I started out my Sunday morning with the sad news that Diana Wynne Jones died at the age of 76, from cancer. It was not unexpected. She stopped chemo last August, as it was only making her more ill, rather than helping.

Expected or not, it was still an unhappy piece of news. As is often the case when a famous artist (actor, musician, writer, etc) dies...there is a twinge of selfish regret for the work that they won't be able to create from this point forth. The books that will never be written. So it was important for me to stop and consider her amazing biobliography. She wrote so many stories, and just about every one of them is one of my favorites. Some are more favorite than others, but they are all gems to be treasured.

As is the case for many of her fans, she was one of my very first favorites. I still remember picking up Witch Week, Charmed Life, and A Tale of Time City from the paperback spinner in the children's section of the East Library on North Avenue in Milwaukee. I read through them on a tear, and was delighted to discover that there were more. I've continued to be delighted by them ever since.