Sean Johnson

Pensacola

Co-Host at Close Reads HQ

Do I dare to eat a peach? You bet! Classical teacher, Co-host of the Close Reads podcast

Articles

A Mailbag Episode

3 weeks ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern |Heidi White |Sean Johnson

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.
Piranesi: Q&A Episode

1 month ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern |Sean Johnson |Heidi White

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.
Monthly Mystery: Mystery Mile

1 month ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern |Heidi White |Sean Johnson

Join in as we discuss this month’s mystery novel: Margery Allingham’s Mystery Mile, a book for which we had varying degrees of affection. As always we discuss the big picture view before digging into the categories. Thanks for the support and happy listening. And be sure to let us know what you thought of this one in the comment below! Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to Close Reads Podcast HQ to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
Piranesi: To the End

1 month ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern |Heidi White |Sean Johnson

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! Discussion about this videoClose 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.
Piranesi: Chapters 4 and 5

1 month ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern |Sean Johnson |Heidi White

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -1:03:36Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. 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.
Piranesi: Parts 2 and 3

1 month ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern |Heidi White |Sean Johnson

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -1:02:53Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. 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.
Piranesi: Part 1

2 months ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern |Sean Johnson |Heidi White

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -1:00:32Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. 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.
O Pioneers!: Q&A Episode

2 months ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern |Heidi White |Sean Johnson

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.
Monthly Mystery: The Great Mistake

2 months ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern |Sean Johnson |Heidi White

Join in as we dig in to this month’s mystery novel: Mary Roberts Rinehart’s The Great Mistake, a very American but very interesting mystery from a writer sometimes described as the American Agatha Christie. As always we discuss the big picture view before digging into the categories. Thanks for the support and happy listening!Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to Close Reads Podcast HQ to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
The Betrothed: Chapters 17-20

2 months ago | closereads.substack.com | Sean Johnson |Heidi White

Welcome back to our ongoing conversation about Alessandro Manzoni’s classic Italian novel. In this episode we discuss the deeper turn of the novel, Renzo’s journey towards manhood, and the ongoing conflict within the villains. Happy listening! Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to Close Reads Podcast HQ to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.