Close Reads Podcast

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 Studios Instagram page) the books we will be discussing on the show in 2023. And now that the whole list has been unveiled it’s time to share them all in one place. So jump in your car, grab your running shoes, start the laundry . . . prep for whatever you do when you’re listening . . . and click play, because on this episode you can listen in as we decide what to listen to, winnowing the list from 35 finalists to 12 winners. Or just scroll down and check out the list. Either way, we’re excited about this list and can’t wait to dig into the books with you. Want to buy the books through Goldberry? Here’s the list all in one place. Note: If you want to discover the list by listening don’t read below this point. The ListPlease note this list is not the order in which the books will be discussed, which is still being determined. The Scarlet Letter / Nathaniel HawthorneThis first book won't surprise you, if you've been paying attention. It's a bonafide classic of American Lit. A book ruined by many a bad high school English class. It's one of those books that is outshined by its reputation far too often. We will be using Karen Swallow Prior's lovely edition--and, yes, she will be joining us!Persuasion / Jane AustenThis book is a classic, beloved for nearly two hundred years for its wit and wisdom. It's hilarious. It's poignent. And it features one of the great female characters in English literature.The Picture of Dorian Gray / Oscar WildeThis book has been requested many times over the years. It's a complex and mildly controversial example of a gothic novel. It's got it's detractors; it's got its super fans. It's super literary; it's pretty campy. It's a great novel for debate.Pygmalion / George Bernard ShawYou might primarily know our next book as the inspiration for a movie starring Audrey Hepburn, but it's great in its own right. It's our annual dive into a play. It's inspired by Greek mythology. It's absurdly readable.The Optimist’s Daughter / Eudora WeltyOriginal Close Reader, Mary Jo Tate, has been singing the praises of our next author for years, and you know what, it is time. It's time to do a book by one of the great Southern writers, by one of the great female writers, by the one of the great American writers period. It is time to do a Eudora Welty novel.One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich / Alexander Solzhenitsyn Our next book is Tim' personal choice--and it's a worthy one. A book that is important for more than its literary merit, it also played a key role in revealing (and even changing) history. It isn't always easy to read, but it's a necessary inclusion in any list of the most essential books of the twentieth century.The Diary of a Country Priest / Georges Bernanos One of our favorite recurring genres here at Close Reads is what I will just call the Great Religious Novels of the twentieth century. Think, say, The Power and the Glory. The 2023 example of that is perhaps best known for being the inspiration for one of the great religious movies ever made (same name). It is French. It is pretty Catholic. It's lyrical.Things Fall Apart / Chinua Achebe This book may be relatively slight in terms of page count. It's one of the shorter novels we've done on Close Reads (although not the shortest we will read next year!). But it packs a literary punch in the form of a profound and influential historical novel.The Moving Toyshop / Edmund CrispinEvery year we try to read a mystery of some kind, typically during the dreary winter months. Well this year's mystery is a bit of a cult classic, a hilarious and fun murder mystery with a clever puzzle, delightful characters, and dazzling proze. It is one part Wodehouse, one part Dorothy Sayers.Everything Sad is Untrue / Daniel NayeriEvery year we give each of our contributors the opportunity to choose a book. We also like to do a children's novel every now and then. Well our next book for 2023 is Heidi White's choice, a delightful young adult novel that has been getting more buzz in this group than a post criticizing Keira Knightly.The Netanyahus / Joshua CohenDavid’s choice, this 2021 novel is a strange, hilarious, melancholy, brilliant, bizarre, philosophical novel that some of you may find confounding but, hey, it DID just win the Pulitzer prize. It's about history. It's about Jewish culture. It's about America. It's a contemporary novel that offers a lot to think about.A Canticle for Liebowitz / William M. Miller Jr. Next year, our friend Sean Johnson, who has been on the East of Eden episodes, will be helping us out here and there, so we felt it was only right to let them him choose a book, too. Luckily, he chose a fascinating book that has been nominated a number of times over the last few years. It's a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel about monks in the American Southwest who are working to rebuild culture. It's an award-winning classic of the genre, that some critics claim is as good as Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh.Click here to claim your copies of these titles today through Goldberry Books. 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

While Tim explores the Scottish Highlands in a kilt (we presume), David and Heidi are discussing the final pages of Laurus. Conversation touches on the cyclical nature of the story and its themes, the downfall (and rehabilitation) of Laurus’ reputation, his late-in-life second chance, his death/falling asleep, and much more. Thanks so much for 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

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 conversation touches on the untimely and fairly gruesome demise of Ambrogio, the book’s contemplation on the nature of time, the way the book is a form hagiography, 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

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 discussed Ambrogio the Italian, his strange visions, and his role in the book; the way the book layers deep philosophical questions into the narrative (including on the question of time); Tim’s grand theory for this book; and more.Close Reads HQ is a audience-supported endeavor. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Thanks! 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

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-awareness of the book, reading it from a theological perspective, why David has some reservations about it, and much more. Close Reads HQ is a community-supported endeavor and when you subscribe you help us pay the bills (and gain access to bonus content). Thanks! 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

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, Heidi, and Tim discussed what its purpose is, what Vodolazkin seems to be after, how they read this book, a few deep theological questions the book raises, and 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

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, contemplating all the while matters of history, faith, mysticism, wonder, beauty, tragedy, sin, repentance, guilt, love, and much more. Here on this first episode, David, Heidi, and Tim explain why they love this book so much, discuss what makes Vodolazkin such a gifted writer, contemplate the way the book approaches bodies and physicality, and offer some tips for reading the rest of the book. Happy listening!Close Reads is a community-supported endeavor. When you support the show by subscribing here at Close Reads HQ you get access to bonus content, but you also help make the show possible. Thank you! 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

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 contemplation. So in this week’s episode David, Heidi, and Tim discussed the place of Moon (and his secret) within the narrative, the storyline of the falling man, why Kathy and Tom get on so well, and much more. Close Reads HQ is a community-supported endeavor. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

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. Along the way they discuss the way the filmmakers seem not to have read the book but also have a good eye for wardrobe (but again, even there, seem unfamiliar with when the book and ostensibly the movie itself, takes place). It’s a whole thing. Anyway, feel free to hit play on the movie at the same time we do, or to watch and then listen to our reactions later, or to just ignore the whole thing altogether and go on with your life happier in the knowledge that, well, you’re less broken inside than people who watched it. 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

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 the fresco in the church reveals, Tom Birkin’s past, and much more. Oh—be warned: there’s also an off-the-rails conversation about wet neckerchiefs. (Reminder: we are away at a conference the rest of this week so there will be no episode next week. We will run the Q&A episode on July 26.) 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