You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Rather than make this topic for a specific author, I made it general, so that it can be used when we lose any of our favorite authors.



This link is about the loss of Vince Flynn

That's so sad, he was only 47. I'm sorry for his family and all of us who enjoyed his work. I'll miss Mitch Rapp and the realistic dangers his books portrayed.

Vince Flynn was my all time favorite thriller writers. I am saddened that Mitch Rapp is no more - he has had his last mission.

Flynn was very talented. I admire his imagination, his research, and writing skill. His death has had me slightly shell shocked since I heard the news of his lost battle to cancer.

I'm afraid I hadn't heard of or read this author. It is always sad when this happens, and at so young an age. When Stephen King almost died, I was also shell shocked.

Richard Matheson passed away on Sunday, June 23 according to CNN, but Goodreads lists it as yesterday. He was 87 years old and has an amazing legacy in his SciFi fiction.

Janice wrote: "Richard Matheson passed away on Sunday, June 23 according to CNN, but Goodreads lists it as yesterday. He was 87 years old and has an amazing legacy in his SciFi fiction."

This is a great loss!

I haven't read any of his books, but I've seen the movies made from them. I think I'll start reading some of them starting with Hell House. I have suspicions that the lastest remake of Hell House starring Geoffry Rush doesn't hold true to the book.

I just ordered Somewhere In Time. A beautiful romantic movie was made from it and set on Michigan"s very own Mackinac Island.

Shucks, we are losing some good authors...I enjoyed Hell House."

I am currently reading Somewhere in Time. It has been on my TBR for some time but I read the news, I thought it was time to put it at the top!

I hadn't heard about Matheson. I've read several of his books. He was a great writer.

Oh that's so sad :( I only read I am Legend and Other Stories for the first time last year, but it packs a mighty punch for such a short book!

"Dutch" Elmore Leonard died Tuesday, August 20th.

He is one of the first author's whose books I began collecting. Early in his career he wrote Westerns and then later Crime Novels and Screen Plays.

Probably best know for Get Shorty.

Leonard will also be well-remembered for his 10 Rules of Writing:

1. Never open a book with weather.
2. Avoid prologues.
3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said."
5. Keep your exclamation points under control.
6. Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

My most important rule is one that sums up the 10:
If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

Elizabeth Peters died August 8th.

Thanks for posting this Almeta. What great rules Elmore had.

Shanna wrote: "Almeta wrote: "I just ordered Somewhere In Time. A beautiful romantic movie was made from it and set on Michigan"s very own Mackinac Island."

I love that movie. Please let us know if the book is as good! ..."

The book is a lot darker, but then I should have expected that from Richard Matheson. I also found a portion of the time travel, too repetitive.

The movie still stands as an all-time favorite. Which is saying something, since I do not tend to seek out romances.

I just got a notice from my Library that Nobel prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney passed away this morning at age 74. Along with their "RIP Mr. Heaney", they included this poem.

DIGGING

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

Under my window, a clean rasping sound ...
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.

By God, the old man could handle a spade.
Just like his old man.

My grandfather cut more turf in a day
Than any other man on Toner’s bog.
Once I carried him milk in a bottle
Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up
To drink it, then fell to right away
Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
Over his shoulder, going down and down
For the good turf. Digging.

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it.

The picture of him on his author's page makes me think of Christopher Plummer quoting poetry in the movie "Must Love Dogs".

Janice wrote: "The picture of him on his author's page makes me think of Christopher Plummer quoting poetry in the movie "Must Love Dogs"."

I have not seen the movie, but I just watched the trailer. I may have to check it out this weekend!

I enjoyed the movie, Cherie. For someone who doesn't like to read romance novels any more, I still like to watch romantic movies. :)

I watched the movie tonight, Janice. It was good. Great cast. I caught a You Tube video of Christopher Plumber saying the poem from the movie too when I was looking up the words to Brown Penny on-line.

I read about his passing as well. His translation of Beowulf is a must read, in my opinion, but I've not read any of his other work.

It's been some month with deaths of favorite authors. Elmore Leonard, Elizabeth Peters and now Seamus Haney.

Frederik Pohl died last Monday.

Neil Gaiman wrote a very nice rememberence of him in his blog. Here is the link. http://journal.neilgaiman.com/

You have to scroll down a ways, but it is there.

Love Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing, Almeta!

I have to read some of Leonard's work. I've enjoyed Matheson very much. It's sad when our favorite authors pass on. Means we are all getting older, too, aren't we. Sigh...

Apparently Tom Clancy has passed away. I've never read his books nor seen any of those that have been made into films.

Yes, Suzie, I just saw the headline in my news feed.
He was only 66.
I have read many of his books and loved many of the films that have been made from them.
One of my daughters and her husband have always been loyal fans. They have been replacing all of their paperbacks that they owned of his, with hardcovers the last two years.

"The only way to do all the things you'd like to do is to read." RIP Tom Clancy.
Goodbye Jack Ryan.

Hadn't heard about Tom Clancy. Although, his books are not really my style, I have respect for his popularity and ability. RIP.

Doris Lessing has passed away aged 94. Another author I have never read even though she has written over 50 works. A winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Snoozie Suzie wrote: "Doris Lessing has passed away aged 94. Another author I have never read even though she has written over 50 works. A winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature."

I looked over her list of books. It does not look like I have read any either. She wrote a lot of Forewards and Introductions in other people's books and did some translations too. Maybe we could pick one and do a Buddy read next year.

That sounds like a plan, Cherie. Or perhaps it could be a challenge on monthly themed read?

Somewhere in time was mine and my mothers favorite movie. So sad about Richard Matheson

Maybe someone will nominate a monthly read theme to be a book by one of the recently deceased authors on this thread. There are some great authors and books represented here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04...

Peter Matthiessen dies at 86

I see Sue Townsend of Adrian Mole fame died this week. I can't recall whether I've read one of her books or not now.

I don't think I'd read any of her books, or Peter Mathiessen's.

I just read on the news that Gabriel Garcia Marquez passed away at age 87.

That's sad! I love his books his writing is so masterful!
:(

Delmy =^.^= wrote: "That's sad! I love his books his writing is so masterful!
:("

That is a sad loss. Thanks for letting us know.

Peggy wrote: "I just read on the news that Gabriel Garcia Marquez passed away at age 87."

That is really sad news!

Wow, I just saw it in a status update. RIP GGM, I hope you find that magic land you wrote about.

Oh my goodness...I am just in the middle of Love In the Time Of Cholera! How awful! May he rest in peace...

Maya Angelou has died today. She was 86. I loved I Shall Not Be Moved

Oh! such a sad new.

I caught a display of her books at the library last week but did not pay attention, except for her name. I thought she was a wonderful writer. I have a stack of her books on my desk. I could not give them away. It always makes me smile to see the titles, starting with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings".

Daniel Keyes died.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/boo...

OHHH!
That is a very bad news. He is (was) one of my favorites SF´s authors!
:-(

Thanks for letting us know Esther. I recently bought his books, Flowers for Algernon. I will have to read it soon.