Novel and Nosh

This Test Revealed My Bookish Soul

• Courtney

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Curious about the literary flavors we'll be serving up on Novel and Nosh? This episode peels back the curtain on my reading preferences to give you a taste of what's to come where books and food collide.

When I submitted my four and five-star reads to ChatGPT for analysis, the results painted a surprisingly accurate portrait of my literary palate. From "Atmospheric Escapes" featuring immersive worlds like those found in "The Night Circus" and "Pachinko," to the gentle enchantment of "Magical Realism and Soft Fantasy" in books like "The House in the Cerulean Sea," my reading tendencies fall into eight distinct categories that will influence the recommendations you'll hear on this podcast.

At the heart of Novel and Nosh lies my love for "Bookish and Culinary Comforts" – stories where food and literature serve as emotional anchors. Think "The Mysterious Bakery on the Rue de Paris" or "The City Baker's Guide to Country Living." These comfort reads blend sensory joy with personal transformation, books that nourish in the truest sense. Beyond this core category, you'll discover my appreciation for emotionally resonant fiction exploring identity and family dynamics, powerful women navigating historical settings, character-driven suspense, meaningful romance, and transformative journeys.

Whether you recognized beloved titles from your own shelves or discovered new potential favorites, this episode offers a roadmap to our upcoming literary-culinary adventures. If any of these categories resonated with you, Novel and Nosh might be your perfect next listen. Grab a good book and some delicious food – your next reading feast awaits!

Thank you for listening to Novel and Nosh.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Novel and Nosh, where books and food come together. Today, I want to share with you what you can expect from this podcast in the way of the books that I'm going to recommend. I do want to let you know that I will be sharing books and cookbooks and some other things as well cookbooks and some other things as well but I know that when I start to listen to a podcast, I'd like to know what the podcaster like. What kind of books do they enjoy reading? So what I did is I went through my four and five star books because those are the ones I want to come here to talk about, the ones that I choose as four and five star books and I put the list into ChatGPT and asked it to kind of define what type of reader I am, which is a fun thing that you could do. I will tell you, it didn't surprise me, honestly. I kind of knew everything that it says, but it's kind of fun to get that reassurance back that, oh yeah, I am that kind of reader. So you are going to I'm going to quickly go through the types of books that I read, based on what it states, and you will hear names of books. So if you like any of these, you might want to write them down or it might help guide you like oh yeah, I love that book too. So it'll kind of just give you an idea of what more you can hear from me about, and I'm not going to go into explaining any of these books today, but you can be sure that you will hear about them in the future if you haven't heard about them already.

Speaker 1:

So the first one is Atmospheric Escapes. With Depth, you're drawn to richly imagined worlds, whether fantastical a discovery of witches, the night circus, the 10,000 doors of January or grounded in evocative real-life settings the snow child, pachinko, memoirs of a Geisha these books pull you in with immersive detail, in a strong sense of place, often involving history, magic or mystery. Number two magical realism, soft fantasy and the supernatural. You favor fantasy with a gentle emotional pull more than high fantasy. Think Legends and Lattes, the House in the Cerulean Sea, the Honey Witch, once Upon a Wardrobe. You enjoy magic that feels healing, enchanting or nostalgic, often with cozy, domestic or romantic tones. Number three bookish and culinary comforts. You gravitate towards stories where books, bakeries or food serve as emotional anchors the Mysterious Bakery on the Rue de Paris, francesca's Kitchen, the Bookshop on the Corner, the City Baker's Guide to Country Living. These are comfort reads that blend personal transformation with sensory joy, books that nourish.

Speaker 1:

Number four emotional fiction with family, identity and healing. You appreciate layered, emotionally resonant fiction that deals with identity loss, secrets and healing. The Vanishing Half Black Cake. Ask Again, yes, calling me home, the things we cannot say. These often involve generational trauma, identity or family reconciliation told with compassion and subtlety.

Speaker 1:

Number five feminine power and historical mystery. You love strong, often hidden or underestimated women navigating danger or societal constraints. The Lost Apothecary, wayward, the Dress Shop of Dreams, the Arctic Fury. You're drawn to plots where women uncover secrets, resist control or reshape their destinies, often with a touch of historical magic. Number six cage turners with psychological or moral tension. You don't shy away from darker themes or thrillers that blend emotional depth with suspense. Bird Box, her, every fear, I let you go. My sister, the serial killer, our house. You enjoy a gripping plot but want it to be more than just action. You like character-driven unease.

Speaker 1:

7. Romantic subplots that enhance, not dominate. You tend to enjoy slow burn or emotionally satisfying romance as part of the larger story arc. Beach read, happy place, very valentine, 28 summers. Romance in your favorites often has nostalgia, loss, longing or self-growth at its core, not just tropes. And the last one is coming of age and transformational journeys. Whether it's a child in a harsh world number the stars, walk two moons or a woman rediscovering herself, pull of the moon, the late bloomers club you appreciate stories of inner growth, resilience and reflection. I thought that was great. I thought it spoke a lot into the books that I love and obviously it's pulling some of my four and five star books. But I just thought maybe you would find this interesting and one you can try it out for yourself, or two. If you've heard some books that you loved on my love lists, then maybe you will enjoy listening to this podcast as well. Again, hope you have a wonderful day, or make sure to go grab a good book and some good food and enjoy.