The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast

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 r...

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 d...

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...

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 li...

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, mood...

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...

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? W...

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 betw...

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 susta...

We tend to think of books as belonging somewhere: novel, memoir, biography, fantasy, history. Genre gives us orientation and sets expectations. In this episode Trevor and Paul are joined by Rebeccas Hussey of One Bright Book to talk about books that blur boundaries and resist easy classification. Are these books resisting genre? Or are they resisting certainty itself? Please make sure to check out...

Is that a good book? It sounds like a simple question. But what does “good” actually mean? In this episode, Trevor and Paul explore the many ways a book can be good. They also reflect on how star ratings and quick takes, as much as we love them, can compress our responses, and why slowing down and considering why a book is “good”might deepen our relationship with the books we love. 2026 Novella Bo...

In this author-focused episode, we dive into the strange, funny, violent, and unsettling world of Flannery O’Connor. We talk about what surprised us most in her stories and novels, why her work still provokes such strong reactions, and what it’s like to read her closely today. As always, this is a conversation driven by curiosity, not expertise, and please accept our invitation to read along with...

We’ve all said it: “I wish I could read that again for the first time.” But what do we really mean when we say it? In this episode, Trevor and Paul explore the magic of first encounters with books. Is it about surprise? Youth? Timing? Being unprepared in the best possible way? Or is it about discovering not just a book, but a new way of reading, thinking, or feeling? Along the way, we talk about b...

In this episode, we look ahead to 2026, not with resolutions or reading quotas, but with curiosity about what we’re drawn to next. We talk about a handful of upcoming releases we’re excited for, and then share some longer, looser reading plans for the year ahead, including big novels, rereads, and ongoing projects we’re hoping to live with slowly. Along the way, we acknowledge the heaviness many p...

On Christmas Day, we bring our year-end tradition to a close by counting down our top five books of 2025. From beloved classics to unexpected discoveries, these final picks reflect a reading year shaped by curiosity, challenge, and joy. Settle in with us for a reflective conversation about the books that defined 2025 . . . and the anticipation of new reading adventures waiting in 2026! 2026 Novell...

In this first installment of our annual year-end wrap-up, we dive into the opening half of our top ten reads of 2025, counting down numbers ten through six and revisiting the books that surprised us, challenged us, and stayed with us throughout the year. Along the way, we’re joined by several friends who drop in to share the titles that meant the most to them in 2025, adding their voices to the co...

In this Thanksgiving episode, we start by reflecting on the bookish communities that make the solitary act of reading feel richer and more connected. Then we turn to the season ahead, chatting through the books we hope to finish before the calendar turns and the cozy, festive reads we’re saving for the holidays. It’s a gentle, grateful episode to accompany your weekend as we start to look at the e...

This week, Trevor and Paul are joined by Dorian Stuber of One Bright Book to talk about the difficult, liberating art of culling books. What does it mean to let go of the stories we’ve carried with us? Is it an act of loss, renewal, or self-knowledge? Together, they explore the philosophy, guilt, and quiet joy that come from pruning one’s shelves. 2026 Novella Book Club We are excited to announce...

In this special on-the-go episode, Trevor and Paul take the podcast out for a walk. As they wander, Trevor reflects on how he’s lost 40 pounds over the past few months and discovered ways to bring books into every part of his daily rhythm. From audiobooks on long walks to reading as recovery, the conversation explores what it means to make reading not just a mental habit, but a full-body experienc...

We’ve all been there: the books are piled high, but nothing calls out. In this episode, Trevor and Paul talk about reading slumps—what they look like, what brings them on, and how to find the spark again. From work stress to life interruptions to simple reader fatigue, we explore how to rediscover the joy of the page and the role of community in keeping reading alive. We’ve got some fantastic auth...

Some books are long, some are short, but certain works feel abundant—overflowing with rhythm, atmosphere, and depth that can’t be exhausted in a single reading. In this episode we are joined by Lori Feathers, and we set as our foundation Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady to explore what makes a work abundant. We move through other examples, asking what defines abundances, how it differs from si...

In this episode, Trevor and Paul turn their attention to Nobel Prize–winner Kazuo Ishiguro, whose eight novels over the past forty years have earned both admiration and debate. Together, we trace Ishiguro’s remarkable range: the restrained heartbreak of Remains of the Day , the dream-logic labyrinth of The Unconsoled , the quiet devastation of Never Let Me Go , the ambitious allegory of The Buried...

This week we are joined by translator Max Lawton to celebrate the release of Michael Lenz’s Schattenfroh from Deep Vellum. But rather than focus only on this one book, we open the conversation to a wider theme: the joy of reading books that resist. These are works that don’t give themselves up on a first pass, that refuse to be solved, that instead teach us how to read them as we go. With Schatten...

What does it take to build the perfect first shelf? This week we tackle the joyful—and surprisingly stressful—task of creating a starter library. We’re joined by John Williams, book editor at The Washington Post, to discuss how to choose ten books that someone can use as a starter library, offering comfort, surprise, and a little stretch along the way. We compare approaches, confess our struggles,...

We’re back for another round of Women in Translation Month! Each August, readers around the world celebrate books written by women and translated into English, spotlighting voices the too often go unheard. In this episode, we each pick five WIT titles we’re planning to read this month. We promise our goal is not to derail your carefully curated TBR list, but this is an event where we’ll happily ta...