In this episode Neha and Shruti discuss the two movie adaptations of Rebecca: the 1940 masterpiece directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and the 2020... something piece directed by Ben Wheatley. We pay attention to characterization, setting, music, and costume, and of course, discuss the MAJOR changes made to the ending in both these movies!

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In this episode, Shruti and Neha discuss the Gothic masterpiece Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. We talk about the main characters and what they might represent, and the way the book plays with ideas of identity and relationships. We also discuss the themes of memory, innocence and maturity, gender roles and sexuality, the symbolism of flowers, and so much more!

*This episode contains serious spoilers!

Links:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt: aesthetics and paranoia (Spotify | Apple Podcasts)

The Secret History, Dark Academia, and Academic Elitism [The Novel Tea Newsletter]

Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

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This episode description contains links to Bookshop.org, a website that supports independent bookstores. If you use these links we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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In this episode Neha and Shruti discuss Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys through the themes of liminality and bias. We talk about the book as its own work, then we compare it to Jane Eyre, its source text. We also discuss several screen adaptations of Jane Eyre, including the 1997 and 2011 films, and the 1983 and 2006 television adaptations.

Shelf Discovery

Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

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This episode description contains links to Bookshop.org, a website that supports independent bookstores. If you use these links we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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In this episode Shruti and Neha discuss one of the most beloved classics of all time: Jane Eyre. We discuss Jane's character through the themes of adventure and self-respect, the metaphor of the red room, and how Jane's desire for affection manifests through her many relationships. We also disagree on Rochester's character (and the book's ending), and analyze the many themes and motifs in this book, including religion, orientalism, fairytales, colonialism & empire, and more!

Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

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This episode description contains links to Bookshop.org, a website that supports independent bookstores. If you use these links we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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In this episode, we discuss the short story The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, its many interpretations – from institutional decay, to psychology and health, to imagined realities – and the real-life history the story is said to have been based on. We then talk about What Moves the Dead, a retelling of Poe’s short story, and whether or not it accomplished what it set out to do.

Along the way, we also get into what makes a good adaptation and differences between gothic and horror genres. We also talk a bit about the recent Netflix adaptation The Fall of the House of Usher by Mike Flanagan.

Shelf Discovery:

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story by Olga Tokarczuk

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This episode description contains links to Bookshop.org, a website that supports independent bookstores. If you use these links we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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In this episode we introduce our theme for the season: adaptations! We discuss some of the best and worst adaptations we've seen, what makes a good adaptation, and the new trends in book adaptations. And, of course, we share what we'll be reading (and watching!) over the next few months for Season 5.

Books and movies mentioned:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Wicked

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

10 Things I Hate About You

She's the Man

The Lion King

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Mufasa

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Emma by Jane Austen

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Antigone by Sophocles

All's Well by Mona Awad

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We love to hear from listeners about the books we discuss - you can connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at [email protected].

This episode description contains links to Bookshop.org, a website that supports independent bookstores. If you use these links we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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It's finally here - our year in books! In this bonus episode, we share the 10 best books we read this year, ranging from new releases, to classics, to non-fiction. We also share a few honorable mentions that we loved. And, towards the end of the episode, we spill the tea on a few 2024 releases, including some that we loved and others that didn't quite hit the mark.

Books Mentioned:

The Guest

The Night Swim

They Called Us Exceptional

Educated

The Little Stranger

Yellowface

The Left Hand of Darkness

My Death

The Bee Sting

James

Birnam Wood

Hello Beautiful

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Another Country

Cuckold

A Little Life

Enter Ghost

Martyr!

The Illness Lesson

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

An Immense World

In the Dream House

The Secret History

The God of the Woods

The Women

There are Rivers in the Sky

Argylle

The Bright Sword

Funny Story

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Neha and Shruti discuss all 8 books we've covered over the last few months, and talk about themes that emerged - getting a little nerdy along the way. We also discuss the Booker prize, throw some shade at the Oscars, and share more book recommendations around the theme of borders.

This episode is spoiler free!

Books mentioned:

Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said

Termush by Sven Holm

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib

They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi Gupta

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

The Laughter by Sonora Jha

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We love to hear from listeners about the books we discuss - you can connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at [email protected].

This episode description contains links to Bookshop.org, a website that supports independent bookstores. If you use these links we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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Neha and Shruti discuss The Parisian by Isabella Hammad, a book that follows Midhat Kamal, a Palestinian man, between the First and Second World Wars. We talk about the 19th century European novel, prominent themes we noticed in the book, and our thoughts on the characters and their development. We also get into the historical context of the events unfolding in the book.

Links

IsraelPalestine For Critical Thinkers on Youtube

Empire Podcast [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify]

Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

Our Riches by Kaouther Adimi

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This episode description contains links to Bookshop.org, a website that supports independent bookstores. If you use these links we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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This week we are so excited to invite Sri Ramesh of Brown Girl Bookshelf to chat with us! Last week, Neha and Shruti got into some of their critiques of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, and this week, Sri is here to tell us what she loved about. Will she change our minds?

We also talk more broadly about Sri Lankan literature, the Booker prize, book endings, and our reading idiosyncrasies.

Links

What Makes a Book a 'Classic'? [The Novel Tea Newsletter archive]

Books

A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam

Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam

Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshanathan

The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Goodbye Vitamin by Rachel Khong

Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones: A Memoir by Priyanka Mattoo

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar

Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran

If you would like to get additional behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free newsletter.

We love to hear from listeners about the books we discuss - you can connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at [email protected].

This episode description contains links to Bookshop.org, a website that supports independent bookstores. If you use these links we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.