The Mookse and the Gripes discussion
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Getting to Know You
I'm sorry you feel that way, Tony. The only time I've seen a discussion turn harsh was a few weeks ago about Paul Beatty's book. Barring that, I believe this is the friendliest and politest group on planet GR even when members strongly disagree with each other, which they often do. I used to post on other groups but this is now the only group to which I return and post because I know our learned members will always have something interesting to say. Speaking of which, it's not a bad thing to have strong opinions on literature and authors as long as you can back it up intelligently, and as long as you're not rudely dismissive of your interlocutor's opinions. People have different tastes and criteria for books and they will defend it with passion when challenged.
I also think a critical reader with a consciousness of quality lit might inadvertently give off "an air of superiority" when they don't join others in making pleasant generalities about every printed thing that gets on to prize lists or gains popular approval and high sales.
Lastly, a thumbs up to Trevor and all the other mods for maintaining the group in the best spirit of literary debate.
Best regards.
Is this a bad moment to introduce myself? :DJust wanted to post that I have recently joined, but not spoken or interacted much cause I'm so busy. But I'm hoping to find my place in this group :) hi all!
Mod
Nicole wrote: Nothing says humble like denouncing everyone and then slamming the door on the way out. :-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-)
My thoughts exactly - somewhat diva-like behaviour...
I also love a good discussion, in a polite, respectful tone, and that's certainly how I see this group :-)
AvalinahsBooks | Evelina wrote: "Is this a bad moment to introduce myself? :DJust wanted to post that I have recently joined, but not spoken or interacted much cause I'm so busy. But I'm hoping to find my place in this group :) ..."
Hello
Nice to meet you :-)
Louise wrote: "AvalinahsBooks | Evelina wrote: "Is this a bad moment to introduce myself? :DJust wanted to post that I have recently joined, but not spoken or interacted much cause I'm so busy. But I'm hoping t..."
Nice to meet you too! :)
Mod
And thanks for the words of encouragement for the group, folks. If there are words of wisdom in Tony's parting words, may we all do our best to hear them. I'm not worried at all in general, though, and I want to continue to encourage people to express their thoughts openly.
Lastly, there are a lot of fun prizes going on right now, but I'm particularly excited about our mini-Booker 1978 project! I can't wait for that to get fully underway!
Today's heavy traffic on this 'getting to know you thread' prompts me to introduce myself too.I've been a member on this board since the Booker long list 2016 was announced and have posted a few times on the Longlist and Shortlist topic threads.
The interaction between members regarding the Booker novels has been very stimulating, and compared to the more static reviews posted in Goodreads accompanying each book, the great virtue here is the interaction.
My interest outside Booker has now been well and truly whetted as a result of the informed discussion here, and I am now following Goldsmiths and the National Book awards for new and different reading ideas.
Like many I suspect, the only downside is that the list of books to read continues to grow in size. So much to read, and so little time!
I fully intend to participate in the 1978 Booker retro discussion once this years Booker winner has been announced.
Its also a consequence of the information posted here (Paul, I think) that I'm attending the Booker shortlist readings at the South bank, London, on Monday 24th. I can't wait.
And lastly, thanks to Trevor for your super efficient management of this group.
Hi all! I followed Amanda into the group. I also do not have a background in literature that a fair number of you do. I am a lawyer/accountant so I tend to be pragmatic but hopefully never harsh. I joined the group so I could expand my reading experience and learn more about literary fiction. I tend to enjoy speculative fiction.
Mod
So many of us do other things with our days. I'm also an attorney, and this group is a wonderful respite from all of that!
Hi, I'm Gill, from the UK.I have a vision problem, so am limited to ebooks and large print books. Luckily my library now has Overdrive, so I'm able to borrow lots of ebooks. I use some audiobooks, but tend to fall asleep with them!
I've joined the group primarily because I enjoy reading fiction in translation. I read widely in addition to that, including nonfiction and poetry.
Mod
Hello!! I'm Jeanne, I'm a Canadian university student who spends most of her spare time reading. I discovered this group through this years International Man Booker longlist (through Black Moses in specific) and was overjoyed to find a group that focuses on translated literature! It is one of my goals this year to read more books from around the world and I think this group will help me in that goal!
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Mod
Thanks Trevor!
Great news, Hugh.Our very own Bill Frindall (we just need a Brian Johnson name for you- albeit Frindall's could apply!!)
Mod
Our very own Bill Frindall (we just need a Brian Johnson name for you- albeit Frindall's could apply!!)"
I do have a beard, but I'm not a wonder!
I've made my first admin contribution by adding the longlisted books to the group bookshelf
Hugh wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Great news, Hugh.Our very own Bill Frindall (we just need a Brian Johnson name for you- albeit Frindall's could apply!!)"
I do have a beard, but I'm not a wonder!"
and you're alive
Here's a few.....Peter Rushworth - Pinkerton's Sister
Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall
Julian Barnes - Sense of an Ending
Ian McEwan - Atonement
Kazuo Ishiguro - When we were Orphans
Salman Rushdie - Shalimar the Clown
AS Byatt - The Children's Book
Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Monica Ali - Brick Lane
David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas
John Berger - Here Is Where We Meet: A Story of Crossing Paths
Nicola Barker - Wide Open
So glad I found this cool group! I am serving on a Man Booker panel at my friend's blog where we are evaluating the longlist and trying to predict the winners, so I was drawn to your group!!I probably know more about baseball (probably not too interesting to most of you) than I do about books, but I’ve been absolutely in love with reading since the age of 3. Unfortunately, I’m also a slow reader so it takes me all year long to get in fifty books or so. I live in Baltimore, MD and have two sons (one new graduate and one college age).
In terms of reading, I’m definitely a literary fiction girl, but love memoirs nearly as much. For reasons that are somewhat inexplicable to me, I love dark books – – so tend to gravitate more to specific titles (The Secret History, A Little Life, The Road, A Fine Balance are all up my alley) than to specific authors. However, if I was forced to name a favorite author, Elizabeth Strout gets my vote. Also a fan of Amor Towles, Anthony Marra, and Jhumpa Lahiri. While I read more fiction, I honestly like non-fiction almost as much . . .especially books about adventure (climbing Mt. Everest or hiking in the wilderness, anyone?). I’m completely petrified to actually do anything overtly dangerous (or even mildly uncomfortable), so these armchair adventures are as close it is going to get for me.
Biggest book aversions? I despise magical realism beyond all reason. Post modern literature? No thanks. But the biggest sin a book can commit is to be boring, and for me, if the language is overly simplistic, the characters shallowly drawn or I can predict every plot turn . . .that’s the worst. I’d rather struggle with a hard book than be bored by an easy one.
Mod
Trevor wrote: "Thanks for introducing yourself, Anita -- I've really enjoyed your insights since you joined the group! We have diverse tastes, but we are unified in our enjoyment of reading and -- I hope -- in ou..."Thank you so much, Trevor! It seems like a great group to me so far . . .a lot of interesting discussion and activity. I look forward to getting to know more members.
Hello, My name is Wendy. I'm a pull over from Shelfari so fairly new to GR. I am in a small private group here that I enjoy because of the friendships, but I am craving more book discussions. I saw the Man Booker nominees on the group home page and the other book award threads and thought this might be the place for me.
I have found most of my favorite books on the Man Booker lists over the years, but of course I read other authors as well. I have been very pleased with most of the nyrb classics series that I've read, I like the Costa nominees, the Miles Franklin, and the Nobel winners. I am basically a fan of lists!
I usually choose my books by where I want to be. I've spent a lot of time in India, historical India, modern India, urban and rural India. I've spent a fair amount of time in 20th century Europe during the wars. Of late I've spent most of time in England. I've been enjoying books about and by British women of a certain age: Hillary Mantel, one of my very favorite writers, Jane Gardham, Anita Brookner, Penelope Lively.
I am not sexist though and enjoy John Banville, Julian Barnes, Kazio Ishaguro, and I adore Colm Toibin to name a few.
I have discovered recently that my reading life has suffered from the lack of translated fiction. The Door really opened my eyes to lesser know books in translation so I'm eager to get more recommendations from this group.
My personal life is unremarkable-I have a husband, a number of kids and grandkids, and work as a public employee. I love my large family and I love that they have all moved out so for the most part my time is my own and I can spend every minute that I am not at work reading. Life is good! My goal is always a modest 52 books a year, I have yet to hit 52, (always more than 45, but not 52 yet) but I might make it this year.
I noticed at the top of this page a member left the group accusing members of having an air of superiority. I have strong opinions and I enjoy a lively discussion about books so I will take his criticism as a good sign.
I am currently reading Bright Air Black and Skylark.
The Booker nominees for 2017 that I read were Autumn, Lincoln in the Bardo, Exit West, The Underground Railroad and can't quite finish Days Without End. I'll wait until Im more comfortable to offer my opinions on the books I read
Mod
That's a thorough introduction, Wendy. Welcome. And having a strong opinion hasn't gotten anyone kicked out yet, I don't think.
Welcome to the group, Wendy. I haven't been active this year but I joined the group not long after it started and I have found it to be one of the most - if not the most - civil and tolerant discussion group in the virtual world which otherwise is very unforgiving.
And like you I am also a person of strong opinions (and get shouted at in comments threads, but never in this group) and love a solid discussion on topics of interest, aka books and writers!
Enjoy your stay on M&G
Thank you! I have had negative experiences expressing my opinions about books in other groups. I thought I was polite and tried to explain what I liked and didn't like and what it is I look for in a book and then was told my explanations made me sound arrogant. I expect to learn from this group of well read, well "spoken" mookses? MGs? Gripers?
Can anyone tell me the story behind The Mookse and the Gripes?
I've been skimming through older posts reading the comments on books I've read which is great fun, but I'm confused about where this group stands on spoilers. It sounds like there is a spoiler tag function that I am unaware of. I always write *** spoiler*** before I share something that gives away a plot turn. If there is something else I should do or if this is the book club equivalent of scraping the rind off brie let me know. I am appreciate a spoiler warning, but I agree that spoilers don't ruin a reading experience.
Mod
I’m glad you are perusing the group. I think there are a lot of fine folks here, and I’m thrilled you’ve been participating and adding so much!
As for spoilers, we don’t tend to care so much if it is a thread devoted to the book. If it’s elsewhere, a nice warning is appreciated. But we have decided as a group to not use the spoiler tag, which is a bit of code you can place in your comment to make a spoiler sit invisible for each reader to reveal at her peril! The problem is that the code doesn’t work well with the app, making it very hard to follow if you’re not using the website. So, you’re all good however you go about it so long as you don’t use tags. Even then, we will just politely remind you!
I hope to keep getting to know you and your insights!
Trevor wrote: "Hi Wendy! I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself or say hi yet, but welcome!I’m glad you are perusing the group. I think there are a lot of fine folks here, and I’m thrilled you’ve been parti..."
Thank you, Trevor. That should be easy to remember.
I have to ask everyone to bear with me if I comment on an old thread. I don't want to weigh in on something that was covered long ago, but in the years that I was on Shelfari and then GR this is the first group I've found that talks about books I love and more importantly talks about books at length. I am amazed at the time and passion the moderators put into this group. I feel that kind of buzz I only get after finishing a really good book just looking at this rich collection of insights and opinions.
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Thank you. I do have one pressing question: The Mookse and the Gripes, where did that come from?
Wendy wrote: "Thank you. I do have one pressing question: The Mookse and the Gripes, where did that come from?"Hi Wendy, I see you've asked this twice now so perhaps the admins are waiting for one of the silent lurkers to pitch in. "The Mookse and the Gripes' is a section from James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" and is Joyce's variation on the fable of the Fox and the Grapes. The admins will still have to answer to the reason for the name choice, but I suspect that the inclusion of the word "gripe" in the title is not a coincidence ;) Enjoy the group and your continued reading!
Thank you, Alan. I was realized I was being lazy and googled the Mookse and the Gripes and saw that it was Joyce. I figured it was literary. I like it and hope to add more Mookse than Gripes to the discussions.
Wendy wrote: "Thank you, Alan. I was realized I was being lazy and googled the Mookse and the Gripes and saw that it was Joyce. I figured it was literary. I like it and hope to add more Mookse than Gripes to the..."Wendy, you are most welcome and I love the spirit of your answer!
My only concern is that a group this interesting will draw me away from actually reading! I'm pretty good about finding time to read, like most of you I never leave the house without a book, I keep a short story collection in my desk at work in case I finish a book before the end of the work day, and I have most evenings and weekend to read, but I've spent most of the last two evenings reading the book reviews and discussions here.
Mod
The answer is a bit anti-climactic. I started the blog "The Mookse and the Gripes" back in 2008. No, I have not read Finnegans Wake, but I love James Joyce and have read some, including the bit that gave me the idea for the playful name. The blog is still up and running, reviewing books and films as consistently as possible. I spend most of my online time working on that.
We started an accompanying forum for more general discussion in 2012 that happened to coincide with the time the official Man Booker website eliminated their discussion forum. That's one reason the Booker became a focus, because many folks from the Booker forum migrated to the Mookse forum. But that initial Mookse forum had some major barriers of entry that made welcoming new members (and finding new members) difficult, so a couple of years we migrated to Goodreads.
And here we are!
The goal has always been to provide a place for people to get together and talk books passionately but hopefully without the nastiness or soft-skins we see elsewhere. I think there is a lot of goodwill here. You mentioned one former member leaving in a huff. That something rubbed him wrong here surprised me. I've been consistently happy to see lively but friendly debate here. That user is still a friend of mine elsewhere on the internet, so not all good will was destroyed, though I do hope you all feel welcome and appreciated and free to express your thoughts!
Sunita wrote: "Hi, I'm Sunita. I mostly shelve my current reading on LibraryThing but the conversations here at GR are much livelier. I started lurking on Tournament of Books groups earlier this year and then fou..."Welcome
Indeed fans of Reservoir 13 (Paulbookoftheeyear 2017) and people looking forward to the Republic of Consciousness prize list are particularly welcome. Will certainly be some interesting new books on the longlist which is due out in early December.
Cheers! I am Sam (from U.S.) and have been lurking, gathering reading suggestions since I had been away from my reading for awhile. Now retired, I am catching up with that reading and feel that maybe I can offer some thoughts as well. I have found as I get older it is harder for me to communicate thoughts, so I may not offer much unless I feel something is unsaid. I hope to join the March Madness read as well as add remarks on the 1970's shortlist too.
Mod
Hello everyone.Hugh mentioned this group in a discussion elsewhere, so I looked you up.
I am Val from the UK. I always look at the Booker and Booker International lists when they come out, read as many or as few of the books as take my fancy and then throw a hissy fit when the judges don't pick my favourite.
Mod
Val wrote: "Hello everyone.Hugh mentioned this group in a discussion elsewhere, so I looked you up.
I am Val from the UK. I always look at the Booker and Booker International lists when they come out, read as..."
Hi Val. Nice to see you here, over from the Bailey's GR group.
Thanks Lagullande.I'm here from 'Reading the Twentieth Century' and some chat about the Man Bookers, but it looks like a good place to find Baileys contenders too, if we apply a gender based filter.
Hi, I'm Marc. Have long heard wonderful things about this group and finally followed Hugh and Paul over here only to discover a half dozen existing friends already over here, too.
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Nothing says humble like denouncing everyone and then slamming the door on the way out.