Tribute/Appreciation

Book critic Maureen Corrigan who was a fan of Sue Grafton, has an appreciation of the mystery writer who died at the age of 77 on December 28th. And then we hear an excerpt of Terry's 1989 interview with Grafton.

From Maurice Sendak to Bill O'Reilly, Terry Gross looks back on some of the most touching — and touchy — moments from interviews she's conducted over the decades.

Fitzgerald, who died in 1996, had her first hits with Chick Webb's big band before going out on her own in the 1940s. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Fitzgerald at her best is as good as it gets.

Moore, who died Wed. at the age of 80, played a single professional woman on the 1970s show named after her, aand became beloved for her portrayal of a housewife on The Dick Van Dyke Show. TV critic David Bianculli has an appreciation

The British novelist set shocking crimes in mundane settings -- always adding a dash of social criticism. Critic Maureen Corrigan says she is forever giving Rendell's books to friends.

Holiday was born 100 years ago Tuesday in Philadelphia. Fresh Air jazz critic Kevin Whitehead has some thoughts on Holiday's changing style, her influences, and singers she influenced.

Jazz pianist, bandleader and composer Horace Silver died Wednesday at age 85. Fresh Air critic Kevin Whitehead says that Silver had been off the scene awhile, but his influence is as strong as ever. Hear an appreciation.

Science-fiction writer Jack Finney would have turned 100 this month. Critic Maureen Corrigan says he had a knack for tapping into our shallowly buried psychological anxieties. At its core, Finney's Invasion of the Body Snatchers is about how our loved ones inevitably change — and it is as sad as it is scary.

David Foster Wallace's unfinished novel, The Pale King, was recently published. But to truly enjoy his work, says critic John Powers, you must read his earlier pieces, which were filled with "a staggering eye for detail" from "a mind that was never predictable."

Fresh Air's critic-at-large John Powers was raised to dislike Elizabeth Taylor. But he soon fell for her charms. He remembers the legendary actress who was a siren on-screen -- and a committed supporter of HIV/AIDS research.