Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez has died at the age of 87. He was perhaps best-known for his books, Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude. Garcia Marquez popularized magical realism,  described by the committee who awarded him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 as a genre "in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination."

Prolific romance author Janet Dailey has died at the age of 69. Her books were warm, all American romances which appealed to a large audience, selling as many as 300 million copies. Her latest book is Merry Christmas, Cowboy.

While her books did not receive critical acclaim, Ms. Dailey preferred to listen to the opinions of her readers and was quoted as saying, “One of the things that to me is the biggest compliment any writer can get is hearing from the ones who say, ‘I used to think reading was boring until I picked up one of your books.’ That’s great, because I know that if they read my books they’re going to read other books; they’re going to go back to reading again.”

Barbara Park, author of the best-selling Junie B. Jones series, has died at the age of 66.  Park was also the author of several stand-alone novels for middle grade-readers, including Skinnybones and The Kid In the Red Jacket, and picture books, such as Ma! There's Nothing To Do Here! Fans of Park's books will long remember her funny and realistic writing style.

Best-selling author Tom Clancy has died. He published twenty-eight books and has an new novel yet to be released. Seventeen of his novels made the New York Times best-sellers list and many of them hit the number one slot. Several of his books, including The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and The Sum of all Fears, were made into block-buster films. His many fans will long remember the enjoyment given to them by his detailed thrillers.

Author Elmore Leonard, age 87, died at his home at Bloomfield Hills. Perhaps best known for his gritty crime novels such as Get Shorty, Leonard was also a master of western stories such as 3:10 to Yuma which was made into a film in 2007 starring Russell Crowe. A long-time resident in the Detroit area, he won many writing awards in his lifetime including the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America.

Best-selling Irish author Maeve Binchy has died at the age of 72 after a short illness. She worked as a teacher before becoming a journalist, columnist and editor at the Irish Times. Her first novel, Light a Penny Candle, was published in 1982 and became a bestseller. A beloved author throughout the world, she was known for heart-warming books which explored family and human relationships with drama and humor. Binchy saw several of her works turned into movies, including Circle of Friends and Tara Road.

The copper beech by Maeve Binchy

The glass lake: a novel by Maeve Binchy

Heart and soul by Maeve Binchy

Best-selling author and long-time columnist, Jeffrey Zaslow, died on Friday, February 10th from injuries suffered after a car crash in northern Michigan. Internationally known for his humorous and empathetic columns as well as his non-fiction books including The Girls from Ames and The Last Lecture, the West Bloomfield based author was scheduled to appear at Canton Public Library on February 23rd to discuss his most recent book, The Magic Room.