New Episode: Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and YA Romance
Plus some exciting new bonus content coming your way
Hello, listeners!
My husband and I have spent the last couple weeks making our home more comfortable. We’ve lived in this house for two years, but it just now feels like we’ve figured out how to best utilize our space. Right now as I type this, I’m sitting at an actual desk (something I haven’t had for years) and feeling extremely put-together and professional.
As for podcast content, today we released our first—but certainly not last—Shakespeare episode. I hadn’t read Romeo & Juliet since high school and I had a blast talking about the play with Chelsey. She’s taught this drama five times, and I learned so much from her insights. We chat about our (read: my) initial misconceptions about the characters, our enduring love for Mercutio, and why this play still endures in high school curriculum. We also offer six contemporary pairings that include several YA romances, some Shakespeare nonfiction, and one out-there pick about the nature of time and fate.
We’re particularly excited about this episode because we know so many English speakers have read, seen, or experienced Romeo & Juliet in some manner. We’re eager to hear your thoughts on the episode and what you remember about R&J from your own high school days. If you enjoy it, please share the episode on social media and tag @novelpairingspod or pass your recommendation along to a reader friend. Word of mouth is the best way to spread the news about our bookish project!
If you feel like embracing your inner Shakespeare nerd, here are some links to explore this week:
This New Yorker article about Supreme Court Justices’ views of Shakespeare
Lots of options for streaming Shakespeare performances straight to your living room
A discussion about Shakespeare’s writing in quarantine during the bubonic plague (although, for the record, we fully support being unproductive during this current moment)
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).
Upcoming Bonus Episode:
For next week’s bonus episode, we’re trying something a little different. We’ll be discussing a classic short story and pairing it with some similar authors as well as a few short story collections we’re excited about. While we’re both more naturally drawn to novels, short stories have been perfect for our current levels of focus. We decided to read Edith Wharton’s delectable and dishy story “Roman Fever” for next week. This story is gossipy, glitzy, and, ultimately, extremely surprising. Plus you can read it in about 20 minutes! We’d love to have you read along before the episode drops on Tuesday, April 28th. You can find a PDF version of the story here. Once you read it, be sure to let us know what you think!
Currently Reading:
Work was quite busy for me this week, but I managed to fit in some quality reading. I finally finished Isabelle Allende’s The House of the Spirits, which I’d been reading one chapter a day for about two weeks. I absolutely loved this book, and I’m excited to read more Allende. I was also lucky enough to receive an early copy of Sue Monk Kidd’s newest novel, The Book of Longings. It’s told through the perspective of Jesus’s imagined wife and I love the way it celebrates the sacred feminine and friendships among women. And, like Chelsey, I very much enjoyed listening to Jessica Simpson’s memoir Open Book on audio*. Now I’m reading If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha (out today!) and doing a reread of The Night Circus so I can discuss it with some of my students. It’s just as magical as I remembered.
*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 me at @fictionmatters and my blog. Find Chelsey at @chelseyreads or @hereadsheread. We love hearing what you’re reading so feel free to tag us!
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