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Join Us This July for a Special Live Close Reads Event on the Importance (and Awesomeness) of the Mystery Genre!
Dear Close Readers,
Apr 15
•
David Kern
29
4
2
Most Popular
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The Current Schedule (A Working Document)
Jan 30, 2025
•
David Kern
162
30
7
Books for Everyday Carry
Aug 31, 2022
•
David Kern
220
49
29
A Mirror Cracked
Aug 30, 2023
•
Heidi White
59
7
2
On Goldberry Press and Heidi's Forthcoming Book
Feb 28, 2025
•
David Kern
161
33
7
Recent
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The Current Schedule (A Working Document)
Your up-to-date solution for staying up-to-date with Close Reads
Jan 30, 2025
•
David Kern
162
30
7
1:03:43
The Grapes of Wrath: To the End
So about that ending .
Apr 28
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
11
10
1:02:24
The Grapes of Wrath: Chapter 26
This week’s episode is dedicated entirely to the lengthy chapter 26 so we have a chance to discuss poor Casy’s complicated arc and the Christ-like…
Apr 21
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
7
4
1:02:39
Cocktail Time (P. G. Wodehouse)
Welcome back to the final installment of our P.
Apr 16
•
David Kern
and
Sean Johnson
11
3
1:02:15
The Grapes of Wrath: Chapters 22-25
Is ma emerging as Steinbeck’s new protagonist?
Apr 14
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
12
5
1:05:42
Short Story Hour: "Leaf by Niggle" by J. R. R. Tolkien (FREE PREVIEW)
Welcome to another episode of our new series on classic short stories!
Apr 10
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
23
8
1
1:12:54
The Grapes of Wrath: Chapters 19-21
Does Casy redeem himself with his heroic action?
Apr 7
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
15
15
Vote Now in the Final Matchup of the 2026 Close Reads Literary Bracket!
24 hours to determine a winner!
Mar 31
•
David Kern
43
60
3
1:09:29
The Grapes of Wrath: Chapters 15-18
Is Steinbeck an American Dickens?
Mar 30
•
David Kern
and
Sean Johnson
12
4
Vote Now in the Final Four of Our 2026 Literary Bracket!
You have 24 hours . . .
Mar 30
•
David Kern
26
36
2
Vote Now in the Elite Eight of Our 2026 Literary Bracket!
We’re on to round 4!
Mar 27
•
David Kern
35
72
1
1:08:16
Monthly Mystery: Agatha Christie's "Ordeal by Innocence"
Hello and welcome to March’s monthly mystery here at Close Reads HQ!
Mar 27
•
David Kern
,
Sean Johnson
, and
Heidi White
11
10
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Monthly Mysteries
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1:08:16
Monthly Mystery: Agatha Christie's "Ordeal by Innocence"
Hello and welcome to March’s monthly mystery here at Close Reads HQ!
Mar 27
•
David Kern
,
Sean Johnson
, and
Heidi White
11
10
1:09:18
Monthly Mystery: John Dickson Carr's "He Who Whispers"
Hello and welcome to our February monthly mystery here at Close Reads HQ!
Feb 27
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
14
1
1:00:32
Monthly Mystery: Josephine Tey's "Brat Farrar"
Hello and welcome to our first monthly mystery of 2026 here at Close Reads HQ!
Jan 25
•
David Kern
22
16
1:03:20
Monthly Mystery: Murder in the Mill-race
Join in as we discuss this month’s mystery novel: E.C.R Loran’s story about a provincial small town with more secrets than it wants to reveal.
Dec 23, 2025
•
David Kern
,
Sean Johnson
, and
Heidi White
12
4
59:01
Monthly Mystery: Epitaph for a Spy
Join in as we discuss this month’s mystery novel: Eric Ambler’s story about a regular man who is caught up in the world of international intrigue on the…
Dec 3, 2025
•
David Kern
,
Sean Johnson
, and
Heidi White
6
5
1:05:51
Monthly Mystery: A Morbid Taste for Bones
Join in as we discuss this month’s mystery novel: Ellis Peter’s first book in the Brother Cadfael series, a medieval-set murder mystery in which a monk…
Nov 1, 2025
•
David Kern
14
11
50:37
Monthly Mystery: "Five Little Pigs"
Join in as we discuss this month’s mystery novel: Agatha Christie’s Five Little Pigs, one of her most psychologically complicated (and nearly hard…
Sep 29, 2025
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
23
7
56:24
Monthly Mystery: The Zebra-Striped Hearse
Join in as we discuss this month’s mystery novel: Ross Macdonald’s The Zebra-Striped Hearse, a classic midcentury title from one of the kings of the…
Aug 23, 2025
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
13
4
1:11:02
Monthly Mystery: Some Buried Caesar
Join in as we discuss this month’s mystery novel: Rex Stout’s Some Buried Caesar, a 1930’s classic from one of the most popular of all American mystery…
Jul 18, 2025
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
16
8
57:29
Monthly Mystery: John Dickson Carr's "The Seat of the Scornful"
Join in as we discuss this month’s mystery novel: John Dickson Carr’s The Seat of the Scornful, a cult classic from the master of the locked room…
Jun 27, 2025
•
David Kern
,
Sean Johnson
, and
Heidi White
15
4
1:00:31
Monthly Mystery: Mystery Mile
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.
May 25, 2025
•
David Kern
,
Heidi White
, and
Sean Johnson
16
7
1:10:23
Monthly Mystery: The Great Mistake
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…
Apr 19, 2025
•
David Kern
,
Sean Johnson
, and
Heidi White
20
12
1
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