Well, it’s 2012, amazing as that may seem, and most people are looking ahead to the new year, making their resolutions…and resolving not to break them this time. But before we move forward, let’s take a moment to look back over the last year and remember some of the great novelists and writers who passed away. Though they themselves are gone, here’s to hoping their great works of fiction and nonfiction survive for many years to come!

Brian Jacques, 2/5/11

Diana Wynne Jones, 3/26/11

Joanna Russ, 4/29/11

William Sleator, 8/3/11

Susan Fromberg Schaeffer, 8/26/11

Anne McCaffrey, 11/22/11

Christopher Hitchens, 12/16/11