How do you wrap up a great book? in this episode, Paul and Trevor dive into the final sentences that left them stunned, satisfied, or haunted. From quiet farewells to explosive conclusions, we’re celebrating the art of the last line—and how a final passage can reshape everything that came before.

What’s a last line that you’ll never forget?

We’ve got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you’d like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you'll have a few months to get ready for each. Here’s what we have in store:

* Episode 115: Kazuo Ishiguro

* Episode 125: Flannery O’Connor

* Episode 135: William Faulkner

* Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor

* Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz

There’s no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you’re prepared for these as they come!

Join the Mookse and the Gripes on Discord

Want to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we’re discussing? Join us over on Discord! It’s the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you’re reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind.

We’re also just now in our second novella book club, where we're reading Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. It’s a fantastic book, and we’d love to have you join the discussion. It’s a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you’re reading.

Shownotes

Books

* The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro

* Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin

* The Bell, by Iris Murdoch

* The Sea, the Sea, by Iris Murdoch

* Miaow, by Benito Pérez Galdós, translated by Margaret Jull Costa

* Tristana, by Benito Pérez Galdós, translated by Margaret Jull Costa

* Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir

* The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

* Ulysses, by James Joyce

* Augustus, by John Williams

* Butcher’s Crossing, by John Williams

* Stoner, by John Williams

* The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway

* Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh

* The Dead, by James Joyce

* Finnegans Wake, by James Joyce

* A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce

* Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust

* A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean

* Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë

* The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

* East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

* Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

* Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West, by Cormac McCarthy

* The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien

* Middlemarch, by George Eliot

* The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri

* The Black Prince, by Iris Murdoch

* The Green Knight, by Iris Murdoch

* To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf

* Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence

* The Member of the Wedding, by Carson McCullers

* My Ántonia, by Willa Cather

* The Transit of Venus, by Shirley Hazzard

Other

* Proust Curious Podcast

The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We’re glad you’re here, and we hope you’ll continue to join us on this literary journey!

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