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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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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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.

Neha and Shruti discuss The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, a book that starts with the death of a photographer and follows him in the afterlife as he attempts to find his murderer and his missing photographs. We talk about the nature of death and the afterlife, and share historical context about the Sri Lankan Civil War. We also explore why people might be afraid to critize books, particularly works by marginalized communities.

Books mentioned & Shelf Discovery

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

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.

Neha and Shruti discuss Another Country by James Baldwin, a book that follows a group of friends and lovers in New York City in the mid-20th century. We talk about the characters and their relationships, the inaction that fills the novel, and the importance of having 'difficult' conversations with the people you love. We also go on a brief Gossip Girl tangent as we attempt to better understand the characters in this book :)

Links:

Another Country by Claudia Roth Pierpont [The New Yorker]

Jazz by Toni Morrison: violence and ambition [The Novel Tea]

Books mentioned & Shelf Discovery:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Jazz by Toni Morrison

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

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.

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Neha and Shruti discuss Daughters of the Deer, by Danielle Daniel, a work of historical fiction that follows an indigenous woman and her daughter in a 17th century French colony that is now Quebec, Canada. We talk about the historical context of the book, discuss the characters and their journeys, and reflect on the importance of telling these stories.

Shelf Discovery:

East by Edith Pattou

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Hope Leslie; Or Early Times in Massachusetts by Catharine Maria Sedgwick

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.

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Neha and Shruti discuss The Savage Detectives, the story of two poets and the people and world that surrounds them, as they journey across Mexico. We talk about some of the cultural context of this book, the challenges we faced while reading, and share some strong opinions.

Shelf Discovery

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

If you would like to get more in-depth analysis, book recommendations, and cultural commentary, 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.

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In this episode, Shruti and Neha discuss The Other Americans by Laila Lalami, a novel about an immigrant family that includes a romance, family drama, and a mystery. After a quick discussion of the It Ends With Us drama, we share a quick summary and dive into some themes we noticed in The Other Americans, including memory, regret, and protection. We talk about some of the key relationships and conflicts, major plot points, and Lalami's writing style.

Shelf Discovery

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

If you would like to get more in-depth analysis, book recommendations, and cultural commentary, 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.

In this episode, Shruti and Neha discuss The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, which follows four characters from different social and financial classes, whose stories are linked through familial relationships and employment. As the book continues, their lives become more intimately intertwined and political unrest starts to reach their homes.

We talk about the themes of class and entitlement, the historical landscape of India in the post-independence decades, and discuss how this book is descendant from British literary giants such as PG Wodehouse and Jane Austen.

Shelf Discovery:

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

If you would like to get more in-depth analysis, book recommendations, and cultural commentary, 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.