The Novel Tea

Neha & Shruti
  • 5.0 (17)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY
The Novel Tea

Welcome to The Novel Tea, where your favorite English class meets your neighborhood book club. Join us as we go beyond the traditional classics, exploring books from diverse authors and backgrounds. Each episode, we'll talk about a book through different themes, analyzing characters, plot, and writing styles, to determine: does it stand the test of time? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO · BONUS

    2024 in Books: Our Top Ten, New Releases, and More!

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

    49 min

  2. 12/23/2024

    Borders, Revisionist Literature, and Edward Said: Season 4 Wrap

    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 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.

    35 min

  3. 12/18/2024

    The Parisian by Isabella Hammad: belonging and edification

    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 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.

    57 min

  4. 12/04/2024

    The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida: change our minds - with Brown Girl Bookshelf

    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 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.

    40 min

  5. 11/27/2024

    The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka: dignity and chance

    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 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.

    1 hr

  6. 11/13/2024

    Another Country by James Baldwin: love and pain; grief and forgiveness

    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 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.

    1h 5m

  7. 10/30/2024

    Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel: survival and mistrust

    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 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.

    56 min

  8. 10/16/2024

    The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño: youth and narcissism

    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 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.

    40 min
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5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Novel Tea, where your favorite English class meets your neighborhood book club. Join us as we go beyond the traditional classics, exploring books from diverse authors and backgrounds. Each episode, we'll talk about a book through different themes, analyzing characters, plot, and writing styles, to determine: does it stand the test of time? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Neha & Shruti
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Shruti Koti, Neha Ambati
  • Show Website
    The Novel Tea

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