Novel Pairings

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29. Campus novels to read in the fall and why we love books about school Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are toppling your TBRs with campus novels. We know this back to school season is weird for students, teachers, parents, and the rest of us as we navigate new seasons during a pandemic. So let's go back to school safely with books that take place at school, that revolve around learning or academia, and that give us the new school supplies, crisp fall leaves, sharpened pencils feeling.

We have so many books on this list...all sorts of tones and types! Don't worry about writing everything down; we have links to all of the books mentioned in our show notes. It's very possible we won't get through all of the books we want to on this episode, but we'll have an even more complete list of campus novels on our new blog: novelpairings.com.

Shop our Campus Novels list on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/campus-novels-83ca9b6c-710c-436f-a0cb-af159a5ac6b7

Use our referral code to get TWO audiobooks for the price of one through Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/redeem/novelpairings

Classics

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

Possession by AS Byatt

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Mysteries

If We Were Villains by M.L Rio

Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

The Likeness by Tana French

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

Young Adult

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart (@allisonreadsdc)

We Are Okay by Nina Lacour

Bloomability by Sharon Creech (@anniebjones05, The Bookshelf)

Dear Martin & Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

Magic Campuses

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Campus Romances

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

Normal People by Sally Rooney

My Education by Susan Choi

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Miscellaneous

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

28. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich, books by Indigenous authors, and intergenerational family stories Sep 22, 2020

Show notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich, which we selected for our back-to-school season as "a book we wish we read in high school." Love Medicine is a novel made up of interconnected stories that span generations of two families: the Kashpaws and the Lamartines. The stories deal with small family dramas, and huge ones, depicting characters' past romances and relationships as these families interact over decades. There's drama, humor, spirituality, and history in between the pages, and we have six incredible books to pair with Erdich's masterpiece.

Shop our Backlist Recs on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/anticipated-fall-reads-2020-backlist-pairings

Use our referral code to get TWO audiobooks for the price of one through Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/redeem/novelpairings

(We're currently listening to: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi and The Pull of the Stars, Barn 8, and Migrations).

Our discussion includes:

Floating on the beauty of Edrich's language and enjoying a little bit of disorientation [13:40]
Erdrich's dark, sarcastic humor [18:03]
The biggest thematic question in Love Medicine and other important themes [23:25]

Plus, as always, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic, including a brand new YA release and a well-loved favorite.

This episode is spoiler free and well-suited to listening before, during, or after you read Love Medicine.

Shop the pairings: https://bookshop.org/lists/novel-pairings-for-love-medicine

Chelsey's Pairings:

The Break by Katherena Vermette [38:00]
Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings by Joy Harjo [44:37]
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi [51:30]

Sara's Pairings:

Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford [41:05]
Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine [48:30]
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kemmerer [55:08]

Other books mentioned:

LaRose by Louise Erdrich

The Nightwatchman by Louise Erdrich

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo

Picks of the Week:

Chelsey: Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga

Sara: This Land Podcast

27. Anticipated Fall 2020 Reads and backlist books to pair with them Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are back to topple your TBRs with highly anticipated fall releases and backlist books. We know hardback books are pricey and library waitlists for the hottest new releases are long, so we're going to be pairing the books we're most excited to read this fall with older books that are easier to get your hands on. There are about 60 titles mentioned in today's episode, so be sure to visit our show notes at novelpairings.com or our shop at Bookshop.org to find full lists of every book we talked about.

Shop our Backlist Recs on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/anticipated-fall-reads-2020-backlist-pairings

Use our referral code to get TWO audiobooks for the price of one through Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/redeem/novelpairings

Books mentioned:

Luster by Raven Leilani (9/1)

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (9/1)

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Daddy by Emma Cline (9/1)

The Girls by Emma Cline

Florida by Lauren Groff

Sabrina & Corina by Kali Farjado-Anstine

Lot by Bryan Washington

Recommended for You by Laura Silverman (9/1)

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

By the Book by Amanda Sellet

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (9/1)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

13th on Netflix

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

When They See Us on Netflix

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie (9/1)

Queenie by Candace Carty-Williams

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivers (9/1)

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Episode 18 The Odyssey

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole (9/1)

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

Jack by Marilynne Robinson (9/15)

Lila by Marilynne Robinson

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

New Gilead covers

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson (9/15)

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (9/29)

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo (9/29)

The Best Worst Man by Mia Sosa

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman (10/6)

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Witches: Suspicion, Betrayal, and Hysteria in 1692 Salem by Stacy Schiff

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab (10/6)

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Dolly Parton's America

She Come by It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh (10/13)

Natural Acts: Gender, Race, and Rusticity in Country Music by Pamela Fox

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (10/20)

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

Jane in Love by Rachel Givney (10/27)

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn

Austenland by Shannon Hale

Cobble Hill by Cecily Von Ziegesar (10/20)

Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger

I Wanna Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom (11/17)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

26. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and books about The American Dream Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We both read this in high school, had mixed feelings, came back to the text later, and still have mixed feelings! Plus some pretty strong opinions about Gatsby himself, Fitzgerald's writing style, the prominence of this text in pop culture and in the classroom, and the narratives we repeat in American history class. We had a lot of fun recording this episode, and we can't wait to hear all of your thoughts on Gatsby.

Our discussion includes:

What we thought of this book in high school versus what we think now
Whether or not Daisy and Gatsby's relationship is romantic
Why this is such an enduring classic text
Why Sara hates the Baz Luhrman film version with the fire of a thousand suns
And...is this the Great American Novel?

Plus, as always, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic, including a Jazz Age novella and plenty of literary fiction.

We do discuss some spoilers in this episode, but as with all of our episodes, we still think that readers can enhance their experience by listening before, during, or after the reading experience.

Books Mentioned:

So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures by Maureen Corrigan

Passing by Nella Larsen

Shop the pairings: https://bookshop.org/lists/novel-pairings-for-the-great-gatsby

Chelsey's Pairings:

Let Us Dream by Alyssa Cole [48:30]
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavincencio [56:33]
- OWN voices reviews: @lupita.reads & @booksteahenny
The Diviners by Libba Bray [1:04:36]

Sara's Pairings:

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell [44:50]
The Affairs of the Falcons by Melissa Rivero [53:05]
Severance by Ling Ma [59:25]

Picks of the Week:

Chelsey: The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton

Sara: Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry, Ep. 245 of What Should I Read Next

25. Quarterly Favorites: The Best Books We Read in Summer 2020 Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

We love to take time to reflect here at Novel Pairings. Each season, we stop and consider our favorite episodes, our favorite reads, and what we've learned. Today we're sharing some personal updates, gushing about our favorite reads of the summer, and giving listeners a peek at what's to come in the fall.

Shop our Quarterly Favorites on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/quarterly-favorites-spring-2020/

Use our referral code to get two audiobooks for the price of one through Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/redeem/novelpairings

Books we both read:

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo [14:03]

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett [16:45]

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham [18:24]

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavincencio [21:27]

Chelsey:

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert [29:17]

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin [36:15]

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry [40:52]

The Duke Effect by Sophie Jordan [47:10]

Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh [55:25]

Sara:

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell [25:50]

Heavy by Kiese Laymon [32:45]

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan [38:13]

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner [44:52]

One to Watch by Kate Staymon-London [50:34]

24. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien and fantasy novels for readers who love strong characters and complex worlds Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. We're not shy about sharing our lack of experience with the fantasy genre. It's not the go-to genre for either of us, but we love to branch out and try new literary things. This book delighted us in some surprising ways and helped us figure out what exactly we love—or could do without—in fantasy novels.

Our discussion includes:

What surprised Sara about reading this book, what she loved and what she didn't [14:03]
Fantasy elements we love and gravitate towards [20:45]
Gender roles and stereotypes in LOTR and high fantasy in general [24:54]
A few favorite moments that warmed our hearts and pleased our literary minds [30:00]
Connecting to LOTR in the middle of a global pandemic [35:28]

Plus, as always, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic, including a fast-paced fantasy set in NYC and a beautiful book for map-lovers.

We avoided major spoilers in this episode, so feel free to listen before or after reading in order to enhance your reading experience.

Books Mentioned:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Shop the pairings: https://bookshop.org/lists/novel-pairings-for-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-by-j-r-r-tolkien

Chelsey's Pairings:

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin [40:57]

Bezi's Review of The City We Became
Jemisin Interview
Short story

Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan [51:11]

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss [59:18]

Sara's Pairings:

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike [45:40]

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James [54:00]

The Dictionary of Imaginary Places by Alberto Maguel, Gianni Guadalupi, and Graham Greenfield [1:01:48]

Picks of the Week:

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin

23. On Campus with Novel Pairings, a preview of our back to school fall season and books that feel like Autumn Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are sharing the lineup for Novel Pairings' fall season. We share our plans for an extra nerdy back-to-school-inspired season and which books we selected to feature. The books include a book seemingly everyone read in high school, a spooky listener's choice, and a classic mystery novel. All of the books were chosen to fit with different fall reading moods and learning opportunities in mind.

To shop all of the books in the fall lineup, and more, visit our Bookshop storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/novelpairings

SPOILERS AHEAD

Scroll down for links to our six fall classics:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Beowulf or Frankenstein (Listeners' Choice)

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

In the Woods by Tana French

The Likeness by Tana French

Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

Coming up: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

22. Like Water for Chocolate and mouth-watering fiction books about food, cooking, and romance Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are kicking off Women in Translation Month by discussing Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. This romantic, sensuous novel was so much fun to discuss, and our pairings include some of our absolute favorite books! We can't wait to hear what you think of these pairings.

Our discussion includes:

Esquivel's stunning use of food as a conduit for emotion, passion, and tension [11:10]
Celebrating passion and different types of love [15:30]
Rooting for Tita! [19:03]
Structure and expanding the coming of age category [23:54]

Plus, as always, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic, including a novel in verse and another classic in translation.

We avoided spoilers in this episode, so feel free to listen before or after reading in order to enhance your reading experience.

Shop the pairings: https://bookshop.org/lists/novel-pairings-for-like-water-for-chocolate

A Burning by Mehga Majumdar

Beheld by Tarashea Nesbitt

Chelsey's Pairings:

American Dreamer by Adriana Herrera [39:00]

The Virgin and the Rogue by Sophie Jordan [45:10]

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo [52:13]

Sara's Pairings:

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez [34:12]

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev [42:13]

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende [48:26]

Picks of the Week:

@thedefineddish "Pass the Dish" series

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat

21. Book & Wine Pairings with Jamise Harper and book recommendations from our recent reads Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting with Jamise Harper of @spinesvines and @diversespines. Jamise is a champion for independent bookstores, for authors, and for the books she loves. We're delighted to have her on the podcast today to share more about her Literary Wine Down interviews on Instagram live, her favorite books, and the perfect wine pairings to match summertime reads. We had so much fun gushing about our favorite books and authors with Jamise and hope you enjoy listening to our conversation.

Follow Jamise: @spinesvines and @diversespines

To shop all of the books in the summer lineup visit our Bookshop storefront or shop the individual links below: https://bookshop.org/shop/novelpairings

Support Jamise's favorite D.C. bookstores:

Purchase a #diversespines mug: https://www.idealbookshelf.com/products/mug-spines-vines-diversespines

Books mentioned:

Native Son by Richard Wright

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Jazz by Toni Morrison

Sula by Toni Morrison

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Book & Wine Pairings:

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson + Cabernet

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo + Rosé

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory + Rosé

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

Where to Begin by Cleo Wade + Malbec

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi + Merlot

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Recent recommendations:

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

The City We Became by N.K Jemisin

The Fifth Season by N.K Jemisin

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Passing by Nella Larsen

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

20. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and romantic Black feminist heroines Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

Today Chelsey and Sara are chatting about Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the perfect book to discuss on a sweltering summer day. Sara read and did not finish this classic in high school. We talk about where she stopped and why, and how we both have a greater appreciation for this work as adults. We gush about Hurston's writing, bond over our love of Janie the dreamer, and share some tips for approaching this seminal work of southern literature.

Our discussion includes:

Hurston's use of dialect [8:08]
Our fondness and love for Janie Crawford [12:06]
Seamless symbolism: silencing, oppression, and Janie's relationships [23:20]
Reading Tea Cake's fate symbolically [20:05]

Plus, as always, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic, including a celebrity memoir and narrative nonfiction.

We will get into some spoilers in this episode, but we must say, we both read summaries prior to reading and think it benefited our reading to know more information going in. Having a prior awareness of plot helped us take in the dialect and rhythm of the story and allowed us to admire Hurston's writing all the more.