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In this special bonus episode, author Paige Lewis joins Shruti and Neha to talk about their debut novel Canon, the story of an unlikely hero and a woman prophet who embark on a journey to win God's favor. Paige tells us about the stories they loved as a child, how they found inspiration for their characters, and what it was like to go from writing poetry to writing a novel. We chat about epic poetry and myth (while dropping tons of great recommendations along the way!), and consider questions of good vs. evil in ancient and contemporary texts. Texts Mentioned: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The Last Man by Mary Shelley Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster The Odyssey by Homer The Iliad by Homer The White Book by Han Kang Aniara by Harry Martinson The Tale of Kieu by Nguyen Du The Ramayana translated by Bibek Debroy The Mahabharata translated by John D. Smith The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Cruella (2021) Inanna: Lady of Largest Heart by Enheduanna The Joker (2019) Moby Dick by Herman Melville Balloon Pop Outlaw Black by Patricia Lockwood Mulan (1988) Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Read more about Paige Lewis here Canon by Paige Lewis Space Struck by Paige Lewis 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.

Neha and Shruti discuss Transcription by Ben Lerner, considering themes of distortion, truth, parenthood, memory, and of course, transcription. In addition to discussing technology and smartphones, we get into the strangeness of dreams, and the ways liminal spaces appear in this novel. Finally, we consider what a novel actually is, and what it is for - especially in today's technological day and age. Links: "Ben Lerner and the Impossible Interview" [The New Yorker] Shelf Discovery The Road by Cormac McCarthy What We Can Know by Ian McEwan Audition by Katie Kitamura 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 talk about Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers. Published in 1995, it describes a group of scientists who are attempting to create an intelligent machine that they can feed the great classics of literature. We get into the ethics of the situation, its similarities and differences to the current AI crisis, and draw comparisons to the many versions of the Pygmalion myth that have emerged over the years. Links: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke Books Mentioned & Shelf Discovery A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness by Michael Pollan Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw Galatea by Madeline Miller The Overstory by Richard Powers Authority by Jeff Vandermeer The Laughter by Sonora Jha Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee Annie Bot by Sierra Greer Transcription by Ben Lerner 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 dive in to The Candy House by Jennifer Egan, a kaleidoscopic novel of connected short stories set in a world where our memories can be uploaded to the cloud. We talk about the parts of the book that were successful, some aspects that we didn't love, and what Egan was ultimately trying to say about our relationship to technology. Shelf Discovery: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan The Keep by Jennifer Egan Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel Greenwood by Michael Greenwood The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster 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 of The Novel Tea, Shruti and Neha introduce Season 8: Technology. We talk about the way technology has become integrated into our lives, share thoughts on the AI crisis, and share some books we've enjoyed that have explored technology and its implications. And, of course, we share the six books we'll be reading together over the next few months. Books Mentioned The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami 1984 by George Orwell The Giver by Lois Lowry Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Uglies by Scott Westerfeld Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel The Candy House by Jennifer Egan Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers Playground by Richard Powers The Overstory by Richard Powers Transcription by Ben Lerner Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin 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 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 [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 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 [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 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 [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, 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.

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 [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, Shruti and Neha discuss What We Can Know, Ian McEwan's latest speculative novel about a lost poem, climate change, and the power of stories. We discuss this novel through the themes of memory and preservation, and talk about our differing opinions on some of the major twists in the novel. Shelf Discovery & Books Mentioned: Possession by A.S. Byatt Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf Universality by Natasha Brown 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 Jon Krakauer's famous account of the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster, Into Thin Air. They discuss his chosen narration style, clarify what actually happened on that mountain, and talk about the role of a writer in controlling their story. Shelf Discovery The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin The Call of the Wild by Jack London 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.