Episode 111: Two Friends Walk into a Bookstore: A Day Out with Trevor and Paul

This week’s episode comes with poor sound quality and excellent vibes. For the first time ever, Paul and Trevor met in person! Join us as we take the show on the road—through bookstores, libraries, and one unforgettable day of literary wandering. From the cozy aisles of The King’s English to the rarified shelves of Moon’s Rare Books, with stops at Poppy’s Books and the Salem City Library (Trevor’s wife makes as cameo!), this episode is a roving celebration of bookish friendship. We apologize in advance for the audio, but we hope you enjoy this day out with us. We’ll be back to our usual mischief in the next episode.

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 115: Kazuo Ishiguro

* Episode 125: Flannery O’Connor

* Episode 135: William Faulkner

* Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor

* Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz

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 now in our second novella book club, where we're reading Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. 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

Books

* Sun City, by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal

* The King of a Rainy Country, by Brigid Brophy

* Rhine Journey, by Ann Schlee

* I Am Alien to Life: Selected Stories, by Djuna Barnes

* Waiting for the Fear, by Oguz Atay, translated by Ralph Hubbell

* Last Stories, by William Trevor

* Chronicle of a Death Foretold, by Gabriel García Márquez, translated by Gregory Rabassa

* Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel García Márquez, translated by Edith Grossman

* One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez, translated by Gregory Rabassa

* The Adventures of China Iron, by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre

* The Sea, the Sea, by Iris Murdoch

* Schattenfroh, by Michael Lenz, translated by Max Lawton

* Miss MacIntosh, My Darling, by

* The Stronghold, by Dino Buzzati, translated by Lawrence Venuti

* The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* The Unconsoled, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* Nocturnes, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* An Artist of the Floating World, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* A Pale View of Hills, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* When We Were Orphans, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner

* A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean

* On the Clock, by Claire Baglin

* Your Absence Is Darkness, by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated by Philip Roughton

* Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

* The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

* Moby Dick, by Herman Melville

* Songs of Innocence, by William Blake

* Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

* Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery

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!

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