Paul Wilson
Co-host of The Mookse And The Gripes podcast with @mookse | 2023 @USRofC judge | Slowly and happily burying myself in books
- 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!
- Reposted by Paul WilsonI'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!
- Leftover birthday money plus a holiday coupon plus a trip to our favorite bookstore equals... well, you know. @boulderbookstore.bsky.social
- Reposted by Paul WilsonHappy 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...
- 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…
- 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!
- The books I read (or finished) in September. Several will surely make my end of year list! Not pictured: My Heart Is A Chainsaw - Stephen Graham Jones
- In this episode @mookse.bsky.social and l are joined by @lorifeathers.bsky.social, using The Portrait of a Lady as our foundation to explore what makes a work abundant. We move through other examples, asking what defines abundance, how it differs from size or ambition, and why these books matter.
- This week @mookse.bsky.social and I are joined by translator @maxlawton.bsky.social to celebrate the release of Michael Lenz’s Schattenfroh from @deepvellum.bsky.social. But rather than focus only on this one book, we open the conversation to a wider theme: the joy of reading books that resist.
- The books I read, reread and finished during August Some great ones for #witmonth and two big fellas that will stick with me for years.
- The eagle (albatross? elephant?) has landed! After spending the past few months reading the e-ARC ahead of our upcoming conversation with @maxlawton.bsky.social , it’s so nice to see the physical book in all its glory. @willevans.bsky.social @deepvellum.bsky.social
- This week, @mookse.bsky.social and I tackle the fun—and stressful—task of creating starter libraries. We’re joined by @johnwilliams.bsky.social to each pick 10 books that someone can use as a starter library. We compare approaches, confess struggles, and take our best shots! Which would you pick?
- Reposted by Paul WilsonThe smart hosts and big readers @mookse.bsky.social and @bibliopaul.bsky.social were kind enough to have me on their podcast to discuss my subject of choice: starter libraries. What does that mean? I thought I knew until I started completing the task...
- Good news: I spent a lot of time this weekend in bookstores, trading in and giving away a bunch of books. In other news, these followed me home. My shelves are ... not impressed. @archipelagobooks.bsky.social @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social @citylightsbooks.bsky.social
