Welcome to The Novel Tea Newsletter!
The Novel Tea Newsletter | December 2023
Dear readers,
Welcome to the first edition of The Novel Tea Newsletter! If you don’t already know, The Novel Tea is a podcast that Shruti and I started earlier this year.
Shruti and I have loved reading together since we were in middle school, and lately we have been a lot more intentional with our reading habits. In our episodes, we talk in depth about one book per episode, discussing themes, character development, cultural context, and our own unfiltered opinions.
“Why a newsletter?” you might be asking.
We already spend an hour with our listeners having book discussions twice a month - what more could we have to say? Well, you’d be surprised at the amount of times post-recording sessions, we kick ourselves for forgetting to mention that one thing. Sometimes during our discussions, we may bring up topics that we want to further dive into. Other times, we discover questions and materials in our daily lives that relate to themes we talk about on the podcast.
The Novel Tea Newsletter is our answer. We will be dropping in every other week to provide you with extra content, laughs and book recommendations! Now that you know what to expect, subscribe to our newsletter, and, if you are so inclined, tell your friends!
Quick Picks
In this section, we’ll share books, movies, podcasts, TV shows, and other arts/media that we have been enjoying lately. Today we have some cozy, holiday-themed, feel-good picks to help fill the cold winter nights.
Shruti:
BOOK | Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan: this beautiful wintery novella is set in a small Irish town in the 1980s. Bill Furlong, a coal merchant, is heading to work one day when he makes an unexpected discovery that pushes him to confront his own past, and the history of his town and country. This book is quietly brilliant - the snow imagery and Christmas-time traditions made me feel warm and content, while still raising important questions that made me want to learn more.
TELEVISION | Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares: it is winter in New York City, and Dash and Lily, two very different teenagers, trade dares, hopes, and dreams in a notebook that they pass back and forth at different hiding spots. This show is a visual treat, and just the right amount of sweet without being too cheesy.
This show is available to stream on Netflix.
Neha:
BOOK | East by Edith Pattou: this nostalgic storyline is a retelling of the old Norwegian folk tale called “East of the Sun and West of the Moon”. It’s set in a Scandinavian winter wonderland and centers around the character of Rose. Rose is different than the rest of her family - and one day when an enormous white polar bear comes to visit her, she finds her purpose.
PODCAST | Modern Love: the holidays can be stressful, and what’s better than a wholesome and romantic podcast to distract you from the holiday chaos? Each week, Anna Martin brings stories about love in all its possible forms - romantic, platonic, familial - from the bestselling New York Times column.
Don’t forget to check out tomorrow’s podcast episode on The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton.
I actually loved Dash & Lilly when it first premiered - sad we didn't get a second season. Not that it needed one, but the wholesome vibes were infectious.