We're thrilled to welcome back Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks Podcast, for a thought-provoking discussion on one of Shakespeare's darkest comedies, Measure for Measure. In this conversation, we'll dive deep into the play's timeless themes including punishment, gender, power, and politics. We discuss how these themes continue to resonate with modern audiences, revealing the parallels between the play and our contemporary world. We also talk about how Shakespeare masterfully uses this satire in this work, even when satire doesn't necessarily equate to laugh-out-loud humor. Listen to the end for Traci’s book recommendations, including Shakespeare pairings and a soon-to-be-released title. 

Connect with Traci:

The Stacks Podcast 

Unstacked 

Instagram: @thestackspod 

Join our community!

Patreon

Substack

Instagram: @novelpairingspod

Books Mentioned:

Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race by Farah Karim-Cooper

Blackface (Object Lessons) by Ayanna Thompson

New People by Danzy Senna

Color Television by Danzy Senna

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Erasure by Percival Everett

Severance by Ling Ma

Victim by Andrew Boryga

Love’s Labor Lost by William Shakespeare

All’s Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare

Othello by William Shakespeare

Richard III by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Also Mentioned:

Ask a Shakespeare Professor 

Macbeth

The Stacks episode on Romeo and Juliet

If aesthetics, British aristocracy and nostalgia sounds like an appealing combination, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh is the book for you. In today's episode, we talk through the key themes, relationships, Waugh's stated purpose for writing Brideshead, and we ask: is Brideshead Revisited a satire or a novel with satirical elements? Plus, today’s pairings include a fantasy novel, historical fiction and a psychological thriller.

If you love our extra nerdy discussion on the podcast today, we have a hunch that you would also love our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great space to take part in public scholarship and talk about books with a smart group of readers. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. To learn more about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.

Books Mentioned:

The Other Significant Others by Rhaina Cohen

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

Also Mentioned:

Downton Abbey 

Brideshead Revisited Mini Series

The Crown

Today, Chelsey and Sara share their most anticipated spring book releases paired with backlist selections. After  listening today, your TBR will be filled with delightful fiction, thrilling mysteries, historical romance and literary books from favorite writers, all releasing between late February and May. As always, our go-to pairings will keep your spring both entertaining and engaging. 

If you love our recommendations on the podcast, we have even more books to share over in our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great space to take part in public scholarship and talk about books with a smart, eclectic group of readers. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. To learn more about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.

Listeners can also stay in the loop with all things Novel Pairings by giving us a follow on Instagram and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on Substack. Thank you for supporting public scholarship!

Books Mentioned:

Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliver

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft 

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrush 

Victim by Andrew Boryga

Erasure by Pervical Everett

The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett 

Sirens of Sussex series by Mimi Matthews 

James by Percival Everett 

The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn by Mark Twain

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Clear by Carys Davies

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Colony by Audry McGee

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay by Octavia Butler

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

The Oracle of Delphi by William J. Broad 

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Oye by Melissa Mogollon

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

A Gamble at Sunset by Vanessa Riley

Also Mentioned:

Beforeigners 

Bridgerton

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 

Episode 141: Bookish Pairings for our favorite period dramas

In today’s episode, we’re wrapping up Wharton in Winter with a conversation about The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. We focus on Undine and question whether she’s a signature unlikable heroine or an anti-hero. Our conversation also digs into the other dynamic characters, themes of motherhood, greed, marriage, business, and Edith’s incredible writing. Every plot point builds to a bigger narrative in this timely classic. At the end of the episode, we share our complementary pairings , and we hope you add one to your TBR pile! 

If you loved our extra nerdy discussion on the podcast today, we have even more content to enjoy over in our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great space to take part in public scholarship and talk about books with a smart, eclectic group of readers. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. To learn more about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.

Shows Mentioned:

Mad Men

Breaking Bad

Selling Sunset

Downton Abbey

Books Mentioned:

Italo Calvino

Vanity Fair by William Thackeray

The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald 

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

There Is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset

Emma by Jane Austen

Free Food For Millionares by Min Jun Lee 

These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore

Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz

One Woman Show by Christine Coulson

Wahala by Nikki May

Trust by Hernan Diaz

Reading The Custom of the Country this winter has felt like stepping into the most lush, dramatic, and marathon-worthy period piece–so today we’re sharing some of our favorite period dramas and pairing them with excellent books for cozy winter reading. We discuss the appeal of watching historical fiction versus reading it, the throughline from reading Dear America books to watching Downton Abbey as a comfort show, and the complex nature of colorblind casting. We hope you find a new, or old, TV series or novel to enjoy after listening to today’s episode. 

PS: if you hear some odd background noises in this episode, just imagine little toddler feet stomping above Chelsey's head! 

For more pairings, classes, and nerdy conversation join our Patreon community! Go to patreon.com/novelpairings to sign up today.

Don’t miss our FREE weekly newsletter at novelpairings.substack.com. 

Shows Mentioned:

Downton Abbey

Poldark

Miss Scarlet and the Duke

Gentleman Jack

The Gilded Age

Bridgerton

Queen Charlotte

The Crown

Outlander

The Empress

The Great

The Good Lord Bird 

The Underground Railroad

Reign

Books Mentioned:

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

Longbourn by Jo Baker

Poldark series by Winston Graham

Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn

Knockout by Sarah Maclean

Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas

Sarah Waters

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis

Fiona Davis

Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Jane Austen

The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan

The Countess by Sophie Jordan

Victoria by Daisy Godwin

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Shakespeare’s history plays 

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton

James McBride

John Brown by W.E.B. DuBois

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Beloved by Toni Morrison 

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

The Water Dancer by Ta Nehisi Coates

Royal Diaries series

My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, et al

Alison Weir

Philippa Gregory

Margaret George

Today we’re sharing five tips for “reading” your favorite (or least favorite) TV shows and movies. These close reading tricks will help you get more critical while you watch television, which we hope prompts more engaging discussions with your friends and family. We’re using The Buccaneers (Apple TV) as our main example in this episode, but you don’t need to watch the show in order to listen. In fact, if you like episodes in which we get a little sassy, well, this one’s for you. We also share questions to make you a more critical viewer, what we’re reading with a literary lens, and book recommendations to pair with The Buccaneers show. We’ve included a bunch of resources in our free weekly newsletter, so be sure to visit novelpairings.substack.com to supplement today’s listening. 

For more public scholarship and continued literary learning, sign up for our community at patreon.com/novelpairings. We would love to see you in our classes and book club meetings!

Books mentioned:

The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton

Anna K by Jenny Lee

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

The Great White Bard by Farah Karim-Cooper

The Fifth Avenue Rebels series by Joanna Shupe 

Also mentioned:

• Close reading
• Fiction Matters Substack: Book Reviews with Traci Thomas
• Leave The World Behind
• The Culture Study Podcast
• The Atlantic review of The Buccaneers
• The Guardian review of The Buccaneers

It's time for our annual Superlative Soirée! (Okay, so we've never called it that before, but it fits, right?!)

Today Chelsey and Sara share their favorite and least favorite books of 2023, plus everything in between. YOU helped us come up with some creative categories to cover in this official wrap-up episode, and we can't wait to hear what you think of the titles we discuss. 

To get your very own superlative printable, subscribe to our newsletter at novelpairings.substack.com--and to join us for Wharton in Winter, go to patreon.com/novelpairings to sign up. We're so excited for the year ahead!

Find us on Instagram @novelpairingspod. Shop for your 2024 TBR through our Bookshop.org storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/novelpairings

Books Mentioned:

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Gone Girl & Rebecca

Wellness & To the Lighthouse

Congratulations, the Best is Over! By R. Eric Thomas

Wellness by Nathan Hill

Disoriental by Negar Djavadi

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park

The Employees by Olga Ravn

One Woman Show by Christine Coulson

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

The Pleasing Hour by Lily King

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill

The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sheriff

Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat

The Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Beyond the Door of No Return by David Diop

All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim

Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt

The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Saddiqi

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Loot by Tania James

North Woods by Daniel Mason

We’re wrapping up the 2023 season with a final Short Story Club, this time exploring a prime example of Postmodern fiction with Jorge Luis Borges’ “The Garden of Forking Paths.” Borges is often considered one of the most important literary figures of the 20th century and credited as an early writer of magical realism, lo real maravilloso.

In today’s discussion, we take a close work at Borges’ popular story and share our interpretations on this text that begs us to stretch our concept of time and causality and consider the infinite possibilities and choices that shape history and destiny. We also share background on Jorge Luis Borges’ life as well as discuss the Argentinian writer’s contribution to the literary canon. And as always, we can’t help but talk about what texts we’ve read that use tropes and elements developed in Borges Ficciones.

If you love our extra nerdy discussion on the podcast today, we have even more content to enjoy over in our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great space to take part in public scholarship and talk about books with a smart, eclectic group of readers. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. To learn more about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.

Listeners can also stay in the loop with all things Novel Pairings by giving us a follow on Instagram and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on Substack. Thank you for supporting public scholarship!

Ever wonder what it’s like to attend a class at Novel Pairings University? We have a special treat for our listeners as we prepare for #WhartonInWinter and our readalong of Edith Wharton’s Custom of the Country. Today on the main feed, we’re releasing the audio from our Patreon Class Gilded Age Literature: Entering Edith Wharton's World for everyone to enjoy.  

In today’s class we talk about key literary figures of the Gilded Age, historical events and social movements that shaped this period, and how they connect to today. Plus, we share details about the grandiose drama, architecture, and wealth that give this period its weighty name. This episode is just one example of the public scholarship we’re creating on Patreon, where we teach classes on author and historical context, literary movements, critical lenses and more. We are working hard to convert past classes into exclusive Patreon episodes so you can catch up and listen on-the-go!

If you’d like to access more classes like the one you heard in today’s episode, to join our monthly book club, to get handouts, to listen to weekly bonus episodes, and to join our engaging Discord community, you can sign up for our Classics Club over at patreon.com/novelpairings for just $10 a month. We’d love to see you in book club, class, or on social media this winter!

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Today, Chelsey and Sara explore TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf, investigating Woolf’s intention to put “real life” on the page, analyzing her prose and structure, discussing themes and characters, and contextualizing historical references. For a deeper reading and listening experience, check out our episode on A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN and our bonus episode on Patreon all about The Bloomsbury Group. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts about Woolf’s masterpiece. 

Order your Novel Pairings University Sweatshirt today! Our shop closes on 11/30. 

Follow us on Instagram, subscribe to our newsletter, and join our Patreon community. 

Books mentioned:

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (Norton Critical Edition)

The Long Form by Kate Briggs

Wellness by Nathan Hill

Day by Michael Cunningham

And Yet by Kate Baer

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Shakespeare in Bloomsbury by Marjorie Garber

Assembly by Natasha Brown

Also mentioned:

Maggie Smith’s Substack

We’re kicking off our month of Virigina Woolf with an episode exploring Woolf’s dense and sprawling extended essay, “A Room of Own’s Own.” At just over one hundred pages, Woolf gives herself ample space on the page to explore and consider the issues that keep women from the forefront of the literature and what might be done to give them the creative freedom to write unencumbered. In today’s episode, we’re following along closely with the text while helping our fellow readers pull out key takeaways from Woolf’s work. We share our own experiences reading and teaching this seminal piece of feminist critique, Woolf's use of figurative and practical language to provide compelling arguements, and limitations of the essay, including who was included in Woolf’s critique and who was left out. 

If you love our extra nerdy discussion on the podcast today, we have even more content to enjoy over in our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great space to take part in public scholarship and talk about books with a smart, eclectic group of readers. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. To learn more about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.

Listeners can also stay in the loop with all things Novel Pairings by giving us a follow on Instagram and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on Substack. Thank you for supporting public scholarship! Books Mentioned:

• The Baby on the Fire Escape by Julie Phillips 
• Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
• How to Think Like A Women by Regan Penaluna
• Cross Stitch by Jasmina Barrara
• The Marriage Question by Claire Carlilse