Virtual Book Tour 4 II

Danyel Smith, featured author in the current Virtual Book Tour spent yesterday guest hosting Beast Blog. In two lengthy entries, Danyel shares some of her sense of the place the book is based in: Oakland, California, and the East Bay. She serves up some of the places -- restaurants and clubs -- she hung out at and recommends some novels with a strong sense of place. She also writes, "There's a lot of Oakland in Brooklyn. It's why I've been able to stay so long." That reminded me of a few lines from the novel: "Oakland build quality. Things were old enough to scare her in New York. If Oakland was hell -- and it was sometimes, in some parts, in bright light -- at least it was mine and I knew my way around." (pp. 1, 3, 23) Parts of Brooklyn remind me of Boston -- and parts of Boston remind me of San Francisco. The elevated platform where the G connects with the 7 reminds me of Chicago's El train. I think we tend to settle in similar places -- or places tend to settle us.