Adding description while avoiding authorial intrusion

When writing fiction it it best to avoid diving straight into description, since this is total 'authorial intrusion'; in other words, the author's voice shouts out to interrupt the 'suspension of disbelief' you have lulled your reader into while caring about your characters. Looking at a scene through your character's eyes and observations is one way to achieve this. The following is an example taking from the novel I am presently writing:

I suddenly found myself observing her as a stranger might in order to gauge what Julia perceived. I was very ware of the shrillness to her voice and, although her English was excellent, I realised how Julia might notice her speech was still modulated by a German staccato; each word was sharply enunciated. I was also aware of an aroma of stewed apples. She’d always had a thing about apples. I’d practically lived on them as a kid. The house always smelled of apples.

Two Little Bibles for Writers

I have been referring to Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers for years. This little book clarifies those uncertainties when it comes to typographical subtleties. Although equally well established, I have only recently discovered The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. This provides some excellent advice on how to write well, and in a concise manner; appropriately, the book itself is very concise. So I would recommend both of these little books to be on any serious writer's bookshelf, especially any self-publishers on whom the burden of perfection now truly falls. It is interesting that both these works have been around for many years.