Re: the Guardian's 100 novels list, I can't help myself: Trying to balance subjectivity with objectivity (good luck!), my 10 best *not* on that list would be drawn from this group.

My thoughts on Letter To My Daughter by Maya Angelou www.stuckinabook.com/letter-to-my...

I think the best way to enjoy this list, which contains lots of predictable choices (made as it was by committee), is to find a book you like, click to see who voted for it, and then look at the voters' other top 10 choices. You might find something else you like that you haven't read.

Books lists? You want book lists? Here’s the only one you need today: my rundown of the International Booker Prize shortlist in today’s Guardian, ahead of Tuesday’s winner announcement. Accept no substitutes. In print (in abbreviated form) today, online soon.

Who knew that the books on our nightstand say so much about us! This week @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I talk about the books on our nightstand—not necessarily just listing them, but figuring out, based on what they are and how long they’ve been there—who we are! substack.com/@mookse/note...

In our latest episode, @mookse.bsky.social and I take a look at the books on our nightstands and explore what they say about us. Along the way, we talk about reading rituals, unfinished books, literary guilt, late-night attention spans, and the intimacy of the books we keep closest at hand.

In our new episode @mookse.bsky.social and I sit down with Nick During and Abigail Dunne from @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social We talk about the various series at NYRB recent and forthcoming releases (including some exciting books just over the horizon).

New episode of The Eclipse Viewer podcast is now online! This is the first of a two-part conversation about the recently reissued LUBITSCH MUSICALS set, with me, @mookse.bsky.social and special guest William Remmers. criterioncast.com/podcast/ecli...

We have a new episode up! This week @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I got to talk to Nick and Abigail from @nybooks.com. It was fun to explore the various series they publish (Contemporary, Children’s, Comics, Classics, Poets!). substack.com/@mookse/note...

I love the promise of a new book, but the opening movement is often the hardest for me. It’s so nice when an authors voice or the plot or something helps me know I’m in good hands. In this week’s episode @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I talk about the opening movement. substack.com/@mookse/note...

April's #NYRBWomen26 read (starting today!) is THE UNFORGIVABLE AND OTHER WRITINGS by Cristina Campo, translated from the Italian by Alex Andriesse. "This is not a collection of essays. This is a dwelling place, a gathering of rooms, of turns of mind, winding hallways..." - Intro by Kathryn Davis

Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark is BOOK OF THE WEEK in The Times, and it's frankly outrageous that a small marching band hasn't trundled into my house to make some little celebratory parps in my honour 😤

Happy Thursday. @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I were delighted to talk to @luispanini.bsky.social about reading projects in our latest episode. I myself love sitting down and making a reading project! Carrying through is much harder, but I’m getting better at it! open.substack.com/pub/mookse/p...

"It has an intensity and force which puts it in the front rank of Holocaust fiction"— @john-self.bsky.social in The Critic on Friedrich Torberg's Vengeance is Mine, out on March 31 in the Recovered Books series from @bhousepress.bsky.social.

Rave review of Gwendoline Riley's new book, The Palm House in @thetimes.com "I read it in a single sitting, then immediately read it again to test its spell, which grew stronger. It establishes Riley as one of our most brilliant fiction writers"

In our newest episode, @mookse.bsky.social and I are joined by @ofbooksandbikes.bsky.social of @onebrightbook.bsky.social to talk a favorite topics: books that blur boundaries and resist easy classification. I loved this conversations and (surprise) added a ton to my TBR. You’ve been warned…

This is a good episode because they talk about us all the time

I got to be a guest on the Mookse and the Gripes podcast and it was a blast!

A delightful conversation about those unique books that defy description. I loved every moment of it even when Rebecca said she was the best of the @onebrightbook.bsky.social crew and called Dorian “basic” again. Best, basic…. Imagining which “b” word I am. 😊

Happy Thursday! @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I got a chance to talk with @ofbooksandbikes.bsky.social about unclassifiable books, and I had a great time! Here is our new episode! open.substack.com/pub/mookse/p...

An excellent listen!! ofbooksandbikes.bsky.social joined @mookse.bsky.social & @bibliopaul.bsky.social to talk about my favorite type of book, unclassifiable ones. What are your favorite books that blend genres? open.spotify.com/episode/6Uwh...

It was an exciting book mail day! First up, a new release: Andrew Krivak’s Mule Boy. I loved The Bear and I’m already loving Mule Boy. As you can see, Krivak is doing this without periods, but I’m already about 50 pages in and loving it.

For years I’ve meant to spend time with an Arden Shakespeare, and I’ve been loving their King Lear. I see now why readers swear by these editions. The depth here is remarkable! Do I need to warn my wife that another shelf may soon be required?

I read one chapter of Faulkner’s Light in August before vacation and loved it. For the past week I’ve been oddly nervous to return. I think I’m waiting for the “perfect” headspace, when what I really need to do is just open the book. Maybe I’m romanticizing the conditions of reading.

I wanted to love George Saunders’s Vigil. Instead, I found myself wrestling with its fatalism and wondering whether it comforts us into complacency. Here’s my full review: mookseandgripes.com/reviews/2026...

Today @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I have a new episode up! In it we try to figure out just what we mean when we say a book is “good,” and how can examining that help us engage in new and deeper ways with our reading. open.substack.com/pub/mookse/p...

This is something I did a few years ago -a fantastic experience. Here are my favourites: 1streading.wordpress.com/2021/09/14/t...

I finally figured out the perfect way to start a Monday!

Part 4 of our podcast series on the early films of Abbas Kiarostami just published! In this episode, @mookse.bsky.social and I discussed six "school films" to conclude our coverage of 17 titles in this collection. criterioncast.com/podcast/ecli...

This week, @mookse.bsky.social and I dive into the strange, funny, violent, and unsettling world of Flannery O’Connor. We talk about what surprised us most in her stories and novels, and why her work provokes such strong reactions. And I was able to visit her childhood home this week in Savannah!

Over the past season @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I have been happily preparing for this episode dedicated to Flannery O’Connor! We hope you enjoy and share what you think of her work! mookse.substack.com/p/episode-12...

I haven’t read Faulkner in decades, but in June @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I will be talking all about his work for the podcast. I am only one chapter into Light in August, but I love the feeling when you know a book has you from the start.

Trollope heads--and not-yet-Trollope heads--put this on your calendar! It's a good one!

Soooo many brilliant #books coming out in 2026 youtu.be/JmtBR1lbalk

Never underestimate the capacity of evil people to lie. If you *accept* the lie, you endorse the evil.

Have you read Muriel Spark’s debut The Comforters? I figured it would be a curiosity, but I loved it! I will be reading her second book, Robinson, in February. mookseandgripes.com/reviews/2026...

It’s as if the snow is antisound, as if it casts an additional layer of silence over everything, the sound level drops below zero. —Solvej Balle, On the Calculation of Volume

We have a new episode out today! This week @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I talk about Books We Wish We Could Read for the First Time Again! We thought it would be an easy subject, what is magical about that sense of discovery? open.substack.com/pub/mookse/p...

A perfect film adaptation. John Huston’s The Dead has a new home video release from @criterion.bsky.social today. I had the pleasure of rewatching it and checking out all of the supplements. It’s only January but this is a contender for my top release of the year. mookseandgripes.com/reviews/2026...

I adore Mark Haber’s writing: frantic, obsessive, raging narrators carried along by rhythmic, unrelenting, propulsive prose that always feels on the verge of tipping over. Thrilled to have an ARC of Ada, out in July from @coffeehousepress.bsky.social Completely taken with that pink cover!

Reserved at the library after reading this post, arrived today, just in time for the weekend. My first Brookner. #AnitaBrookner #amreading #booksky 📚💙

In this episode, we talk about upcoming releases we’re excited for, and then share some longer reading plans for the year ahead, including big novels, rereads, and ongoing projects we’re hoping to live with slowly. We talk about why reading, conversation and community matter. @mookse.bsky.social

Happy Thursday! For our new episode, @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I talk about our reading hopes for 2026 and look at a few upcoming releases that have us excited. Have a listen and let us know your 2026 reading intentions! open.substack.com/pub/mookse/p...

Lovely to be reminded of one of my favorite writers!

How many books did I read? Male/female authors? Best, worst, and most confusing title? Strange things that happened in the books I read? You'll find it all in my 2025 reading stats! www.stuckinabook.com/2025-some-re...

2025 was an uneven reading year, but its highlights were very high indeed. Thank you to everyone who read, commented, or chatted with me here about books, and to all the other bloggers who keep on posting. ❤️ 📚

Published today by the University of Nebraska Press. Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts My first book. Why should anyone read a book by an unknown writer about an unknown woman? This video attempts to answer that question.

Shawn’s Most-Anticipated Releases: Winter 2026 youtu.be/6zOrFSO3MHo [Image Description: a graphic featuring a photo of Shawn, and the words Shawn’s Most-Anticipated Releases: Winter 2026]

Three friends, each very knowledgeable about the Criterion Collection, share their thoughts about their favorite releases by that label from the past year. criterioncast.com/podcast/crit...

And my Favorite First-Time Watches of 2025: