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Close Reads HQ is a haven for passionate readers. We create podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and much more, all centered around the world of books.

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O Pioneers!: To the End

1 week ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern

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.
The Betrothed: Chapters 17-20

2 weeks 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.
O Pioneers!: Parts 2 & #

2 weeks ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern

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.
Vote Now in the Final Matchup of the 2025 Close Reads Bracket!

3 weeks ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern

Sixty-four dynamic duos whittled to two. It’s Frodo and Sam vs Pooh and Piglet, Middle Earth vs the Hundred Acre Wood, Tolkien vs Milne. And it’s up to you. Which of these duos is most dynamic of all? Are we due for anticlimax or will we get a surprise result?
Vote in the Final 4 of the 2025 Literary Bracket

3 weeks ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern

Wow. We’re down to just four dynamic literary duos, and what an elite eight it was. While Frodo and Sam predictably defeated Merry and Pippin and Holmes and Watson dispatched Pole and Scrubb fairly easily, we had some drama in the right side of the bracket. First, Anne Shirley and Diana Barry’s run ends in surprising fashion at the hands of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, who move on to the final four. Who knew they were capable of such dramatic feats.
O Pioneers!: Part 1

3 weeks ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern

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.
Vote Now in the Elite 8 of the 2025 Literature Bracket

3 weeks ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern

Well, here we are. Only eight literary duos remain; we only have four more matchups to vote for. Does it get easier at this point? Is there less existential crisis? It depends on the reader, I suppose. Are we still on a collision course of Anne of Green Gables and The Lord of the Rings? I guess we’ll find out. The choice is yours. Let discretion guide you. Please note: the rest of the way each round will last just 24 hours. THE VOTING
The Betrothed: Chapters 13-16

4 weeks ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern

Welcome back to our ongoing series on Alessandro Manzoni’s The Betrothed. This week, much like in the chapters, it’s Renzo, Renzo, and more Renzo. Is he a protagonist? How do we interpret the tone of his various adventures (and foibles)? Is he bound for heroism? These and several other topics are all yours on this episode.
Vote Now in Round 3 of our Dynamic Duos Literary Bracket!

4 weeks ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern

In the world of March Madness, this round is referred to as the Sweet 16, a name which is apropos for this bracket, too. The final sixteen in our Dynamic Duos bracket is crowded with—downright replete with, dripping with—nostalgia. Dominated by classic children’s works, it threatens to get a little chalky as we get the near the end of the competition. Are we headed towards a collision course of Anne/Diana and Frodo/Sam, or can some other other pairing make the leap and spring a surprise upset?
Vote Now in Round 2 of our Dynamic Duos Literary Bracket

1 month ago | closereads.substack.com | David Kern

You people have chosen violence. More than any other year, the results to the first round of our literary bracket are surprising. Shocking even. Is “dismaying” too strong a word? Not for Graeme it’s not. Eh, what are you going to do. We do this to ourselves. Here are the matchups for round two. Have fun.

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