Michael Crichton, another asbestos casualty

I just found out one of my favorite authors, Michael Crichton, passed away a couple of weeks ago. He died of cancer, apparently associated with his asbestos exposure back when he was young, working his way through medical school. He was an M.D., but never practiced medicine, instead deciding to write novels. My first exposure to his work was reading The Great Train Robbery. If you've never read it, I highly recommend it. Nice, enjoyable, low key. It is based on the famous train robbery of 1855 in Victorian England, and closely resembles the Sherlock Holmes genre of Arthur C. Doyle, which is why I enjoyed it so much. Crichton also authored several others I enjoyed, including The Andromeda Strain, Timeline, and his most famous works, Jurassic Park and The Lost World. He also was the creator of the TV series, ER, and the author of the screenplay Twister. I found his Sphere to be disappointingly unbelievable, given the easy-believability of his other fictional works, including Airframe and Disclosure. Although I haven't seen it, I heard that the movie version of Timeline was terrible and did not do justice to the book. (That movie was the first movie to be released on DVD. It supposedly is one of the biggest box-office flops of all times, having cost $80 million to make, yet grossed only $19 million during its entire run, including DVD royalties.) I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and enjoyed it even more when re-reading it after having personally visited European castles of the period, such as the Gravensteen, Bouillon, and Kasteel van Horst. His last name Crichton rhymes with "frighten". This post is a response to the many who've expressed interest in something called the Twilight series. I have no interest in that type of genre, but definintely respect and encourage those who do. I am a firm believer in the benefit of books, especially ones that inspire a following for a favorite author or genre. Reading is truly one of the easiest ways we can experience real magic, transporting us to a land of make-believe a la The Never-Ending Story. Books require thought and mental exercise, and when well-written, are a great developer of mental acuity, critical thinking, and general analysis. It is our responsibility as parents and grandparents to make sure our children learn the enjoyment of great music, great art, and great reading. All three are benefits to society, culture, and progress. My $0.02 worth...