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Welcome to a new series of episodes on another wonderful book. It’s our first re-read here on Close Reads and it’s timely, too, since The Great Gatsby just turned 100 years old! So join in as we discuss what’s made F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel last a century, what makes Nick Carraway a compelling narrator, the tragic longing at the nostalgic core of the story, and much more. Happy listening! This i...

We’re in between books so we answered as many of your questions as we could—which is to say, this is one of those wide-ranging episodes on a variety of topics. Snack foods, book organization, novels we wish we wrote, protecting the canon, Lewis or Tolkien, and much more. Hope you enjoy! Until next time, happy reading. Up next: Chapters 1-3 of The Great Gatsby . This is a public episode. If you'd l...

You had questions; we did our best to answer them. It’s the Piranesi Q&A episode. Happy listening! Up next: An ask-us-anything mailbag episode, then we’ll be kicking off a new series on The Great Gatsby . 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

We’ve come to the end of Susannah Clarke’s novel, which means it’s time to discuss whether the somewhat controversial ending is ultimately satisfying, different ways of interpreting the book, the way it presents it’s myriad philosophical contemplations, 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, vi...

Wikipedia rabbit holes. Peacefulness or lack thereof in the world of Piranesi . The source of human goodness and morality. Sudafed fever dreams. These and many other topics are discussed on this week’s discussion of Susannah Clarke’s novel. 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/...

Welcome back to our ongoing conversation on Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi . This week we’re discussing the book’s genre-bending nature, Clarke’s extremely allusive approach (from Coleridge to Lewis and others in between), whether the house of a dark place or a peaceful place, and much more. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...

Welcome to a new series! It’s time to dig into Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi , a book that’s been requested many times since its release in 2020. In this episode, we’re previewing things and thinking about how to read it before discussing part 1. 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.co...

You had questions; we did our best to answer them. It’s the final episode on O Pioneers! , and we’re sad to see it go. 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

This week, Sean describes how he wasn’t prepared for the ending of this book and we discuss the precision of the writing in some of the key scenes. Plus: Is it more tragic or comic (in the literary sense), what does the book have to say about justice, 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, visi...

What do we make of Carl’s choices (and semi-pursuit) of Alexandra? Does he have anything to offer her? What makes Marie such a compelling character? Plus, how Marie and Emil are counterpoints to Carl and Alexandra. This and much more are topics of discussion on this week’s discussion of Willa Cather’s modern classic. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with oth...

Welcome to a new series on another great novel, Willa Cather’s O Pioneers! . This week we’re discussing Cather’s instinctive yet precise writing, the book’s contemplation of imagination and vocation, the relationship between the characterization and the land, and much more. Plus we discuss our 2025 literary bracket. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with othe...

You had questions; we did our best to answer them. It’s another Q&A and it’s all yours now . . . or as soon as you hit the play button. Happy listening! Note: no video for this one. 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

Welcome to the Jane Austen heist draft, in which each of us will build a six-member crew of Jane Austen characters to perpetrate a heist, Oceans 11 style. In this case, we’re stealing back a long lost Turner painting from Captain Rushworth, who has (wrongly) claimed it as his own. Who has the best crew? That’s up to you. Happy listening! Note: The Q&A for A Tale of Two Cities will run next Monday....

And so we come to the end of Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities ! In this episode, we discuss the sometimes complicated nature of reading and writing historical fiction, the way Dickens ratchets up the drama in the section, the wonderful confrontation between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge, and much more! As always, thanks for listening and happy reading! Want to ask a quesiton for next week’s Q...

In this very special episode we go behind-the-scenes with Heidi on her forthcoming book! What’s the origin story? Why is the topic so important to her? What was it like to write? How’s she feeling now? Plus Tim’s here! What a momentous day. Happy listening! Want to pre-order your copy? Click here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

Welcome back to our ongoing series on Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities ! This week we’re chatting about scenes that make this section exciting, the political context of the story, what Dickens’ worldview seems to be based on some of the metaphors he uses in the book, and much more. Happy listening! Click here to support Bandersnatch Book’s book of poetry for children! This is a public episode...

Welcome back! It’s French Revolution time (i.e., Dickens does history). Also, Lucy and Darnay discuss Sidney’s sadness, Lucy and Darnay have children, and ultimately Darnay leaves. We discuss. 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 the episode in which we dig into the ways Dickens uses different tones of voice in various sections, the way his writing creates a tableau-like effect, how the serialization of the story should impact our reading, and question on morality that the book’s introduction of the French Revolution raises. In other words, it’s another conversation on A Tale of Two Cities ! Thanks for tuning in and h...

Welcome back to our ongoing conversation about Charles Dickens’ classic novel! In this episode, we discuss what the book is revealing itself to be about, the question of villainy in the story, the importance of the historical context, the differences in the various men who love Lucie, Dickens use of symblism, and much more. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this w...

We’re back with another conversation on Charles Dickens’ classical novel, and this time we discuss the introduction of Sidney Carton and Charles Darnay—and the way Dickens employs doubling to develop them as characters alongside the key themes of the book. Plus: a great Dickens-ism, a few wonderful scenes, chat on Dickens and dialogue, questions about how Dickens writes women, and much more. Happy...

Over the years, many of you have asked us to discuss a Dickens novel and it’s finally time! Over the next several episodes we are going to dig into A Tale of Two Cities . But fair warning: as we get into the book we do spend some time explaining why we’re not necessarily Dickens enthusiasts, before getting into what really works well. (Don’t worry, we won’t dwell further on the things we don’t lov...

You had questions about The Bridge of San Luis Rey ; we did our best to answer them. Thanks for tuning in to this series! Up next: A Tale of Two Cities. Please note: no video for this episode. 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 dig into the end of Thornton Wilder’s lovely novel and in this episode we’re discussing the impact (and epilogue-like nature) of the final chapter, the spiritual contemplations inherent in the narrative, the way Wilder manages to say something powerful about the nature of love, and much more. Happy listening! Video edition A quick note on video: some listeners have requested that we p...

Welcome to the first episode of 2025 here on Close Reads! Our first book of the year is a short but powerful contemplation of , well, the meaning of life and death. Great way to kick off a new year . . . Topics of conversation include whether this is an unbearably sad book, the complex (mirrored) relationships at the core of the story, the nesting doll structure of the narrative, the echoes of Jes...

We’ve come to the end of our series on James Runcie’s novel, The Great Passion , which (as usual) means it’s time for a Q&A episode and this time we have a very special guest: our friend Greg Wilbur, who happens to a conductor and composer who has also authored a biography of Bach himself. Greg joined us to chat about his experience with The Great Passion and to answer some of your questions. Happ...