Interestingly, although I could have penned your first paragraph about myself, I was first introduced to Pern (and Anne McCaffrey) by my ex husband, shortly after I had left university. While I was never as engrossed in the books as you describe being (and, oh joy, finding authors and series which grip us like that! I miss it) I did read as many of them as I could, and was sad to see she had died. RIP to a fantasy great.