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. From Classics to Kids, Comics to Poets, we explore what gives these books their distinct spirit and why so many readers find themselves returning to those familiar spines again and again.Along the way, we talk about recent releases, a few titles currently on our nightstands, and some of the surprises that come with bringing books back into print. It’s a conversation about discovery, rediscovery, and the quiet pleasure of finding the right book at the right time. Plus, they shed some light on some surprises on the horizon!2026 Novella Book ClubWe 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 MansfieldDiscussions 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 JamesThere’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 DiscordWant 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.Shownotes* East of Dreams, by Nastassja Martin* In the Eye of the Wild, by Nastassja Martin* The Death of a Greek Lover, by David Plante* Difficult Women: A Memoir of Three, by David Plante* Too L.A.: Letters Never Sent (But Some Were), by Eve Babitz* Jesus Christs, by A.J. Langguth* Effingers, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy* Käsebier Takes Berlin, by Gabriele Tergit, translated by Sophie Duvernoy* Things in Nature Merely Grow, by Yiyun Li* Crazy Genie, by Inès Cagnati, translated by Liesl Schillinger* Light While There Is Light: An American History, by Keith Waldrop* “The Old Forest,” by Peter Taylor* The Netanyahus, by Joshua Cohen* Onward and Upward in the Garden, by Katharine S. White* Divorcing, by Susan Taubes* Lament for Julia, by Susan Taubes* Free Day, by Inès Cagnati, translated by Liesl Schillinger* Family Lexicon, by Natalia Ginzburg, translated by Jenny McPhee* Valentino & Sagittarius, by Natalia Ginzburg, translated by Avril Bardoni* Lies and Sorcery, by Elsa Morante, translated by Jenny McPhee* Pittsburgh, by Frank Santoro* Proper Doctoring: A Book for Patients and Their Doctors, by David Mendel* Shakespeare’s Montaigne: The Florio Translation* Proensa: An Anthology of Troubadour Poetry, selected and translated by Paul Blackburn* The Interior Landscape: Classical Tamil Love Poems, translated by A.K. Ramanujan* After Lorca, by Jack Spicer* A Woman of Thirty, by Honoré de Balzac, translated by Jeanine Herman* Turtle Diary, by Russell Hoban* The Marzipan Pig, by Russell Hoban* Château Rouge, by Amit Chaudhuri* First Love, by Gwendolyn Riley* My Phantoms, by Gwendolyn Riley* The Palm House, by Gwendolyn Riley* Memories of the Future, by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, translated by Joanne Turnbull* Smoke, by Ivan Turgenev, translated by Donald Rayfield* Diary Without Vowels, by Aleksander Wat, translated by Alissa Valles* The Lord, by Soraya Antonius* Where the Djinn Consult, by Soraya Antonius* Levitations, by Easton Smith* Bristol, by Jean Echenoz, translated by Mark Polizzotti* Command Performance, by Jean Echenoz, translated by Mark Polizzotti* Bina: A Novel in Warnings, by Anakana Schofield* Library of Brothel, by Anakana Schofield* I Liked Rex, by Diane Williams* The Kingdom of Agamemnon, by Vladimir Sharov, translated by Oliver Ready* Borges, by Adolfo Bioy Casares, translated by Valerie Miles* Morel’s Invention, by Adolfo Bioy Casares, translated by Margaret Jull Costa* Zama, by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen* The Silentiary, by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen* The Suicides, by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen* Bomarzo, by Manuel Mujica Lainez, translated by Gregory Rabassa* Life and Fate, by Vasily Grossman, translated by Robert Chandler* Blood Dark, by Louis Guilloux, translated by Laura Marris* An African in Greenland, by Tete-Michel Kpomassie, translated by James Kirkup* A High Wind in Jamaica, by Richard Hughes* Max Havelaar: Or, the Coffee Auctions of The Dutch Trading Company, by Multatuli, translated by Ina Rilke and David McKay* The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim* Woman Running in the Mountains, by Yūko Tsushima, translated by Geraldine Harcourt* The Culling Time, by Yūko Tsushima, translated by Dennis Washburn* Loved and Missed, by Susie Boyt* The Sweet Dove Died, by Barbara Pym* Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, by François-Réne de Chateaubriand, translated by Alex Andriesse* The Story of a Life, by Konstantin Paustovsky, translated by Douglas SmithThe 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
