

Close Reads Podcast
Goldberry Studios
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
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
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 24, 2020 • 1h 7min
Home: Pages 100-150
Join David and Heidi as they discuss sadness, Calvinism, hope, pleasure, and memory in Home. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Sep 17, 2020 • 1h 15min
Home: Pages 50-100
In 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Sep 10, 2020 • 1h 7min
Home: Pages 1-50
And 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Sep 3, 2020 • 1h 36min
The Sun Also Rises: Q&A Episode
Join 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Aug 27, 2020 • 1h 32min
The Sun Also Rises: The Final Chapters
This 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Aug 19, 2020 • 1h 17min
The Sun Also Rises: Chapters 13-16
This week David, Heidi, and Tim discuss bull fighters, boxers. Brett Ashley, bad relationships, and barrels of vino. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Aug 12, 2020 • 1h 12min
The Sun Also Rises: Chapters 8-12
This 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Aug 5, 2020 • 1h 29min
The Sun Also Rises: Book I
Welcome 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! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Jul 29, 2020 • 1h 39min
Frankenstein: Q&A Episode
In 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! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Jul 22, 2020 • 1h 17min
Frankenstein: The Final Chapters
In 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! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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