You might have noticed that styles in writing change. In the Victorian era, there was an incredible amount of description. Why?

There was no other way to "paint the scene" of, say, Paris, so the writer laboriously described it. Now, with visual media, the mere mention of the word "Paris" conjures up images in your mind, whether you have been there or not! You may even hear Edith Piaf singing La Vie en Rose as a soundtrack. (By the way, loosely translated, it means a "life in pink" and refers to the pink tint the city takes on at dusk.)

My old book on Paris is the non-fiction classic "Is Paris Burning?"




Everyone who loves Paris should read this book. It is the riveting tale of how a German General saved Paris from destruction. As ordered, he had mined everything beautiful in the city: the Eiffel Tower, the bridges, even Notre Dame. Hitler wanted the city destroyed and every time he called and yelled down the line, "Is Paris Burning?" the general would fabricate another excuse for delay. He would not go down in history as the man who destroyed Paris. Failure to carry out an order by Hitler could result in not only his death, but the death of his family.

Because there were so many factions involved in the attempts to liberate Paris, the cast can be confusing. Just press on and don't worry about them. It's a true story -- no one could make up something this fantastic.

My new book on Paris is the Cara Black collection on a female detective in Paris. She solves crime, each in a different area of Paris, usually taking a physical beating that damages her haute couture bargains in the process. These are popcorn books -- you'll just read them, enjoy them and be done with them. You don't have to read them in any particular order.

There are a million other books on Paris. Maybe I'll return to the topic in April.