Close Reads Podcast
Episodes
The End of the Affair: Book 2
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the likability (or lack thereof) of Maurice Bendrix, the protagonist of The End of the Affair; t...
The End of the Affair: Part One
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
And so it was time to begin a new book . . . Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they dive into the world of Graham Green's twentieth classic, The End of th...
Anne of Green Gables: Q&A Episode
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You had many (great) questions about Anne of Green Gables and David, Hieidi, and Tim made an attempt at answering as many of them as we could. They ch...
Anne of Green Gables: Final Chapters
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
And so we come to the end of yet another book. In this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss Matthew's death, Gilbert's action, Anne's growth, Marill...
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 28-32
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode David, Tim, and Heidi, chat about the melancholy that sets into the book during this section, Anne's increasing maturity, the "boat sp...
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 22-27
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim chat about the goodness of Anne's imagination, whether it ever serves negative purposes, and a whole bunch of ab...
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 17-21
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss Anne's continued adventures with Diana, the way the book changes structurally during these chapters, and Lu...
Bonus Episode: Discussing the new movie version of Emma
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There's a new movie version of Emma out now, and we're here to break it down. It stars Anya Joy-Taylor and Johnny Flynn, and is directed by Autumn deW...
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 13-16
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Self-isolate along with David, Heidi, and Tim as they chat some more about that delightful Anne with an "E." This week they discuss the introduction o...
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 7-12
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chatting from their Covid-19-related self-isolation, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the unique nature of Anne of Green Gables, the delightfulness of An...
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 1-6
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to make friends with Anne with an E. In this episode, Heidi explains why this book changed her life (she's read it soooo many times), Davi...
The Catcher in the Rye: Q&A Episode
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time again: let's answer YOUR questions. Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they contemplate topics like Salinger geeks, Holden's affection for t...
The Catcher in the Rye: Final Chapters
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Once again we've come to the end of a book, so join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss whether Holden Caulfield is a cynic at the end of the book, ...
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 10-17
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Back again the gang is. This week David, Heidi, and Tim chatted about Holden's diction and choice of words, the red hunting hat, the ducks on the lago...
Bonus Episode: Leif Enger in Conversation
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's a surprise bonus episode with the one-and-only Leif Enger! David chatted with him recently about the inspiration for Peace Like a River, his earl...
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 1-9
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
And just like that we're on to J.D. Salinger's controversial novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss why this book i...
Peace Like a River: Q&A Episode
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for your questions here! We did our best to answer as many questions about Peace Like a River as we could, as well as we could. We talked ab...
Peace Like a River: The Final Chapters
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Here we are at the end of Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the denouement (and overall structure) of the...
Peace Like a River: Penultimate Episode
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back with more conversation about Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the nefarious Jape Waltzer, And...
Peace Like a River: Chapters 12-16
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
And so the odyssey into Leif Enger's Peace Like a River continues. In this episode, the crew chats about magical realism as a genre, Roxana as Beatric...
Peace Like a River: Chapters 8-11
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back with more conversation about Leif Enger's Peace Like a River! In this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the Fairy Tale elements of the...
Peace Like a River: Chapters 5-7
04 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive deeper into Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. They talk about whether Davy's actions were justifi...
Peace like a River: Chapters 1-4
25 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
And we're on to another book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into a new book, Leif Enger's novel, Peace Like a River. In this episode they ch...
Our Year in Fiction Reading
20 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for one of our favorite annual traditions . . . Join David, Heidi, Sarah-Jane, and Tim as they share some of their favorite fiction reads of...
A River Runs through It Q&A
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to answer listener questions about Norman Maclean's A River Runs through It. David, Heidi, and Tim give their best effort at answering a sle...
A River Runs through It (episode 2)
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they chat about the second half of Norman Maclean's beloved novella, A River Runs through It. They chat about whether th...
A River Runs through It (episode 1)
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
And we're off. It's time for Norman Maclean's A River Runs through It. On this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss roughly the first half of the st...
The Rector of Justin Q&A
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to answer your questions. Join David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt as they dive into the many great questions listeners submitted, included question...
The Rector of Justin: Final Chapters
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
And here we are at the end. Join David, S-J, and Matt as they chat about the conclusion of The Rector of Justin. They chat about the outsized figure o...
The Rector of Justin: Chapters 13-18 .
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt are back and diving into the meaty middle part of the book. They discuss the reliability of the narrators, psycho-analysis...
The Rector of Justin: Chapters 10-12
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt as they continue their discussion of The Rector of Justin. It's a long episode, so get ready for a deep dive into som...
The Rector of Justin: Chapters 6-9
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're back, chatting about chapters 6-9 of Louis Auchincloss' The Rector of Justin. Conversation explores the connections between Frank Prescott and H...
The Rector of Justin: Chapters 1-5
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After a one-week hiatus due to some scheduling issues, we are back! In this episode David is joined by Matt and a new contributor to the network, Sara...
Bonus Episode: Hemingway's "A Clean Well-lighted Room"
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Unfortunately we had a scheduling snafu with recording for this week, so we are sharing a bonus episode that we sent to our Patrons a few months back....
The Odyssey: Q&A Episode
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for listener questions! In this episode, David, Tim, and Heidi answer your questions about topics like why Athena is gray-eyed, other great ...
The Odyssey: Final Books
28 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they arrive at the end of the Odyssey. Conversation touches on Telemachus' evolution, the way the various themes come to...
The Odyssey: XXI-XXII
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to discuss the battle and the bloodshed. In this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim chat about whether Odysseus is after justice or revenge (and...
The Odyssey: XIX-XX
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
And we're back with more conversation about Homer's famous epic poem. This week, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss Penelope's evolving character, the way ...
The Odyssey: XVII-XVIII
09 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The saga continues. On this week's episode, David, Heidi, and a very special guest discuss books XVII and XVIII of the Odyssey. Conversation touches o...
The Odyssey: XII-XVI
02 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
And we're back with more discussion of Homer's Odyssey! David, Heidi, and Tim explore the fascinating character of Eumaeus the swineherd; Poseidon, th...
The Odyssey: XI-XII
24 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they continue their journey with Odysseus. In this episode they discuss books XI and XII, focusing on Odysseus' virtues,...
The Odyssey: Books IX-X
18 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for books IX and X of Homer's Odyssey! Join David, Heidi, and Tim for a discussion about the cyclopes, Circe, and the degree to which Odysse...
The Odyssey: Books V-VIII
12 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David, Heidi, and Tim are back with more conversation about The Odyssey. They discuss the question of Odysseus' faithfulness, they compare Nausikaa an...
The Odyssey: Books III-IV
03 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Tim for more conversation about Homer's classic epic poem. in this episode they chat about the role of the gods in the story, t...
The Odyssey: Books 1-2
25 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for a new book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into Homer's Odyssey, books one and two. Discussion touches on the purpose of these ...
Sense and Sensibility Q&A Episode
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Karen Swallow Prior as they answer your questions about Jane Austen's novel. And if you like this episode be sure to leave a re...
Sense & Sensibility: The Final Chapters
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and special guest Karen Swallow Prior as they discuss the final chapters of Sense and Sensibility. Conversation touches on whether ...
Sense & Sensibility: Volume 3, chapters 1-8
02 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and special guest Karen Swallow Prior for a conversation about Marianne's growth, Willougby's villainy, Edward's issues, and the ba...
Sense & Sensibility: Volume 2, chapters 8-14
25 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and very special guest, Karen Swallow Prior, as they chat about volume 2 of Jane Austen's classic novel. Conversation focuses on w...
Sense & Sensibility: Volume 2, chapters 1-7
18 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David, Heidi, and special guest, Karen Swallow Prior are back with more conversation about Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility. Conversation touches...
Sense & Sensibility: Volume I, chapters 16-22
10 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, David, Heidi, and special guest, Karen Swallow Prior, dive ever-deeper into the world of Jane Austen's classic first novel. Discussion touc...
Sense & Sensibility: Vol. I, chapters 9-15
03 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Further up and further (as they say)! Join David, Heidi, and special guest Karen Swallow Prior (author of the much-loved book, On Reading Well) as th...
Sense and Sensibility: Vol. 1, chapters 1-8
27 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and special guest, Karen Swallow Prior (author of the much-loved book, On Reading Well) for this new series of shows about Jane Aus...
Little Britches: Q&A Episode
18 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's question and answer time! Join David, Adam, and Heidi as they answer your questions about Little Britches. Remember: Subscribe, rate, review! See...
Little Britches: The Final Chapters
14 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for the final chapters of Ralph Moody's Little Britches! In this episode, David, Heidi, and Adam discuss the denouement of Ralph's journey t...
Little Britches: Chapters 22-26
06 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back! In this episode, David, Heidi, and Adam discuss the culmination of Ralph's story arc, parenting lessons from Little Britches, the import...
Little Britches: Chapters 17-21
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back! In this episode David Kern, Adam Andrews, and Heidi White discuss Ralph Moody's stated intentions for this book, what we as readers (and...
Little Britches: Chapters 11-16
22 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David, Heidi, and Adam are back with further discussion about Ralph Moody's Little Britches. Conversation touches on the dangers of romanticizing or ...
Little Britches 7-10
16 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Conversation in this week's episode touches on the theme of parenting in the book, Ralph Moody's drive and desires, Western archetypes at play in the ...
Little Britches: Chapters 1-6
08 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
And we're back to kick off a new series, with Ralph Moody's Little Britches! Joining David and Heidi is Adam Andrews, from the Center for Lit. Convers...
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: Q&A Episode
24 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Tim for an in-depth time of answering listener questions! They talk heroism, other spy novels, the ambiguity of the ending, and...
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: Conclusion
17 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss the final chapters of John LeCarre's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Conversation explores the novel's p...
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: Chapters 13-20
09 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back! This week David, Heidi, and Tim are chatting about chapters 13-20 of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, with an especially deep dive int...
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: Chapters 7-12
03 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back! In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss John LeCarre's classic spy novel some more, with a particular focus on the value of genre ...
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: Chapters 1-6
23 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back! It's time to start a new book and we're finally diving into John LeCarre's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Discussions touches on the...
The Remains of the Day Q&A
16 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're back and we're answering YOUR questions about The Remains of the Day. We answer questions about the scene with the doctor, the root of Stevens' ...
The Remains of the Day: Conlusion
09 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In which David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the ending to Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day. They discuss the heartbreaking nature of the book, what ...
Remains of the Day: Day 3 Evening
02 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back. In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim continue their discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, Remains of the Day. Conversation some of the ...
Remains of the Day: Day 2 Afternoon + Day 3 Morning
26 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're back with more discussion about Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day. This week's conversation touches on Stevens' inner-turmoil, the complicated...
Remains of the Day: Day 2, Morning
19 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Close Reads. In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim continue their discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day. Conversation expl...
The Remains of the Day, Prologue and Day 1
12 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they kick off discussion of a new book: Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day. Topics of conversation include the expe...
The Year in Reading
04 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The gangs all here for a fun conversation about our favorite books of 2018, what we're planning to read in 2019, and much, much more. Don't forget: su...
The Great Gatsby Q&A
30 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David, Angelina, and Adam are back with more conversation about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby! In this episode, they answer your questions...
The Great Gatsby, Final Chapters
21 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David, Angelina, and Adam are back more conversation about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby! Conversation touches on Gatsby's demise, Nick's d...
The Great Gatbsy, Chapters 6-7
14 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David, Angelina, and Adam are back more conversation about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby! Conversation touches on Jay Gatsby's dream-based P...
The Great Gatsby, Chapters 4-5
08 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Close Reads! This week David, Angelina, and special guest Adam Andrews (of Center for Lit) chat about chapters 4 and 5 of F. Scott Fit...
The Great Gatsby: Chapters 1-3
01 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Angelina, and guest of honor, Adam Andrews (of the Center for Lit) for a rousing discussion about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. ...
Bonus Episode: David Joins "The Bookening" to Discuss/Defend Flannery O'Connor
23 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this Thanksgiving week bonus episode, David goes on The Bookening podcast to discuss Flannery O'Connors "Good Country People." Remember: Subscribe,...
The Power and the Glory Q&A
16 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join Heidi, Tim, and David as they answer listener questions about Graham Green's The Power and the Glory. Remember: subscribe, rate, review!Support u...
The Power and the Glory: Final Chapters
10 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they discuss the final chapters of Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory, focusing on whether the priest is a hero and...
The Power and the Glory: Part 2, Chapter 3 - Part 3, Chapter 1
03 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Conversation in this episode centers...
The Power and the Glory: Part 2, Chapters 2-3
26 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Topics of conversation on this episo...
The Power and the Glory: Part 2, Chapter 1
19 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Topics of conversation on this episo...
The Power and the Glory: Part 1, Chapters 3-4
12 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Topics of conversation include Coral...
Crossover Post: Much Ado Nothing Act I | The Play's the Thing
12 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this special crossover post from The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon,...
The Power and the Glory: Part 1, Chapters 1-2
06 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are kicking off a discussion of Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Topics of conversati...
Crossing to Safety Q&A
28 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode David, Angelina, and Heidi answer listener questions about Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety. Topics of conversation include the st...
Crossing to Safety: Part 3
22 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Close Reads. In this episode, David, Angelina, Heidi, and Graeme chat about the final chapter of Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety....
Crossing to Safety: Part 2, Chapters 4-5
15 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Close Reads. In this week's episode David, Angelina, and Heidi continue their discussion of Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety. Conv...
Crossing to Safety: Part 2, Chapters 1-3
08 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Angelina as they continue their conversation about Wallace Stegner's novel, Crossing to Safety. Topics of conversation include ...
Crossing to Safety, Chapters 11-13
31 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Angelina, as they continue their conversation about Stegner's modern classic, Crossing to Safety. Topics include the strange m...
Crossing to Safety, Chapters 7-10
25 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Angelina, as they continue their conversation about Stegner's modern classic, Crossing to Safety. Topics include Sally's chara...
King Lear I.I - The Play's the Thing (premier)
18 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This first episode of The Play's the Thing is a preview. For future episodes, please subscribe to The Play's the Thing's own feed. Welcome to the prem...
Crossing to Safety, Chapters 5-6
17 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David, Heidi, and Angelina, as they continue their conversation about Stegner's modern classic, Crossing to Safety. Topics include the kind of e...
Crossing to Safety, Chapters 1-4
11 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's Wallace Stegner time! Join David, Heidi, Angelina, and Stegner aficionado, Graeme Pitman, as they kick off a conversation about Stegner's modern ...
The Lottery
03 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David Kern, Tim McIntosh, and special guest Adam Andrews (of Center for Lit) for an exploration of Shirley Jackson's harrowing short story, "The...
A Rose for Emily
29 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David Kern, Heidi White, and guest Jonathan Rogers for an exploration of William Faulkner's short story, "A Rose for Emily." Discussion touches ...
A Jury of Her Peers
24 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David Kern, Angelina Stanford, and Heidi White, for an exploration of Susan Glaspell's short story, "A Jury of Her Peers." Topics include the po...
Desiree's Baby
14 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David Kern, Angelina Stanford, and Heidi White, for an exploration of Kate Chopin's short story, Desiree's Baby. Topics include the story's fairy...
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
07 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join David Kern, Tim McIntosh, and very special guest Jonathan Rogers (author of The Wilderking Trilogy and The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual ...