There Are Places I Remember*
Filed under Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy Sayers, Michael Connelly
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Thanks for checking out my blog. I'm a mystery novelist and Associate Professor who loves to read, write and talk about crime fiction. I'd be very interested in your input on my thoughts.
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Confessions of a Mystery Novelist... by Margot Kinberg is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Confessions of a Mystery Novelist… · A crime-fictional blog…
>I find myself drawn to books that are set in places that I know, regardless of whether they are places dear to the heart of the writer. I suppose that's why I love all books set in and around Universities. It's the setting I've known best for the past four decades.
>Hi Margot .. interesting to read where people get their ideas from .. it makes perfect sense, of course! Edinburgh had been one of the main centres of medicine in the late 1700s and 1800s .. and it's good to be reminded of that .. Thanks – Hilary
>Annie – I know what you mean. I like books set in familiar kinds of surroundings, too. And it's interesting you mention books with a University setting. I like them, too, and I think that part of the reason is that, like you, I've been in that sort of setting for a long time and I'm familiar with it. The academic setting just resonates with me.Hilary – I always think it makes sense, too, once you know something about a place or a writer. You know, I didn't know that about Edinburgh; thanks! As I think of it, that gives me an insight on several other things I've read. Thanks
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>I think when an author puts his own experiences in a book, it adds a real richness and color that mere research can't really attain. Great examples here.
>Elizabeth – Thanks! And you put that very well, I think! A book gets such a sense of depth when a writer integrates her or his own experiences, even if there's not a specific person, etc., integrated into a book.
>I enjoy recognizing places I know well in books I read, i.e. Boston area locales in Robert B. Parker's books and Chicago sites in Sara Paretsky's novels. Although in those two cases, I would be engrossed in the story anyway, knowing the settings is just icing on the cake.
>Barbara – I know just want you mean. I really enjoy getting an author's view of places I know well, too. The setting can really draw me in in books like that. Of course…if the author doesn't do an accurate job of depicting the setting, that's another story
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>I agree with Barbara, it is fun to read books taking place in settings I'm familiar with. I don't know if I've written any of my experiences into any of my tales, but since I'm such a big believer in 'people are people' regardless of the date on the calendar, I *do* hope that is there.
>Elspeth – I'm quite sure it is there. I think authors really do have ways of weaving their selves, in some way or other, into what they write. And I see your point completely. People really are people regardless of the time or place, aren't they?