The Novel Tea

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

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We love to hear from listeners about the books we discuss - you can connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at [email protected].
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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 [email protected].
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.

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 [email protected].
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.

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 [email protected].
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.

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 [email protected].
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.