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. We talk about a handful of upcoming releases we’re excited for, and then share some longer, looser reading plans for the year ahead, including big novels, rereads, and ongoing projects we’re hoping to live with slowly.

Along the way, we acknowledge the heaviness many people are feeling right now and talk about why reading, conversation, and community continue to matter. Whether you’re planning your own reading year or just looking for company, we’re glad you’re here.

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 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!

Shownotes

Upcoming Releases Mentioned

* Vigil, by George Saunders

* Now I Surrender, by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer

* The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary, by Terry Tempest Williams

* Vilhelm’s Room, by Tove Ditlevsen, translated by Jennifer Russell & Sophia Hersi Smith

* The Beginnings, by Antonio Moresco, translated by Max Lawton

* Theodorus, by Mircea Cărtărescu

* Five, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews

* Ada, by Mark Haber

Reading Projects & Plans Discussed

* The NYRB Classics Big Books project

* Currently reading: Bomarzo, by Manuel Mujica Láinez, translated by Gregory Rabassa

* On deck: Effingers, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy

* Reading Pilgrimage (Dorothy Richardson’s Pilgrimage)

* Monthly conversations and resources; videos posted online as a long-term archive by Brad Bigelow

* The website

* Shakespeare! Up next: King Lear

* Trevor’s 2026 “in the mix” authors/projects:

* Henry James (next up The Ambassadors)

* Charles Dickens (Everyman editions; weighing Bleak House vs. other Christmas gifts)

* Émile Zola (returning to the Rougon-Macquart project)

* Virginia Woolf journals + moving toward Mrs Dalloway

* NYRB Women readalong with Kim McNeil (starting with Lolly Willowes)

* Library book club (next up: Loved and Missed, by Susie Boyt)

* Paul’s year-long/slow-burn plans:

* Pilgrimage alongside the community project

* Continuing Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy

* Deeper into Mircea Cărtărescu, William H. Gass, and Clarice Lispector

* Potential Big Classics like The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas and Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray

* Bookstore book club focus on translated fiction/small presses

* Taiwan Travelogue, by Yang Shuangzi, translated by Lin King

* Time Shelter, by Georgi Gospodinov, translated by Angela Rodel

* Woman Running in the Mountains, by Yūko Tsushima, translated by Geraldine Harcourt

Books Also Mentioned

* In Search of Lost Time, by Marcel Proust

* The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann

* The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, by Margaret Renkl

* The Land in Winter, by Andrew Miller

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 the first novella book club of 2026, where we’re reading Daisy Miller, by Henry James. 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.

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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