Episode 109: The Lighter Side of the Stacks: Funny Books

In this episode, Paul and Trevor are joined by Kate from The Book Club Review Podcast for a lively discussion about funny books. From dry wit to outright absurdity, we explore the kinds of humor that make us laugh out loud—or quietly smirk into our sleeves—and why comic novels deserve a place on every bookshelf.

We also announce the winner of our June giveaway and introduce a brand-new challenge for July.

Tune in for some laughs and let us know which books have made you laugh the most.

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 gearing up for our second novella book club, where we'll be reading Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin at the start of July. 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

* Lockwood & Co. Series, by Jonathan Stroud

* Alex Verus Series, by Benedict Jacka

* Southern Reach Series, by Jeff VanderMeer

* Slanting Towards the Sea, by Lidija Hilje

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

* The Pursuit of Love, by Nancy Mitford

* All Systems Red, by Martha Wells

* Hons and Rebels, by Jessica Mitford

* Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

* Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes

* Middlemarch, by George Eliot

* The Girls, by John Bowen

* Catch-22, by Joseph Heller

* Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach

* Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law, by Mary Roach

* Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, by Mary Roach

* Hyperbole and a Half, by Allie Brosh

* The Book Lover’s Joke Book, by Alex Johnson

* The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

* The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* The Code of the Woosters, by P.G. Wodehouse

* Leave It to Psmith, by P.G. Wodehouse

* Wodehouse: A Life, by Robert McCrum

* A Swim in the Pond in the Rain, by George Saunders

* The Nose, by Nikolai Gogol

* The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them, by Elif Batuman

* War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy

* Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller, by Oliver Darkshire

* Greta and Valdin, by Rebecca K. Rilley

* The Literary Conference, by César Aira

* The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks, by E. Lockhart

* A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson

* A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson

* The Summer Book, by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal

* The White Bear, by Henrik Pontoppidan, translated by Paul Larkin

Other

* “The Murder of Leo Tolstoy,” by Elif Batuman

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!

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