The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast

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 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: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, by Beth Brower
* Trevor: The Disappearing Act, by Maria Stepanova, translated by Sasha Dugdale
Works mentinoed
* King Lear, by William Shakespeare
* The Unconsoled, by Kazuo Ishiguro
* Robinson, by Muriel Spark
* Moby Dick: or, The Whale, by Herman Melville
* Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns
* Your Absence Is Darkness, by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated by Philip Roughton
* The Backslider, by Levi S. Peterson
* Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
* Ulysses, by James Joyce
* The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells
* Beloved, by Toni Morrison
* Lincoln in the the Bardo, by George Saunders
* Vigil, by George Saunders
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 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 us!
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: Time Shelter, by Georgi Gospodinov, translated by Angela Rodel; My Heresies, by Alina Stefanescu
* Trevor: Bomarzo, by Manuel Mujica Lainez, translated from the Spanish by Gregory Rabassa; Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time, by Dava Sobel
Flannery O’Connor’s Books
* Wise Blood (1952)
* A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955)
* The Violent Bear It Away (1960)
* Everything that Rises Must Converge (1965)
* Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose (1969)
* The Complete Stories (1971)
* The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor (1979)
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 now in the first novella book club of 2026, where we’re reading Daisy Miller, by Henry James. 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 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 books that opened doors, books we read at exactly the right (or wrong) moment, what rereading gives us. A conversation about memory, generosity, regret, delight, and why reading remains endlessly alive.
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 125: Flannery O’Connor
* Episode 135: William Faulkner
* Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor
* Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz
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: House of Day, House of Night, by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
* Trevor: The Comforters, by Muriel Spark
Paul’s Picks
* It, by Stephen King
* On the Road, by Jack Kerouac
* Tree of Smoke, by Denis Johnson
Trevor’s Picks
* To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf
* Austerlitz, by W.G. Sebald, translated by Anthea Bell
* No Tomorrow, by Vivant Denon, translated by Lydia Davis
Other Books & Works Mentioned
* Flights, by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft
* Pilgrimage, by Dorothy Richardson
* Bomarzo, by Manuel Mujica Lainez, translated by Gregory Rabassa
* Lolly Willowes, by Sylvia Townsend Warner
* And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
* Atonement, by Ian McEwan
* The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
* House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski
* Jesus’ Son, by Denis Johnson
* Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson
* The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James
* The Ambassadors, by Henry James
* Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace
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 now in the first novella book club of 2026, where we’re reading Daisy Miller, by Henry James. 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, 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 people are feeling right now and talk about why reading, conversation, and community continue to matter. Whether you’re planning your own reading year or just looking for company, we’re glad you’re 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 125: Flannery O’Connor
* Episode 135: William Faulkner
* Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor
* Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz
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
Upcoming Releases Mentioned
* Vigil, by George Saunders
* Now I Surrender, by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer
* The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary, by Terry Tempest Williams
* Vilhelm’s Room, by Tove Ditlevsen, translated by Jennifer Russell & Sophia Hersi Smith
* The Beginnings, by Antonio Moresco, translated by Max Lawton
* Theodorus, by Mircea Cărtărescu
* Five, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews
* Ada, by Mark Haber
Reading Projects & Plans Discussed
* The NYRB Classics Big Books project
* Currently reading: Bomarzo, by Manuel Mujica Láinez, translated by Gregory Rabassa
* On deck: Effingers, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy
* Reading Pilgrimage (Dorothy Richardson’s Pilgrimage)
* Monthly conversations and resources; videos posted online as a long-term archive by Brad Bigelow
* The website
* Shakespeare! Up next: King Lear
* Trevor’s 2026 “in the mix” authors/projects:
* Henry James (next up The Ambassadors)
* Charles Dickens (Everyman editions; weighing Bleak House vs. other Christmas gifts)
* Émile Zola (returning to the Rougon-Macquart project)
* Virginia Woolf journals + moving toward Mrs Dalloway
* NYRB Women readalong with Kim McNeil (starting with Lolly Willowes)
* Library book club (next up: Loved and Missed, by Susie Boyt)
* Paul’s year-long/slow-burn plans:
* Pilgrimage alongside the community project
* Continuing Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy
* Deeper into Mircea Cărtărescu, William H. Gass, and Clarice Lispector
* Potential Big Classics like The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas and Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray
* Bookstore book club focus on translated fiction/small presses
* Taiwan Travelogue, by Yang Shuangzi, translated by Lin King
* Time Shelter, by Georgi Gospodinov, translated by Angela Rodel
* Woman Running in the Mountains, by Yūko Tsushima, translated by Geraldine Harcourt
Books Also Mentioned
* In Search of Lost Time, by Marcel Proust
* The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann
* The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, by Margaret Renkl
* The Land in Winter, by Andrew Miller
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 now in the first novella book club of 2026, where we’re reading Daisy Miller, by Henry James. 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

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 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 125: Flannery O’Connor
* Episode 135: William Faulkner
* Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor
* Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz
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
* The Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown
* The Melancholy of Resistance, by László Krasznahorkai, translated by George Szirtes
* Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust, translated by C K Scott Moncrieff, Terence Kilmartin, and D.J. Enright
* Dr Chizhevsky’s Chandelier: The Decline of the USSR and other Heresies of the Twentieth Century, by Dan Elkind
* The Narrow Road to the Deep North, by Richard Flanagan
* Palinuro of Mexico, by Fernando del Paso, translated by Elisabeth Plaister
* The Tunnel, by William Gass
* A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry
* The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, by Aubrey Hartman
* Free Day, by Inès Cagnati, translated by Liesl Schillinger
* Crazy Genie, by Inès Cagnati, translated by Liesl Schillinger
* The Motion of the Body Through Space, by Lionel Shriver
* Ultramarine, by Mariette Navarro, translated by Eve Hill-Agnus
* North Sun, by Ethan Rutherford
* We Are Green and Trembling, by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Robin Myers
* The Adventures of China Iron, by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre
* Slum Virgin, by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Frances Riddle
* Skylark, by Dezső Kosztolányi, translated by Richard Aczel
* Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, by François-Réne de Chateaubriand, translated by Alex Andriesse
* Effingers, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy
* Bomarzo, by Manuel Mujica Lainez, translated from the Spanish by Gregory Rabassa
* Lies and Sorcery, by Elsa Morante, translated by Jenny McPhee
* Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf
* The Sweet Dove Died, by Barbara Pym
* The Bear, by Andrew Krivak
* Bear, by Marian Engel
* Small Reckonings, by Karin Melberg Schwier
* The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, by Beth Brower
* The City and Its Uncertain Walls, by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel
* The End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland, by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin
* A Strange and Sublime Address, by Amit Chaudhuri
* A New World, by Amit Chaudhuri
* The Immortals, by Amit Chaudhuri
* Incompleteness, by Amit Chaudhuri
* Sojourn, by Amit Chaudhuri
* Friend of My Youth, by Amit Chaudhuri
* Afternoon Raag, by Amit Chaudhuri
* The Pursuit of Love, by Nancy Mitford
* Anima: A Wild Pastoral, by Kapka Kassabova
* Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe, by Kapka Kassabova
* Käsebier Takes Berlin, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy
* The Story of a Life, by Konstantin Paustovsky, translated by Douglas Smith
* Life and Fate, by Vasily Grossman, translated by Robert Chandler
* Stalingrad, by Vasily Grossman, translated by Robert Chandler and Elizabeth Chandler
* The Anatomy of Melancholy, by Robert Burton
* Sea, Poison, by Caren Beilin
* The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio
* The Stronghold, by Dino Buzzati, translated by Lawrence Venuti
* A Love Affair, by Dino Buzzati, translated by Joseph Green
* The Singularity, by Dino Buzzati, translated by Anne Milano Appel
* The Bewitched Bourgeoisie: Fifty Stories, by Dino Buzzati, translated by Lawrence Venuti
* Waiting for the Barbarians, by J.M. Coetzee
* The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James
* Daisy Miller, by Henry James
* The Ambassadors, by Henry James
* The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James
* Washington Square, by Henry James
* The Coxon Fund, by Henry James
Other
* Shawn’s Review of Small Reckonings
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 now in our third novella book club, where we’re reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark. 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