India, Aug. 2 -- Dear Reader,

Recently, I've taken to pairing my reading, and it feels like a compounding of pleasures. Much like combining a cappuccino with a croissant. Or food with wine.

Whether it's two entire novels, both about the same relationship, or fiction read alongside biography, this double-dipping has become addictive.

The "He Said, She Said" Pairing

I kicked off my reading year with the ultimate marital immersion: Mr. Bridge and Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell.

The two books tell the story of an upper middle-class couple, Walter and India Bridge, who live in Kansas City in the period between the two world wars. We see the Bridges live their life with their three children, doing all the humdrum little things that make up...