

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (Amazon)

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (Amazon)

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Amazon)

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Amazon)