Marlo, collecting was such fun. We got really good at it. Could check out a thrift store shelves quickly as in time we remembered what we had at the art. I always wondered how bookshops knew if they had a copy of The Great Gatsby. Then opened my own shop and figured it out ): you just know and remember ( we didn’t have other employees, just us).
Thank you for your book list, it has inspired me! One thing I was wondering about while reading this post is how Puerto Morelos has changed between "then" and "now." Such as the postman on his bike and other cultural day-to-day experiences. Could you write about this sometime?
Certainly! Unfortunately, relevant to your comment, Don Chevo passed away about 7 years ago. (RIP). But I certainly will address some of the overall changes, of which there are many. Times change! We stumbled onto it during its sweet spot.
Very welcome! That's just a portion. If you're looking for more Latin American authors, I'd be happy to tell you some of my other favorites, as the years have gone on and I've read more. Let me know, Stephanie! Who do you read?
I love Isabelle Allende. She's written a novel a year (!) for past 25 years. A Long Petal to the Sea is very engaging for starters. Luis Albert Urrea is excellent--The Hummingbird's Daughter (historical fiction about his ancestral family), and Beautiful North are two of my faves of his fiction. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's The Beautiful Ones is kind of gothic-fantasy-romance. If you want more choices, please give me a shout!
Yes, re the Maya, so good. And thank you! Yep, he was definitely wrong about no one reading. I think he meant himself ): and I had carried enough suitcases with books down to know someone other than me had the reading bug.
Great writing, story and reading list! I’ve missed many chapters and need to go back to the beginning and catch up, but even dipping in out of sequence, I’m all in. Thanks, Jeanine.
Oh, thank you Ruth. At the menu up top, Where the Sky is Born, chapters 1-9. If you need the dates after that in order, let me know. I’m glad to know they can be stand alone posts!! Gracias!
Thanks, Jeanine! One Hundred Years of Solitude is definitely on my literary bucket list - I read Love in the Time of Cholera in college and really enjoyed it. And Long Petal to the Sea looks wonderful.
Great list of books, Jeanine! Although more northern Mexico than Mayan, I loved Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy. For some reason I enjoy the “gringo in Mexico” genre😎
Hi Brian, thought I replied to this but maybe not. Yes, that genre is a good one. Love Cormac McCarthy— esp No Country. Some of the spoken lines were so so good. Some years ago I read he was the only lay person to be invited to this annual scientific summit. Santa Fe institute, reserved for physicists and mathematicians— and one lone super-charged author, Cormac. Loved that.
We go w/ the flow! (Can't push the river--I'm sure you've been in enough foreign countries to know how That works out). But even that didn't work out as expected, but we loved Don Chevo. Sweet man. And whoever had the craving to send us mail in MX, well, they had a screw loose, haha. Yes, re Mildred's niece--sometimes the internet is a powerful tool. For connection. Thanks for reading!
Know you're heading to S.America too, so strongly recommend if not already read, one of my faves, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Other greats: Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, Isabelle Allende (!), Fernanda Melchor, Rogoberta Menchu- Nobel prize winner, Jorge Luis Borges, Mario Vargas Llosa. Enjoy!!
Oh you’re way ahead of the game!! Meant to also add Luis Urrea. Both his fiction and non. The Hummingbird’s Daughter you’ll love (historical fiction based on his ancestors) and the insightful truth of the Devil’s highway. Beautiful North another eye opener, also loosely based on his family.
Oh Colombia! It looks devastatingly beautiful, Claire! those old historic cities--gorgeous. And the lushness of the foliage et al. How wonderful! Think you'll like Urrea. His mentor (this is so cool) was Ursula LeGuin (at USC, I think). He's in my Mexico Writers group. He teaches lit and writing at Northwestern.
This essay vividly blends your literary journey with your cultural adaptation to Mexico, capturing both your passion for Mexican history and the humor in navigating local quirks. Thanks Jeanine
Thank you, Paulette. So nice to hear. Life has been topsy turvy! Try and catch Stephanie Bennet Vogt's NOTE today. In it she has a great parable, you may know it, The Chinese Farmer, read by Alan Watts. If nothing else, Watts' voice will soothe you. If you cannot locate, let me know, I posted it on FB. xo
Wow Jeanine that’s a lot of books to read and to ship! Loved reading about your postman. And same in Costa Rica- mañana just means, not today!!
Marlo, collecting was such fun. We got really good at it. Could check out a thrift store shelves quickly as in time we remembered what we had at the art. I always wondered how bookshops knew if they had a copy of The Great Gatsby. Then opened my own shop and figured it out ): you just know and remember ( we didn’t have other employees, just us).
Thank you for your book list, it has inspired me! One thing I was wondering about while reading this post is how Puerto Morelos has changed between "then" and "now." Such as the postman on his bike and other cultural day-to-day experiences. Could you write about this sometime?
Certainly! Unfortunately, relevant to your comment, Don Chevo passed away about 7 years ago. (RIP). But I certainly will address some of the overall changes, of which there are many. Times change! We stumbled onto it during its sweet spot.
Love the reading list, thanks for sharing!
Very welcome! That's just a portion. If you're looking for more Latin American authors, I'd be happy to tell you some of my other favorites, as the years have gone on and I've read more. Let me know, Stephanie! Who do you read?
Do you have any favorite Latin American authors who write contemporary fiction? I'd love to check out their work!
I love Isabelle Allende. She's written a novel a year (!) for past 25 years. A Long Petal to the Sea is very engaging for starters. Luis Albert Urrea is excellent--The Hummingbird's Daughter (historical fiction about his ancestral family), and Beautiful North are two of my faves of his fiction. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's The Beautiful Ones is kind of gothic-fantasy-romance. If you want more choices, please give me a shout!
Thanks so much! I'm going to add those to my list right now!
Great! Hope you enjoy!
I'm so glad you opened that bookstore! Obviously the "no one reads here" statement was wrong :) As visitors to the coast, we enjoyed it, too. :)
Love your list of Maya books. A Forest of Kings was the first one I read - and still remains one of my favorites.
Yes, re the Maya, so good. And thank you! Yep, he was definitely wrong about no one reading. I think he meant himself ): and I had carried enough suitcases with books down to know someone other than me had the reading bug.
Great writing, story and reading list! I’ve missed many chapters and need to go back to the beginning and catch up, but even dipping in out of sequence, I’m all in. Thanks, Jeanine.
Oh, thank you Ruth. At the menu up top, Where the Sky is Born, chapters 1-9. If you need the dates after that in order, let me know. I’m glad to know they can be stand alone posts!! Gracias!
What a treasure trove of books!
Oh, that’s the reader in me!!!
Whether or not your books made it safely counts as a cliffhanger for this fellow book lover!
And thank you for the list of books - it was a good reminder that I've been meaning to read Under the Volcan for ages...
Ohh, very welcome, Jodi. So many more too. Do you read many Latin American authors?
No, I'm ashamed of how little Latin American literature I've read. I really want to make an effort to fix that...
Consider One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and A Long Petal to the Sea, Isabel Allende. Both wonderful.
Thanks, Jeanine! One Hundred Years of Solitude is definitely on my literary bucket list - I read Love in the Time of Cholera in college and really enjoyed it. And Long Petal to the Sea looks wonderful.
Oh great! Loved those 2 books. Think you'll like "Petal."
Reconnecting through your writing! It truly is a way of becoming immortal. And I hope they enjoy her next cameo in the book too!
And your commitment to shipping your book collection was a serious mission!
You got it, baby!!! It was!!
Oh, yes, b/c Mildred can never fail. What a dear sweet woman she was. (RIP)
Such a pleasure reading your Mayaphile backstory! The mañana bit gave me a good cchuckle 😆
Funny, huh?
Thanks Diana, glad you enjoyed it! And yes, I do love my reading materials!
Great list of books, Jeanine! Although more northern Mexico than Mayan, I loved Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy. For some reason I enjoy the “gringo in Mexico” genre😎
Hi Brian, thought I replied to this but maybe not. Yes, that genre is a good one. Love Cormac McCarthy— esp No Country. Some of the spoken lines were so so good. Some years ago I read he was the only lay person to be invited to this annual scientific summit. Santa Fe institute, reserved for physicists and mathematicians— and one lone super-charged author, Cormac. Loved that.
What a lovely connection to make!
Thanks Michael, yes, it was! I was amazed and very happy.
tipping the post man?? Also very cool story about Mildred’s niece!
We go w/ the flow! (Can't push the river--I'm sure you've been in enough foreign countries to know how That works out). But even that didn't work out as expected, but we loved Don Chevo. Sweet man. And whoever had the craving to send us mail in MX, well, they had a screw loose, haha. Yes, re Mildred's niece--sometimes the internet is a powerful tool. For connection. Thanks for reading!
Thanks for the book recommendations! I always read about the countries I’m in and preferably from local authors.
Know you're heading to S.America too, so strongly recommend if not already read, one of my faves, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Other greats: Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, Isabelle Allende (!), Fernanda Melchor, Rogoberta Menchu- Nobel prize winner, Jorge Luis Borges, Mario Vargas Llosa. Enjoy!!
Thank you! Isabelle Allende was one of my favorites when I was a teenager and I love Borges and Marquez. Time to get back into Neruda and Paz, too!
Oh you’re way ahead of the game!! Meant to also add Luis Urrea. Both his fiction and non. The Hummingbird’s Daughter you’ll love (historical fiction based on his ancestors) and the insightful truth of the Devil’s highway. Beautiful North another eye opener, also loosely based on his family.
That’s a name I don’t know yet. Super! It looks like we are going to Colombia before coming to Mexico. I’m so excited!
Oh Colombia! It looks devastatingly beautiful, Claire! those old historic cities--gorgeous. And the lushness of the foliage et al. How wonderful! Think you'll like Urrea. His mentor (this is so cool) was Ursula LeGuin (at USC, I think). He's in my Mexico Writers group. He teaches lit and writing at Northwestern.
This essay vividly blends your literary journey with your cultural adaptation to Mexico, capturing both your passion for Mexican history and the humor in navigating local quirks. Thanks Jeanine
Thanks Tinashe! It is a carnival! haha.
I really needed to hear your voice today, and travel with you on your adventure, Jeanine. Thank you, as always.
Thank you, Paulette. So nice to hear. Life has been topsy turvy! Try and catch Stephanie Bennet Vogt's NOTE today. In it she has a great parable, you may know it, The Chinese Farmer, read by Alan Watts. If nothing else, Watts' voice will soothe you. If you cannot locate, let me know, I posted it on FB. xo
Thank you, Jeanine. I'll look for it, but I think I know the parable you're pointing to.
What a great list of books. So many favorites, like Stones for Ibarra. I love your stories and the cool connections.
Thanks Jennifer! Loved Don Chevo (RIP). He hung in there for a long time. He was simply a treat. So cute.