The Novel Tea

Neha & Shruti
  • 4.9 (43)
  • Books
  • Updated Bimonthly

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. 3d ago

    The Natural World in Books: Wrapping up Season 7

    In this episode, Neha and Shruti tackle the natural world in books - we zoom out to consider the eight books we discussed this season, talking about our favorite and least favorite reads, themes that emerged, and questions it raises about what fiction is for, and the way we read. Plus, we share tons of books recommendations, and talk about the books next up on our TBRs. Books Mentioned: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer What We Can Know by Ian McEwan Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer Greenwood by Michael Christie Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver Moby Dick by Herman Melville Euphoria by Lily King The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer Playground by Richard Powers The Overstory by Richard Powers The Drowned World by JD Ballard An Immense World By Ed Yong Nothing But the Rain by Naomi Salman The Mosquito Coast by Paul Thoureax Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield Out of Africa by Isak Denisen If you would like to get additional recommendations, analyses, and behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack. 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.

    42 min

  2. Jun 10

    Moby Dick by Herman Melville: otherness and obsession

    In this episode Shruti and Neha discuss the great American classic, Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. We discuss the book's themes of otherness and obsession, but we also get in to so much more, including its racism and (maybe?) progressiveness, naturalism and Darwin, H.P. Lovecraft, and prophecies. Finally, we ponder its status as a classic; does this book deserve to stand the test of time? Links: Beige Moth [Blog] Shelf Discovery Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund Ahab's Bride by Louise M. Gouge Call me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Sky Daddy by Kate Folk If you would like to get additional recommendations, analyses, and behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack. 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 4m

  3. May 21

    Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver: fertility and harmony

    Shruti and Neha discuss Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, a novel of three stories that unfold over the course of one Appalachian summer. We discuss themes of female desire, fertility, familial love, and harmony. We also make connections between characters and their symbolic representations, discover a new critical lens to read through, and question the veracity of 'moon cycles.' Shelf Discovery: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood The White Book by Han Kang If you would like to get additional recommendations, analyses, and behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack. 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 2m

  4. May 6

    The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson: integration and reclamation

    In this episode, Shruti and Neha discuss The Seedkeeper by Diane Wilson, exploring themes of reclamation, integration, and motherhood. We share some historical context, discuss the book's structure, and weigh in on the key relationships in the novel. Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami If you would like to get additional recommendations, analyses, and behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack. 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.

    51 min

  5. Apr 8

    Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy: instinct and monsters

    Shruti and Neha discuss Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, a story of a young woman trying to reintroduce wolves into the wild in the Scottish Highlands, only to find a darker side of the town that has troubling echoes with her own past. We discuss the story through the themes of instinct, villainy, and monsters. We also share some context on real-world conservation efforts, and get into the subgenre of tragedy porn (or misery lit). Links: Interview with Charlotte McConaghy Shelf Discovery & Books Mentioned Popular Trauma Culture by Anne Roth It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover Island of the Sea Wolves [Netflix] Miracle Creek by Angie Kim The Women by Kristin Hannah A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius If you would like to get additional recommendations, analyses, and behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack. 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

  6. Apr 3 ·  Bonus

    In Conversation: Alli Hoff Kosik on influencers, gossip, and the online world in books

    Author Alli Hoff Kosik joins us to discuss her new book Too Blessed to Stress, a novel following four Christian influencers as they navigate their online lives and deal with private struggles becoming public. We talk about communication and the internet as tools of power, how gossip can be wielded for good and for evil, and the ways social media has begun to appear in novels in a variety of ways. And, of course, we share tons of book recommendations as we talk all about how Too Blessed to Stress is in conversation with other books, media, and popular culture. This is a spoiler-free discussion (with very minimal discussion of plot and characters) so dive in - whether you read the book and loved it, or have never heard of it until now! Books and Media Mentioned The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Sex and the City The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares Gossip Girl Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter The Influencers by Anna-Marie McLemore Tehrangeles by Porochista Khakpour If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You by Leigh Stein The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka Dracula by Bram Stoker Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot Amelia's Notebook by Marissa Moss The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Paper Cut by Rachel Taff If you would like to get additional recommendations, analyses, and behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack. 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.

    53 min

  7. Mar 25

    Greenwood by Michael Christie: legacy and inheritance

    In this episode, Neha and Shruti discuss Greenwood, a multigenerational family saga tied together with a repeating motif of trees and forests. We discuss themes of legacy, inheritance, nature, and addiction, and we also share our critiques of the book, from its character construction to its central message. Interview with Michael Christie Shelf Discovery: What We Can Know by Ian McEwan The Overstory by Richard Powers Playground by Richard Powers Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi If you would like to get additional recommendations, analyses, and behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack. 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 2m

  8. Mar 11

    Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer: entropy and uncertainty

    In this episode, Neha and Shruti discuss Annihilation, the first book of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy. We discuss its world building, character development, and share our many theories about the central mystery and the book's ending. Shelf Discovery & Books Mentioned: His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher Piranesi by Susanna Clarke If you would like to get additional recommendations, analyses, and behind-the-scenes content related to this and all of our episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter on Substack. 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
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4.9
out of 5
43 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 - 2026
  • Episodes
    84
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Shruti Koti, Neha Ambati
  • Show Website
    The Novel Tea

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