The Crossing

Talk about a heavy read. I never come out of a Cormac McCarthy book the same that I went in. Violent, depressing, awe inspiring, simple, deep, and dark are just some of the key adjectives that can be used to describe this deeply compelling (and at times disturbing) book. Sixteen year old Billy Parham captures a wolf that has been terrorizing his family's ranch. After weeks of trying to capture her he decides that he can't just kill such a magnificent creature (who happens to be pregnant). He brings her from her trap and on a whim decides to take her down to the mountains of Mexico. Armed with only his daddy's shotgun, the clothes on his back, his trusty horse, and the captured she wolf he embarks on a long life altering journey across the wild and often violent land of Mexico. For every thief he encounters, he is touched by at least three giving folks; many giving what little they own to the young American. A sweeping western that readers won't soon forget about (although I wish I could forget about the violence to animals -there is too damn much of it).

Mexican Gothic

What a ride! This gave off some real spooky vibes - reminiscent of The Haunting of Hill House and Rosemary's Baby. Mexican Gothic has a slow, unsettling, suspenseful pace where nothing adds up. Noemi's father sends her to a remote and isolated mansion in the Mexican countryside to check in on her cousin who has sent a very unsettling letter. Catalina mentions spirits, things in the walls, and voices and Noemi's father is convinced that someone needs to see her and evaluate if she needs medical help. When Noemi arrives she is instantly perturbed by the creaking old mansion; there is mold, windows don't open, and the staff and family are beyond peculiar and demanding. It's the most uninviting place she's ever seen. Like the letter suggested, her cousin Catalina is deeply disturbed and not right in the head. Noemi decides to stay and try to convince her cousin's husband to let her get psychiatric help or at least to get out of the damned house and get some fresh air. They're wrapped up in their own little world and something is deeply wrong. The longer she stays the more she too comes under the houses deeply disturbed spell. What is going on here and how can she and her cousin escape? Slow start, but one hell of an ending - didn't see it coming!

American Dirt

I legitimately could not put this book down. I was hesitant to pick up this book because of all the controversy around it, but I'm so glad I did. It's a powerful, important, and timely book. As a penance for reading this book (because I know a lot of people will judge me for it) I plan on reading a book writing by a Hispanic American writer (The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border by Julie Schwietert Collazo and Rosayra Pablo Cruz - so go ahead and hold me accountable!). American Dirt delivered on the hype it received. The action/violence started on page one and it never slowed down. It was a non-stop ride of terror, hope, and overwhelmingly bad odds. Filled with murder, rape, torture, and child endangerment; this book highlights the brutality of the cartels in Central America. People are willing to do anything to escape the violence, even if means becoming a migrant and trying to go North. Train hopping, rape, theft, and murder plague migrants at every turn; yet many are still willing to risk everything on the long trek north just to escape the horrors of their home. Lydia had a pretty comfortable life but that all changed when sixteen of her family members were killed at a cookout. She and her son escaped by hiding, but the cartel leader knows they are alive and will stop at nothing to find them. She's desperate to survive so she and her son join other migrants and hope to get as far away from the cartel as she can. Her journey is anything but easy. This book..... just goes to show the kind of hell that people have to go through just to try and make it to the US. It's horrific. This book is eye opening and I hope it sparks discussion and people reading more Latino authors. 

Gods of Jade and Shadow

Fun ,unique, and impossible to put down! Casiopea is tired of being treated like dirt by her family. Ever since her father died and she and her mother and to go back to her grandfather's house in southern Mexico; all she does is clean and be at their beck and call, she's no better than Cinderella. All Casiopea wants to do is experience the world, listen to jazz, dance, and drive around in an automobile. The whole world is turning and changing without her. All that changes though when she accidentally releases a Mayan god from a locked chest. Suddenly she's on an adventure and she has no idea where she will end up next. Urban legends are suddenly appearing before her very eyes and even though she's now bound to this devilishly handsome god of death, she's not that scared. What could be worse than scrubbing floors? Steeped with Mayan lore, this fun adventure features the most spirited girl, someone readers will instantly fall for. A great read!

Mexico

I've been on a short story kick and was definitely in the mood for this. Some of the short stories in here were slam dunks and others were odd ducks, with rushed endings and bizarre plots. For example, the opening story is beyond bizarre and flirts with cannibalism, drug lords, and ancient Aztec gods. All of the stories revolve around Mexico City and many of the characters are Americans or whites living in the city, viewing it through their lenses. Most, if not all, are crime stories as they apply to every day people; teachers, painters, journalists, students, mimes, etc. A lot of gang violence, drugs, rival Narco leaders and more. Dark, gritty, unexpected, this was an interesting read.

I received this book for free from Librarything in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

Trip Through Your Wires

Great build up as the reader goes back and forth in Carey's troubled life. From her time as a study abroad student in Mexico to the present as a broke 28 year old living with her parents in Indianapolis. Carey has a hard time letting go of the past and what happened in Mexico won't leave her mind, as long as her head is stuck on what she went through she can't focus on moving forward. Her boyfriend Ben was murdered in Mexico and years later a new piece of evidence has turned up that makes her want to rethink and relive every moment she spent down there with him. What really happened? Was it her fault, will the answers give her peace and help her move on with her life? Intriguing, even though I didn't see Carey's obsession with Ben, maybe I have to high a standard for my fictional men?! Other than that though a very compelling look at grief and the healing and/or destructive power of memory.

All the Pretty Horses

This is my second time reading this McCarthy book and I may have enjoyed it even more on the second go around. I know I definitely liked it more than I did the first one Cormac McCarthy book I ever read (Blood Meridian). Written in his signature southern, rustic drawl the story follows a young rancher and his friend who have nothing to lose.

The two teens leave Texas with nothing but their horses and dreams of a quiet existence in the wild Mexican frontier. On the way they encounter another young man who ends up tampering with their dreams of an idyllic future. What can their friendship withstand? Trials, guilt, love?

This is a must read for fans of westerns, literary novels, and Cormac McCarthy.

Summer of the Mariposas

Fanciful and inventive, this coming of age novel tells the story of five young sisters as they test the bonds of sisterhood. Their summer is turned upside down when they find the body of a dead man floating in their favorite swimming hole. Juanita suggests they take the body back to it's family and three of her sisters think it's a fantastic plan. Odilia, the oldest, objects but is soon overturned by the excitement and vigor of her sisters. Along the way they encounter many unbelievable things, things of legend that will either make or break them. With the help of the Aztec goddess they try to do right by the dead man, their family, and themselves. Full of ancient lore, family values, and heroic quests this book will entrance young adult readers.

All the Pretty Horses

This is my second Cormac McCarthy book and I liked it much more than I did the first one (Blood Meridian). Written in his signature southern, rustic drawl the story follows a young rancher and his friend who have nothing to lose.

The two teens leave Texas with nothing but their horses and dreams of a quiet existence in the wild Mexican frontier. On the way they encounter another young man who ends up tampering with their dreams of an idyllic future. What can their friendship withstand? Trials, guilt, love?

Narrated by Brad Pitt, I was mostly pleased, but wished he would have spoken a little louder. He was very soft spoken, and at times sounded dispassionate. I have yet to see the movie adaptation.

This is a must read for fans of westerns, literary novels, and Cormac McCarthy.

The Transplant

This book was like a punch in the gut. Nothing has opened up the immigration issue more than this novel has.

Personally, I never had very strong opinions on immigration and illegals in America. I always thought that everyone deserved a shot at a better life and if they want to come here let them, our forefathers got the chance, why can't they? It doesn't hurt me one iota, illegal immigrants generally take the jobs no one else want anyway. This book however, really made me take another look at the issue, it is sooo much more complicated than that!

This story follows Agata, a young Polish girl who comes to the US as an au pair, dreaming of a better life and Mario, a Mexican who just wants to earn enough money for his mother to get a new kidney. Over the course of about ten years these poor illegal immigrants try to do everything in their power to do the right thing, get legalized, and improve their lives, but time and time again they are shut down. Eventually their paths cross and Agata and Mario have a child. Both of their families disapprove, but they tough it out and try to make it work.

This story is heart wrenching and beautifully crafted. Mario and Agata try soo very hard and you want them to succeed. This story is just a fictional account of what happens to thousands of illegal immigrants every day, it's saddening and something must be done.

A definite eye opener and a must read!