Novel Pairings
Welcome to Novel Pairings, a podcast dedicated to making the classics readable, relevant, and fun. 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.
Our Editor's Take
Novel Pairings is a unique podcast that explains classic books to modern audiences. Hosts Chelsey and Sara discuss literature in a way that is accessible to all. Whether a newcomer to reading or already a pro, the podcast makes it simple to find a new favorite book.
The podcast covers a wide range of literary classics. The hosts go back in time to the works of Ancient Greece and discuss modern classics of the 20th century. They talk about Shakespeare and Jane Austen. There is a discussion of Toni Morrison and Mary Shelley. Not only featuring novels, the podcast also covers poetry and short stories. Some episodes feature particular themes or trends in literature. In other episodes, the hosts discuss what has made it onto their reading lists lately.
Each Novel Pairings episode spans between 30 to 90 minutes. Most episodes feature discussions of one book, although longer books are a two-part special. Some episodes also feature guests. In one episode, the hosts discuss children's classic literature with three children. In another, a professor of Shakespeare joins to discuss the playwright's classics. Episodes are regular, with a new one released two to four times a month.
Novel Pairings' hosts Chelsey and Sara are warm and friendly. They explain complicated books and tricky concepts with ease. Listening to the podcast is like having a conversation with a friend. The hosts make the classics fun and don't get too academic.
They want to change the opinion that the classics are old or irrelevant to a modern audience.
To do this, they pair a classic novel with a contemporary one at the end of each episode. Their goal is to show that great writing shares many of the same themes, whether old or new. By pairing two similar works from different periods, they make classic literature relevant to the modern age. Novel Pairings premieres a new episode each week.
Episodes