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The setting of a story makes little difference to me, and it appears to be very important to you. Fine.

It sure is important to me. Somehow I can relate more to a story that takes place in, say, South Florida, than in Middle Earth although the latter is a fun read. BTW, I also enjoyed Elmore Leonard because many of his stories are set down here and also because of the quality of his writing. But James Jones overall reigns supreme.

Somehow I can relate more to a story that takes place in, say, South Florida, than in Middle Earth

Well, the latter takes imagination, true...

"Somehow I can relate more to a story that takes place in, say, South Florida, than in Middle Earth although the latter is a fun read."

If I remember right, Tolkien considered Middle Earth to actually be Europe, not a mythical world at all, only set in the very distant past. As a youth, I spent time in the English countryside and saw many ancient prehistoric ruins, mounds, immense chalk drawings, etc. The English countryside is beautiful and charming, but also has an ancient and mystical quality. LOTR actually connects very strongly to both the beautiful and the mystical qualities of the English countryside, probably more deeply than Leonard or Hiassen do to South Florida. Reading it never fails to evoke strong memories in me.