The Novel Tea

Neha & Shruti
  • 4.9 (40)
  • 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. 12/26/2025 · BONUS

    2025 in Books: Our Favorite Books, Reading Reflections, and More

    In our final episode of 2025, we talk about what our reading lives were like this year, and discuss our stand-out reads through superlatives. Listen in to hear the best page-turners, best characters, and most unexpected reads we encountered this year, to name a few! Books Mentioned The Margot Affair by Sanae Lemoine Diary of a Void by Emi Yogi The Bee Sting by Paul Murray The Wall by Marlen Haushofer The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin Friends of the Museum by Heather McGowan Butter by Asako Yuzuki The Oppermans Lion Feuchtwanger Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Universality by Natasha Brown My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante Audition by Katie Kitamura Heart the Lover by Lily King Water Moon by Samantha Soto Yambao The Old Man by the Sea by Domenico Starnone Emma by Jane Austen Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee Bunny by Mona Awad The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje Orbital by Samantha Harvey Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles If you would like to get additional 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

  2. 12/17/2025

    Cities, Places, and Settings in Books with Strong Sense of Place

    Get your TBR lists ready, because in this wrap up episode we talk all about the books we read in Season 6, and then welcome David and Melissa of Strong Sense of Place for a special guest segment! They tell us about their favorite travels, settings they've loved, and unique books that have transported them. We also get into our issues with short stories, and discuss ways to get into reading them. Books Discussed: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel The Works: Anatomy of a City by Kate Ascher The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller Elephant Complex: Travels in Sri Lanka by John Gimlette Stoner by John Williams The Prague Sonata by Bradford Morrow The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Table for Two by Amor Towles A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders Passing by Nella Larson The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsberg The Cricket in Time Square by Garth Williams The Original by Nell Stevens Brat Farrar by Josephine Tay The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highswmith The Remembered Solider by Anjet Daanje My Family and other Rockstars by Tiffany Murphy If you would like to get additional 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

  3. 12/03/2025

    The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk : narcissism and honor

    In this episode Neha and Shruti discuss The Museum of Innocence, by Nobel prize winner Orhan Pamuk, through themes of narcissism and honor. We discuss the idea of legacy, cultural norms and the patriarchy, and the way that the book's framing affects the way we interpret the story. Plus, we talk through the book's intriguing ending and reach new insights about what the book is trying to do, and its effect on readers. Shelf Discovery: Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov If you would like to get additional 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 8m

  4. 11/19/2025

    Such A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry: forgiveness, misfortunes, and miracles

    In this episode, Shruti and Neha travel to Mumbai in Rohinton Mistry's Booker shortlisted novel Such a Long Journey, through themes of forgiveness, miracles, and misfortunes. We discuss the novel's loveable and sometimes frustrating characters, the symbolism of animals, and the looming specter of death in daily life. Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 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

  5. 11/05/2025

    The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin: erasure and morality

    Neha and Shruti discuss the speculative novel The City We Became, a story about New York City's five avatars who must band together to defend the city from a looming enemy. We discuss our thoughts on the book's premise and structure, get into H.P Lovecraft's legacy of horror and racism, and more! Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery: The Call of Cthulu by H.P. Lovecraft Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer Lone Women by Victor LaValle Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff 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.

    55 min

  6. 10/22/2025

    White Teeth by Zadie Smith: disappointment and rejecting coexistence

    In this episode, Neha and Shruti discuss Zadie Smith's debut novel, White Teeth. We talk about themes of religion, inheritance, class, history, and the need for control; we explore what those 'white teeth' in the title might mean; and finally we get into our issues with the book, and discuss the genre of Hysterical Realism. Links: Human, All Too Inhuman by James Wood How White Teeth transcends its many flaws Shelf Discovery: On Beauty by Zadie Smith Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh 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 8m

  7. 10/08/2025

    Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf: perception and inadequacy

    Virginia Woolf's incredible novel Mrs. Dalloway turns 100 this year! Shruti and Neha talk about this book and its themes of perception, inadequacy, memory, illness, and death. They discuss the effect of the past on the characters, the book's imperialist and pro-colonialism project, and the disappearance of the narrator. Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery: On Being Ill by Virginia Woolf Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway edited by Merve Emre A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf The Hours by Michael Cunningham 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.

    59 min

  8. 09/24/2025

    Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín: family and duty

    Neha and Shruti discuss Brooklyn, a historical novel about a young woman who immigrates from Ireland to America in the 1950s, through the themes of family and duty. We discuss the character of Eilis Lacey and her passivity, Tóibín's spare writing style, and the various forces pulling at the characters in this book. We also draw comparisons to Henry James, and share a few thoughts on the movie adaption. Links: The Coldest Place on Earth [London Review of Books] Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James Washington Square by Henry James Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano Another Country by James Baldwin Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith 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 8m
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Trailer

4.9
out of 5
40 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 - 2025
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Shruti Koti, Neha Ambati
  • Show Website
    The Novel Tea

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