Novel Pairings

Welcome to Novel Pairings, a podcast dedicated to making the classics readable, relevant, and fun. Each episode we’ll discuss one classic book and share some recommendations for more contemporary reads that feature similar themes. As two nerdy bookworms, we appreciate the role of classic lit, but we but we won’t get too academic about it. We’ll talk about the books we love and the books we loath, and help stock your TBR pile with old and new reads for every literary taste.


All Episodes

159. Emma by Jane Austen Recap Three: A Mysterious Pianoforte

In this recap, we’re discussing Volume Two, Chapters 1-8 of Emma by Jane Austen. In this episode, we’ll explore the arrival of some intriguing new characters to Highbury that shake up Emma’s carefully curated social circle. We’ll also explore Emma’s…

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158. Emma by Jane Austen Recap Two: Matchmaking or Meddling

In this recap, we’re diving into Emma by Jane Austen — covering Volume One, Chapters 10–18. Join us for bonus content.  Emma Woodhouse is back at it — charming, meddling, and trying to navigate Highbury’s tricky social scene. This…

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157. Emma by Jane Austen Recap One: Handsome, Clever, and Rich

In this recap episode, we’re discussing Volume One, Chapters 1-9 of Jane Austen’s Emma. We take a deep dive into Emma Woodhouse’s world, examining her relationships with key figures like Miss Taylor, Mr. Woodhouse, and the insightful Mr. Knightley….

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156. Introducing Emma by Jane Austen

Welcome to our Spring Season! We’re reading Emma by Jane Austen as a community, and we hope you will join us. Listen to today’s introduction to hear why we love this novel, how we approach readalongs and recaps, and what to pay attention to as you…

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155. Notable books of 2024: our bookish superlatives, reading life updates, and a little Jane Austen

We’re back and kicking  off 2025 with our annual Superlatives episode. Today, we’re excited to highlight stand-out books from 2024. We’ve got eight superlatives lined up that highlight our favorites, least favorites and everything in…

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154. Moody & Atmospheric Fall 2024 Book Releases with Backlist Pairings

We’re excited to be back in your podcast feeds to pair highly anticipated fall book releases with beloved backlist favorites. Prepare to overload your TBR pile as we dive into an exciting fall publishing season filled with moody, atmospheric titles….

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153. Dishing our opinions on the hottest summer books of 2023

As the summer reading season comes to a close, we’re turning our eyes to fall. With Chelsey on maternity leave, we’ve made some thoughtful adjustments to our plans and structure here at Novel Pairings. Our goal is to ensure that we stay connected…

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151. Introduction to The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

Today’s episode is a special one! Twice a year, we choose a big bucket list classic to read together as a community. For every big book we read, Chelsey and Sara dust off their English teacher skills to break down plot, themes, style, and more in…

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152. The Custom of the Country Book One Recap

In today’s recap episode, we discuss Book One of The Custom of the Country (that’s chapters 1-10 if your book is not divided into books). This episode includes detailed discussion of the plot and characters introduced in this first section of the…

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