The books I finished during a busy July! Not pictured: Greyhound - @joannapocock.bsky.social @mcnallyeditions.com @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social

Busy mailbox this week! Have I mentioned how much I enjoy my book subscriptions? @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social @transitbooks.bsky.social @deepvellum.bsky.social

The books I finished during June. Not pictured: Crying In H Mart - Michelle Zauner The Land And Its People - David Sedaris In Trees - Robert Moor @onebrightbook.bsky.social @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social @archipelagobooks.bsky.social @coffeehousepress.bsky.social @mcnallyeditions.com

We spend this week's episode talking about what it feels like to read Faulkner: the challenge, the confusion, the beauty, the humor, the history, and the rewards. We also discuss the tension between the author's work and his public life, and why readers continue returning to Yoknapatawpha County.

We’re so spoiled to have amazing indie presses! Thrilled to get my hands on A Parish Chronicle from @archipelagobooks.bsky.social two eagerly anticipated newbies from @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social and to revisit Ada, the latest from my buddy Mark Haber and @coffeehousepress.bsky.social (it’s great!)

Sunday @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social thoughts and plans... Current read. Next up. Most recent subscription arrival. One to look torward to (9/22!)

The books I read during April and May. Not pictured: The Bookshop - Evan Friss The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 7 - Beth Brower My Friends - Hisham Matar Read Dangerously - Azar Nafisi Things Become Other Things - Craig Mod Poverty, by America - Matthew Desmond Upstream - Mary Oliver

So excited about these 3 new gems from @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social ! I've been eyeing Berger for years, fueled by recommendations from Elisa Gabbert - can't wait to finally dig in. Plus, more to come this year! And very intrigued by the Lemann, a "cult-classic novel of love and decadence."

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).

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…

Lovely date day in Boulder. Lots of great books from @boulderbookstore.bsky.social Trident Booksellers and The Bookworm, capped off by stout month at the Mountain Sun. Plus book mail from @transitbooks.bsky.social and @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social !

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!

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

Here are some of the best books I read during 2025. Thanks for another year of amazing recommendations and conversations! I already have lots of exciting plans for 2026!

Lots of great gifts this year! I also used some birthday/holiday money to subscribe to @transitbooks.bsky.social and @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social book clubs, so the books will keep flowing all year!

@mookse.bsky.social and I bring our year-end tradition to a close by counting down our top five books of 2025. Settle in with us for a reflective conversation about the books that defined 2025 . . . and the anticipation of new reading adventures waiting in 2026!

I'm delighted to announce that we've now sold over 100 sets of the new US edition of Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage. And I hope it's a special sign that the 100th set was purchased by none other than the superb writer Carmen Maria Machado. Reading Pilgrimage 2026 starts in 19 days!

In this first part of our annual year-end wrap-up, @mookse.bsky.social and I dive into our top 10 reads of 2025, counting down numbers ten through six. We’re joined by several friends who drop in to share the titles that meant the most to them in 2025. Enjoy the first part of our favorite tradition!

Love the focus on big books and the reasoning behind it. Some great ones in this stack!

Jeff VanderMeer@jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Today I wanted to share my pleasure reading pile (as opposed to research reading). I've made a decision to read or reread only big, long books for awhile to rewire my brain to combat the fragmentation of recent months. This corresponds to rethinking how I approach these books. 1/2

Leftover birthday money plus a holiday coupon plus a trip to our favorite bookstore equals... well, you know. @boulderbookstore.bsky.social

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Today @bibliopaul.bsky.social and I are giving thanks for the bookish communities that enrich our solitary reading lives. Then we share our holiday reading plans and all the books we hope to finish before 2025 slips away. open.substack.com/pub/mookse/p...

Episode 120: Gratitude and Holiday Reading

In this Thanksgiving episode, we start by reflecting on the bookish communities that make the solitary act of reading feel richer and more connected.

open.substack.com

After years of trying to track down a copy of this book, I now have two - one preordered months ago from @deepvellum.bsky.social and delivered today, the other discovered a few weeks ago at a favorite local used bookstore. (Yes, I knew I had another one on the way. Yes, I bought it anyway!)

Fresh off of our episode about book culling, here is a stack I’ve picked up over the last month. Am I doing it right, @mookse.bsky.social and @ds228.bsky.social ?

This week, @mookse.bsky.social and I joined are by @ds228.bsky.social of @onebrightbook.bsky.social to talk about the difficult, liberating art of culling books. What does it mean to let go of the stories we’ve carried with us? Is it an act of loss, renewal, or self-knowledge?

I mean, he’s not wrong…

Dorian Stuber@ds228.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Just a note to say that if you were a supporter of @mookse.bsky.social and @bibliopaul.bsky.social podcast, you could ALREADY listen to my conversation with the boys about getting rid of books. The rest of you have to wait until Thursday.

In this on-the-go episode, @mookse.bsky.social and I take the podcast out for a walk. Trevor reflects on how he's lost 40 pounds and discovered ways to bring books into every part of his daily rhythm. From audiobooks on walks to reading as recovery, we explore making reading a full-body experience.

Found these beauties during a trip to Boston this week!

In our latest episode, @mookse.bsky.social and I talk about losing the plot. Or more precisely, reading slumps —what they look like, what brings them on, and how to find the spark again. From work stress to life interruptions to simple fatigue, we explore how to rediscover the joy of the page.

Book mail! The latest Olga Ravn from my New Directions new classics subscription (can’t wait!) and an amazing gift from the always lovely @wendywhidden.bsky.social based on our mutual love of Indian literature!