Famous Last Lines

Nothing can ruin a book like a disappointing ending while nothing can make it more memorable than a fabulous last line. What follows is a sampling of some of the best last lines from beloved books. Some are poignant, some are funny but all are powerful reminders of that literary world you just experienced.

“I wish you all a long and happy life.”  –The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”  – The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald

“After all, tomorrow is another day.”  – Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell

“But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.”  –The House At Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne

“He is coming, and I am here.”  –The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger

“Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.”  – Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden

“But I don’t think us feel old at all. And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt.”  – The Color Purple, Alice Walker

“That might be the subject of a new story, but our present story is ended.”  – Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

 

“Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this.”  –Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

“I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran.”  –The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

“Isn’t it pretty to think so?” – The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway

“And the tale I have to tell is so ludicrous, so incredible, that you’ll never believe a word of it, and yet” – she taps the end of his nose – “it’s true.”  – Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr

“This is the happiest day of my life.”  – The Martian, Andy Weir

“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”  –Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White

Now it’s my turn. After more than 1800 blog posts, thousands of dollars spent purchasing books for the library, countless reference questions answered and over 34 years working at the Davenport Library, I am heading off on the new adventure of retirement. It has been an honor and a pleasure.

Wishing you all many happy hours of reading! Ann

Music Selector’s Choice: Snarky Puppy

I love the band name Snarky Puppy. Like all good band names it’s a great hook to get you to check out the music, and see if it measures up.

Snarky Puppy is an instrumental group (no vocals here) founded in Texas which has now won five Grammy awards for its blend of jazz, world, rock, and funk music styles. Around forty musicians have played in the group over the course of its existence but on any given album the number of musicians is between ten and twenty, drawn from a rotating roster that still includes founder Michael League.

If you want to trace this group’s development through its albums, you can find these through our Rivershare consortium:

Culcha Vulcha (2016)

We Like It Here (2018)

Immigrance (2019)

Empire Central (2022)

Other albums including their first, 2006’s The Only Constant, are available through Spotify and YouTube. What’s your favorite cool band name?

Online Reading Challenge – March

Welcome Readers!

This month the Online Reading Challenge travels to sunny California, the land of gold and dreams! Think sunny beaches and glamourous Hollywood for inspiration. Our Main title is the excellent Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Here’s a quick summary from the publisher.

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over 24 hours, their lives will change forever. 

Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer, and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over, especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud, because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

As always, check each of our locations for displays with lots more titles to choose from!