Hello, listeners!
Chelsey and I have been blown away by the enthusiasm around our podcast launch last week. We’ve enjoyed chatting about classic books and recommending new reads to each other for a long time now, and it’s so fun to be able to share that passion with all of you.
Today we released a bonus episode all about the new film adaptation of Emma directed by Autumn de Wilde. Spoiler alert: we both really enjoyed it, but we also had a few notes…some minor and some major. In addition to gushing about this stunning new film adaptation, we also chat about Austen adaptations in general and make a first attempt at beginning our definitive rankings of Austen stories on screen. If you’re looking for more Jane in your life, here are some links we’re loving this week:
The Best Austen Adaptations Available to Stream
Which Emma Character are You Based on Your Zodiac Sign? (I love that Chelsey and I would be besties based on our results.)
Some of these links are Bookshop affiliate links. We earn a small commission when you make a purchase using these links (plus, you support independent bookstores).
Spring Season Books Reveal:
While our mission isn’t to convince every reader to start reading classic literature, we did try to round out our spring episode lineup with something for everyone. There’s an early feminist novella, a romantic comedy, a transcontinental story of mothers and daughters, a poignant study in regret, the play nearly every English-speaking student reads in high school, and (in my opinion) the very best work of American fiction. You can shop the whole spring episode lineup as well as the books and pairings from our Emma episode on Bookshop.org. Please do let us know if you’re reading along by tagging @NovelPairingsPod on Instagram!
Next week’s episode will be all about The Awakening by Kate Chopin. It’s a short novella (less than 5 hours on audio!) so there’s still plenty of time to read along before the episode drops. Of course, as always, there’s no need to have read the classic to enjoy our discussion or to pick up our contemporary pairings.
Currently Reading:
I’m slowly making my way through Kindred by Octavia Butler. It’s exceptional and it shouldn’t be a slow read, but it’s something I want to give my undivided attention to, and I haven’t had much of that to spare recently. Additionally, I started listening to You Are Not Alone by Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks on Libro.fm*. Typically, I’m very picky about thrillers so we’ll have to see how this one goes for me. I am, however, greatly enjoying the book’s sneaky Austen references: there are two sisters named Cassandra and Jane, and their fake book club fake reads Pride & Prejudice. Too cute.
*Listeners, we’re excited to be partnering with Libro.fm to offer you three audiobooks for the price of one. Just click this link to get three audiobooks for $15 all while supporting the pod and independent bookstores!
Where to find us:
Download episodes of Novel Pairings wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Find Chelsey at @chelseyreads or @hereadsheread. Find me at @fictionmatters and my blog.
We declare after all, there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book!
Have a lovely week, everyone!
-Sara