Novel Pairings

Today Chelsey and Sara discuss the second half of The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, Chapters 7 through 14. In this episode, we cover new characters, prominent themes, and final thoughts on spending so much time with the Trueba family, plus our contemporary pairings! We've paired Allende's masterpiece with novels of magical realism from all over the world, and we can't wait to hear your r...

Today, Chelsey and Sara discuss: when it comes to the classics,  what makes a great book club pick? They also share a handful of highly discussable classics, plus their top tips for better book club  discussions. Tell us which classics your book club loved (or loathed) on Instagram . For more bonus episodes, nerdy classes, and extra book talk,  join our Classics Club: patreon.com/novelpairings.com...

Today Chelsey and Sara discuss the first half of The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, Chapters 1 through 6. There's so much to discuss in this jam-packed, sweeping family novel. In this episode, we cover initial impressions and approaches to the book, Allende's style, and key characters. We'll share contemporary pairings in Part Two on June 22nd!  For more bonus episodes, nerdy classes, and...

We're kicking off the summer reading season with a TBR toppler full of highly anticipated summer releases and backlist pairings! This episode is full of books we haven't read and our best guesses at which books might be readalikes or thematic pairings. With buzzy books and under-the-radar releases from every genre, you're sure to find at least one book (or maybe ten) for your summer To Be Read lis...

Every quarter, we stop to reflect on our reading lives and share a few of our favorite reads. Today, we're looking back at books from our spring reading season, from palate-cleansing pageturners to nuanced nonfiction. We'd love to hear what you read this spring! Let us know at @novelpairingspod on Instagram .  For bonus episodes, nerdy classes, and extra book talk,  join our Classics Club: patreon...

Today Chelsey and Sara discuss The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. This classic Cinderella story follows Valancy Stirling as she receives life-changing news that shakes up her whole world and leads her to happiness. Her coming-of-age story includes a few highly discussable plot points that we couldn't help but spoil, so if you haven't read the book, scroll down to get a timestamp to avoid spoilers...

Today Chelsey and Sara share a few of their favorite coming of age novels featuring characters past adolescence. If you're looking for your next book club pick, this TBR toppler is full of highly discussable women's fiction and literary fiction to choose from. We can't wait to hear what you pick up after listening! For more bonus episodes, nerdy classes, and extra book talk,  join our Classics Clu...

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. We kept this conversation spoiler-free, so choose your own adventure: listen before, during, or after reading this historical fiction classic. As always, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with our main classic, including an under-the-radar memoir in translation and an upcoming family story about...

Today Chelsey and Sara explore speculative fiction and sci-fi in anotherTBR toppling episode. We're not big sci-fi readers, but we have a bunch of grounded, page-turning books to recommend today. Even if you're not an avid speculative fiction reader, we think you'll find at least one book to interest you among these titles. For more bonus episodes, nerdy classes, and extra book talk,  join our Cla...

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut . We take some conversational bunny trails to explore our high school reading experiences, our relationships with science fiction, and our philosophical ponderings inspired by Billy Pilgrim's story. As usual, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with Vonnegut's most famous work, including anti-war satire and sc...

Today in "Short Story Club," Chelsey and Sara are discussing "Speech Sounds" by Octavia Butler. This post-pandemic story about the importance of language and communication feels incredibly prescient and relevant, like all of Butler's work. "Speech Sounds" is a highly discussable, quick read. We'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Join our Patreon community for an extended Short Story Club discussi...

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. We both loved this evocative, ground-breaking classic and couldn't wait to dig into its setting, themes, and stunning writing. As usual, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with Baldwin's classic, including poignant YA novels, memoir, and essays. For access to our upcoming  class on literary theory and a book clu...

We couldn't close our immersive Pride and Prejudice experience without sharing a bunch of book recommendations for readers who want to stay with Elizabeth and Darcy awhile longer. Today, Chelsey and Sara share their favorite and least favorite Pride and Prejudice pastiche, sequels, adaptations, and retellings.    For more Austen nerdiness, including a class on Jane Austen and a bonus episode on Re...

In today's episode, Chelsey and Sara discuss Part Two of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and share their contemporary pairings for romantic and insightful books that feature similar themes. We talk about the sweeping drama, swoony moments, and satisfying ending of the second half of Lizzie and Darcy's love story, with plenty of nerdy asides. This episode covers Chapters 35-61 or Volume II, Chap...

We're back with another TBR toppling episode! Today,  Chelsey and Sara pair brand new and upcoming spring book releases with backlist titles that share similar themes, plotlines, or settings. We haven't read all of these new releases, so our pairings are based on speculation and best guesses. If you pick up any of the books we mention today, we'd love to hear about it!  Connect with us  on Instagr...

In today's episode, Chelsey and Sara discuss Part One of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, including fond memories of reading the book and in-depth character analysis. (Plus plenty of gushing about Darcy and Elizabeth and MORE). We'd love for you to read along with us this month! Part One covers Chapters 1-34 or Volume I-Volume II, Chapter 11. You can listen to this episode before reading to gui...

We're sharing our top five tips for reading Jane Austen's novels with you, whether you're a frequent re-reader or new to her work. Today's episode is meant to help you get the most out of any Austen novel, but we hope you'll read Pride and Prejudice with us this month! To celebrate one year of podcasting and the launch of our new Patreon community , we're enjoying all things Austen for the whole m...

Today, Chelsey and Sara share some stand-out titles they read over the winter season, including amazing audiobooks, short story collections, and page-turning romance. These quarterly wrap-ups include reflections on our winter season, previews of what's coming up, and a bunch of book recommendations. We can't wait to hear what you think of our favorites from the quarter. Connect with us  on Instagr...

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter. This collection of twisted, Gothic fairytales is perfect for fans of Rebecca , Jane Eyre , or Edgar Allan Poe. We're keeping this episode spoiler-free, though we do discuss specific aspects of several stories. We loved connecting this collection across literary movements, explaining the heroine's journey, and (as always) re...

Today, Sara and Chelsey topple your TBR lists with fairytale retellings for every type of reader. They reminisce about the book that sparked their love of retellings and discuss why fairytales are still so appealing to adult readers.   You can find titles and links for every book mentioned in this episode at novelpairings.com . Follow Novel Pairings on Instagram or Twitter .  Use our Libro.fm affi...

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing There is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset. We loved this Austen-like Harlem Renaissance novel, and we kept this episode spoiler free in the hopes that it'll encourage you to pick it up! Plus, as always, we're recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic, with a mix of historical fiction and satire.   Follow Novel Pairings on Instagram or Twitt...

Readers, today's episode is inspired by Helene Hanff's love of books, nonfiction, and observation. We're sharing a bunch of nonfiction books about books, reading, and readers. Some of these are longtime favorites and others are on our endless TBR lists. This episode is extra nerdy, a little nostalgic, and supremely bookish. We hope you find a title to add to your TBR today.  Follow Novel Pairings...

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing 84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff, the ultimate comfort read for bibliophiles. Chelsey can't believe she hadn't read it sooner, and Sara revels in her rereading experience. We cover everything from the epistolary form to Helene's unique reading habits to the satisfaction of a bittersweet ending. Plus, as always, we're recommending six contemporary books to...

Today Chelsey and Sara are ready to topple your TBRs with highly anticipated winter releases and backlist books. Our goal is to hype up the buzzy new books and under-the-radar releases while offering pairings that are easier to get at the library (or more affordable in paperback). There are a TON of titles  mentioned in today's episode, so be sure to visit our show notes at novelpairings.com to fi...

Today in Short Story Club, Chelsey and Sara are discussing " The Hunter's Wife "  by Anthony Doerr. This wintry, atmospheric story is absolutely absorbing and highly discussable. We talk about the beautiful writing, the unique structure, and some problematic aspects of the characters and plot. We do discuss spoilers in our Short Story Club episodes; you can find a copy of the story to read online...