I always pay close attention to my favored authors' Favorite Books lists. Yours is great. I've enjoyed several of the books on your list ... the others I noted as future possibilities. I especially enjoyed Anna Karenina, which I read while traveling around Europe for the first time on a EuRail pass. This leads me to my question: Do you select and read books during your trips that are set in the same geographical area in which you're traveling? I usually do, but I'm wondering if, as a writer, you do not for fear of being overly influenced by the author's style and biases. It ties to your comment about Elmore Leonard. I read Moby Dick before and during a visit to my sister on Nantucket. Upon rereading my journal from that time, it sounds as if written by a depressed Quaker.

Thanks for the years of very entertaining, interesting reading.

Paul Wiese

Tim: Dear Paul,

If there are books about the area, or by local authors, yes. I was just in the Sahara and happened to pick up a recently released book: Sahara Unveiled, by William Langewiesche. Excellent reference, elegantly written. Highly recommended. And yes, I liked the book so much I'm going to have to watch my style. I was in a different area than Langewiesche, however. Different things happened, and my impressions were not always the same as his. Still, there are places where he said things better than I, and I intend to quote him at some length.

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