Avsnitt
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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
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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Saknas det avsnitt?
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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
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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.
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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.
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Neha and Shruti discuss The Sympathizer, the 2016 Pulitzer winner for fiction, through the themes of loyalty and duality. This book is a thriller and a satire, following a mixed race narrator who moves to the United States after the fall of Saigon, and must navigate his identity and his role as a communist spy. We talk about the book's historical context, its commentary on race and pop culture, and more.
Links:
Interview with Viet Thanh Nguyen [NPR]
Shelf Discovery:
The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
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In this episode, Neha and Shruti introduce the theme for Season 4: Beyond Borders! We talk about the books we've selected to read in this theme, and share what we're excited about in the upcoming months.
Books Mentioned:
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nyugen
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel
Another Country by James Baldwin
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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It's time for the best, the worst, and everything in-between: in the 2024 Novelties, Shruti and Neha give awards to their favorite reads of 2024 so far. Ranging from classics to new releases, we share our picks for most unexpected, best character, worth the hype, best page-turner, weirdest book, and more!
Books Mentioned:
Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Belleza and Emily Harding
My Death by Lisa Tuttle
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Illness Lesson by Clare Beams
James by Percival Everett
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The Membranes by Ta-Wei Chi wei
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar
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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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 [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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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 [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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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 [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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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 [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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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 [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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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 [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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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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 [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 (which helps support our work) at no additional cost to you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Visa fler
