Episode
SLOW READ: The Stand (The Circle Closes)
- Podcast
- Slow Read: The Stand
- Published
- Jun 15, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2752
- Processing state
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Summary
Welcome to SLOW READ , where we tackle the books you’ve always wanted to read at a pace you can handle. Hosted by Sarah Stewart Holland and Laura Tremaine We are currently reading The Stand by Stephen King (unabridged version) You can find our full Reading Schedule here Join the SLOW READ community on Substack for bonus episodes, book club meetings, and Side Quests with Sarah & Laura We have come to the end of our journey with The Stand by Stephen King. In this episode, we dissect what it all meant and what we’ll remember about this experience. Make sure to subscribe on Substack for our next SLOW READ! Mentioned: Wolf Hall War and Peace Don Quixote Brothers Karamazov Blazing Eye Sees All Sister Helen Prejean / Dead Man Walking The Circle That Doesn’t Close Laura: We are here today at the end of The Stand by Stephen King to close the circle. Sarah: But I think it’s a lie. Why did he say the circle closes? That’s not what happens at the end of this book. Laura: That’s true. That’s totally true. But it starts with “the circle opens.” That’s the opening. So he has to close it. Sarah: Or is it just that the circle continues? That would have been a more accurate title for this epilogue. Just saying. Laura: I do have to say that I purposely, when I made our reading schedule for The Stand — we knew we wanted to do it for six months, like January to June, which we did — I planned it to close our circle here the same week the book opens, which is the second week of June. Just because I liked that symmetry. Sarah: I love it. I love a symmetry. Laura: We have a few little pages to get through, but before we do that — we will be continuing the slow read. We have picked our next book. Sarah: I picked it and I forced it on Laura. That’s the truth. Laura: We’re going to tell you all a…