Discovering Reading Magic
Many years ago, I'd browsed my local Half Price Books and picked up a book to read: Maeve Binchy's Light a Penny Candle.
I'd seen the movie, Circle of Friends, with Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver, and loved it. But HPB didn't have a copy of that one for sale. Instead, I picked up Light a Penny Candle, read the back cover blurb, and said, yeah, I could read this. The book was pretty hefty, too, but not intimidated. Since I'd devoured Gone With the Wind several times, I knew I could whiz through this one.
I went to a conference with Handsome and hadn't had much opportunity to read. When time to leave, we were standing outside of the resort's entryway, waiting for the airport shuttle. I had the tome cradled in my arm. A woman--obviously, a book lover--leaned over and said, "You'll love this book. It's a three hankie one."
Three hankie? Oh, dear. Was it too girly and weepy?
On the plane, I began the book and quickly, became engrossed. I found it to be thoroughly engaging. I totally immersed myself in the characters' lives, and when over, did need a tissue. That's rare.
Ms. Binchy passed away recently at age 72. Most of her books are mainly based on small towns in Ireland and London. She wrote sixteen novels and short stories. Light a Penny Candle was published in 1982 and became a bestseller. A Week in Winter will be published this year. From Mail Online, I found she sold 40 million books and loved champagne. (Me, too!)
Goodbye, Ms. Binchy. And thanks for a lot of great reads.
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| Maeve Binchy |
Have you read an author who passed and really miss reading their work? Who would it be?
5 comments:
I loved her, too. And didn't know she had written so many books!
Hi, Janie! Yep, she had written a lot. And like many authors whose work we read, some we like better than others. But overall, we have a good feeling. Thank you for visiting HBW today.
The late Stephen J. Cannell. I miss his Det. Scully series.
Hi, Pat. And who could forget Rockford Files?
Right Vicki. He had many, many TV series. My favorite was Wiseguy. OMG and the A-Team. My kids loved that.
I met him twice. The first time he told me not to let my dyslexia stop me from writing. At the time I didn't realize he was dyslexic. The second time my sister took me to a local book signing. I didn't know he was going to be there. My sister told him he was my birthday present. After I turned 50 shades of red, he laughed and insisted we take pictures. He's the only author--after 19 years of writer conferences--that I have. Now that he's gone, I'm so glad I have the pictures.
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