Shows / The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast
The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast
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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Episodes
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 82: Bucket List Books, Part II
This week we turn back the clock and revisit our very first podcast topic: Bucket List Books! We check in on our progress over the last few years, discuss our…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 81: Audiobooks
Looking to fit even more books into your life? We think audiobooks are a great solution. This week we chat about reading in different formats and settings and…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 80: Facing the Void
How do you fill the yawning chasm that arises after you finish a great book or a long group read? Is it a time of excitement and possibility, or a daunting and…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 79: Rediscovered Gems
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…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 78: The Great American Novel
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…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 77: Poetry
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…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 76: Author Completionism
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…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 75: Barbara Comyns
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…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 74: Canadian Literature
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…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 73: Hidden Gems
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…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 72: Characters on Holiday
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…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 71: 2024 Reading Horizon
This week we set our sites on 2024! We share our reading plans, hopes, and dreams for the New Year and highlight some of the new releases we can’t wait to add…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 70: Our Favorite Books We Read in 2023, Part II
For this final episode of 2023, we finish our annual two episode best of the year extravaganza! Here we count down our top five favorite reads of 2023—and…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 69: Our Favorite Books We Read in 2023, Part I
This week kicks off our annual two episode best of the year extravaganza! Trevor and Paul count down the first part of their ten favorite reads of 2023—and…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 68: The Dalkey Archive
This week’s publisher episode focuses on one of our very favorites: Dalkey Archive. Founded nearly 40 years ago, Dalkey specializes in “lesser-known and often…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 67: On a Bookish Holiday
For many of us, reading is like taking a holiday. But this week, we dive into true literary holidays as we discuss some of our favorite bookish destinations…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 66: Reading Habits
Do you read in the morning or at night? Do you read while walking? With music? Do you read more than one book at a time? In this episode Trevor and Paul look…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 65: Jon Fosse, with Damion Searls
Jon Fosse is the newest winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, and for this week’s episode we are joined by Fosse’s translator Damion Searls to discuss…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 64: Victorian Literature
This week’s episode has a lot in common with Victorian literature: long, sometimes digressive and (we hope) filled with fun topics and interesting characters!…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 63: Our Favorite Passages
This week, we’re talking about our favorite passages from literature. You know, those sentences, paragraphs or even pages that take your breath away and send…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 62: Spinster Lit
This week, we celebrate Spinster September by discussing spinster lit with Nora (pear.jelly). We chat about spinster tropes and stereotypes, ways in which the…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 61: The Most Intimidating Books on Our TBR
This week is all about the most intimidating books on our TBR piles. You know, the ones you really want to read someday and yet never quite seem to make it to…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 60: Favorite Books We Have Forgotten
Have you ever forgotten one of your all-time favorite books? If you’re anything like the two of us, the answer is a resounding yes! This week, we talk about…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 59: The Dry Heart
This week, we are joined by an all-star cast to discuss our 2023 summer read, Natalia Ginzburg’s The Dry Heart. Two of the most insightful readers we know…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 58: Books You Can Get Immersed In
Summer is a perfect time to take a break from real life and completely disappear into a good book. But what makes a book immersive? Plot? Writing? Characters?…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 57: Our Most Anticipated Releases from the Last Half of 2023
This week, we ignore our towering TBR piles and the many shelves bulging with backlist masterpieces and instead look ahead to the upcoming new releases we’re…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 56: Barbara Pym
A minor author focused only on small-town vicars and spinsters, or the next Jane Austen? This week, we are joined by Bonnie Renzi to discuss the complicated…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 55: Summer Reading Horizons
This week, Trevor and Paul call a quick audible and talk about summer books and reading horizons (an homage to The Readers!) They chat about their short-term…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 54: The Power of a Great Title
Would a book by any other name smell as sweet? This week, we have fun talking all about titles: How much do they matter? Are they truly art or more of a…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 53: Affinities
Inspired by Brian Dillon’s new book “Affinities,” Trevor and Paul have fun exploring the question: Why do we like what we like? The answers are not always…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 52: Stories About Idylls
Art and literature is filled with idylls -- picturesque and happy moments that can take the form of vacations, journeys or even a stolen afternoon. What is it…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 51: Sharing a Love of Reading with Future Generations
This week, we talk about passing on a love of reading between generations. Whether reading aloud to each other or quietly side by side, going on bookstore and…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 50: Open Letter Books
This week’s episode is all about one of our favorite publishers: Open Letter Books. Trevor and Paul are joined by translated lit super fan, Ron Restrepo, as…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 49: Rereading
Would you only visit a favorite city once? Enjoy a delicious meal and then never eat it again? Meet a fascinating new person and then go your separate ways -…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 48: Marking Up Your Books
Are you an underliner? Tab-user? A worshiper of the unblemished page? A *gulp* dogearer? This week, Trevor and Paul discuss marginalia and the various other…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 47: Finding Love Between the Covers
How do we love books? Let us count the ways. This week, Trevor and Paul have a little fun and answer a set of Valentine’s-influenced bookish questions. Find…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 46: Scholastique Mukasonga
This week, Trevor and Paul discuss the difficult but vital and beautiful work of Scholastique Mukasonga. Although her books cover incredibly tough subject…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 45: 2023 Reading Dreams
This week, Trevor and Paul look ahead to another exciting year of reading. From goals and strategies to some books they plan to read from their shelves to the…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 44: Our Favorite Books We Read in 2022, Part II
In this episode, Paul and Trevor end the year on a high note by each unveiling their top 5 reads of 2022. To add to the fun, they’re again joined by a few…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 43: Our Favorite Books We Read in 2022, Part I
It’s that time of year again! This week, Trevor and Paul unveil the first half of their lists of top reads of the year. And to add to the holiday cheer, some…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 42: Settling In for a Long Winter's Read
What makes the perfect winter reading experience? A hot drink? A cozy fire? And what types of books draw you in during the cold, dark times of the year? Long…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 41: The Magic of Libraries, with Nancy Pearl
This week, Trevor and Paul sit down with author and librarian extraordinaire, Nancy Pearl, to discuss the magic and importance of libraries. We share some…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 40: Book Prizes, with Lori Feathers
Book prizes tend to create a lot of buzz and conversation in the literary world. And that surely can’t be a bad thing, right? Some of us are longlist…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 39: Scary Books That Kept Us Up at Night
Some of us read for escape, others for the beauty of language. And then there are those on a never ending quest to be scared witless! In this episode, we…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 38: Fictional Places We Wish Were Real
Borges’ library. Middle Earth. Avonlea. Literature is filled with wonderful and intriguing places we wish were real. This week, we chat about the different…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 37: Hotel Novels
What is your preferred hotel experience? Do you go for a break from it all? A secret meeting? Do you like seedy crime scenes, or ghosts from the past? Are you…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 36: Epic Books
This week, our two heroes journey across the wine-dark sea in search of their favorite epic reads. But first, they have to try to figure out what the heck that…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 35: César Aira
Sliding doors? Nesting dolls? A bolt of lightning from on high? Talking about the works of Cesar Aira isn't always an easy task - but it sure is fun! This…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 34: A Lost Lady
In this episode, Chris Wolak from the Book Cougars joins us for a wide ranging discussion of Willa Cather's A Lost Lady. We discuss myths, disillusionment, the…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 33: Books About Growing Old
Growing old is the subject of a lot of great literature. In this episode, Trevor and Paul discuss some of their favorite books (and one short story) about…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 32: Authors We Can't Quite Quit Yet
You know those authors and books that you can’t seem to connect with … but also aren’t quite ready to give up on? In this episode, Paul and Trevor try to…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 31: New Directions, with Mark Haber
This week, we’re joined by author and bookseller extraordinaire Mark Haber to chat about one of our favorite publishers: New Directions. Although Paul and…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 30: Three Books with Brian Berrett
Please welcome Brian Berrett, Trevor's brother, back to The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast! Back, you ask? Yes! Brian started the original iteration of the…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 29: Summer Reading and Assigned Reading II
The official start of summer is just around the corner, but with kids finishing school and Memorial Day in the past, it feels like summer is already here…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 28: Our Dustiest Books
If you're like us, sometimes you go buy a book you are so excited to read, only to then leave it unread on the shelf for . . . well, years maybe! In this…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 27: Short Books, Fiction
This week, Paul and Trevor discuss short books (fiction): what makes them special? Which authors specialize in brevity? How have short books impacted our lives…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 26: Books About Books, Fiction
If you're a bibliophile, what could be better than a book about books? This week, Trevor and Paul are joined by their good friend Simon Thomas to talk about…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 25: Jane Austen
This week’s mega-episode is all about one of our very favorite authors. Trevor and Paul discuss Austen’s six major novels, chat about what makes her work so…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 24: Literary Years, 1922
In this episode, Trevor and Paul discuss great literary years. What have been some of the most noteworthy bookish years so far? What made them so special? They…
The Mookse and the Gripes PodcastEpisode 23: Archipelago Books
In this episode, Trevor and Paul spend some time talking about one of their favorite publishers, Archipelago Books. They each share three of their favorite…