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(Including 5 must-read articles) Open in app or onlineThis is a free post from Close Reads HQ, but if you like what you see here and want access to more like itor if you just want to help us pay the billsyou can subscribe now to get full access to bonus episodes, exclusive essays, and more.Upgrade t

Have a question about The Optimists Daughter.Go ahead and post it here and well get to as many as we can before our next episod Optimist's Daughter: Q&A ThreadDavid KernMay 3Hey everyone.Have a question about The Optimists Daughter.Go ahead and post it here and well get to as many as we can before o

What the Romans get wrong about duty and desire Open in app or onlineI am Aeneas, duty-bound.What the Romans get wrong about duty and desireHeidi WhiteMay 3PreviewGuest postShareAeneas' Flight from Troy, Federico BarocciIt is Holy Week as I write this column.Today is Holy Friday in the Orthodox trad

Editors Note: Our friend Mary Jo Tate, a longtime Close Reads listener, also happens to be an expert in the life and work of Eudora Welty, so as we work our way through The Optimists Daughter it seems only right to let her Mary Jo provide a starter kit for the life and work of this wonderful Souther

Plus: Check out Substack's new Notes feature.Open in app or onlineThis is a free post from Close Reads HQ, but if you like what you see here and want access to more like itor if you just want to help us pay the billsyou can subscribe now to get full access to bonus episodes, exclusive essays, and mo

Have a question about The Diary of a Country Priest.Post below and well answer as many as we can for next weeks episode.Q&A Thread for "The Diary of a Country Priest"David KernApr 12Have a question about The Diary of a Country Priest.Post below and well answer as many as we can for next weeks episod

On George Bernard Shaw's inversion of the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea Open in app or onlineHenry Higgin's Twisted VisionOn George Bernard Shaw's inversion of the myth of Pygmalion and GalateaHeidi WhiteMar 29PreviewGuest postSavePygmalion and Galatea, 1784, by Laurent PecheuxIt needs to be acknowl

24 hours to pick a champion Open in app or onlineThis is a free post from Close Reads HQ, but if you like what you see here and want access to more like itor if you just want to help us pay the billsyou can subscribe now to get full access to bonus episodes, exclusive essays, and more.Upgrade to pai

And so weve come to the endand for all the hand-wringing along the way at least three of the final four entries are unsurprising (and the fourth isnt a major surprise).Heres the final four: Pride and Prejudice (1995), Little Women (2019), The Fellowship of the Ring Open in app or onlineThis is a fre

Well, were down to eight adaptations.Someone left a comment saying that this bracket might be where we have jumped the shark as a group and I think it may be true.But other than two rather significant surprises (looking at you Prisoner of Azkaban and Open in app or onlineThis is a free post from Clo

Round three is here and now that the greatest movies of all time have been eliminated maybe we can settle in and accomplish something.This round we have a barn burner between Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, a matchup between Open in app or onlineThis is a free post from Close Reads HQ

Round two of the 2023 Close Reads literary bracket is upon us and as you can see round one saw its fair share of chaos with at least five underdogs winning.Now in round 2 we get several pretty fascinating matchups featuring famous actors, major directors, and beloved books, many of which promise to

Open in app or onlineThis is a free post from Close Reads HQ, but if you like what you see here and want access to more like itor if you just want to help us pay the billsyou can subscribe now to get full access to bonus episodes, exclusive essays, and more.Upgrade to paidThe 2023 Close Reads Bracke

Hey yall, Please post your Pygmalion questions here and we will answer as many as we can next week.Pygmalion Q&A ThreadDavid KernMar 8SaveHey yall, Please post your Pygmalion questions here and we will answer as many as we can next week.See the discussionLikeCommentShare 2023 Goldberry Books L.12 Un

Recently Ive been pondering nothingor rather, nothingness.Perhaps this is partly due to the weather.In the throes of a bone-cold Colorado February I tend to find that Instagrams @officialsadbeige account just really gets me, you know.But aside from the existential despair of frigid Costco runs and i

Hey yall, We know youve got questions about The Netanyhus.Post them below and we will discuss as many as we can on our next episode.The Netanyahus: Q&A ThreadDavid KernFeb 20SaveHey yall, We know youve got questions about The Netanyhus.Post them below and we will discuss as many as we can on our nex

On Dan Gemeinharts "The Midnight Children" Open in app or online A Story for Wandering SoulsOn Dan Gemeinharts "The Midnight Children"Kate AlbusFeb 8PreviewGuest postSaveA quick editorial note: One of our 2022 highlights was hosting author Kate Albus for an event at the shop.Kate is the author of A

Thoughts on Duty and Desire in Persuasion Open in app or onlineEven Anne Elliot Can't White-knuckle Her Way to HappinessThoughts on Duty and Desire in Persuasion Heidi WhiteJan 27PreviewGuest postSaveView of the Mall in Saint James's Park,after 1709-1710 One October day my husband and I were strolli

Please post your Persusasion questions here and well answer as many as we can on next weeks episode.Q&A Thread: Persuasion David KernJan 23SaveHey yall.Please post your Persusasion questions here and well answer as many as we can on next weeks episode.See the discussionLikeCommentShare 2023 Goldberr

Our best-of episode has been recorded and published, our 2022 lists are complete, and 2023 is almost here, which means its time to Thread: What Are Your 2023 Reading Goals.David KernDec 30SaveREADING (CLARA) (CIRCA 1865) FEDERICOFARUFFINIHey friends.Our best-of episode has been recorded and publishe

Further thoughts on duty, desire, and the healing of the fractured self Open in app or onlineThere's a Gollum in Every Man, But What About Frodo.(AKA: What's Love Got To Do With It.)Further thoughts on duty, desire, and the healing of the fractured selfHeidi WhiteDec 21PreviewGuest postSaveGollum in

Hey yall, Our annual Close Reads retreat has quickly become one of the highlights of our year, it being such a wonderful chance to discover new relationships, rekindle old friendships, and dig deeply (alongside those friends, new and old) into a great book.Since you signed up to receive this email,

Hey yall, One of our most popular episodes of Close Reads is the one in which we discuss the books that meant the most to us during the previou What are your favorite books of the year.David KernDec 14SaveHey yall, One of our most popular episodes of Close Reads is the one in which we discuss the bo

30 gift ideas for the book-lovers in your life Open in app or onlineThis is a free post from Close Reads HQ, but if you like what you see here and want access to more like itor if you just want to help us pay the billsyou can subscribe now to get full access to bonus episodes, exclusive essays, and

Hello friends, Want to help us plan for 2023 here at Close Reads HQ.We would love to hear from you.What kinds of content do you most want to s We Need Your Input for 2023David KernNov 17SaveHello friends, Want to help us plan for 2023 here at Close Reads HQ.We would love to hear from you.What kinds