In each episode Trevor Berrett and Paul Wilson have a pleasant conversation about books and reading.
Visit our blog at http://mookseandgripes.com/reviews. Follow us on Twitter @mookse and @bibliopaul. Email mookseandgripes@gmail.com.
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We all have those books that are waiting in the wings, begging for a chance to make their way off the shelf and into our hands. This week, we chat about why some books seem to get stuck on the sidelines, even though we always think they’ll be the next one up. We discuss some of the reasons this happens and each share five of our own benchwarmer books, doing our best to justify why we keep ignoring their pleas to “put me in coach!”
Shownotes
Books
* Horror Movie, by Paul Tremblay
* Proust Was a Neuroscientist, by Jonah Lehrer
* The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
* Circe, by Madeline Miller
* To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolfe
* Tess of the D’Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy
* The Human Stain, by Philip Roth
* The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy
* Stella Maris, by Cormac McCarthy
* Pnin, by Vladimir Nabokov
* Absalolm, Absalom!, by William Faulkner
* Baudolino, by Umberto Eco
* The Gormenghast Novels, by Mervyn Peake
* Strong Motion, by Jonathan Franzen
* The Twenty-Seventh City, by Jonathan Franzen
* Night Watch, by Jayne Anne Phillips
* The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books (and Two Not-So-Great Books) Saved My Life, by Andy Miller
* We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen
* The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
* Lady Chatterley’s Lover, by D.H. Lawrence
* The Rainbow, by D.H. Lawrence
* Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence
* Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence
* Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi
* Hurricane Season, by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes
* Hons and Rebels, by Jessica Mitford
* Romola, by George Eliot
* The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen
* At Play in the Fields of the Lord, by Peter Matthiessen
* The Peregrine, by J.A. Baker
* Shadow Country, by Peter Matthiessen
* Tigana, by Guy Gabriel Kay
* Up in the Old Hotel, by Joseph Mitchell
* The Last Colony, by John Scalzi
* Old Mans’ War, by John Scalzi
* The Ghost Brigade, by John Scalzi
* Zoe’s Tale, by John Scalzi
* The Adventures of China Iron, by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre
* Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust
* War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Anthony Briggs
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another. We hope you’ll continue to join us!
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go 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
Episode 88: Women in Translation
Thursday, September 5, 2024 • Duration 01:41:58
To close out Women In Translatjon month, we’re thrilled to be joined by poet and translator Robin Myers. We chat about the art of translation and the importance of providing access to and for wide a range of voices. And we each share three translated books written by women that we think you should know about. What did you read this year during #WITMonth?
Shownotes
Books
* The Brush, by Eliana Hernández-Pachón, translated by Robin Myers
* The Forgery, by Ave Barrera, translated by Robin Myers and Ellen Jones
* Restoration, by Ave Barrera, translated by Robin Myers and Ellen Jones
* Metamorphoses, by Emanuele Coccia, translated by Robin Mackay
* Texas: The Great Theft, by Carmen Boullosa, translated by Samantha Schnee
* Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino, translated by William Weaver
* Minor Detail, by Adania Shibli, translated by Elizabeth Jaquette
* Lojman, by Ebru Owen, translated by Aron Aji and Selin Gökçesu
* Umami, by Laia Jufresa, translated by Sophie Hughes
* A Change of Time, by Ida Jensen, translated by Martin Aitken
* Ladivine, by Marie Ndiaye, translated by Jordan Stump
* Nostalgia Doesn’t Flow Away Like Riverwater, by Irma Pineda, translated by Wendy Call
* Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel, by Yoko Tawada, translated by Susan Bernofsky
* Ti Amo, by Hanne Ørstavik, translated by Martin Aitken
* We Are Green and Trembling, by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Robin Myers
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 79: Rediscovered Gems
Thursday, May 2, 2024 • Duration 01:22:47
So many great books have been published only to go out of print, for whatever reason. But they still have things to say to contemporary readers. Thankfully, there are several publishers whose work focuses on bringing these books back to us grateful readers. In this episode, we are are joined by Jacqui, who blogs at JacquiWine’s Journal, to discuss some of our favorite publishers who help us all rediscover gems. What are some of your favorite publishers and the gems they helped you rediscover?
Shownotes
Books
* And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
* In the Distance, by Hernan Diaz
* Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson
* Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maude Montgomery
* The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
* Things We Lost in the Fire, by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell
* Our Share of Night, by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell
* Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia, by Rebecca West
* Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber
* A Strange and Sublime Address, by Amit Chaudhuri
* Friend of My Youth, by Amit Chaudhuri
* Sojourn, by Amit Chaudhuri
* Calcutta, by Amit Chaudhuri
* The Immortals, by Amit Chaudhuri
* A New World, by Amit Chaudhuri
* Odysseus Abroad, by Amit Chaudhuri
* Stoner, by John Williams
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 78: The Great American Novel
Thursday, April 18, 2024 • Duration 01:36:29
The idea of the Great American Novel is controversial, passé, hubristic, and . . . always fascinating to talk about. This week, inspired by a recent list of potential candidates for the Great American Novel published in The Atlantic, we dive in and talk about the concept, the history, the list, and our votes for other contenders. What book(s) would get your vote?
Shownotes
Books
* The MANIAC, by Benjamin Labatut
* Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber
* Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe, by Kapka Kassabova
* Elixir: In the Valley at the End of Time, by Kapka Kassabova
* To the River: A Balkan Journey of War and Peace, by Kapka Kassabova
* Anima: A Wild Pastoral, by Kapka Kassabova
* Dante: The Inferno, translated by Robert Hollander and Jean Hollander
* Phineas Finn, by Anthony Trollope
* The Eustace Diamonds, by Anthony Trollope
* Phineas Reduce, by Anthony Trollope
* Mortal Leap, by MacDonald Harris
* Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville
* Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe
* James, by Percival Everett
* The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
* Augustus, by John Williams
* Butcher’s Crossing, by John Williams
* Absalom, Absalom!, by William Faulkner
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 77: Poetry
Thursday, April 4, 2024 • Duration 01:42:13
How do we love poetry? Let us count the ways. This week, we’re joined by Anthony Garrett to kick off National Poetry Month with a wonderful conversation about our favorite poems and poets, how and when we read poetry, and a discussion about how to approach this sometimes intimidating part of the literary landscape. Does poetry play a part in your reading life?
We also announce the winners of our latest giveaway, so please join us!
Shownotes
Books
* Averno, by Louise Glück
* The Obscene Bird of Night, by José Donoso, translated by Megan McDowell, Hardie St. Martin, and Leonard Mades
* A Naked Singularity, by Sergio De La Pava
* Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe, by Kapka Kassabova
* To the Lake: A Balkan Journey of War and Peace, by Kapka Kassabova
* Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, by Rebecca West
* War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Anthony Briggs
* The Fisherman, by John Langan
* Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville
* Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
* The Savage Detectives, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer
* Rock Crystal, by Adalbert Stifter, translated by Elizabeth Mayer and Marianne Moore
* The End, by Attila Bartis, translated by Judith Sollosy
* Divorcing, by Susan Taubes
* Notes of a Crocodile, by Qin Miaogin, translated by Bonnie Huie
* “The Waste Land,” by T.S. Eliot
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 76: Author Completionism
Thursday, March 21, 2024 • Duration 01:18:59
This week we discuss the idea of being a completist in our reading. We discuss the authors whose works we’ve finished completely, as well as those we’re working on (or hoping to…). Do you savor your favorite authors’ works slowly or gobble them all down? Have you read the entire catalog of any authors?
We also have a special giveaway, so please join us!
Giveaway!
This week we have four books to give away! And we want to choose four winners! Do any of these books call to you? Please enter to win one of them!
* Rock Crystal, by Adalbert Stifter, translated by Elizabeth Mayer and Marianne Moore
* Divorcing, by Susan Taubes
* Notes of a Crocodile, by Qiu Miaojin, translated by Bonnie Huie
* The End, by Attila Bartis, translated by Judith Sollosy
To enter, send us an entry by email or DM or however you wish, but please include two things!
First, list the books you are interested in winning in preferential order because we don’t want someone to win a book they already have.
Second, tell us if you’re a completionist or aspiring completionist with any authors.
We will be drawing when we record the morning of March 30, so have entries to us by then!
Shownotes
Books mentioned prior to the Completion Discussion
* Rock Crystal, by About the Podcast
* Divorcing, by Susan Taubes
* Notes of a Crocodile, by Qiu Miaojin, translated by Bonnie Huie
* Last Words from Montmartre, by Qiu Miaojin, translated by Ari Larissa Heinrich
* The End, by Attila Bartis, translated by Judith Sollosy
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 75: Barbara Comyns
Thursday, March 7, 2024 • Duration 01:23:27
Although the books of Barbara Comyns have experienced a bit of a renaissance in recent years, she remains woefully under appreciated and read by far too few. This week, we’re joined by Comyns aficionado Nora to discuss this beguiling and fascinating author and to do our best to spread the word about her strange and wonderful books.
Shownotes
Books
* My Death, by Lisa Tuttle
* The Savage Detectives, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer
* Splinters: Another Kind of Love Stores, by Leslie Jamison
* Not Even the Dead, by Juan Goméz Bárcena, translated by Katie Whittemore
* Paradise Reclaimed, by Halldór Laxness, translated by Magnus Magnusson
* The House of Dolls, by Barbara Comyns
* Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, by Elizabeth Taylor
* Sisters by a River, by Barbara Comyns
* O Caledonia, by Elspeth Barker
* I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith
* The Vet’s Daughter, by Barbara Comyns
* Our Spoons Came from Woolworths, by Barbara Comyns
* Barbara Comyns: A Savage Innocence, by Avril Horner
* Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead, by Barbara Comyns
* Out of the Red, Into the Blue, by Barbara Comyns
* The Skin Chairs, by Barbara Comyns
* Birds in Tiny Cages, by Barbara Comyns
* A Touch of Mistletoe, by Barbara Comyns
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 74: Canadian Literature
Thursday, February 22, 2024 • Duration 01:44:49
This week, we're joined by Jerry Faust for a fun conversation about Canadian literature. Incredibly diverse and far too often overlooked, Canada’s literary output is a goldmine of wonderful books and authors. What are your favorites?
Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada
As you’ve heard on the podcast, Paul is a judge of this year’s prize. The longlist has been announced, and the shortlist is on the way!
Would you like to join Paul at a Zoom party celebrating the longlist, with publishers, authors and translators? You can! It happens on Tuesday, February 27, at 6 p.m. CT. Click here to find the information to sign up!
Shownotes
* Small Joys, by Elvin James Mensah
* The Boys in the Trees, by Mary Swan
* The Birds, by Tarjei Vesaas, translated by Michael Barnes and Torbjøn Støverud
* The Ice Palace, by Tarjei Vesaas, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan
* The Hills Reply, by Tarjei Vesaas, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan
* The Savage Detectives, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer
* Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death, by Laura Cumming
* The Vanishing Velàzquez: A 19th Century Bookseller’s Obsession with a Lost Masterpiece, by Laura Cumming
* Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
* Moonflower Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
* The Word Is Murder, by Anthony Horowitz
* Possession, by A.S. Byatt
* The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 73: Hidden Gems
Thursday, February 8, 2024 • Duration 01:42:37
This week, we're joined by Shawn the Book Maniac for a fun discovery about one of his specialties: finding books that are hidden gems. We share some tips for finding great books that are off the beaten path, discuss why it's important and fun, and share three books each that you may never have heard of before—quite a challenge! Hopefully we will add at least one to your bookstore scavenger hunt list!
What are your favorite books that fly under the radar?
Shownotes
* The Savage Detectives, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer
* Mean Spirit, by Linda Hogan
* Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann
* Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun: Portraits of Everyday Life in Eight Indigenous Communities, by PaulSeesequasis
* Day, by Michael Cunningham
* The Hours, by Michael Cunningham
* Miss MacIntosh, My Darling, by Marguerite Young
* The Book of Forgotten Authors, by Christopher Fowler
* The Sea Change of Angela Lewes, by Cynthia Propper Seton
* The Last Light Breaking: Living Among Alaska's Inupiat Eskimos, by Nick Jans
* A Life on Paper, by Georges-Olivier Chateaureynard, translated by Edward Gauvin
* The Conductor and Other Tales, by Jean Ferry, translated by Edward Gauvin
* The One Who Did Not Ask, by Altar Fatima, translated by Rukhsana Ahmad
* Severina, by Rodrigo Rey Rosa, translated by Chris Andrews
* The African Shore, by Rodrigo Rey Rosa, translated by Jeffrey Gray
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Episode 72: Characters on Holiday
Thursday, January 25, 2024 • Duration 01:28:23
Books and holidays go together perfectly, and not just for those of us doing the reading. This week, we talk about our favorite stories where the characters are on vacation—a perfect recipe for exploring exotic settings, quenching vicarious wanderlust, romance, adventure, and plenty more!
We also announce the winner our latest giveaway!
Shownotes
* Germinal, by Émile Zola, translated by Peter Collier
* The Sin of Abbé Mouret, by Émile Zola, translated by Valerie Minogue
* A Love Story, by Émile Zola, translated by Helen Constantine
* January, by Sara Gallardo, translated by Frances Riddle and Maureen Shaughnessy
* The End, by Attila Bartis, translated by Judith Sollosy
* Until August, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, translated by Anne McLean
* Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, by Rebecca West
* Two Sherpas, by Sebastián Martínez Daniell, translated by Jennifer Croft
* Not a River, by Sevla Almada, translated by Annie McDermott
* War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Anthony Briggs
* Other Worlds: Peasants, Pilgrims, Spirits, Saints, by Teffi, edited by Robert Chandler
* The Fortune of the Rougons, by Émile Zola, translated by Brian Nelson
* Can Your Forgive Her?, by Anthony Trollope
* Adam Bede, by George Eliot
* Middlemarch, by George Eliot
* Travels with Charley, by John Steinbeck
* , by E.M. Forster
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
* A Strange Adventure, by Eva Forest, translated by Robin Myers
* Sister Deborah, by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzotti
* Canoes, by Maylis de Kerangal, translated by Jessica Moore
* Stay with Me, by Hanne Ørstavik, translated by Martin Aitken
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another. We hope you’ll continue to join us!
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out!
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another. We hope you’ll continue to join us!
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out!
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another. We hope you’ll continue to join us!
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out!
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another. We hope you’ll continue to join us!
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out!
* The Savage Detectives, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by
* Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia, by Rebecca West
* Adam Bede, by George Eliot
* Phineas Finn, by Anthony Trollope
* Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber
* Reinhardt’s Garden, by Mark Haber
* Saint Sebastian’s Abyss, by Mark Haber
* 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another. We hope you’ll continue to join us!
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out!
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another.
Please join us! You can subscribe at Apple podcasts or go to the feed to import to your favorite podcatcher.
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out!
* Daddy Lenin and Other Stories, by Guy Vanderhaeghe
* The Golden Mean, by Annabel Lyon
* The Sweet Girl, by Annabel Lyon
* Consent, by Annabel Lyon
* A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry
* The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje
* Pastoral, by André Alexis
* Fifteen Dogs, by André Alexis
* Ring, by André Alexis
* As for Me and My House, by Sinclair Ross
* The Winter Vault, by Anne Michaels
* Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels
* Held, by Anne Michaels
* Basic Black with Pearls, by Helen Weinzweig
* South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel
* The Stone Angel, by Margaret Laurence
* Island, by Alistair MacLeod
* No Great Mischief, by Alistair MacLeod
* The Way the Crow Flies, by Anne Marie MacDonald
* The Geography of Pluto, by Christopher DiRaddo
* The Family Way, by Christopher DiRaddo
* Autumn Rounds, by Jacques Poulin, translated by Sheila Fischman
* Natasha and Other Stories, by David Bezmozgis
* The Free World, by David Bezmozgis
* Immigrant City, by David Bezmozgis
* Transit, by Anna Seghers, translated by Margot Bettauer Dembo
About the Podcast
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another.
Please join us! You can subscribe at Apple podcasts or go to the feed to import to your favorite podcatcher.
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out!
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another.
Please join us! You can subscribe at Apple podcasts or go to the feed to import to your favorite podcatcher.
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out!
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another.
Please join us! You can subscribe at Apple podcasts or go to the feed to import to your favorite podcatcher.
Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you’d like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out!
