Close Reads Podcast

We're back with more conversation about Leif Enger's Peace Like a River! In this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the Fairy Tale elements of the story, the question of realism, what the story is ultimately about, Swede's preciousness, and much more. Remember to rate and review wherever you listen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd l...

Welcome back! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive deeper into Leif Enger's Peace Like a River . They talk about whether Davy's actions were justified and how the novel treats them, the lack of a mother-figure in the story, and much more. And remember: when you rate and review it helps out a lot! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like...

And we're on to another book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into a new book, Leif Enger's novel, Peace Like a River. In this episode they chat about the first 50 pages (aka: the first four chapters). Remember: when you rate and review the show you help spread the word! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with...

It's time for one of our favorite annual traditions . . . Join David, Heidi, Sarah-Jane, and Tim as they share some of their favorite fiction reads of 2019 (check out the Patreon page for our non-fiction choices!). And remember to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this...

It's time to answer listener questions about Norman Maclean's A River Runs through It. David, Heidi, and Tim give their best effort at answering a slew of really tough, thoughtful questions. Bravo to everyone who contributed! Remember: if you like this show, it goes a long way when you rate and review it wherever you get podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is...

Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they chat about the second half of Norman Maclean's beloved novella, A River Runs through It . They chat about whether the story is a tragedy, the way the end recalls the beginning, the theme of union in the story, and the way it explores the complicated nature of human relationship (and much more, of course). Remember: if you like this show you can help out by rating...

And we're off. It's time for Norman Maclean's A River Runs through It. On this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss roughly the first half of the story. They chat about the central metaphors in the book, Maclean's craftsmanship as a prose writer, the subtly of the characterizations, the relationship between the brothers, and much more. Remember, if you like this show, your ratings and reviews (w...

It's time to answer your questions. Join David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt as they dive into the many great questions listeners submitted, included questions about the Griscam men, Prescott's failures and successes, Charlotte Mason and this book, Prescott's idealism, whether we're overrating the book, lessons for educators from Justin Martyr, and more. Remember: rate, review, spread the word. See acast....

And here we are at the end. Join David, S-J, and Matt as they chat about the conclusion of The Rector of Justin. They chat about the outsized figure of Prescott, the narrator as mentee, Shakespeare in this book, and the thematic payoff of the 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 acces...

David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt are back and diving into the meaty middle part of the book. They discuss the reliability of the narrators, psycho-analysis as a theme in the book, whether Prescott treated Jules Griscam justly, 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 ep...

Join David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt as they continue their discussion of The Rector of Justin. It's a long episode, so get ready for a deep dive into some of the themes that make this book what it is, with a little bit of friendly disagreement thrown in. 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 acc...

We're back, chatting about chapters 6-9 of Louis Auchincloss' The Rector of Justin . Conversation explores the connections between Frank Prescott and Hamlet, his quixotic nature, the book's female characters, and much, 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,...

After a one-week hiatus due to some scheduling issues, we are back! In this episode David is joined by Matt and a new contributor to the network, Sarah-Jane Bentley, who teaches at Eton College in England. They chat about the unique structure of the book, the myriad of intertextual references (and whether they matter), the similarities between the various narrators, and much more. See acast.com/pr...

Unfortunately we had a scheduling snafu with recording for this week, so we are sharing a bonus episode that we sent to our Patrons a few months back. It's a conversation between David, Tim, and Heidi about Hemingway's famous story, "A Clean Well-lighted Place." Conversation touched on the difficulty with Hemingway and his particular craftsmanship in this short story. Thanks for your patience! The...

It's time for listener questions! In this episode, David, Tim, and Heidi answer your questions about topics like why Athena is gray-eyed, other great translations, whether Odysseus broke the hospitality code when visiting the cyclops, what first-time readers should glean from this epic poem, and much, much more. Remember: when you rate and review the show you help us spread the word! See acast.com...

Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they arrive at the end of the Odyssey. Conversation touches on Telemachus' evolution, the way the various themes come together, the stories behind stories, modes of reading, and much more. Don't forget to send in your questions for next episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with othe...

It's time to discuss the battle and the bloodshed. In this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim chat about whether Odysseus is after justice or revenge (and all the ramifications of that question) . . . and much more, of course. 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...

And we're back with more conversation about Homer's famous epic poem. This week, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss Penelope's evolving character, the way the poet is comparing Odysseus and Penelope in the text, the building tension, and much more. Remember: if you like this show you can help spread the word by rating and reviewing it. And don't forget you can support the show and get some great show s...

The saga continues. On this week's episode, David, Heidi, and a very special guest discuss books XVII and XVIII of the Odyssey . Conversation touches on the patience of Odysseus and Telemachus, Athena's role in the story, whether the suitors are worthy adversaries, and Penelope's beauty. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss t...

And we're back with more discussion of Homer's Odyssey! David, Heidi, and Tim explore the fascinating character of Eumaeus the swineherd; Poseidon, the anti-xenia god; the Western-y nature of the second of half of the poem; 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...

Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they continue their journey with Odysseus. In this episode they discuss books XI and XII, focusing on Odysseus' virtues, the allegorical aspects of the poem, the popularity of the story of the sirens, 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...

It's time for books IX and X of Homer's Odyssey ! Join David, Heidi, and Tim for a discussion about the cyclopes, Circe, and the degree to which Odysseus is truly virtuous. And, remember, it helps the show out a whole lot when you leave reviews on whatever app you use to listen to podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discus...

David, Heidi, and Tim are back with more conversation about The Odyssey. They discuss the question of Odysseus' faithfulness, they compare Nausikaa and Calypso, and they discuss the role of this section in the grand scheme of the poem. Remember: if you like this series on the Odyssey we could use your help. Rate and review the show to spread the word! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out...

Join David, Heidi, and Tim for more conversation about Homer's classic epic poem. in this episode they chat about the role of the gods in the story, the complicated nature of ancient Greek paganism, whether the characters in the book have "faith," and much, much more. Remember: if you love this show, please subscribe, rate, and review it. It goes a long way . See acast.com/privacy for privacy and...

It's time for a new book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into Homer's Odyssey , books one and two. Discussion touches on the purpose of these early books, Telemachus' journey, the relationship between the gods and humans, Penelope's wisdom, and much more. Remember: if you like this show it really goes a long way when you leave starred or written reviews wherever you listen to your podcast...