Close Reads Podcast
Episodes
The Warden: The Final Chapters
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our conversation on the concluding chapters of The Warden, in which the Close Reads team discusses whether this books ends in anti-climax, ...
The Warden: Chapters 11-15
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode features a new occasional segment tentatively called “Letters to the Editors” (help us come up with something better!). So c...
The Warden: Chapters 6-11
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the show, Sean is forced to confront some . . . questions . . . about The Warden presented by David and Heidi (and David suggest a narrat...
The Warden: Chapters 1-5
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to conversations on a new book, which is in a genre we seem to turn to at least once a year: a novel about (or from the perspective) of a cler...
Summer Lightning: Q&A Episode
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Q&A time! This week David, Heidi, and Sean discuss the end of Wodehouse’s Summer Lightning, then dig into some listener questions. Topics of ...
Summer Lightning: Chapters 6-13
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Wodehouse Wintertime here at Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Sean are discussing Summer Lightning. And in this episode—after sh...
Summer Lightning: Chapters 1-5
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Wodehouse season here at Close Reads! Kick off 2024 by joining David, Heidi, and Sean for a deep dive into the world of Blandings Castle—of s...
Things Fall Apart: Q&A Episode
30 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our final episode of 2023 David, Heidi, and Tim attempt to answer your questions about Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Happy listening—and H...
Close Reads at the Movies: "The Apartment"
30 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Billy Wilder’s The Apartment is one of the great holiday movies, one of the great romantic comedies, and one of the great screenplays, so here at th...
Recapping Our Favorite Reads of 2023
23 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our annual holiday tradition is back! Join us we share our respective top five favorite reading experiences of the year. Some of them are new books, s...
Things Fall Apart: Parts 2 and 3
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we come to the end of China Achebe’s novel, we’re discussing whether it ends in a satisfying fashion, contemplating the POV shift in the final ...
Things Fall Apart: Part 1
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is one of the most influential and important examples of world literature in the twentieth century, so we’re ver...
A 1920s Book Draft
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What’s your favorite book from the 1920s? There are certainly plenty to choose from. Maybe it’s a book by Fitzgerald or by Hemingway or even Cathe...
A Canticle For Leibowitz: Q&A Episode
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve come to the end of another book which means it’s time to dig into to some of your questions. So click that play button and join us as we dis...
A Canticle for Leibowitz: To the End
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we come to the end of the fascinating book, we’re discussing the change in the authorial voice, the various enigmatic figures of part three, and ...
A Canticle for Leibowitz: Chapters 16-24
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re deep into Walter J. Miller’s classic dystopian novel, so welcome to our discussion of this middle section, one in which characters believe t...
A Canticle for Liebowitz: Chapters 9-15
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This section of Walter M. Miller’s novel spans two sections, so in this week’s episode we discussed the tightrope walk that is abandoning one now-...
A Canticle for Liebowitz: Chapters 1-8
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Once more into the breach of a new book! We haven’t done many science fiction titles on the show (Lewis’ Ransom Trilogy notwithstanding and that c...
The Moving Toyshop: Q&A
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to the nature of the questions submitted, this particular Q&A episode ended up taking the form of a romp through the genre. So if you like myst...
The Moving Toyshop: Second Half
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we come to the end of our brief series on Edmund Crispin’s mystery novel, it’s time to discuss the puzzle (as it were). Does it work? How does ...
The Moving Toyshop: Chapters 1-7
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Edmund Crispin’s The Moving Toyshop is one of David’s favorites, so this conversation touches on why that is, what makes Crispin’s mysteries dif...
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: Q&A Episode
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As is our custom here at Close Reads, we’re here to answer your questions. So in this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss questions about hope in...
Announcing the Book List for 2024: The Great Winnowing!
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our 2024 book list is here! We have chosen twelve books to discuss next year, all of which we’re very excited about. We included a few beloved novel...
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: To the End
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is the purpose of Alyosha? Is Shukov a hero? Is there a specific moral vision at the core of this story? What is the nature of symbolism in the n...
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: First Half
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s classic prison novel—one of the most influential books of the last century. T...
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Q&A Episode
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You have questions—we try to answer them. So join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss such things as the degree to which Basil deserves blame in D...
The Divided Soul in the American South: A Close Reads on the Road Talk
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Normally, we would be dropping a new subscriber-exclusive episode today, but since Monday was Labor Day we took the day off which means the newest epi...
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Final Chapters
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The final pages of The Picture of Dorian Gray are pretty wild, packed full of famous scenes and images, so join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss ...
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Chapters 8-12
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time for more Oscar Wilde talk. This week, the conversation explains how this section made Tim a fan of the book, digs into Dorian’s psycholo...
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Chapters 4-7
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss the introduction of Sibyl Vane and her family, Dorian’s infatuation and un-infatuation with her, and the ...
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Chapters 1-3
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tim’s back, friends—and it’s time for a new book! So join us as we dig into Oscar Wilde’s infamous novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Discussi...
A Movie Adaptations Draft
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re mixing things up this week! Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they draft the great cinematic adaptations ever made. And be sure to let us know wh...
Everything Sad Is Untrue Q&A (feat. Daniel Nayeri)
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time to answer listener questions about Everything Sad Is Untrue and we have the great honor of doing that alongside the man himself, Daniel Na...
Everything Sad Is Untrue: To the End
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
And so we come to the end. Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they dig into Daniel Nayeri’s novel as a whole (but especially the final passages, of cour...
Everything Sad Is Untrue: Through page 231
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This section of Daniel Nayeri’s novel included a lot of . . . well . . . poop. So on this week’s episode David, Heidi, and Sean discuss how Nayeri...
Everything Sad Is Untrue: 1-114
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad is Untrue may be listed as a middle grade novel by its publisher, but it’s unlike almost any other novel in the cat...
The Scarlet Letter: Q&A
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Here we are at the end of our conversation on Hawthorne’s novel, which means it’s time to answer your questions. As always, you sent in lots of gr...
Remembering Cormac McCarthy, Part 2
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Sean and Heidi join David and get their say about the legacy of Cormac McCarthy—and what makes his work sublime. This is a public ...
Remembering Cormac McCarthy, Part 1
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The great Cormac McCarthy died last week, leaving behind a canon of brilliant, challenging novels that will be long-remembered. So this week we’re s...
The Scarlet Letter: Final Chapters
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
And so we come to the end of another novel! Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they dig into the ending of Hawthorne’s novel, with special attention pa...
The Scarlet Letter: Chapters 14-19
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Heidi is in Greece this week (!), but David Kern and Karen Swallow Prior are back to continue this series on The Scarlet Letter. Topics of conversatio...
The Scarlet Letter: Chapters 9-13
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does this book offer an alternative vision to the spiritual corruption that it criticizes? How would it be different if Hawthorne was lest on-the-nose...
The Scarlet Letter: Chapters 4-8
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and special guest, Karen Swallow Prior, for a conversation about this very famous and much-taught novel. Conversation touches on wh...
The Scarlet Letter: Customs House - Chapter 3
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s become an annual tradition to invite the one-and-only Karen Swallow Prior on the show to discuss a classic novel, and this time around it’s N...
The Optimist's Daughter: Q&A
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You have questions, we’ve got thoughts! So click that play button and dig into this conversation on The Optimist’s Daughter! Please note: next wee...
The Optimist's Daughter: Parts 3 & 4
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What’s up with the birds? Is Fay even more despicable than we initially considered? Is the ending hopeful? Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they discu...
The Optimist's Daughter: Parts 1 and 2
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new series of episodes on a new book! This week David, Heidi, and Sean are digging into Eudora Welty’s Pulitzer Prize winner, discussin...
The Diary of a Country Priest: Q&A Episode
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join Heidi and Sean as they answer your questions about Georges Bernanos’ novel! Thanks so much for participating in the conversation and happy list...
The Diary of a Country Priest: Chapters 7-8 (Finis)
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Sean & Heidi discuss the priest’s last days, his four final encounters, the purpose of the diary, and the mingling of grace and suffering ...
Diary of a Country Priest: Chapters 5-6
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
David’s sick, so this week Heidi and Sean discuss letting go of worldly attachments, the value of the priest’s weakness, his first spiritual succe...
Diary of a Country Priest: Chapters 3-4
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they discuss insomnia, despair, the spiritual dark night of the soul, and much, much more found in Bernanos’ deeply c...
The Diary of a Country Priest: Chapters 1-2
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re on to Georges Bernanos’ contemplative novel, The Diary of a Country Priest, and in this episode David, Heidi, and Sean discuss the fascinati...
Pygmalion: Q&A Episode
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join David and Tim as they welcome back special guest Jessie Turpin to read a scene from the play and answer your questions. Conversation touches on t...
Previewing the 2023 Close Reads Bracket
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Tim, and Sean as they discuss the 2023 Close Reads Bracket: Awesome Adaptations. They predict winners, make their own picks, and discuss t...
Pygmalion
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve been circling this one for a long time. It’s finally time to discuss George Bernard Shaw’s famous play, Pygmalion. In this episode we disc...
A Brief Peek into Sean Johnson's Grueling Interview Process
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re a longtime listener of this podcast, you know that Sean Johnson has recently joined our crew to help give Tim some time off here and there...
The Netanyahus: Q&A
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Netanyahus is a bit of a confounding book, so naturally there were lots of questions and we did our best to answer as many as we could as thorough...
The Netanyahus: Finis
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Okay, so that ending? What’s the deal. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they try to understand what Cohen is doing. Lots of conversation about nihilism...
The Netanyahus: Chapters 5-8
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re discussing whether Joshua Cohen’s approach to exploring Jewish culture works in the ways that he seems to hope it will, whether th...
The Netanyahus: Chapters 1-4
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are on to Joshua Cohen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Netanyahus, a book that is clearly different in tone (and content) than most of the ti...
Persuasion: Q&A Episode
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s that time, when we’ve come to end of another episode and we turn to your questions about it. This time we’re contemplating topics from Pers...
Persuasion: Finis
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Finally, we can speak more freely about all of Persuasion, so this week David, Heidi, and Sean are discussing Wentworth’s love letter, Ann’s asses...
Persuasion: Volume 2, Chapters 1-7
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re discussing Mrs. Smith’s sudden appearance (and her role) in the book, whether the book considers all of Anne’s various perspecti...
Persuasion: Vol. 1, chapters 7-12
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This section ends with a dangerous fall, but in the meantime we sure get a lot of scenes with people talking in rooms. So this week David, Heidi, and ...
Persuasion: Chapters 1-6
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s on to another great novel, this time by Jane Austen, so this week David, Heidi, and Sean discussed Austen’s unique use of free indirect disco...
Our Favorite Reads of 2022
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, which means it’s also the time of the year when we’re talking about our favorite reads of 2022! We eac...
My Name Is Asher Lev: Q&A Episode
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Q&A time, so join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into a bunch of great questions from the Close Reads community. Topics of conversation incl...
My Name is Asher Lev: Finis
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What a book! This week you can tune in as David, Heidi, and Tim continue to rave about Chaim Potok’s skill, a few particularly miraculous passages, ...
My Name Is Asher Lev: Chapters 6-9
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Jacob Kahn. Does the book view him as an arbiter of wisdom? Is he an antagonist of sorts? Also, can Ash...
My Name is Asher Lev: Chapters 3-5
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we dive further into Chaim Potok’s wonderful novel, this week’s episode contemplates how dark this book really is, whether we should read it ps...
My Name Is Asher Lev: Chapters 1-2
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chaim Potok’s novel, My Name Is Asher Lev, is one of Tim’s favorite books, and its also one that has been nominated by listeners for a long time. ...
A Gentleman in Moscow: Q&A
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In which we answer your questions about Amor Towles’ novel! Up next: My Name Is Asher Lev, chapters 1-2. This is a public episode. If you'd like to...
A Gentleman in Moscow: Finis
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We have come to the conclusion of Amor Towles’ novel, so this week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed the Casablanca of it all, whether the book ends i...
The Rings of Power: An exit Survey
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Rings of Power season one is over and it’s time to take stock. So join Ian and David as they discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what may be...
A Gentleman in Moscow: Book 4
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed whether the Count has changed over the course of the story, whether he is a “whole” character, David’s...
A Gentleman in Moscow: Pages 248-317
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed whether this book is up to the ideas that it is asking us to contemplate, the meta elements of its presentat...
A Gentleman in Moscow: Pages 171-247
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed the fascinating nature of the Count’s relationship with Anna; the book’s preoccupation with skill and cr...
A Gentleman in Moscow: Book 2
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed virtue, vice, and wine in A Gentleman in Moscow. Is that enough to prompt you to click play? Happy listening...
A Gentleman in Moscow: To the end of Part 1
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Now that we’ve come to the end of book one of Amor Towles’ very popular novel, its time to reset and consider what key questions and themes this b...
A Gentleman in Moscow: 1-53
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Amor Towles’ 2016 novel is one the most requested books in the history of the Close Reads community, so it’s only fair that we finally dig in! Joi...
What to Make of "Rings of Power"
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The discourse around Amazon’s Rings of Power has been fraught. So in this special crossover episode between Close Reads and Bibliophiles, David Kern...
Laurus: Q&A
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s that time yet again — when we answer your questions! As usual, you gave us plenty to talk about. So in this final conversation about Eugene V...
The Great Winnowing: Choosing Books for Close Reads 2023
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been said that this is Close Reads Christmas. The last two days we have been revealing (on the Close Reads Facebook group and on the Goldberry ...
Laurus: The Final Chapters
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While Tim explores the Scottish Highlands in a kilt (we presume), David and Heidi are discussing the final pages of Laurus. Conversation touches on th...
Laurus: Pages 237-279
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week its Tim’s turn to be in Europe, so David and Heidi are holding down the podcast fort. The reading took us to the Book of Repose, so conver...
Laurus: Pages 181-237
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
During this week’s episode, Heidi was off on an adventure in Switzerland, so David and Tim held down the Close Reads fort, which just means they di...
Laurus: Pages 109-180
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Arseny has a new name and is on a new journey, so on this week’s episode David, Heidi, and Tim dig into Ustina the miracle worker, the self-awarenes...
Laurus: Pages 53-109
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This section of Laurus is fairly traumatic—so traumatic, in fact, that Heidi says she can barely bring herself to re-read it. So naturally David, He...
Laurus: Pages 3-53
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time to launch our voyage into a new book. Over the next six weeks or so we’ll be traversing with Arseny across medieval Russia, contemplatin...
A Month in the Country: Q&A Episode
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As always upon reaching the end of a book, it’s time for a Q&A episode. And, of course, you delivered plenty of great questions worthy of contemplat...
Watch Along: Persuasion (2022)
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In which David and Sean make Heidi endure the slings and arrows of the new adaptation of her favorite Jane Austen novel—all for your entertainment. ...
A Month in the Country: To the End
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re discussing the second half of J.L. Carr’s A Month in the Country, which means we’re chatting about Alice Keach, Mr Moon, what th...
A Month in the Country: Pages 1-68
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The gang is back together! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they chat about one of David’s favorite books, J.L. Carr’s A Month in the Country. In thi...
Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Q&A
26 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they conclude their conversation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles by answering your questions. Topics i...
Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Final Chapters
18 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Here we are at the end of another novel. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they compare Alec’s love for Tess with Angel’s, contemplate the way justi...
Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Chapters 35-44
04 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Phase the fifth of Tess of the D’Urbervilles is incredibly sad, but it’s also remarkable in the way that Thomas Hardy manages to reveal the variou...
Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Chapters 31-34
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welp. It’s time for some confession. Here, right in the middle of Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece, we get a marriage followed by revelation. The courts...
Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Chapters 25-30
21 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we draw near to the middle of Thomas Hardy’s great tragic novel, join Karen and Heidi (who are holding down the fort while David is sick) as they...
Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Chapters 16-24 (aka Phase the Third)
14 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“Phase the Third” of Tess of the D’Urbervilles is called “The Rally” so on this week’s conversation David, Heidi, and Karen discuss why Ha...
Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Chapters 12-15 (AKA Phase 2)
07 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tess has returned home, but now she has baby with her, leading to one of the most beautiful and famous sciences in English literature in which Tess so...