What does it take to build the perfect first shelf? This week we tackle the joyful—and surprisingly stressful—task of creating a starter library. We’re joined by John Williams, book editor at The Washington Post, to discuss how to choose ten books that someone can use as a starter library, offering comfort, surprise, and a little stretch along the way. We compare approaches, confess our struggles, and share the shelves we’d hand to a friend ready build their personal library.

We’d love to hear from you—what books would make it onto your own starter library?

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 just now in our second novella book club, where we're reading Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. 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

What are we reading?

* Paul: The Endless Week, by Laura Vasquez, translated by Alex Niemi

* John: Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldin

* Trevor: Nadja, by André Breton, translated by Mark Polizzotti

Our Starter Libraries

Paul

* The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Waterson

* Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville

* Finding Beauty in a Broken World, by Terry Tempest Williams

* The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

* Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry

* The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

* The Complete Stories of Clarice Lispector

* To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf

* Kindred, by Octavia Butler

* Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Trevor

* Ex Libris, by Anne Fademan

* The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

* A Good Man Is Hard to Find, by Flannery O’Connor

* The Emigrants, by W.G. Sebald, translated by Michael Hulse

* The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkein

* Cockroaches, by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Jordan Stump

* So Long, See You Tomorrow, by William Maxwell

* Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard

* The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

John

* The Collected Stories of William Trevor

* The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James

* The Collected Poems of Philip Larkin

* Notes from Underground, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

* The Book of Disquiet, by Fernando Pessoa

* The Sellout, by Paul Beatty

* The Black Prince, by Iris Murdoch

* Nixon Agonistes: The Crisis of the Self-Made Man, by Garry Wills

* Essays in Disguise, by Wilfrid Sheed

* Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf

* Why Does the World Exist, by Jim Holt

Other

* The Library, Duncan Fallowell

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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