Archive - The Mookse and the Gripes Newsletter

Episode 134: Authors' Lives

What draws us beyond a writer’s books and into their life?

Jun 9 • Trevor Berrett

1:39:35

May 2026

Episode 133: Life Between the Beginning and the End: On the Middle of Books

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.

May 26 • Trevor Berrett

1:18:17

Episode 132: Our Nightstands, Ourselves

In this episode, we take a look at the books we have on our nightstands and what they say about us!

May 12 • Trevor Berrett

1:29:29

April 2026

Episode 131: Trust the Spine: On the Pleasure and Riches of NYRB Books

This week, we’re joined by Nick During and Abigail Dunn from New York Review Books for a wide-ranging conversation about the world of NYRB.

Apr 28 • Trevor Berrett

1:16:32

Episode 130: Opening Movements: Entering the World of a Book

In this episode, we begin a three-part series on the movements of a novel, starting with the opening.

Apr 14 • Trevor Berrett

1:16:03

March 2026

Episode 129: Reading with a Plan: The Joys and Complications of Reading Projects

This week, we’re joined by Luis Panini to talk about reading projects.

Mar 31 • Trevor Berrett

1:24:58

Episode 128: If the Ship Goes Down, Grab These: Three Books for Our Desert Island

What books would you want if you were stranded on a desert island?

Mar 17 • Trevor Berrett

1:11:52

Episode 127: No One Knows Where to Shelf This: On Unclassifiable Books

We tend to think of books as belonging somewhere: novel, memoir, biography, fantasy, history.

Mar 3 • Trevor Berrett

1:44:47

February 2026

Episode 126: Is That a Good Book?

Is that a good book?

Feb 17 • Trevor Berrett

1:07:19

Episode 125: Flannery O'Connor

In this author-focused episode, we dive into the strange, funny, violent, and unsettling world of Flannery O’Connor.

Feb 3 • Trevor Berrett

1:43:07

January 2026

Episode 124: Books We Wish We Could Read for the First Time Again

We’ve all said it: “I wish I could read that again for the first time.” But what do we really mean when we say it?

Jan 20 • Trevor Berrett

1:18:44

Episode 123: Our 2026 No-Pressure Reading Plans

In this episode, we look ahead to 2026, not with resolutions or reading quotas, but with curiosity about what we’re drawn to next.

Jan 6 • Trevor Berrett

1:11:36