The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast

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

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 One Bright Book Podcast as well!
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?
* Rebecca: Baldwin: A Love Story, by Nicholas Boggs; Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife, by Francesca Wade
* Paul: A Time to Keep Silence, by Patrick Leigh Fermor
* Trevor: Mule Boy, by Andrew Krivak
Works mentinoed
* Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, by Heather Clark
* The Making of Americans, by Gertrude Stein
* The Bear, by Andrew Krivak
* The Sojourn, by Andrew Krivak
* The Art of the Personal Essay, by Phillip Lopate
* The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age, by Sven Bikerts
* Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D. H. Lawrence, by Geoff Dyer
* But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz, by Geoff Dyer
* Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, by Herman Melville
* There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension, by Hanif Abdurraqib
* Cross-Stitch, by Jazmina Barrera, translated by Christina MacSweeney
* On Lighthouses, by Jazmina Barrera, translated by Christina MacSweeney
* Linea Nigra: Essays on Pregnancy and Earthquakes, by Jazmina Barrera, translated by Christina MacSweeney
* The Long Form, by Kate Briggs
* Drifts, by Kate Zambreno
* Orlando, by Virginia Woolf
* Alphabetical Diaries, by Sheila Heti
* Flights, by Olga Tokaczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft
* Dept. of Speculation, by Jenny Offill
* Erik Satie Three Piece Suite, by Ian Penman
* To Write As If Already Dead, by Kate Zambreno
* Suite for Barbara Loden, by Nathalie Léger, translated by Natasha Lehrer and Cécile Menon
* Traces of Enayat, by Iman Mersal, translated by Robin Moger
* Animal Joy: A Book of Laughter and Resuscitation, by Nuar Alsadir
* Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography, by Roland Barthes, translated by Richard Howard
* Fifty Sounds, by Polly Barton
* Melvill, Rodrigo Fresán, translated by Will Vanderhyden
* Rings of Saturn, by W.G. Sebald, translated by Michael Hulse
* Schattenfroh, by Michael Lenz, translated by Max Lawton
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

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