In this episode, Alexandra dumps all her unpleasant observations about the popular novel of the ‘90’s AT HOME IN MITFORD. This novel often captured the hearts of its readers for representing a sort of fantasy, small town, southern community, but that fantasy comes at the cost of truly contending with the issues present in our American communities. The fantasy is upheld by carefully ignoring or even idealizing the circumstances of the underclasses. It also fails to reckon with the contradictions between American culture and Christian teaching, particularly around the ideas of materialism, hospitality, and caring for those in your community.Sources:Karon, Jan. (1996). _At Home in Mitford. Penguin Books.Nickel, Eleanor Hersey. “‘But This Is the South’: Ambivalent Regionalism in Jan Karon’s Mitford Novels.” Studies in Popular Culture, vol. 32, no. 2, 2010, pp. 17–33. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23416153. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.Satterwhite, Emily. “‘The Longing for Home,’ Appalachian Fiction, and Ron Rash.” Appalachian Journal, vol. 42, no. 1/2, 2014, pp. 24–35. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43489157 . Accessed 24 Dec. 2025.FIND US ONLINE:Pre-Orders for Book 2, West of the Sun (coming available Feb 27-28), and current orders for Book 1, East of the Moon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHG4Y34K?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tkinnovelteapodcastinfo@gmail.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CS7MOxj2mQ1B3mhHB4OY2?si=8ce19c01223f4b96Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-novel-tea-podcast/id1675942343EMILYInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lee.alexander.author/Tiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rosereadstudiosWebtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/its-a-working-dogs-life-/list?title_no=967971YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoseReadStudiosALEXANDRADiscord: https://t.co/nITrAz1ov5Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alovelyjaunt/Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/a_lovely_jaunt

Let's take a look at our year in reading and how our real life intersects with this hobby. Best, Worst, Disappointments, and Honorable Mentions! Also, what do our plans look like for next year?Order East of the Moon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FHFDK9Y7?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooksFIND US ONLINE:novelteapodcastinfo@gmail.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CS7MOxj2mQ1B3mhHB4OY2?si=8ce19c01223f4b96Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-novel-tea-podcast/id1675942343EMILYInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosereadstudiosTiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rosereadstudiosWebtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/its-a-working-dogs-life-/list?title_no=967971YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoseReadStudiosALEXANDRADiscord: https://t.co/nITrAz1ov5Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alovelyjaunt/Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/a_lovely_jaunt

In this episode, Emily and Alexandra take a look at several books that use androids and AI as important characters and plot devices. In a world where now AI is all too real, how do we treat these types of characters? What does it say about the worldview of the novel and what does it say about us?Order East of the Moon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FHFDK9Y7?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooksFIND US ONLINE:novelteapodcastinfo@gmail.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CS7MOxj2mQ1B3mhHB4OY2?si=8ce19c01223f4b96Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-novel-tea-podcast/id1675942343EMILYInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosereadstudiosTiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rosereadstudiosWebtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/its-a-working-dogs-life-/list?title_no=967971YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoseReadStudiosALEXANDRADiscord: https://t.co/nITrAz1ov5Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alovelyjaunt/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexandra_alovelyjauntStorygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/a_lovely_jaunt

In this video, Emily and Alexandra discuss the message of The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro and connect the inter-war setting in England with Hannah Arendt's famous work The Origins of Totalitarianism. (A discussion of Wolf Hall, Utopia, A Man for All Seasons, and the French Revolution may also be involved.)Pre-Orders for East of the Moon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FHFDK9Y7?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooksFIND US ONLINE:novelteapodcastinfo@gmail.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CS7MOxj2mQ1B3mhHB4OY2?si=8ce19c01223f4b96 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-novel-tea-podcast/id1675942343EMILYInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosereadstudiosTiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rosereadstudiosWebtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/its-a-working-dogs-life-/list?title_no=967971YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoseReadStudiosALEXANDRADiscord: https://t.co/nITrAz1ov5Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alovelyjaunt/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexandra_alovelyjauntStorygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/a_lovely_jaunt

In this video, Emily and Alexandra analyze the trend of cozy books in a variety of genres. We pull from previous eras of books, what they did well, what these genres should keep an eye out, and share our experiences reading cozy books in a variety of genres.

Pre-Order East of the Moon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FHFDK9Y7?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks

FIND US ONLINE:

novelteapodcastinfo@gmail.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CS7MOxj2mQ1B3mhHB4OY2?si=8ce19c01223f4b96

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-novel-tea-podcast/id1675942343

EMILY

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosereadstudios

Tiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rosereadstudios

Webtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/its-a-working-dogs-life-/list?title_no=967971

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoseReadStudiosALEXANDRADiscord: https://t.co/nITrAz1ov5

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alovelyjaunt/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexandra_alovelyjaunt

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/a_lovely_jaunt

Today on the podcast, a classic, but a good one: Why reading is always political and how those politics affect women readers.

FIND US ONLINE:
novelteapodcastinfo@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CS7MOxj2mQ1B3mhHB4OY2?si=8ce19c01223f4b96
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-novel-tea-podcast/id1675942343

EMILY
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosereadstudios
Tiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rosereadstudios

Webtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/its-a-working-dogs-life-/list?title_no=967971
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoseReadStudios

ALEXANDRA
Discord: https://t.co/nITrAz1ov5
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alovelyjaunt/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexandra_alovelyjaunt
Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/a_lovely_jaunt

In this episode, Emily and Alexandra analyze the way in which our interpretations and analysis also play a role in developing propaganda. We borrow from our background of growing up in conservative church communities, and conservative christian homeschooling communities. In summary, we want to encourage adult readers to empower themselves as full adults with the ability to read and analyze with nuance, insight, and without it being a condemnation of yourself.FIND US ONLINE:novelteapodcastinfo@gmail.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CS7MOxj2mQ1B3mhHB4OY2?si=8ce19c01223f4b96Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-novel-tea-podcast/id1675942343EMILYInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosereadstudiosTiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rosereadstudiosWebtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/its-a-working-dogs-life-/list?title_no=967971YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoseReadStudiosALEXANDRADiscord: https://t.co/nITrAz1ov5Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alovelyjaunt/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexandra_alovelyjauntStorygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/a_lovely_jaunt

In this episode, Emily and Alexandra share about a couple of books they’ve read recently and both re-examine their relationship with DNFing – Emily does it more, and Alexandra does it less. Both end up reading a Western, and discuss the relationship between art and propaganda. Finally we reflect on our mood reading as we alternate between reading books with heavy and light content.FIND US ONLINE:novelteapodcastinfo@gmail.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7CS7MOxj2mQ1B3mhHB4OY2?si=8ce19c01223f4b96Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-novel-tea-podcast/id1675942343EMILYInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosereadstudiosTiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rosereadstudiosWebtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/its-a-working-dogs-life-/list?title_no=967971ALEXANDRADiscord: https://t.co/nITrAz1ov5Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alovelyjaunt/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexandra_alovelyjauntStorygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/a_lovely_jaunt