Close Reads Podcast

Goldberry Studios
  • 4.7 (788)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Close Reads Podcast

Close Reads is a book-club podcast for the incurable reader co-hosted by David Kern, Heidi White, Sean Johnson, and occasionally Tim McIntosh. We read good books and talk about them. This is a show for amateurs in the best sense. This is not an experts show: we’re book lovers, book enthusiasts. Our goal is have empathetic and intelligent conversations about good books. Close Reads is produced by Goldberry Studios, the podcast wing of Goldberry Books, a family-run indie bookshop in Concord, NC. closereads.substack.com

  1. Station Eleven: Parts 3-4

    2 DAYS AGO

    Station Eleven: Parts 3-4

    Welcome back to our discussion of Emily St. John Mandel’s award-winning, best-selling contemporary novel, Station Eleven. Topics of conversation on this first episode include: * the winding way in which the book reveals itself * the moral universe (and telos) that the book seems to be setting forth * Mandel’s unique ability to craft characters which seem alive * and much, much more. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

    1 hr
  2. Station Eleven: Parts 1 & 2

    OCT 28

    Station Eleven: Parts 1 & 2

    Welcome to a new series here on Close Reads, in which we’re digging into Emily St. John Mandel’s award-winning, best-selling contemporary novel, Station Eleven, a book which became eerily prescient during peak Covid days. Topics of conversation on this first episode include: * the experience of reading a book which fictionalized events which almost seemed to actually have happened (sort of) . . . * why this novel was so popular (including during Covid lockdowns) * the parallels between the events of the play within the book and the events of the book itself * and much more Happy listening! Close Reads Podcast HQ is a community-supported endeavor. If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to ensure we can keep making the content you enjoy. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

    54 min
  3. Vipers' Tangle: Q&A Episode

    OCT 23

    Vipers' Tangle: Q&A Episode

    As is our custom here on Close Reads, we’re concluding this series on Francois Mauriac’s Vipers’ Tangle by answering some of your questions. We talk about Mauriac’s bibliography and biography, conversion stories in literature, Louis’ evolving heart, and much more! Thanks for tuning in and happy listening! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

    52 min
  4. Vipers' Tangle: To the End

    OCT 14

    Vipers' Tangle: To the End

    Now that we’ve read all of Mauriac’s Vipers’ Tangle, we can discuss the details. So in this episode, we dig into the degree to which we can trust the narrator as the novel goes on, the degree to which his children are malicious, and the degree to which he’s truly changed/saved in the end. And so much more. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 10m
  5. Live Episode: Is Flannery O'Connor Funny?

    OCT 11

    Live Episode: Is Flannery O'Connor Funny?

    Flannery O’Connor’s fiction has been described as “gothic,” “violent,” “unsentimental,” even “grotesque.” Yet it is also often described as funny. How can both be true? Well in this episode the whole gang is back together to discuss that very question during a live recording that took place at our recent “Close Reads on the Road” event in Concord, NC. So join us as we explore O’Connor’s famous story, “Good Country People” and try to ascertain where the humor in her work comes from and why it matters. Happy listening! Close Reads Podcast HQ is a community-supported endeavor. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

    56 min
  6. Vipers' Tangle: Chapters 11-15

    OCT 8

    Vipers' Tangle: Chapters 11-15

    Welcome back to Close Reads. This week we’re discussing the way Vipers’ Tangle shift gears in this section and what it means for our understanding of the characters, the goals of the book, and our interaction with it. Plus: lots of conversation about Isa and marriage. Happy reading! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

    1 hr
  7. Vipers' Tangle: Chapters 6-10

    SEP 30

    Vipers' Tangle: Chapters 6-10

    Welcome back to Close Reads! This week we discuss why Vipers’ Tangle isn’t better known, the degree to which the book wants to be sympathetic with the narrator, where we’re supposed to trust his perceptions, and some areas the book might fall short of being truly great (to David, anyway). Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 10m
  8. Viper's Tangle: Chapters 1-5

    SEP 24

    Viper's Tangle: Chapters 1-5

    This week we kick off a new book with some conversation about Sean’s obsession with Graham Greene, why books about spiritual struggle are so compelling, whether this book has an unreliable narrator, and the difference between a novelist who is Catholic and a Catholic who is a novelist. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

    57 min
See All (415)

4.7
out of 5
788 Ratings

About

Close Reads is a book-club podcast for the incurable reader co-hosted by David Kern, Heidi White, Sean Johnson, and occasionally Tim McIntosh. We read good books and talk about them. This is a show for amateurs in the best sense. This is not an experts show: we’re book lovers, book enthusiasts. Our goal is have empathetic and intelligent conversations about good books. Close Reads is produced by Goldberry Studios, the podcast wing of Goldberry Books, a family-run indie bookshop in Concord, NC. closereads.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Goldberry Studios
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2024
  • Episodes
    415
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Goldberry Books L.L.C.
  • Show Website
    Close Reads Podcast

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