The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast 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?
In this episode, Trevor and Paul each choose three books to take with them into literary isolation: one book they could reread forever, one that would help them maintain their humanity, and one that would give them something to wrestle with for the rest of their lives. Along the way they talk about what kinds of stories might sustain us when the world gets very quiet. Whether you’re imagining your own desert island library or just looking for a few great books to add to your list, join us for a conversation about the books we’d never want to be without.
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!
Shownotes
What are you reading?
* Paul: Woman Running in the Mountains, by Yuko Tsushima, translated by Geraldine Harcourt
* Trevor: Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark
Works mentinoed
* Territory of Light, by Yuko Tsushima, translated by Geraldine Harcourt
* The Comforters, by Muriel Spark
* Robinson, by Muriel Spark
* The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark
* The Driver’s Seat, by Muriel Spark
* Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, by James Bailey
* Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe
* Moby-Dick: or, The Whale, by Herman Melville
* Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
* David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
* To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf
* The Poems of Emily Dickinson
* Middlemarch, by George Eliot
* Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
* Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov
* Paradise Lost, by John Milton
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.
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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