the return of Closely Reading
the return of Closely Reading
I'm back! with bookish essays and reading club news after a short summer break
Hi friends!
And an extra hello to the 100+ new subscribers who found me during my brief summer break: welcome, welcome!! I’m so glad you’re here.
I’m officially back and so very excited to kick-off what feels like a new season of Closely Reading with you. Taking a break from Substack over the last month (as well as some other apps on my phone) was so good for my brain and my body.
While I’ve been away, I’ve been enjoying your essays — especially these:
Lessons from M. Night Shyamalan's terrible movie endings by Natalie at Subverse Reads
Miranda July, Judy Chicago, and the Female Artist by Kate at A Narrative of Their Own (This essay is absolutely gorgeous!)
What do we want from pandemic novels? by The Novel Tea
The Pursuit of Personal Taste by Petya at A Reading Life
I also had a chance to do a bit of writing that was featured on other people’s Substacks over the last month:
I was invited to pen a guest post about my favorite piece of speculative fiction for the wonderful The Novel Tea newsletter, a companion writing space to the podcast of the same name, hosted by Shruti and Neha.
Read my essay on Jeff Vandermeer’s Borne here.
A few weeks ago, my friend Petya DM’d me to ask if I’d ever felt lost in my reading life — had I ever taken a break or stopped reading and needed to find my way back to it? What did I do to find my reading self again? Oh, yes. I have.
Petya ended up featuring my answer, along with wise words from many other incredible readers and Substack writers, in a recent post. Reading everyone’s advice feels like a big happy group hug, like the kind you maybe had with your little league team as a kid. Readers unite!
Read the full piece, and get all the *best advice,* right here.
Okay, now let’s get into the Closely Reading updates.
First up: a slightly refreshed vibe!
A bit more color here; a nice chunky font there. I’m releasing my perfectionist tendencies and going with the flow. How’s that for brand identity?
If you visit the full site, you’ll notice a new About page, as well as some new navigation that includes a page just for the Book Club essays and reading guides. Which leads us to the next update…
We’re making it official!
A few weeks ago, I sat myself down with a bowl of popcorn and a mug of tea and I brainstormed about Closely Reading. I wrote about my favorite things, my least favorite things, what I want to keep and what I want to change.
The first thing that came to mind was this idea of making the Closely Reading book club a real deal rather than something more impromptu. I want to give it longevity without burning myself (or readers) out, and I also want to move beyond Wharton into some other writers and genres. So, let’s do it!
Going forward, all book club updates will function as a sub-newsletter that you’ll receive each week. I’m splitting things up so you can opt-in for the right amount of content from me.
On most weekends, I’ll share an essay on Closely Reading — the newsletter you’re used to, where I write about a song or a book, and ramble my way to some kind of thesis statement. (I’m working on a “grad school reads” series where I’m sharing the best books I read during my literature PhD!)
During the week, I’ll update the book club via the Closely Reading Book Club, with our latest chapter guide, plans for what comes next, or other fun things.
By default, all subscribers will receive both parts of the newsletter. If you’re happy to get it all, you don’t need to make any changes. But if you only want to get the read-a-longs, or only want the non-book-club content, be sure to update your selections.
The value of paid
Developing chapter guides and running the book club conversations each week takes a lot of dedicated time and work. I love putting in the energy and effort, and your support helps me continue to invest my time here. I am truly so excited to grow the types of writing, analysis, and guides I’ve been working on and to keep growing our Closely Reading community of readers!
As our book club evolves, some of the new articles and guides will be for paying subscribers only. If you want to be sure to receive all the book club goodies, and gain access to the full archive of all reading guides, consider upgrading to paid.
Right now, I’m giving anyone who subscribes a special 15% off forever deal, which means that as long as you’re subscribed, you’ll receive 15% off the annual price every single year!
Coming soon: What we’ll be reading in the club
Next week, I’m sharing a whole fall “semester” of ten weeks, filled with spooky readings. We’ll read a few things together, but I’m also providing a longer reading list and suggested schedule, should you want to take on more on your own! It’ll be kinda like a literature class with a little bit of guidance and historical background from me along the way.
Our next read-a-long starts Monday, September 9 — and we’re reading Passing by Nella Larsen!
Make sure you’re opted in to the Closely Reading Book Club emails to get all the book club updates.
In the New Year:
I’m taking a break during the holiday season (from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day), but we’re going to kick off 2025 with a slow read-a-long of *drumroll please…!*
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Are you squealing? I’m squealing! This is by far the most requested read-a-long novel for us to slow read together — and as it’s also one of the funniest books I have ever read, I’m more than happy to oblige.
More info to come.
Thank you for being here!
Thank you so much for subscribing and for making Closely Reading a space I couldn’t wait to come back to. As soon as I took a break, I missed being here and knowing what you were all reading and writing about each week. Thank goodness that so many of you keep me informed on your own Substacks!
Craving a look back? Here are all of this year’s monthly musings.
In the comments, tell me:
What read-a-long are you most excited for?
Do you have a book you’d like us to read together?
What have you been reading this summer?
What’s your favorite scary or spooky or Halloween-y story?
‘Til next time, happy reading!
Haley, welcome back! I just absolutely LOVE what you're doing here and where you're going with it, and I can't wait to not only read more of your essays but also to re-read Passing with this fall!
This summer I read Amor Towles' "The Lincoln Highway" and while I liked it, it didn't blow me away. On the other hand his "A Gentleman in Moscow" is the most recently published book on my all time favorites list. I decided to try a close read to see if it should stay. For me the book has a dream-like magical fantasy feel. It's also a character study in maintaining a life philosophy even as political and cultural reality appears to be dismantling that philosophy. The cruelty of the period seeps in, but maybe not enough for some who would find the story too unrealistic. I find it hopeful with a bit of "It's a Wonderful Life" spirit as one man living in limited circumstance still manages to influence so many other lives. So after close reading, it stays in my top ten.