This week, we’re joined by our good friend Mark Haber to discuss his wonderful books, including the brand new Lesser Ruins. Fittingly, this episode features numerous digressions into literary influences and loves, coffee, music, art, travel, and much more!

Shownotes

Books

* The Cemetery of Untold Stories, by Julia Alvarez

* The Rainbow, by D.H. Lawrence

* Fog at Noon, by Tomás González, translated by Andrea Rosenberg

* Difficult Light, by Tomás González, translated by Andrea Rosenberg

* Living Things, by Munir Hachemi, translated by Julia Sanches

* Vacated Landscape, by Jean Lahougue, translated by K.E. Gormley

* The God of Endings, by Jacqueline Holland

* Melvill, by Rodrigo Fresán, translated by Will Vanderhyden

* Attila, by Aliocha Coll, translated by Katie Whittemore

* Attila, by Serena, by Javier Serena, translated by Katie Whittemore

* Deathbed Conversions, by Mark Haber

* Reinhardt’s Garden, by Mark Haber

* Saint Sebastian’s Abyss, by Mark Haber

* Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber

* An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews

* The Netanyahus, by Joshua Cohen

* Ada, by Mark Haber (forthcoming 2026)

* 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer

* Ten, by Juan Emar, translated by Megan McDowell

* Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D.H. Lawrence, by Geoff Dyer

* Compass, by Mathias Énard, translated by Charlotte Mandell

Other

* Episode 31: New Directions, with Mark Haber

* Wakefield Press

* LitHub: “Mark Haber on the Beauty of Digression”

* Southwest Review: “How to Read Kafka,” by Mark Haber

The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another. We hope you’ll continue to join us!

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