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Kate Baer is a #1 New York Times bestselling poet and author of What Kind Of Woman, a book that Publishers Weekly describes as “ confident and fearless.” Her new collection of poems, I Hope This Finds You Well , is out this week and is inspired by critical messages and comments she has received over the past year, primarily on Instagram. Baer created the poems in the collection by deleting words f...

Was justice met in the end? Why does the story end with Lou Dimes' perspective? Is the ending satisfying? Is it happy? These and other questions were address on this week's episode. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into the final pages of A Gathering of Old Men . See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other sub...

Wiley Cash is a NC-based writer whose new novel is called When Ghosts Come Home .  It’s the story of a NC sheriff named Winston Barnes who is forced to reckon with a complicated and strange murder investigation on the NC coast that is instigated by a mysterious plane crash. Cash’s previous award winning fiction includes A Land More Kind Than Home , The Last Ballad and This Dark Road to Mercy and h...

This week David, Tim, and Heidi discuss which characters are most villainous in Ernest Gaines' novel, and dig in to the narrative and dramatic effect of leaving the gathering of old men right in the middle 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 clo...

Alexandra Andrews is the author of Who is Maude Dixon , a delightfully twisty new mystery that has been described as heir to Patricia Highsmighth’s legacy (think Strangers on a Train or The Talented Mr. Ripley ). It's the story of a young woman who works in publishing, is disillusioned with her prospects, and suddenly finds herself as the assistant for an Elene Ferrante-like novelists. Suddenly, t...

This week we're discussing the introduction of the white characters to the story, whether the sheriff is a good or bad guy, 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

Ron Rash is one of the Carolina's most beloved authors, known in equal measure for his novels and his short fiction. He's the author of Serena, an award-winning 2008 novel about love and timber in depression-era North Carolina, and Something Rich and Strange , a 2014 collection of stories, and most recently 2020's In the Valley , a collection of stories and novella that follow up on Serena . Rash...

It's time for a new book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss Ernest J. Gaines' A Gathering of Old Men . This week they dive into Gaines' use of multiple perspectives and how it helps him to explore the complex issues of race and place in the Deep South. 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...

This week we're answering YOUR questions about all kinds of topics. We said you could ask us anything, and you did. We got through as many as we could. So if you have always wanted to know what we are bad at, how we rank random breakfast cereals, and all sort of other similar things, then hit that play button. Happy listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a pu...

This week David, Heidi, and Tim take a crack at answering your many thoughtful question about Walter Wangerin Jr.'s novel. 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

Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into the conclusion of The Book of the Dun Cow, discussing the nature of heroism in this novel and our protagonist rooster's ultimate fate. 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

Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they make the final choices for the 2022 reading list! 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

In which Tim has done the reading but has some problems with it while Heidi loves it unabashedly. 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

It's time for a new book: Walter Wangerin Jr.'s The Book of the Dun Cow . Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss the medieval aspects of this story and the degree to which is should be read as an allegory. Also, Tim makes a blunder. 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 ep...

You have questions; Tim, Heidi, and David have answers. Or try to have answers anyway. Tune in to find out if they say anything cogent. 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

Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they talk about the final chapters of Zora Neale Hurston's novel. They discuss Janie's growth, Tea Cake's love, and rabies. 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

We are back with more conversation about Janie and Tea Cake and Zora Neale Hurston's literary skills and approach! 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

This week David, Heidi, and Tim are digging into the middle of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, talking about some of the risky creative choices she makes, Janie's silence and rage, why the book can be challenging at times, 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 episo...

Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into a new book: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God . In this episode they discuss what makes Janie Crawford such a compelling character and Hurston's unique approach to point of view and narrative. 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 a...

Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they attempt to answer your questions about Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses ! 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

We have come to the end of John Grady Cole's journey -- and this episode is a doozy. It's long and it digs deep and we hope you like. So join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss their evolving perceptions of this novel, why it features the only ending it could have rightly had, the themes of justice and confession, and much, much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. T...

In which the novel takes yet another turn. This week David, Heidi, and Tim discuss whether the philosophizing of this section works, what McCarthy is trying to say, and the strange appearance of numerous little kindnesses. 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...

Oh boy. It's time to talk about one of the most intense passages in All the Pretty Horses, a passage which also happens to be deeply beautiful. Beware: Tim and David get a little carried away in this one. 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.substac...

This week David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the way All the Pretty Horses is multiple kinds of book in one, the fascinating romance at the core of the story, and the way McCarthy writes about work so poetically. 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.subs...

After a delay due to some technical difficulties, we are back and on this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss lightening storms, horses, and orphans in Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses. 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/subs...