In our last episode until the fall, we talk all about speculative fiction: our favorite fictional worlds, the best reading experiences we've had this season, and more. We also share the books that didn't make the cut for this season (even though we want to read them all), and get into the great realistic vs. genre fiction debate.

Books mentioned:

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

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 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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.

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Today, Neha and Shruti talk about Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, a dreamy, fantastical novel set in a beautiful House where there are birds, fish, tides, and statues. We talk about the narrator's unique perspective, the writing style, and our thoughts on the underlying meaning of the story. We also get into the book's many allusions and references, from C.S. Lewis, to Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

Shelf Discovery & Books Mentioned:

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Circe by Madeline Miller

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 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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.

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

Shruti and Neha talk about Sea of Tranquility, the latest book from speculative fiction author Emily St. John Mandel. We dive into the differences between loneliness and solitude, past vs. present tense in fiction, time travel, the history of the simulation hypothesis, and much more!

Spoilers start at 15:53.

Shelf Discovery

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster

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 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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.

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

In this episode, Neha and Shruti dive into the historical underbelly of Barcelona where they find twisted tales, hidden secrets, family drama, and heartbreak. We read The Shadow of the Wind through themes of obsession and memory, talk about Gothic fiction and mystery stories, and finally get to our problems with the book's ending.

Shelf Discovery:

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

If you would like to get more in-depth analysis, curated 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 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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.

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

Shruti and Neha discuss Fledgling, Octavia Butler's last novel before her untimely death, through the themes of home and innocence. We talk about vampire lore (including Twilight and The Vampire Diaries), the ethics of genetic manipulation, and race through the lens of childhood.

Links:

Code Switch: Taylor Swift and the unbearable whiteness of girlhood

Shelf Discovery:

The Vegetarian by Han King

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

If you would like to get more in-depth analysis, curated 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 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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.

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

In this episode, Neha and Shruti discuss one of the most acclaimed science fiction novels of all time: Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. We give you all the context you need to understand this complex and nuanced novel, and even some information you may not have thought you needed, including: the evolutionary biology of menstruation, gender constructs & stereotypes, conflicts of love and trust, and much more.

Spoilers start at 33:19

Links:

How and Why did Women Evolve Periods? by Suzanne Sadedin, PhD in evolutionary biology

Shelf Discovery and Books Mentioned:

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Dune by Frank Herbert

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman

If you would like to hear more in-depth literary analysis, curated 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 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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.

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

Shruti and Neha discuss The Humans by Matt Haig, a novel that is dressed up as science fiction, but is really about learning to love life. We talk about reading the right book at the right time, science fiction's relationship to colonialism, and bigger questions about the way we live today. We also wonder if there is a such thing as self-help fiction.

Shelf Discovery:

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong

The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eger

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Spoilers start at 22:20

Content warning: suicide, mental health

If you would like to hear more in-depth literary analysis, curated 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 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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.

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

In this fun bonus episode, Shruti and Neha dive into everything mythology-related, including: what are myths? Why are Greek mythology retellings so popular, and is that problematic? Does mythology still exist today?

We talk about all this and more, referencing The Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell, and world mythologies.

*Spoilers for American Gods between 20:50-21:10

Books Mentioned:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Circe by Madeline Miller

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

If you would like to hear more in-depth literary analysis, curated 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 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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.

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