Beverly Cleary and Larry McMurtry have died

[GeorgeParker]

“A littler person sometimes had to be a little bit noisier and a little bit more stubborn in order to be noticed at all.”

Ramona Quimby’s credo has rung true for young adult readers for generations. Borne from the imagination of Beverly Cleary, Ramona, a spark plug of a kid, was instantly recognizable and relatable. The much-adored author of 42 books for children died on Thursday at the age of 104. “She elevated misunderstandings and near misses into an art form, subtly demonstrating how to turn embarrassment into a funny story without making anyone a punching bag,” Elisabeth Egan writes in a remembrance. https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/...wuY29tWAQAAAAA

We also remember Larry McMurtry, a prolific novelist and screenwriter of the American West. He died at 84. Here’s a look at the trove of work the Pulitzer Prize-winner left behind. https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/P612qkHwKTj2Bz4ns2msWg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRiQuEFP0TVaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS 8wMy8yNi9ib29rcy9sYXJyeS1tY211cnRyeS1kZWFkLmh0bWw_ Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9OSZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ubl8yMDIxMDMyOCZpbn N0YW5jZV9pZD0yODU3NyZubD10aGUtbW9ybmluZyZyZWdpX2lk PTk5NzkzMzgwJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTQzNjEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2 lkPTFhOWIyMWY5ZTNiMWI3NTlmYzViMWYzODdkODJjZDQ3VwNu eXRCCmBYBVxgYM2EcVpSFm1zb3RtMTk1OWpjZ0BnbWFpbC5jb2 1YBAAAAAA~

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[iris lilies]

Ramona is a great character from literature.

[happystuff]

So loved the Beverly Cleary books. 104 is pretty good "long life" number.

Condolences to family and friends of both Beverly Cleary and Larry McMurtry.

[iris lilies]

I met Beverly Cleary about the year 1979. I’m sure she met hundreds of thousands of librarians, teachers, and readers because she did a lot of book tours

I didn’t realize she was still alive for god sake.Even way back then she look like a little grandma figure and wear those grandma shoes that I don’t even see anymore, you know the black lace up ones with little heels?

[Yppej]

I liked The Last Picture Show trilogy.

[happystuff]

I met Beverly Cleary about the year 1979. I’m sure she met hundreds of thousands of librarians, teachers, and readers because she did a lot of book tours

I didn’t realize she was still alive for god sake.Even way back then she look like a little grandma figure and wear those grandma shoes that I don’t even see anymore, you know the black lace up ones with little heels?

I remember seeing my great-grandmother in those shoes. Thanks for reviving the memory.

[JaneV2.0]

My grandmother wore heels until the day she died; her only concession was to get slightly more conservative ones with straps as she got older. Me, I wear Crocs.

I've never read Beverly Cleary, but my family lived in different houses in the neighborhood she described for generations. The closest cross street to my adolescent home was Klickitat. And oddly, though they were contemporaries, no one in my family knew her. I'm glad she lived a long life and brought so much joy to young readers.

[iris lilies]

I remember seeing my great-grandmother in those shoes. Thanks for reviving the memory.

Photo!

FE72F0FA-4609-4A16-BAB0-78544986FB48.jpg

[iris lilies]

My grandmother wore heels until the day she died; her only concession was to get slightly more conservative ones with straps as she got older. Me, I wear Crocs.

I've never read Beverly Cleary, but my family lived in different houses in the neighborhood she described for generations. The closest cross street to my adolescent home was Klickitat. And oddly, though they were contemporaries, no one in my family knew her. I'm glad she lived a long life and brought so much joy to young readers.

I was thinking you had some kind of Beverly Cleary connection Jane. We’ve talked about Ramona before. Ramona on her own came on the scene after my childhood but she was the best Cleary character by far. I think my own childhood Cleary books were Beezus and
ramona and Henry Huggins. Jean and Johnny was not good.

[Rogar]

Parts of McMurtry's Lonesome Dove are fictionalized accounts of the cattle drives of Charles Goodnight. Among my group there were some hardcore Lonesome Dove fans, mostly from the TV mini series, who were interested in western adventure stories or western history. I know of a few who can probably still pull a few film quotes from their memory. There is a historic Goodnight barn in my hometown that was along a Goodnight trail. I'll remember him as a great western story teller who presented a more realistic epic western saga than typical Hollywood cowboys and Indians versions, though not perfect.