The Novel Tea

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 [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.
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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 [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 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 [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 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 [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 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 [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.