Lois Duncan (1934-2016) Tribute List

Author Lois Duncan died on June 15, 2016. She was 82 years old. Duncan wrote many novels aimed at teens that were suspenseful, spooky and often dealt with the supernatural. Her novel "I Know What You Did Last Summer... " was adapted into a movie, but Duncan wasn't very happy with the result. Like Dean Koontz or Stephen King, the novels of Lois Duncan used to be a rite of passage for girls of a certain age. The novels hold up for modern readers as well and are perfect for reading in the dark with friends or by candle or campfire light. Here are ten words from the novels of Lois Duncan.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. rife
    excessively abundant
    December is a month that is rife with nostalgia. If there's anything deep in your heart that you want to keep buried, you can count on December to bring it to the surface.
    - Don't Look Behind You
  2. nostalgia
    a longing for something past
    December is a month that is rife with nostalgia. If there's anything deep in your heart that you want to keep buried, you can count on December to bring it to the surface.
    - Don't Look Behind You
  3. context
    the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation
    If there were a mile high mountain of granite, and once every ten-thousand years a bird flew past and brushed it with a feather, by the time that mountain was worn away, a fraction of a second would have passed in the context of eternity.
    -Stranger With My Face
  4. envy
    a desire to have something that is possessed by another
    We are the wise.
    Do not envy us—
    We who are too wise to draw near
    the fire
    Lest we get burned;
    We who are too wise to love
    Lest love should vanish and we be
    hurt.
    We are the wise.
    Do not envy us our wisdom—
    We who are too wise to live
    Lest we should die.
    - Trapped: Cages of Mind and Body
  5. twitter
    a series of chirps
    The silence was gone now, and the night was filled with voices—a chirp, a growl, a twitter—a burst of high-pitched laughter.
    - Daughters of Eve
  6. fumble
    make one's way clumsily or blindly
    It was not, as she would have expected, the fumbling kiss of a boy unused to dating but the practiced kiss of a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
    - Gallows Hill
  7. stifling
    forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
    The hatred rose within her, thick and stifling. So many long years, wasted!
    - Daughters of Eve
  8. incredulously
    in a disbelieving manner
    Why do I find it upsetting!" Kit regarded him incredulously. "How would you feel, being used as a kind of vehicle for dead people!"
    - Down a Dark Hall
  9. bewilderment
    confusion resulting from failure to understand
    You weren't using astral projection, were you?" Helen asked.

    "Using what?" I said in bewilderment.

    "You know—sending your mind out from your body? Luis's father used to be able to do it."
    - Stranger with My Face
  10. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    "You weren't alike," Mother said. "You looked just alike—both of you so beautiful with big, solemn eyes and all that thick, dark hair.
    - Stranger With My Face
Created on Thu Jun 16 15:05:33 EDT 2016 (updated Fri Jun 17 12:58:46 EDT 2016)

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