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We spend a lot of our lives reading, and we often talk about how books enrich our lives. But what does it mean to say that books are life itself? This week, Trevor and Paul reflect on the ways being readers has shaped their experiences, their relationships, and their ways of seeing the world. Books give us people to love, places to explore, and feelings we might never otherwise articulate, and these become an inseparable part of our lives. Join us as we explore what it means to consider reading as not just something to do with life, but that reading is life itself. 2027 Novella Book Club In this episode, we announce the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2027! Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

Long before we ever set foot in London, we had already wandered its streets through books. From Shakespeare’s playhouses and Dickens’s foggy alleys to Virginia Woolf’s bustling streets and the hidden magical worlds of Paddington and Mary Poppins, literature has given us countless versions of this extraordinary city. This week, Paul and Trevor take a leisurely stroll through their literary Londons, visiting haunted houses, quiet flats, eccentric neighborhoods, and wartime boarding houses along the way. We celebrate the books that have shaped our imaginations of London and made us fall in love with a city before we ever arrived. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * October: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

It’s been a busy few weeks for both of us! With Paul off exploring England and Trevor moving house, we’ve still managed to do some reading. One thing we learned in our brief time away: we missed this! In this episode, we catch up on where we’ve been, what we’ve been reading, and the various bookish things that have been occupying our attention. We also look ahead to what we hope will be a somewhat more leisurely fall, with plenty of good books and a little more time to actually read them. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * October: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

We’ve talked about the promises made as a book opens as well as the strange territory of its middle. In this episode we turn our attention t o the closing movement of a book. How do we know when a novel has started to close? Why do some books gather momentum while others slow down? What makes the ending feel inevitable, surprising, satisfying . . . or imposed? We talk about a Sanderlanche, Stephen King’s struggles with endings, possibilities narrowing, secrets being revealed, and the wonderful sense that everything we’ve been reading is new again. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode (another walk with Trevor and Paul) we explore a simple guiding principle for the reading life: no reading life is behind schedule. We discuss the pressures that can make us feel like we're falling behind, from canons to social media to our own expectations, and why the best reading life isn't the one that finishes the most books, but the one that remains excited by the future and not regretful of the past. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

Once again our summers have taken on a life of their own, and we’ve been busy. But we weren't about to skip a bookish conversation! So we took a walk around our neighborhoods together and talked about books for half an hour. So come along as we wander through books and reading lives. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

Every season we tell ourselves we’ll be more selective. Every season publishers respond by announcing another avalanche of books we want to read! In this episode, we look ahead to the second half of 2026, sharing the forthcoming novels, nonfiction, translations, and reissues we’re most excited to get our hands on. Along the way we talk about why anticipation is such a pleasurable part of being a reader. Whether you’re planning your own reading for the months ahead or simply enjoy hearing two readers get far too excited about books they probably don’t have time to read, we hope you’ll discover a few titles to add to your ever-growing TBR. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. Shownotes * Paul: Life and Fate, by Vasily Grossman, translated by Robert Chandler * Trevor: The Girls of Slender Means, by Muriel Spark * Ada, by Mark Haber * We Were Forbidden, by Jacqueline Harpman, translated by Ros Schwartz * Unsayable: A Life in Writing, by Michael Cunningham * Five, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews * Bury Your Dead, by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan * The Anniversary, by Andrea Bajani, translated by Geoffrey Brock * Life of M, Rachel Cusk * The Song of Stork and Dromedary, by Anjet Daanje, translated by David McKay * Dèy, by Edwidge Danticat * Last Day of a Prior Life, by Andrés Barba, tr. Lisa Dillman * Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature, by Emily Wilson * I Liked Rex, by Diane Williams * The Rouse, by China Miéville * Ambivalence: An Education, by Brian Dillon * Dodge City, by Patrick Dewitt * Foam, by Kate Zambreno * Ply, by Hernan Diaz * American Hagwon, Min Jin Lee * Exit Party, by Emily St. John Mandel * Said the Dead, by Doireann Ní Ghríofa * About Looking, by John Berger * Fair Ones: A Double Novel, by Lydia Millet * Vaim Hotel, by Jon Fosse, translated by Damion Searls * Inshallah, Madonna, Inshalla, by Miljenko Jergović, translated by Ellen Elias-Bursać and Mirza Purić * Off the Reservation, by Stephen Graham Jones * Partita, by Barbara Kingsolver * Music Against the Night, by Yiyun Li * Hackenfeller’s Ape, by Brigid Brophy * In Transit, by Brigid Brophy * The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World, by Nathaniel Philbrick * Morel’s Invention, by Adolpho Bioy Casares, translated by Margaret Jull Costa * Anita Brookner: Art and Life, by Hermione Lee * Opus Siniestrus, by Leonora Carrington * Phantom Limb, by Brian Evenson * Doppleganger, by Sam Riviere * Long Wave, by Daisy Jones * Murmurs from the Hills: Rwandan Tales, by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzotti * Annie Proulx Stories: New and Selected * I Won’t See You Die, by Antonio Muñoz Molina, translated by Curtis Bauer * A Woman of Thirty, by Honoré de Balzac, translated by Jeanine Herman * The Statuary Gardens, by Jacques Abeille, translated by Alex Andriesse * Diary Without Vowels, by Aleksander Wat, translated by Alissa Valles * The Sunday Woman, by Franco Lucentini, translated by William Weaver * The Dead Girl, by Melanie Thernstrom * Rhyming and Necromancy, by Harry Fainlight * The Peacock Garden, by Anita Desai * Notes on Postcards, by Jennifer Croft * On the Calculation of Volume V, by Solvej Balle, translated by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell * Primeval and Other Times, by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd Jones * The Bridge, by Colm Toibin * The Fires of December, by Brandon Sanderson The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

Every ten episodes, Trevor and Paul pause their usual reading discussions to spend time with a single author. This time: William Faulkner. After recent journeys through As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury, Light in August, and Absalom, Absalom!, they talk about what it feels like to read Faulkner: the challenge, the confusion, the beauty, the humor, the history, and the rewards. They also discuss Faulkner’s complicated engagement with race, the tension between the author’s work and his public life, and why readers continue returning to Yoknapatawpha County nearly a century later. Whether you’re a longtime Faulkner devotee or someone who’s always meant to get around to him someday, pull up a chair and join the conversation. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 135: William Faulkner * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. Shownotes * Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, by James Bailey * James: * Moby-Dick: or, The Whale, by Herman Melville * Every Day Is Mother’s Day, by Hilary Mantel * Vacant Possession, by Hilary Mantel * Paul: A Marsh Island, by Sarah Orne Jewett * Trevor: The Ambassadors, by Henry James The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

What draws us beyond a writer’s books and into their life? Why do some authors inspire us to seek out letters, journals, interviews, and biographies while others remain known to us only through their work? In this episode, Trevor and Paul are joined by Dr. James Bailey, author of Like a Cat Loves a Bird, a new book exploring the life and work of Muriel Spark. Rather than focusing on biography as a genre, the conversation wanders through a variety of questions about writers and readers: what prompts our curiosity about authors, what we hope to discover when we learn more about their lives, whether biographical knowledge enriches or complicates our reading, and which writers have inspired us to look beyond the page. Along the way, James discusses his fascination with Muriel Spark, the origins of Like a Cat Loves a Bird, and what it means to spend time in the company of a writer’s work and life. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 135: William Faulkner * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. Shownotes * Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, by James Bailey * James: * Moby-Dick: or, The Whale, by Herman Melville * Every Day Is Mother’s Day, by Hilary Mantel * Vacant Possession, by Hilary Mantel * Paul: A Marsh Island, by Sarah Orne Jewett * Trevor: The Ambassadors, by Henry James The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

For the second installment in our series on the three pieces of a book, we turn from beginnings to that more difficult territory: the middle. What happens in the middle of a book? Is it simply the space connecting a strong opening to a satisfying ending? In this episode we explore the experience of living inside a book: development, repetition, immersion, wandering, pressure, rhythm. This feels like the space where the book does its work. We discuss the middles of sprawling novels as well short stories, asking what middles do and why thinking about this has helped us become less reactive and more attentive readers. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 135: William Faulkner * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. Shownotes * In Trees: An Exploration, by Robert Moor * On Trails: An Exploration, by Robert Moore * If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation, by Daniel Hahn * A General Theory of Oblivion, by José Eduardo Agualusa, translated by Daniel Hahn * Catching Fire: A Translation Diary, by Daniel Hahn * The Unconsoled, by Kazuo Ishiguro * 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer * In Search of Lost Time, by Marcel Proust * Middlemarch, by George Eliot * Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry * First Love, by Ivan Turgenev * Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin * The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark * Daisy Miller, by Henry James * An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews * Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson * Effingers, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy * To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf * “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor * Reinhardt’s Garden, by Mark Haber * Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber * Ada, by Mark Haber * Ducks, Newburyport, by Lucy Ellmann * Moby-Dick: or, The Whale, by Herman Melville * If on a winter’s night a traveler, by Italo Calvino, translated by William Weaver * Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov * Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell * House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski * Audition, by Katie Kitamura * Transcription, by Ben Lerner * 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer * Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, by James Bailey * Absalom, Absalom!, by William Faulkner * The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner * Light in August, by William Faulkner * As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner * The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we take a look at the books we have on our nightstands and what they say about us! From the current reads, the aspirational tomes, the comfort books, the neglected books that somehow never leave the stack, and the ever-growing piles of good intentions, what makes a book a “nightstand book” instead of a shelf book? What do our bedside stacks reveal about our habits, ambitions, moods. And how often do our actual reading lives diverge from the readers we imagine ourselves to be? Along the way, we talk about reading rituals, unfinished books, literary guilt, late-night attention spans, and the strange intimacy of the books we keep closest at hand. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 135: William Faulkner * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. Shownotes * Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi * Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times, by Azar Nafisi * Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old, by Mary Beard * The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding * The Other Bennet Sister, by Janice Hadlow * The Bachelors, by Muriel Spark * Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, by James Bailey * Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, by Heather Clark * The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark Once we get to the general discussion I stopped copying the books we mentioned, but let me know if you have questions and I can find you anything! The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’re joined by Nick During and Abigail Dunn from New York Review Books for a wide-ranging conversation about the world of NYRB. From Classics to Kids, Comics to Poets, we explore what gives these books their distinct spirit and why so many readers find themselves returning to those familiar spines again and again. Along the way, we talk about recent releases, a few titles currently on our nightstands, and some of the surprises that come with bringing books back into print. It’s a conversation about discovery, rediscovery, and the quiet pleasure of finding the right book at the right time. Plus, they shed some light on some surprises on the horizon! 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 135: William Faulkner * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. Shownotes * East of Dreams, by Nastassja Martin * In the Eye of the Wild, by Nastassja Martin * The Death of a Greek Lover, by David Plante * Difficult Women: A Memoir of Three, by David Plante * Too L.A.: Letters Never Sent (But Some Were), by Eve Babitz * Jesus Christs, by A.J. Langguth * Effingers, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy * Käsebier Takes Berlin, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy * Things in Nature Merely Grow, by Yiyun Li * Crazy Genie, by Inès Cagnati, translated by Liesl Schillinger * Light While There Is Light: An American History, by Keith Waldrop * “The Old Forest,” by Peter Taylor * The Netanyahus, by Joshua Cohen * Onward and Upward in the Garden, by Katharine S. White * Divorcing, by Susan Taubes * Lament for Julia, by Susan Taubes * Free Day, by Inès Cagnati, translated by Liesl Schillinger * Family Lexicon, by Natalia Ginzburg, translated by Jenny McPhee * Valentino & Sagittarius, by Natalia Ginzburg, translated by Avril Bardoni * Lies and Sorcery, by Elsa Morante, translated by Jenny McPhee * Pittsburgh, by Frank Santoro * Proper Doctoring: A Book for Patients and Their Doctors, by David Mendel * Shakespeare’s Montaigne: The Florio Translation * Proensa: An Anthology of Troubadour Poetry, selected and translated by Paul Blackburn * The Interior Landscape: Classical Tamil Love Poems, translated by A.K. Ramanujan * After Lorca, by Jack Spicer * A Woman of Thirty, by Honoré de Balzac, translated by Jeanine Herman * Turtle Diary, by Russell Hoban * The Marzipan Pig, by Russell Hoban * Château Rouge, by Amit Chaudhuri * First Love, by Gwendolyn Riley * My Phantoms, by Gwendolyn Riley * The Palm House, by Gwendolyn Riley * Memories of the Future, by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, translated by Joanne Turnbull * Smoke, by Ivan Turgenev, translated by Donald Rayfield * Diary Without Vowels, by Aleksander Wat, translated by Alissa Valles * The Lord, by Soraya Antonius * Where the Djinn Consult, by Soraya Antonius * Levitations, by Easton Smith * Bristol, by Jean Echenoz, translated by Mark Polizzotti * Command Performance, by Jean Echenoz, translated by Mark Polizzotti * Bina: A Novel in Warnings, by Anakana Schofield * Library of Brothel, by Anakana Schofield * I Liked Rex, by Diane Williams * The Kingdom of Agamemnon, by Vladimir Sharov, translated by Oliver Ready * Borges, by Adolfo Bioy Casares, translated by Valerie Miles * Morel’s Invention, by Adolfo Bioy Casares, translated by Margaret Jull Costa * Zama, by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen * The Silentiary, by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen * The Suicides, by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen * Bomarzo, by Manuel Mujica Lainez, translated by Gregory Rabassa * Life and Fate, by Vasily Grossman, translated by Robert Chandler * Blood Dark, by Louis Guilloux, translated by Laura Marris * An African in Greenland, by Tete-Michel Kpomassie, translated by James Kirkup * A High Wind in Jamaica, by Richard Hughes * Max Havelaar: Or, the Coffee Auctions of The Dutch Trading Company, by Multatuli, translated by Ina Rilke and David McKay * The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim * Woman Running in the Mountains, by Yūko Tsushima, translated by Geraldine Harcourt * The Culling Time, by Yūko Tsushima, translated by Dennis Washburn * Loved and Missed, by Susie Boyt * The Sweet Dove Died, by Barbara Pym * Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, by François-Réne de Chateaubriand, translated by Alex Andriesse * The Story of a Life, by Konstantin Paustovsky, translated by Douglas Smith The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we begin a three-part series on the movements of a novel, starting with the opening. Not just the first line or even the first chapter, but that early stretch where a book begins to take shape, sets the tone, introduces its concerns, and makes its promises to the reader. What do we look for in an opening movement? What helps us trust a book? And how do great openings draw us in? We talk about some of our favorite examples and consider how novels teach us how to read them from the very start. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 135: William Faulkner * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. Shownotes What are we reading? * Paul: My Friends, by Hisham Matar * Trevor: The Witch, by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump Other books mentioned: * A Month in Sienna, by Hisham Matar * Rosie Carp, by Marie NDiaye, translated by Tamsin Black * All My Friends, by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump * Self-Portrait in Green, by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump * My Heart Hemmed In, by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump * Ladivine, by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump * The Cheffe: A Cook’s Novel, by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump * Vengeance Is Mine, by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump * Three Strong Women, by Marie NDiaye, translated by John Fletcher * Finnegans Wake, by James Joyce * Paradise Lost, by John Milton * The Divine Comedy, by Dante * If on a winter’s night a traveler . . ., by Italo Calvino, translated by William Weaver * David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens * Austerlitz, by W.G. Sebald, translated by Anthea Bell * Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke * Villette, by Charlotte Bronte * The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James * Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens * The Outsider, by Stephen King * Pedro Páramo, by Juan Rulfo * Don Quixote, by Miguel Cervantes * The Unconsoled, by Kazuo Ishiguro * The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann * The Comforters, by Muriel Spark * Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark * The Ballad of Peckham Rye, by Muriel Spark * An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews * The Literary Conference, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews * The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri * The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner * Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, by Ed Catmull The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’re joined by Luis Panini to talk about reading projects. What are they? Why do we take them on? What happens when we do? From reading an author’s work in careful chronological order to following looser themes and curiosities, we explore the ways readers give shape to their reading lives. Along the way, we consider the appeal of structure, the pull of serendipity, and the tension between encountering a book on its own terms and seeing it as part of a larger pattern. As always, we’re less interested in prescribing a “right” way to read than in exploring the possibilities. Whether you’re a devoted project reader or someone who prefers to follow whatever book calls out next, we hope this conversation offers something to enjoy. Find Luis on Instagram here. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 135: William Faulkner * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

What books would you want if you were stranded on a desert island? In this episode, Trevor and Paul each choose three books to take with them into literary isolation: one book they could reread forever, one that would help them maintain their humanity, and one that would give them something to wrestle with for the rest of their lives. Along the way they talk about what kinds of stories might sustain us when the world gets very quiet. Whether you’re imagining your own desert island library or just looking for a few great books to add to your list, join us for a conversation about the books we’d never want to be without. 2026 Novella Book Club We have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026! * January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James * April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira * July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector * September: Prelude, by Katherine Mansfield Discussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!). We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you’ll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store: * Episode 135: William Faulkner * Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor * Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz * Episode 165: Annie Ernaux * Episode 175: Henry James There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come! Shownotes What are you reading? * Paul: Woman Running in the Mountains, by Yuko Tsushima, translated by Geraldine Harcourt * Trevor: Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark Works mentinoed * Territory of Light, by Yuko Tsushima, translated by Geraldine Harcourt * The Comforters, by Muriel Spark * Robinson, by Muriel Spark * The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark * The Driver’s Seat, by Muriel Spark * Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, by James Bailey * Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe * Moby-Dick: or, The Whale, by Herman Melville * Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry * David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens * To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf * The Poems of Emily Dickinson * Middlemarch, by George Eliot * Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov * Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov * Paradise Lost, by John Milton Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind. We’re also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading. The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey! A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you’d like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they’re released to the public. We’d love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe