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
The Code of the Woosters, Chapters 5-9
April 28, 2018 19:12 - 1 hour - 71.6 MBJoin David, Tim, and Angelina as they kick-off their conversation of P.G. Wodehouse's novel, The Code of the Woosters. This week's discussion touches on whether Wodehouse had serious intentions when he wrote this novel and why so many people consider him funny over multiple generations and in various places. Plus, they do a close read of a specific scene, just for the sheer pleasure of it. If you enjoy this show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...
The Code of the Woosters, Chapters 1-4
April 21, 2018 03:01 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBJoin David, Tim, and Angelina as they kick-off their conversation of P.G. Wodehouse's novel, The Code of the Woosters. Focusing on their favorite passages in the first four chapters they discuss what makes Wodehouse so funny, the deeper themes in his work, and the consistent presence of irony in the story. Plus they laugh a ton. If you enjoy this show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
True Grit, Q&A Episode
April 13, 2018 21:28 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBJoin David, Tim, and Angelina, as they answer listener questions about Charles Portis' novel, True Grit. If you enjoy this show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
True Grit, Conclusion
April 06, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 69 MBJoin David, Tim, and Angelina for the conclusion of their conversation about Charles Portis' masterpiece, True Grit. Conversation touches on who the book's hero is, whether justice is served in the end, Rooster's tragic ending, and much more. If you enjoy this show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
True Grit, Part 6
March 30, 2018 17:13 - 1 hour - 64.4 MBJoin Angelina, Tim, and David for the beginning of their conversation about Charles Portis' masterpiece, True Grit. Topics of conversation include the effects of the civil war on the characters in the book, the complicated character of Rooster Cogburn, the differences between Rooster and LeBeouf, and much more. If you enjoy this show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
True Grit, parts 4-5
March 24, 2018 18:31 - 1 hour - 70.7 MBJoin Angelina, Tim, and David for the beginning of their conversation about Charles Portis' masterpiece, True Grit. Topics of conversation include whether Mattie is worth imitation, the humor in Rooster Cogburn, Mattie's infatuation with LaBeouf, and Charles Portis' light but skilled touch. If you enjoy this show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
True Grit, Parts 1-3
March 16, 2018 19:45 - 1 hour - 74.8 MBJoin Angelina, Tim, and David for the beginning of their conversation about Charles Portis' masterpiece, True Grit. Topics of conversation include the place of the Western genre in American literature, True Grit's unique approach the Western protagonist, and much more. Plus, they chat about the next few books and the Literary Leading Ladies Bracket. If you enjoy this show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Howards End Q&A
March 09, 2018 16:12 - 1 hour - 76 MBJoin Angelina, Tim, and David for the conclusion of their conversation about E. M. Forster's Howards End as they answer a plethora of listener questions (and discuss this year's Close Reads' literature bracket). Topics include Tibby's role, Leonard's fate, what Forster means by "connection," and much, much more! If you enjoy this show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Howards End, Chapters 37-44
March 03, 2018 03:07 - 1 hour - 67.2 MBJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include whether the ending is satisfying, Forster's preachiness, Margaret's threat to leave Henry, Henry's redemption, and much, much more. If you like this show please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Howards End, Chapters 31-36
February 24, 2018 04:54 - 1 hour - 71.8 MBJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include the ways place = character, whether Margaret was wrong to side with Helen over Henry, Margaret fighting for woman-kind, whether Henry deserves any sympathy, fallen sisters in literature, and much, much more. PLEASE NOTE: This episode contains a brief discussion about Victorian perspectives on sex so please be discerning if your children are listening. ...
Howards End, Chapters 26-30
February 16, 2018 19:47 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include Margaret's response to Henry's past indiscretions, Helen's protection of the Basts, whether Henry is truly repentant, and much more! If you like this show please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Howards End, Chapters 21-25
February 09, 2018 16:01 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include the differences in liking and appreciating a good book, Romantic (big "R") literature and the Romantic period of art, whether Margaret is a true Romantic, and much more! If you like this show please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Howards End, chapters 16-20
February 02, 2018 21:28 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include the differences between Mr. Wilcox and Margaret, capital "R" Romance vs. lower-case "r" romance, Forster's energetic writing, the awkward Wilcox-Shlegel kiss, and much more. If you like this show please consider supporting it on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Howards End, Chapters 11-15
January 26, 2018 15:15 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel Howards End. Topics of conversation include whether this book is about anything, Forster's instance on keeping his characters at arms-length, an Angelina reversal, Margaret's affection for Mr. Wilcox, the Downton Abbey-ness of the story, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Howards End: Chapters 6-10
January 19, 2018 18:55 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel Howards End. Topics of conversation include whether Mrs. Wilcox is meant to a type of a mystic character, the odd relationship between Mrs. Wilcox and Margaret, Leonard's strange chapter (and role in the book), and much, much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Howards End, Chapters 1-5
January 12, 2018 18:30 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they kick off their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel Howards End. Topics of conversation include Angelina's secret sports-life, which Schlegel sister Tim and Angelina see most in themselves, 19th-century European politics, the Bloomsbury group that Forster was a part of, his interesting use of pace and voice, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Reviewing 2017: The Year in Reading
January 05, 2018 20:41 - 58 minutesWelcome back to Close Reads, where David, Angelina, and Tim are discussing their 2017 in reading and their reading goals for 2018. Plus, Angelina gets ambushed by a special guest. *** If you like this podcast, please consider supporting it via Patreon. Learn more at patreon.com/closereads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Twelfth Night Q&A Episode
December 29, 2017 18:34 - 1 hourWelcome back to Close Reads, where David, Angelina, and Tim are discussing listener questions about Twelfth Night. Topics include lots of talk about Feste, strong women in Shakespeare, whether the ending is satisfying, the alternate title, Shakespeare as political rabble-rouser, and, of course, some Christmas-themed banter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Twelfth Night: Act 5
December 22, 2017 18:42 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue to discuss William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Topics include where Twelfth Night belongs in Shakespeare's canon, the somewhat abrupt ending, the lack of change in the characters, the subtitle, and the poem that ends the play. /// If you like Close Reads, please support us at patreon.com/closereads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#79: Twelfth Night, Act 4
December 15, 2017 17:02 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue to discuss William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Topics include Shakespeare's innovation (and subversion) of dramatic form, the Shakespearean authorship question and whether it matters, the way the shape of the stage comes alive in the play, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#78: Twelfth Night ( Act 3)
December 08, 2017 14:47 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue to discuss William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Topics include Shakespeare's approach to structure, identity (and the motif of disguise), and comedic reversals. Plus, Tim tells another story about classroom hijinks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#77: Twelfth Night (Act 2)
December 01, 2017 15:09 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue conversation on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Topics include the number of lines dedicated to the "foolish" characters, the nature of Soliloquy in Shakespeare, and much, much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#76: Twelfth Night (Act 1)
November 25, 2017 04:40 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David as they kickoff conversation on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Topics include different approaches to Shakespeare, Renaissance metaphors that are key in the play, and much, much more (this episode is long!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#75: Murder on the Orient Express: The Movie
November 18, 2017 05:39 - 1 hourIt took a few takes (and some persistent in the face of tech issue), but Angelina, Tim, and David are back with another episode of Close Reads. This week they discuss Kenneth Branaugh's film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#74: Murder on the Orient Express Q&A
November 11, 2017 02:18 - 1 hourJoin Angelina, Tim, and David for another episode of literary debate, witty banter, and all around frivolity as they answer several listener questions and debate the overall artistic quality of Agatha Christie's "masterpiece." Topics includes (more on) justice, considering literary world's for their own sake, P.D. James take on Christie (and other mystery writers), the grandeur of red-leafed trees, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#73: Murder on the Orient Express (part 3)
November 03, 2017 15:36 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads Angelina, Tim, and David discuss the finale of Agatha Christie's beloved mystery story, Murder on the Orient Express. Topics include: The Great Candy Wars of 2017, the detective as a trope, the question of justice in the ending, Poirot's punting, Tim's inner struggle. Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast. Learn more at patreon.com/closereads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#72: Murder on the Orient Express (part 2)
October 27, 2017 19:25 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads Angelina, Tim, and David discuss part two of Agatha Christie's beloved mystery story, Murder on the Orient Express. Topics include: Some (fascinating) listener theories on the book, Poirot's approach and personality, the role of the reader in a good mystery, Tim shenanigans, and much more. Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast. Learn more at patreon.com/closereads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#71: Murder on the Orient Express (part 1)
October 21, 2017 02:57 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads Angelina, Tim, and David kick off their discussion of Agatha's Christie classic mystery story, Murder on the Orient Express. This week they chat about part one. Topics include the way Christie plays with the form of the mystery story, Hercule Poirot's character, the nature of justice in the story, and MUCH more. Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast. Learn more at patreon.com/closereads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...
#70: Gilead (ep. 8)
October 07, 2017 04:34 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Tim and David conclude their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. include whether Jack should have left town, whether Jack is a bad guy, and much, much more. This episode covers pages 215 through the end of the book. *** Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast. Learn more at patreon.com/closereads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#69: Gilead (ep. 7)
September 30, 2017 03:56 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include Angelina's strong feelings about the book (and David's pushback), whether Robinson misfired with the Boughton/Ames scene, and much more. This episode covers pages 188-215. *** This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now! Please consider becoming a patron of this...
#68: Gilead (ep. 6)
September 22, 2017 20:30 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include ways the parable of the prodigal son show up in the book, Jack Boughton's concerns about being "elect," rejection vs. restoration, Jack's loneliness, and much more. This episode covers pages 160-188. *** This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now! Please consid...
#67: Christine Perrin on Learning to Love Marilynne Robinson
September 18, 2017 20:34 - 1 hourOn this bonus episode of Close Reads, David discusses Marilynne Robinson with poet, teacher, and speaker Christine Perrin, who explains why it took her a while to learn to love Gilead, why Lila is her "heart book," and much, much more. *** This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#66: Gilead (ep. 5)
September 14, 2017 02:20 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include how easy it is to focus on the wrong things when you read, the mystery of reading a book, the lack of a problem to be solved in this book, the Jack Boughton revelation, and much more. This episode covers pages 128-160. *** This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit n...
#65: Gilead (ep. 4)
September 04, 2017 20:04 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include all the baseball in the book, the mystery of Jack Boughton, the remembrance of sorrow, and much more. This episode covers pages 97-128. *** This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#64: Gilead (ep. 3)
August 29, 2017 21:06 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim (from Aruba), and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include the book's lack of plot, the various father/son relationships, more conversation on theology and suffering, and more. This episode covers pages 68-97. *** This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McInto...
#63: Gilead (ep. 2)
August 22, 2017 04:12 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead (while Tim vacations in Aruba). Topics include John Ames' observations of humanity, the goodness of growing old, contemplation of heaven (and the beauty of perishability), and more. This episode covers pages 37-68. *** This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Cl...
#62: Gilead Kick-off Show
August 14, 2017 20:18 - 57 minutesOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David kick off their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead (2004). Topics include whether this is a sad book, a bit on Robinson's biography, John Ames's joy in the face of suffering, and more. *** This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh. It's also brought to you by our good fri...
#61: Brideshead Revisited Q&A
August 08, 2017 19:34 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, David, and Andrew conclude their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel Brideshead Revisited, answering listener questions. Topics include: The BBC miniseries and Jeremy Irons' audio book The effect of Charles immaturity on his perspectives Whether it's a true conversion story Which characters display true faith Symbolism and conversion and much more This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Pr...
#60: Concluding Brideshead Revisited (LIVE EPISODE)
July 28, 2017 20:34 - 1 hourOn this special LIVE episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, David, and their special guest conclude their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel Brideshead Revisited, focusing on the final chapters. This episode was recorded at the 2017 CiRCE Conference. Topics include: The love story Whether this story is tragedy Whether people wanted Julia and Charles to stay together The sign of the cross and aesthetic theology The ongoing thread twitches Listener comments and much m...
#59: Brideshead Revisited, part 2, chapters 2-3
July 18, 2017 03:56 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on chapter 9. Topics include: Julia's prescience Julia's guilty conscience Bridey's strong words Ryder's skepticism and much more This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh. *** Click here to join the Close Reads Fa...
#58: Brideshead Revisited Chapter 9
July 13, 2017 02:13 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on chapter 9. Topics include: The interesting structure of the chapter Celia's infedelity Much more on perspective The metaphor of the storm Characters repeating patterns Whether this first chapter where anything actually happens and much more... This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featu...
#57: Brideshead Revisited chapter 8
July 03, 2017 14:43 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on chapter 7. Topics include: Getting to know Julia Rex's ignorance Why Charles is attracted to Julia "Modern" education Perspective and Waugh and more... This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, purveyors of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Learn more here. This...
Close Reads #56: Brideshead Revisited Chapter 7
June 27, 2017 18:19 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on chapter 7. Topics include: Getting to know Julia Rex's ignorance Why Charles is attracted to Julia "Modern" education Perspective and Waugh and more... This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, purveyors of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Learn more here. This...
#56: Brideshead Revisited Chapter 6
June 20, 2017 04:09 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, David, and a special guest continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on chapter 6. Topics include: The greatest sentence of the 20th century What's wrong with Sebastian Whether Sebastian's family is being fair More on the aesthetic theology of the book and much, much more... This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, purveyors of Linguisti...
#54: Brideshead Revisited Chapter 5
June 08, 2017 00:25 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on chapter 5. Topics include: Charles' father Sebastian's malaise The fate of young men during the era Religion at Brideshead More on the aesthetic theology of the book and more... This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, purveyors of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization...
#53: Brideshead Revisited, Chapters 3-4
June 01, 2017 16:54 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on chapters 3-4. Topics include: Tim's upcoming vacation A comparison of Charles family and Sebastian's family Sebastian's faith and Charles lack thereof Sebastian and Charles' youth and what it means The aesthetic theology of the book Aesthetics as a road to faith and more... It's also brought to you by Schole Academy from Classi...
#53: Brideshead Revisited Chapters 1-2
May 23, 2017 14:42 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David kick off their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on the prologue and chapters one and two. Topics include: First experiences with Waugh Waugh's nostalgia The prologue The book's various juxtapositions The sacred and the profane The book's spiritual hauntings 3 key decaying institutions and more... This episode is brought to by our friends at Roman Roads Media, purveyors of th...
#52: Narnia Nostalgia
May 16, 2017 13:21 - 59 minutesOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David discuss C.S. Lewis's classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and it's victory in our Great Books Bracket this spring. Topics include: Why the Narnia stories have maintained their reputation for so long The differences in reading it for the first time as a child as opposed to as an adult Which Narnia book should be read first Lewis's philosophies on reading and more... Plus, they kick the show off by discussing how ...
#51: O'Connor Q&A
May 10, 2017 17:22 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David conclude their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, by answering listener questions. Topics include: How O'Connor's contemporaries viewed her work Angelina and Tim's Amazon-style reviews of O'Connor Anagogical/allegorical reading O'Connor's appeal to non-Christians Rapid-fire questions and much more... *** This episode is brought to by our friends at Roman Roa...
#50: Judgement Day
May 02, 2017 01:30 - 1 hourOn this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, with "Judgement Day". Topics include: The next book we'll be reading on Close Reads The complicated nature of this story It's serious flaws Comparing The Geranium with Judgement Day Is it confusing on purpose or because of bad writing? The weird glasses scene The good and bad of the "southern code" Coleman's...