Close Reads Podcast HQ

It’s Q&A time, so join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into a bunch of great questions from the Close Reads community. Topics of conversation include orange juice, opportunistic agents, German philosophers, and much more! Close Reads HQ is a community-supported publication. Thanks so much for being a part of this endeavor in 2022! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with othe...

What a book! This week you can tune in as David, Heidi, and Tim continue to rave about Chaim Potok’s skill, a few particularly miraculous passages, and the culmination of Asher’s coming-of-age. Close Reads is a community-supported endeavor. If you value what we’re up to please subscribe. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus e...

This week David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Jacob Kahn. Does the book view him as an arbiter of wisdom? Is he an antagonist of sorts? Also, can Asher be a unifier between two traditions? And how does the book reveal Asher’s individual healing? 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.substac...

As we dive further into Chaim Potok’s wonderful novel, this week’s episode contemplates how dark this book really is, whether we should read it psychologically, whether Aryeh and Rivkeh are good parents, and much more. Happy listening! Information on Classical U: The classicalu4closereads2months coupon code above will provide no charge for the first two months with a purchase of a monthly subscrip...

Chaim Potok’s novel, My Name Is Asher Lev , is one of Tim’s favorite books, and its also one that has been nominated by listeners for a long time. So we’re thrilled to be digging into it. Here in episode one of this series, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the way Potok skillfully reveals his protagonist’s unique gift; the questions the book asks about identity and family; and, naturally, a bit about...

In which we answer your questions about Amor Towles’ novel! Up next: My Name Is Asher Lev , chapters 1-2. 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

Tess Gunty is an award-winning novelist based in Los Angeles, whose fascinating (and acclaimed) debut novel, The Rabbit Hutch , was recently published by Knopf (North America) and Oneworld (UK & Commonwealth) and is a finalist for the National Book Award. For this week’s episode she chatted with David about her creative approach, the books that inspire her most, and much, much more. Here’s to long...

We have come to the conclusion of Amor Towles’ novel, so this week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed the Casablanca of it all, whether the book ends in a satisfying fashion, and the count’s trajectory of growth. 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

The Rings of Power season one is over and it’s time to take stock. So join Ian and David as they discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what may be next in this controversial new take on Tolkien’s work. Close Reads HQ is a community-supported publication. To receive bonus content & support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this...

Sports writer, Tyler Dunne has written “the definitive guide to the real men of the gridiron: NFL tight ends”. It’s called The Blood and Guts: How Tight Ends Save Football and it’s available wherever books are sold. This week, Ty joins Bibliography to chat about the state of the NFL, his favorite sports books, and more. You can grab a copy of th e book h e r e . This is a public episode. If you'd...

This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed whether the Count has changed over the course of the story, whether he is a “whole” character, David’s wild (pretend) theory about this book, and more on Towle’s approach to POV. 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 David, Heidi, and Ian discussed whether this book is up to the ideas that it is asking us to contemplate, the meta elements of its presentation, the way this section knocks the count off his equilibrium, 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/subscr...

This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed the fascinating nature of the Count’s relationship with Anna; the book’s preoccupation with skill and craft; the way Europe hovers over the themes of the books; 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

Scott Avett is perhaps best known for his work in the acclaimed and much-loved band, The Avett Brothers, but he’s also a very accomplished visual artist who has two exhibitions running concurrently this fall. Scott Avett: Purpose at Random , is showing at the SOCO Gallery in Charlotte, NC until November 2. You can learn more about this show h e r e. Meanwhile, Scott Avett: After the Fact is at the...

This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed virtue, vice, and wine in A Gentleman in Moscow . Is that enough to prompt you to click play? 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

Now that we’ve come to the end of book one of Amor Towles’ very popular novel, its time to reset and consider what key questions and themes this book is asking us to contemplate. What does this book have to say about modern man? Is it perhaps darker than our initial response would indicate? Why does Towles pepper the book with so many literary references? The and other questions are the subject of...

Sam Sacks writes the Fiction Chronicle for the Wall Street Journal Book Review, one of the best sections in the world of book criticism. He is eloquent in his defense of good books, tactful in his criticism of bad ones, and always interesting in his taste. In this episode, he joins David to chat about several stand-out novels that have been published so far in 2022. This is a public episode. If yo...

Amor Towles’ 2016 novel is one the most requested books in the history of the Close Reads community, so it’s only fair that we finally dig in! Join David, Heidi, and special guest, Ian Andrews of the Center for Lit, for an initial discussion of the themes of the book, what Towles does well, a bit on the historical context, and a whole bunch of wine talk at the end. Happy listening! This is a publi...

The discourse around Amazon’s Rings of Power has been fraught. So in this special crossover episode between Close Reads and Bibliophiles, David Kern and Ian Andrews try to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and why the conversation has been they way it is. 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...

It’s that time yet again — when we answer your questions! As usual, you gave us plenty to talk about. So in this final conversation about Eugene Vodolazkin’s novel, we contemplate Laurus’ lack of a burial, Tim’s Protestant viewpoint of the book, obsession with the end of the world, holy fools, and much more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acce...

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 whateve...

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...

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...

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 aud...

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). Tha...