J.D. Salinger

I don't even know what to say about the death of J.D. Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye is one of my all-time favorite books and has been since I read it in my freshman year of high school. I like what John Hodgman said

I prefer to think JD Salinger has just decided to become extra reclusive

And here are some links to people who are more articulate on the subject than I:

• From the Washington Post: Publisher Roger Lathbury recalls book deal with J.D. Salinger that went south 
• From the Guardian's Books Blog: JD Salinger: A tribute roundup 
• From The New York Times: J. D. Salinger, Literary Recluse, Dies at 91. See also the list of related articles.

Robert B. Parker

I started reading the Spenser novels in high school. My mom started reading them first and recommended them to me. I couldn't get enough of them. My friend Heather and her mom loved them, too. I even convinced my family to name our dog Spenser.

At some point I stopped reading Parker, but in the last few years I've started up again. It's such a cliche, but I thought he'd always be around, that the Spenser books would just keep coming. I really hate the thought that some day I'll have read them all.

Here's a nice roundup of tributes (from Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind).