Lessons in Location and Setting

Lessons in Location and Setting

Setting is key in any story, whether you’re talking novels or films. Setting is what gives a story a sense of place, ambience, mood and texture, so picking the right location is everything. Stories set in New Orleans are vastly different than those set in New York or Hong Kong. Even neighborhoods have different nuances—think Chinatown versus Greektown or Queens versus the Bronx.

Ebooks Versus Paper Books

Ebooks Versus Paper Books

I am often asked why I don’t read ebooks more? Especially given my space issue with my large library. What can I say? I prefer paper. I want to hold the book in my hand and feel the pages as I turn them. I want to browse my shelves and pull books down to flip through old favorites and to search for my next adventure to read. Scanning electronic shelves is not the same. There’s no anticipation of seeing titles from across the room and remembering the moment I found it waiting in a book store for me.

Too Many Books…I Don’t Think So

Too Many Books…I Don’t Think So

Today’s blog is a bit of a rant about my library—my personal library. Now, I am the first to admit I own a lot of books. Just over 7,000 at last count. But that does not make me weird or a hoarder. I simply refuse to believe that books can be hoarded. A library is a treasure of stories, worlds and knowledge, not a pile of rotting papers moldering in the corner. There’s a difference.