Close Reads
267 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 568 ratingsClose Reads is a book-club podcast for the incurable reader. Hosted by David Kern and featuring Tim McIntosh and Heidi White, alongside a couple of other occasional guests, we read Great Books and talk about them. This is a show for amateurs in the best sense. We’re book lovers, book enthusiasts. This is not an experts show and it’s barely literary analysis in the way that literary analysis is commonly understood. Instead it’s a show about experiences with literary urge. Join us!
Close Reads is presented by Goldberry Studios.
A NOTE ABOUT OLDER EPISODES: Since most podcast apps don't go further back than 100 episodes, you'll need to click here to listen to anything further back than that. And our first 32 episodes can be found here, on the original CiRCE Institute feed.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
Rebecca: Final Chapters
March 12, 2021 20:05 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBIn which a court case takes over the podcast and your friendly neighborhood hosts take up rhetorical arms against each other. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rebecca: Chapters 15-19
March 06, 2021 16:25 - 56 minutes - 52 MBThe episode in which Tim is surprised. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rebecca: Chapters 8-14
February 26, 2021 22:30 - 1 hour - 66.9 MBLet's talk about un-named narrators and their problems, young women coming of age, old(er) women who are skeletal, and other things you find in Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rebecca: Chapters 1-7
February 19, 2021 20:42 - 1 hour - 88.2 MBThis week we invited Patreon supporters to join us for a special live episode and here it is! Join David, Heidi, and Tim (and the live audience) for a discussion of the first seven chapters of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca. Topics of conversation include the gothic nature of the novel, Du Maurier's unique writing style, and (as usual with mysteries of this sort) the question of who the antagonist is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Death Comes for the Archbishop: Q&A Episode
February 12, 2021 21:22 - 1 hour - 65.8 MBLet's answer your questions! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss such things as what the landscape means in the book, the seven deadly sins in the book, the role of the Prologue, and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Death Comes for the Archbishop: Final Chapters
February 06, 2021 18:00 - 1 hour - 80.8 MBIn which death finally does comes for the Archbishop, after all. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss Bishop Latour's life work, his relationship with Vaillant, and Cather success as a storyteller. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Death Comes for the Archbishop: Books 6 + 7
January 29, 2021 20:18 - 1 hour - 74.1 MBIn which an old woman prays in a church with the Bishop, vanity is tested, and we learn about the prequel years. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they march on with Willa Cather. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Death Comes for the Archbishop: Books 4 + 5
January 25, 2021 12:15 - 1 hour - 80.1 MBJoin David, Heidi, and Tim as they compare the four priests at the core of these sections, discuss the notion of subtly in the book, and talk a bit about colonialism (sort of). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Death Comes for the Archbishop: Books 2 + 3
January 15, 2021 19:58 - 1 hour - 75.6 MBIn which the hero gets attacked by an evil man called Scales, a priest gets thrown off a cliff, and the writing is still painfully lovely. Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they dive deepening into Willa Cather's classic novel (with a little digression into some history). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Death Comes for the Archbishop: Book 1
January 08, 2021 22:36 - 1 hour - 61.2 MBThe whole gang is back together and it's time for a new book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into Willa Cather's 1927 novel ,Death Comes for the Archbishop. In this episode they compare a few early passages, discuss the undulating rhythms of Cather's prose, and consider the episodic nature of the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our 2020 in Reading
January 05, 2021 17:33 - 1 hour - 68.2 MBIn this annual episode, David, Heidi, and Tim share some of their favorite books of 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Moviegoer: Q&A Episode
December 23, 2020 18:20 - 1 hour - 76.6 MBIn this episode, Tim and Heidi answer your questions about Walker Percy's strange novel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Moviegoer: Episode 5
December 13, 2020 06:23 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBIn this episode Heidi and Tim wrap up up their conversation about Walker Percy's award-winning debut novel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Moviegoer: Episode 4
December 07, 2020 01:31 - 59 minutes - 53.9 MBIn this episode, Tim and Heidi conclude their conversation about Walker Percy's novel (while David gets his bookstore going). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Moviegoer: Episode 3
November 30, 2020 15:18 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBDavid is off getting his bookstore going, so Tim and Heidi are holding down the fort as they continue to discuss Walker Percy's strange novel, The Moviegoer. They're in it deep now, so you might as well work your way out with them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Moviegoer: Episode 2
November 20, 2020 23:28 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBJoin Tim and Heidi as they dig ever-deeper in Walker Percy's novel (while David is working at his new bookstore). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Moviegoer: Episode 1
November 13, 2020 20:56 - 1 hour - 72.8 MBJoin David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into Walker Percy's The Moviegoer. Topics of conversation include the book's particular vibe, its plotlessness, the uniquely Southern AND catholic perspective of Percy, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Home: Q&A Episode
October 31, 2020 02:03 - 1 hour - 82 MBAs usual, your many questions were delightful, thoughtful, and challenging. We took a crack at answering them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Home: The Final Pages
October 24, 2020 04:39 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBHere we are at the end of another book. The big question of this episode is whether the book ends in a satisfying way (the answer depends on the contributor) -- and whether it matters. Join us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Home: Pages 250-300
October 16, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 76.3 MBIn this episode David, Heidi, and Sarah-Jane discuss catharsis, resolution, and changing-minds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Home: Pages 200-250
October 11, 2020 03:22 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBThis week David, Heidi, and Sarah-Jane discuss intense theological conversations, Jack's faith (or lack thereof), Boughton's role on contract with Glory's, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Home: Pages 150-200
October 04, 2020 00:10 - 1 hour - 79.1 MBJoin David, Heidi, and Sarah-Jane for a conversation about uncomfortable dinners, age-old rivalries, baseball, and the Queen's physician's house. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Home: Pages 100-150
September 24, 2020 19:53 - 1 hour - 61 MBJoin David and Heidi as they discuss sadness, Calvinism, hope, pleasure, and memory in Home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Home: Pages 50-100
September 17, 2020 18:04 - 1 hour - 68.5 MBIn this week's episode David and Heidi discuss the themes of forgiveness and repentance in Home, the way Boughton's preserve's memory in the house, the association of silence and memory, the way Glory and Jack are reaching towards one another (especially outside the house), and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Home: Pages 1-50
September 10, 2020 22:49 - 1 hour - 61 MBAnd suddenly your friendly neighborhood podcasters were on to a new adventure! In this episode, David and Heidi dive into Marilynne Robinson's novel, Home. They discuss the serious nature of her work, the complicated strcutures of the book, and the pathos at the core of the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Sun Also Rises: Q&A Episode
September 03, 2020 04:02 - 1 hour - 88 MBJoin David, Heidi, and Tim as they answer a whole bunch of listener questions on a wide variety of topics, from where to go next with Hemingway to the word choices in the final sentence. It's comprehensive, with a dash of disagreement for good measure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Sun Also Rises: The Final Chapters
August 27, 2020 15:43 - 1 hour - 84.4 MBThis week David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the final chapters of Hemingway's novel. They chat about whether the book is fundamentally hopeless, whether Hemingway was a nihilist, church scenes vs bull fights, Jake's injury as a red herring, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Sun Also Rises: Chapters 13-16
August 19, 2020 20:32 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBThis week David, Heidi, and Tim discuss bull fighters, boxers. Brett Ashley, bad relationships, and barrels of vino. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Sun Also Rises: Chapters 8-12
August 12, 2020 13:10 - 1 hour - 66 MBThis week David, Heidi, and Tim dive into the middle of Hemingway's novel. Topics of discussion include the strange organization of the book, Hemingway's subversion of traditional tropes, the famous church scene, and fishing in Spain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Sun Also Rises: Book I
August 05, 2020 12:23 - 1 hour - 81.4 MBWelcome to a new series of episodes on Ernest Hemingway's classic novel, The Sun Also Rises! In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss Hemingway's famous style and his unique talent for capturing human experience. Plus, they discuss some key passages, the book's context in twentieth century lit, and the troubles that are haunting these memorable characters. Don't forget to rate and review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Frankenstein: Q&A Episode
July 29, 2020 18:04 - 1 hour - 90.7 MBIn this final episode of our series on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, David, Heidi, Karen, and Joshua answer your questions. There's no point in trying to summarize everything this episode covers. You'll just have to listen. *insert shrug emoji.* Remember to rate and review if you like this episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Frankenstein: The Final Chapters
July 22, 2020 19:52 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBIn this episode, David, Heidi, and special guests Karen Swallow Prior and Joshua Gibbs discuss the final pages of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Topics of conversation include whether justice was served in the story, whether the ending is satisfying, the eery similarities between Shelley's life and the book's ending, and much more! Remember to rate and review the show if you enjoyed this episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Frankenstein: Volume III: Chapters 1-4
July 15, 2020 17:57 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBDavid, Heidi, Karen, and Joshua are back with more discussion of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In this episode they discuss Frankenstein's relationship with his father, whether the monster had to turn out evil, whether Frankenstein did the noble thing in not creating the "bride," and much, much more. If you like this episode be sure to rate and review wherever you get podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Frankenstein: Volume II: Chapters 6-9
July 09, 2020 13:08 - 1 hour - 81.6 MBOnce again David and Heidi are joined by Karen Swallow Prior and Joshua Gibbs as they discuss questions of virtue in Mary Shelley's classic novel, the monster's self-education, neo-classicism vs romanticism, the place of Paradise Lost in the story, and the differences between this narrative and the Adam and Eve story in Genesis. Remember, if you like this episode, it goes a long way when you rate and review wherever you get podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...
Frankenstein: Volume II, chapters 1-5
July 02, 2020 14:02 - 1 hour - 78.8 MBThis week David, Heidi, Karen, and Josh discuss the monster's ability to speak so eloquently and his unique form of self-education (and a bunch of other stuff, of course). If you like this episode please do rate and review wherever you get your podcasts. Don't forget you can join the conversation at closereads.substack.com or @closereadspodcasts on Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Frankenstein: Chapters III-VII
June 25, 2020 13:39 - 1 hour - 71.8 MBDavid and Heidi are back with very special guests Karen Swallow Prior and Joshua Gibbs with more discussion of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.They discuss the degree to which we ought to be consumed by the unreliable narrator as readers, whether Victor Frankenstein is a scoundrel, some differences between the 1831 and 1818 editions, Victor's unnatural interest in science, and much more. If you like this episode please be sure to rate and review where you get podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See ac...
Frankenstein: Letter I - Chapter II
June 17, 2020 14:14 - 1 hour - 76.6 MBAnd we are on to a new book! Join David, Heidi, and very special guests Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well, and Joshua Gibbs, host of Proverbial, for a discussion about Mary Shelley's legendary novel, Frankenstein. In this episode they chat about the story behind the book, Shelley's wild and sad life, the differences in the editions, some preliminary themes, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The End of the Affair: Q&A Episode
June 13, 2020 02:53 - 1 hour - 67.2 MBAs always, the crew finishes a book by answering your questions. You had good ones, and we tried to answer them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The End of the Affair: Final Chapters
June 04, 2020 00:17 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBTim is back and he joins David and Heidi for a conversation about the final pages of Graham Green's novel, The End of the Affair. They discuss Henry's invitation to Maurice, the book's approach to the concept of salvation, whether the ending is believable, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The End of the Affair: Book 4-Book 5.3
May 27, 2020 14:35 - 1 hour - 61.2 MBTime flies when you're having fun (is not the lesson of this book). We are plowing our way through The End of the Affair and the end of the book is near. This week Tim is away (at sea, we think), so Heidi and David chatted about Sarah's death, Henry's invitation to Maurice, Maurice's hatred of God, and the way the book's writing shifts a bit during this section. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The End of the Affair: Book Three
May 20, 2020 21:03 - 1 hour - 74.4 MBOn this week's episode, David, Heidi, and Tim chat about the challenges that this section of the book presents for discussion, as well as the deeply profound reflections found in Sarah's letters to God. Plus, there's some chatter about the different ways each of them read and approach books like this. You know, the normal stuff. Remember to rate and review wherever you get podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The End of the Affair: Book 2
May 13, 2020 15:55 - 1 hour - 72.3 MBIn 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; the way the book demands empathy from its reader; Green's consideration of sex, lust, and sin; and much more, of course. Remember to rate and review wherever you get podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The End of the Affair: Part One
May 07, 2020 02:37 - 1 hour - 71.5 MBAnd 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 the Affair. They chat about the likability of the narrator, the mystery of Sarah Miles, the technical skill of the author, and the fascination of those first few lines. And much more, of course. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Anne of Green Gables: Q&A Episode
April 30, 2020 01:57 - 1 hour - 80.3 MBYou 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 chatted about Gilbert's cuteness, the difference between drunkenness and rabies, and some other very serious things. If you like this episode remember to rate and review where you get podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Anne of Green Gables: Final Chapters
April 23, 2020 00:33 - 1 hour - 69.9 MBAnd 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, Marilla's illness, Lucy Maude Montgomery's skill, and a bunch of other stuff (including cereal, Yeoman's work, Michael Jordan, and Avocado toast). Remember to rate and review wherever you're listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 28-32
April 15, 2020 14:43 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBIn this episode David, Tim, and Heidi, chat about the melancholy that sets into the book during this section, Anne's increasing maturity, the "boat springs a leak" scene, the "lessons" and morals Anne has learned, and much more. Remember to rate and review wherever you get podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 22-27
April 08, 2020 03:25 - 1 hour - 71.1 MBIn 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 about kinds of reading. Also other stuff. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 17-21
April 01, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBJoin David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss Anne's continued adventures with Diana, the way the book changes structurally during these chapters, and Lucy Maud Montgomery's view of Anne's imagination. If you like this episode please be sure to rate and review wherever you access podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bonus Episode: Discussing the new movie version of Emma
March 27, 2020 20:18 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBThere'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 deWilde and it's fascinating and we've got thoughts. So join us as we talk casting, adaptation, filmmaking, acting, and how we rate movies. It's a bonus episode just for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Anne of Green Gables: Chapters 13-16
March 26, 2020 13:28 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBSelf-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 of Gilbert Blythe and the famous "carrots scene, Anne's particular brand of drama, the unique stakes of the novel, and much more. And remember: if you like this episode you can rate and review wherever you get podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.