Episodios

  • 2025 in Books: Our Favorite Books, Reading Reflections, and More

    2025 in Books: Our Favorite Books, Reading Reflections, and More
    Dec 26 2025
    In our final episode of 2025, we talk about what our reading lives were like this year, and discuss our stand-out reads through superlatives. Listen in to hear the best page-turners, best characters, and most unexpected reads we encountered this year, to name a few!Books MentionedThe Margot Affair by Sanae LemoineDiary of a Void by Emi YogiThe Bee Sting by Paul MurrayThe Wall by Marlen HaushoferThe Days of Abandonment by Elena FerranteThe City We Became by N.K. JemisinFriends of the Museum by Heather McGowanButter by Asako YuzukiThe Oppermans Lion FeuchtwangerRebecca by Daphne Du MaurierThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran DesaiUniversality by Natasha BrownMy Brilliant Friend by Elena FerranteAudition by Katie KitamuraHeart the Lover by Lily KingWater Moon by Samantha Soto YambaoThe Old Man by the Sea by Domenico StarnoneEmma by Jane AustenFree Food for Millionaires by Min Jin LeeBunny by Mona AwadThe Remembered Soldier by Anjet DaanjeOrbital by Samantha HarveyHome Fire by Kamila ShamsieA Gentleman in Moscow by Amor TowlesIf you would like to get additional behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack.We love to hear from listeners about the books we discuss - you can connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at thenovelteapod@gmail.com.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.
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    1 h y 4 m
  • Cities, Places, and Settings in Books with Strong Sense of Place

    Cities, Places, and Settings in Books with Strong Sense of Place
    Dec 17 2025
    Get your TBR lists ready, because in this wrap up episode we talk all about the books we read in Season 6, and then welcome David and Melissa of Strong Sense of Place for a special guest segment! They tell us about their favorite travels, settings they've loved, and unique books that have transported them. We also get into our issues with short stories, and discuss ways to get into reading them.Books Discussed:Jane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëWakenhyrst by Michelle PaverThe Stranger in the Woods by Michael FinkelThe Works: Anatomy of a City by Kate AscherThe Last Warner Woman by Kei MillerElephant Complex: Travels in Sri Lanka by John GimletteStoner by John WilliamsThe Prague Sonata by Bradford MorrowThe Godmother by Hannelore CayreVintage 1954 by Antoine LaurainA Gentleman in Moscow by Amor TowlesTable for Two by Amor TowlesA Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George SaundersPassing by Nella LarsonThe Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael ChabonFrom The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. KonigsbergThe Cricket in Time Square by Garth WilliamsThe Original by Nell StevensBrat Farrar by Josephine TayThe Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia HighswmithThe Remembered Solider by Anjet DaanjeMy Family and other Rockstars by Tiffany MurphyIf you would like to get additional behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack.We love to hear from listeners about the books we discuss - you can connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at thenovelteapod@gmail.com.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.
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    1 h y 2 m
  • The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk : narcissism and honor

    The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk : narcissism and honor
    Dec 3 2025

    In this episode Neha and Shruti discuss The Museum of Innocence, by Nobel prize winner Orhan Pamuk, through themes of narcissism and honor. We discuss the idea of legacy, cultural norms and the patriarchy, and the way that the book's framing affects the way we interpret the story. Plus, we talk through the book's intriguing ending and reach new insights about what the book is trying to do, and its effect on readers.


    Shelf Discovery:

    Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

    My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

    Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov


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


    We love to hear from listeners about the books we discuss - you can connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at thenovelteapod@gmail.com.

    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.
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    1 h y 8 m
  • Such A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry: forgiveness, misfortunes, and miracles

    Such A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry: forgiveness, misfortunes, and miracles
    Nov 19 2025

    In this episode, Shruti and Neha travel to Mumbai in Rohinton Mistry's Booker shortlisted novel Such a Long Journey, through themes of forgiveness, miracles, and misfortunes. We discuss the novel's loveable and sometimes frustrating characters, the symbolism of animals, and the looming specter of death in daily life.


    Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery

    A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

    Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry

    The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai


    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 thenovelteapod@gmail.com.

    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.
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    57 m
  • The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin: erasure and morality

    The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin: erasure and morality
    Nov 5 2025

    Neha and Shruti discuss the speculative novel The City We Became, a story about New York City's five avatars who must band together to defend the city from a looming enemy. We discuss our thoughts on the book's premise and structure, get into H.P Lovecraft's legacy of horror and racism, and more!


    Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery:

    The Call of Cthulu by H.P. Lovecraft

    Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer

    Lone Women by Victor LaValle

    Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff


    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 thenovelteapod@gmail.com.

    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.
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    55 m
  • White Teeth by Zadie Smith: disappointment and rejecting coexistence

    White Teeth by Zadie Smith: disappointment and rejecting coexistence
    Oct 22 2025

    In this episode, Neha and Shruti discuss Zadie Smith's debut novel, White Teeth. We talk about themes of religion, inheritance, class, history, and the need for control; we explore what those 'white teeth' in the title might mean; and finally we get into our issues with the book, and discuss the genre of Hysterical Realism.


    Links:

    Human, All Too Inhuman by James Wood

    How White Teeth transcends its many flaws



    Shelf Discovery:

    On Beauty by Zadie Smith

    Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

    The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh


    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 thenovelteapod@gmail.com.

    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.
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    1 h y 8 m
  • Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf: perception and inadequacy

    Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf: perception and inadequacy
    Oct 8 2025

    Virginia Woolf's incredible novel Mrs. Dalloway turns 100 this year! Shruti and Neha talk about this book and its themes of perception, inadequacy, memory, illness, and death. They discuss the effect of the past on the characters, the book's imperialist and pro-colonialism project, and the disappearance of the narrator.


    Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery:

    On Being Ill by Virginia Woolf

    Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said

    The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway edited by Merve Emre

    A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

    To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

    The Hours by Michael Cunningham


    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 thenovelteapod@gmail.com.

    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.
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    59 m
  • Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín: family and duty

    Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín: family and duty
    Sep 24 2025

    Neha and Shruti discuss Brooklyn, a historical novel about a young woman who immigrates from Ireland to America in the 1950s, through the themes of family and duty. We discuss the character of Eilis Lacey and her passivity, Tóibín's spare writing style, and the various forces pulling at the characters in this book. We also draw comparisons to Henry James, and share a few thoughts on the movie adaption.


    Links:

    The Coldest Place on Earth [London Review of Books]


    Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery

    The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

    Washington Square by Henry James

    Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

    Another Country by James Baldwin

    Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

    A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith


    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 thenovelteapod@gmail.com.

    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.
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    1 h y 8 m
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