The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast

• Episode 105: Wrists Be Damned: or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Big Books

  In this episode, Trevor and Paul are joined by Chris Via of Leaf by Leaf to celebrate the experience of reading big books. From the books that once intimidated us to the ones we now can't imagine our overburdened shelves without, we dive into what makes a book feel "big." Along the way, we share personal stories, favorite strategies for tackling doorstoppers, the books that stretched us as readers, and reflect on why some big books stay with us for life. Whether you're a lifelong lover of big books or someone who's still building up your wrist strength, this is an episode for you.We’d love to hear from you, too—what are your favorite big books? Which ones are still looming on your to-be-read pile, daring you to pick them up? Let us know!Join the Mookse and the Gripes on DiscordAn easy place to respond to our question above is over on Discord!We’re creating a welcoming space for thoughtful, engaging discussions about great novellas—and other books things. Whether you want to share insights, ask questions, or simply follow along, we’d love to have you.ShownotesBooks* War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Anthony Briggs* 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer* The Guermantes Way, by Marcel Proust* FEM, by Magda Carneci, translated by Sean Cotter* Blinding, by Mircea Cărtărescu, translated by Sean Cotter* Solenoid, by Mircea Cărtărescu, translated by Sean Cotter* Novel Explosives, by Jim Gauer* Bookwork: Conversations with Michael Silverblatt* The Recognitions, by William Gaddis* The Dying Grass: A Novel of the New Perce War, by William T. Vollmann* Faust, Part One: A New Translation with Illustrations, by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe, translated by Zsuzsanna Ozsváth and Frederick Turner* Invidicum, by Michael Brodsky* The Ice-Shirt, by William T. Vollmann* The Aesthetics of Resistance, by Peter Weiss, translated by Joachim Neugroschel* Middlemarch, by George Eliot* Great Granny Webster, by Caroline Blackwood* Pilgrimage, by Dorothy Richardson* Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry* Moby Dick, by Herman Melville* Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson* Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz* Nausea, by Jean-Paul Sartre, translated by Richard Howard* Schattenfroh, by Micheal Lentz, translated by Max Lawton* The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks* The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Andrew R. MacAndrew* It, by Stephen King* The Stand, by Stephen King* Shogun, by James Clavell* Tom’s Crossing, by Mark Z. Danielewski* Women and Men, by Joseph McElroy* Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust* Lies and Sorcery, by Elsa Morante, translated by Jenny McPhee* Miss MacIntosh, My Darling, by Marguerite Young* The Blue Room, by Hanne Ørstavik, translated by Deborah Dawkin* Against the Day, by Thomas Pynchon* Ulysses, by James Joyce* 4 3 2 1, by Paul Auster* Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison* Shadow Ticket, by Thomas Pynchon* The Tunnel, by William H. Gass* A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth* The Golden Gate, by Vikram Seth* The Story of a Life, by Konstantin Paustovsky, translated by Doug Smith* The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Royall Tylor* A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara* The People in the Trees, by Hanya Yanagihara* Stone Upon Stone, by Wiesław Myśliwski, translated by Bill Johnston* Needle’s Eye, by Wiesław Myśliwski, translated by Bill JohnstonOther* Leaf by Leaf* Episode 1: Bucket List Books* Episode 99: Books We Think About All the Time, with Elisa Gabbert* The Untranslated: Schattenfroh by Michael LentzThe 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

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• Episode 104: Hanne Ørstavik

  What happens when a writer turns silence, fear, grief—and love?—into novels that are barely a couple hundred pages but echo for days? Whether it’s love withheld, misplaced, or mourned, Ørstavik’s novels speak to each other through unspoken longing and the disorienting nature of grief—with a quiet, cumulative power that’s hard to shake. In this episode, we explore the devastating brilliance of Hanne Ørstavik, the Norwegian author whose emotionally precise novels—Love, The Pastor, Ti Amo, and Stay with Me (neither of us has read The Blue Room, but we have it on order)—have deeply moved and unsettled us.We dig into what makes Ørstavik’s emotional landscapes so haunting, and why these books, though spare on the surface, feel endlessly deep. From unspoken longing to the disorienting nature of grief, these novels speak to each other in unexpected and beautiful ways.We’d love to hear your thoughts: Have you read any of Ørstavik’s work? Which novel struck you most—or which are you most curious to read?Join the Mookse and the Gripes on DiscordAn easy place to respond to our question above is over on Discord!We’re creating a welcoming space for thoughtful, engaging discussions about great novellas—and other books things. Whether you want to share insights, ask questions, or simply follow along, we’d love to have you.ShownotesBooks* Love, by Hanne Ørstavik, translated by Martin Aitken* The Pastor, by Hanne Ørstavik, translated by Martin Aitken* Ti Amo, by Hanne Ørstavik, translated by Martin Aitken* Stay with Me, by Hanne Ørstavik, translated by Martin Aitken* The Ice-Shirt, by William T. Vollmann* The Bear, by Andrew Krivak* The Sojourn, by Andrew Krivak* The Road, by Cormac McCarthy* The Blue Room, by Hanne Ørstavik, translated by Deborah Dawkin* Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber* First Love, by Ivan Turgenev* Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin* The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark* Within a Budding Grove, by Marcel ProustOther* Reading in Translation: Narrating and Translating Love and Grief in “TI AMO”: Norwegian Author Hanne Ørstavik and English Translator Martin Aitken in Conversation with Nataliya DelevaThe 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

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  1:18:46
• Episode 103: Charco Press

  It’s time for another publisher-centric episode, and it’s another stunner—we’re heading to Latin America (via Scotland!) to talk about the brilliant Charco Press! We dive into what makes Charco Press such a standout: their dedication to bringing contemporary Latin American literature to English-language readers, their thoughtful support of authors and translators, and, yes, their absolutely gorgeous books.We each share three Charco titles we love and three more we can’t wait to get our hands on. There’s something for everyone—from the surreal to the political, the tender to the explosive. Plus, we announce the winner of our March giveaway and introduce an amazing new prize for April: a 2025 bundle of Charco Press books! You do not want to miss this one.Join the Mookse and the Gripes on DiscordWe’re creating a welcoming space for thoughtful, engaging discussions about great novellas, starting with First Love by Ivan Turgenev in April. Whether you want to share insights, ask questions, or simply follow along, we’d love to have you. The discussion will unfold gradually, so you can read at your own pace and jump in whenever you're ready. It’s a great way to connect with fellow readers, explore new works together, and deepen your appreciation for the novella form.For the first book, the schedule will be as follows:* April 6: Start of the book through Section 9* April 9: Section 10 through Section 16* April 13: Section 17 through the endShownotesBooks* On the Calculation of Volume I, by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara Haveland* The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher* Fated, by Benedict Jacka* Cursed, by Benedict Jacka* First Love, by Ivan Turgenev* The Wind That Lays Waste, by Selva Almada, translated by Chris Andrews* Dead Girls, by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott* Brickmakers, by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott* Not a River, by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott* Catching Fire: A Translation Diary, by Daniel Hahn* Never Did the Fire, by Diamela Eltit, translated by Daniel Hahn* Homesick, by Jennifer Croft* The Cemetery of Untold Stories, by Julia Alvarez* The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka* An Orphan World, by Giuseppe Caputo, translated by Sophie Hughes and Juana Adcock* Dislocations, by Sylvia Malloy, translated by Jennifer Croft* Elena Knows, by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle* A Little Luck, by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle* Fish Soup, by Margarita García Robayo, translated by Charlotte Coombe* The Distance Between Us, by Renato Cisneros, translated by Fionn Petch* Time of the Flies, by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle* Two Sherpas, by Sebastián Martinez Daniell, translated by Jennifer Croft* Trout, Belly Up, by Rodrigo Fuentes, translated by Ellen Jones* Fresh Dirt from the Grave, by Giovanna Rivero, translated by Isabel Adey* The Adventures of China Iron, by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre* A Perfect Cemetery, by Federico Falco, translated by Jennifer Croft* Cautery, by Lucía Litmaer, translated by Maureen Shaughnessy* The Delivery, by Margarita García Robayo, translated by Megan McDowell* The Forgery, by Ave Barrera, translated by Ellen Jones and Robin Myers* Restoration, by Ave Barrera, translated by Ellen Jones and Robin Myers* Die, My Love, by Ariana Harwicz, translated by Sarah Moses and Carolina Orloff* Feebleminded, by Ariana Harwicz, translated by Annie McDermott and Carolina Orloff* Tender, by Ariana Harwicz, translated by Annie McDermott and Carolina OrloffOther* The Book Club Review Podcast* Charco Press Website* Episode 74: Canadian Literature, with Jerry Faust* Episode 88: Women in Translation, with Robin MyersThe 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

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  1:22:25
• Episode 102: Diving into the Past with Historical Fiction

  In this episode of The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast, we’re joined by Rohan Maitzen to explore the multifaceted world of historical fiction. Rohan guides us through the genre, unpacking its many layers and surprising complexities. From timeless classics to unexpected gems, we share some of our favorite examples from the genre and discuss how historical fiction challenges our perceptions of the past and sparks conversations about the present, all while whisking us away to another time. Whether you're drawn to sweeping epics or intimate character studies, tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that will enhance the way you think about historical fiction!Join the Mookse and the Gripes on DiscordWe’re creating a welcoming space for thoughtful, engaging discussions about great novellas, starting with First Love by Ivan Turgenev in April. Whether you want to share insights, ask questions, or simply follow along, we’d love to have you. The discussion will unfold gradually, so you can read at your own pace and jump in whenever you're ready. It’s a great way to connect with fellow readers, explore new works together, and deepen your appreciation for the novella form.For the first book, the schedule will be as follows:* April 6: Start of the book through Section 9* April 9: Section 10 through Section 16* April 13: Section 17 through the endShownotesBooks* Widening the Skirts of Light: Essays on George Eliot, by Rohan Maitzen* Middlemarch for Book Clubs, by Rohan Maitzen* Middlemarch, by George Eliot* Daniel Deronda, by George Eliot* Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen* The Lymond Chronicles, by Dorothy Dunnett* My Lady Jane, by Cynthia Hand* Stone Yard Devotional, Charlotte Wood* All Fours, by Miranda July* Mrs. Death Misses Death, by Salena Godden* Telephone, by Percival Everett* Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend, by Rebecca Romney* Evelina, by Frances Burney* Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen* The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe* The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey* Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry* Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since, by Walter Scott* Adam Bede, by George Eliot* Romola, by George Eliot* The Cater Street Hangman, by Anne Perry* The Whitechapel Conspiracy, by Anne Perry* Kindred, by Octavia Butler* An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, by P.D. James* The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas* Burial Rites, by Hannah Kent* The Young Mary Queen of Scots, by Jean Plaidy* Murder Most Royal, by Jean Plaidy* Lives of the Queens of England, by Agnes and Elizabeth Strickland* Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks* Siege of Krishnapur, by J.G. Farrell* Troubles, by J.G. Farrell* The Singapore Grip, by J.G. Farrell* Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell* A Long Long Way, by Sebastian Barry* Tree of Smoke, by Denis Johnson* Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks* The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara* Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson* My Lady Of Cleves, by Margaret Campbell Barnes* Child of the Morning, by Pauline Gedge* The Eagle and the Raven, by Pauline GedgeOther* Episode 64: Victorian LiteratureThe 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

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  1:53:26
• Episode 101: Big News, Short Books

  Introducing the Mookse and Gripes Novella Reading Group! Through this year, we’re reading three novellas about love, longing, and leadership gone slightly off the rails. In this episode, we kick things off with some bookish banter before unveiling our new novella reading group on Discord. We have a short intermission for a special new game with a giveaway and then share the three novellas we’ll be reading in 2025, diving into why we chose these books.Join us as we celebrate the art of the novella. We hope you’ll read along!Join the Mookse and the Gripes on DiscordWe’re creating a welcoming space for thoughtful, engaging discussions about great novellas, starting with First Love by Ivan Turgenev in April. Whether you want to share insights, ask questions, or simply follow along, we’d love to have you. The discussion will unfold gradually, so you can read at your own pace and jump in whenever you're ready. It’s a great way to connect with fellow readers, explore new works together, and deepen your appreciation for the novella form.For the first book, the schedule will be as follows:* April 6: Start of the book through Section 9* April 9: Section 10 through Section 16* April 13: Section 17 through the endShownotesBooks* Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber* Melvill, by Rodrigo Fresán, translated by Will Vanderhyden* Like a Sky Inside, by Jakuta Alikavazovic, translated by Daniel Levin Becker* The Case of Cem, by Vera Mutafchieva, translated by Angela Rodel* Your Absence Is Darkness, by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated by Philip Roughton* Small Rain, by Garth Greenwell* Command Performance, by Jean Echenoz, translated * Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf* To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf* The Waves, by Virginia Woolf* The Voyage Out, by Virginia Woolf* Mrs Dalloway: Biography of a Novel, by Mark Hussey* Trafik, by Rikki Ducornet* We’re Safe When We’re Alone, by Nghiem Tran* Cecilia, by K-Ming Chang* Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan* Chess Story, by Stefan Zweig, translated by Joel Rotenberg* The Guest Cat, by Takashi Hiraide, translated by Eric Selland* The Stepdaughter, by Caroline Blackwood* Great Granny Webster, by Caroline Blackwood* So Long, See You Tomorrow, by William Maxwell* Fever Dream, by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell* Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson* The Body, by Stephen King* The Long Walk, by Stephen King* First Love, by Ivan Turgenev, translated by Isaiah Berlin* Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin* The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark* The Turn of the Screw, by Henry JamesOther* Episode 27: Short Books, Fiction* “Ten haunting, atmospheric novellas I highly recommend”: JacquiWine’s JournalThe 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

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