Many many moons ago while in college a friend of mine introduced me to the author Terry Pratchett and his glorious Discworld series. I always recommended the series to friends, but with the gentle warning: "Buy one book, and you'll end up buying them all."
Sir Terry died today at the age of 66.
Many people have called him fantasy's Douglas Adams, and I'd wholeheartedly agree, although, while a fan of Adams, I always enjoyed Pratchett's writing and humor more. His incredible social commentary — particularly as the series progressed — and his biting satire were always a joy, and his use of footnotes and puns* have me in stitches every time. Every Christmas I read Hogfather, and every Glorious 25th of May I'd make a donation to the American Alzheimer's Association is his honor.
Celebrate Sir Terry, in your own way. If you've never read one of his books, pick one up. I haven't even mentioned his other series, or his co-writing efforts with other authors like Neil Gaiman (Good Omens is also a perenially favorite read of mine). Me, I've made a donation to the American Alzheimer's Association in his memory, and this weekend I'm going to re-read the first book of his I ever picked up, Interesting Times. I'll leave you with this, my favorite quote of his, and pretty high on my list of list of favorite quotes overall: "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." — Jingo
* I've read Soul Music over a dozen times, and every time I do I still find new puns.