For the second installment in our series on the three pieces of a book, we turn from beginnings to that more difficult territory: the middle. What happens in the middle of a book? Is it simply the space connecting a strong opening to a satisfying ending? In this episode we explore the experience of living inside a book: development, repetition, immersion, wandering, pressure, rhythm. This feels like the space where the book does its work. We discuss the middles of sprawling novels as well short stories, asking what middles do and why thinking about this has helped us become less reactive and more attentive readers.
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
* In Trees: An Exploration, by Robert Moor
* On Trails: An Exploration, by Robert Moore
* If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation, by Daniel Hahn
* A General Theory of Oblivion, by José Eduardo Agualusa, translated by Daniel Hahn
* Catching Fire: A Translation Diary, by Daniel Hahn
* The Unconsoled, by Kazuo Ishiguro
* 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer
* In Search of Lost Time, by Marcel Proust
* Middlemarch, by George Eliot
* Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
* First Love, by Ivan Turgenev
* Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin
* The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark
* Daisy Miller, by Henry James
* An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews
* Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson
* Effingers, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy
* To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf
* “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor
* Reinhardt’s Garden, by Mark Haber
* Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber
* Ada, by Mark Haber
* Ducks, Newburyport, by Lucy Ellmann
* Moby-Dick: or, The Whale, by Herman Melville
* If on a winter’s night a traveler, by Italo Calvino, translated by William Weaver
* Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov
* Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
* House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski
* Audition, by Katie Kitamura
* Transcription, by Ben Lerner
* 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer
* Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, by James Bailey
* Absalom, Absalom!, by William Faulkner
* The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner
* Light in August, by William Faulkner
* As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
* The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector
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!
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