New Mexico Books

In the modern age, traveling from Iowa to California is nothing. But in 1849, it was deadly and treacherous journey. "I Have Seen the Fire" is a splice of reality and fiction, following Sarah Royce (a woman who truly existed) in a work of historical fiction. Telling of her family's journey west, "I Have Seen the Fire" is an eye-opening look at the harsh journey and trials people undertook for a chance at a better life. Highly recommended for community library historical fiction collections.

I was enchanted by this book and had to force myself to put it down so i would have some left to read tomorrow. Knowing that the author is a noted historian, you might expect this book to be a history lesson of sorts and it's true that the details of life on the trail heading west and in the mining camps are colorful and engaging. But mostly this is a deeply personal story written from inside the mind of a righteous, brave and interestingly optimistic woman who feels more deeply and passionately than she may even admit to herself. Hine writes a woman's voice so well you feel like you know Sarah Royce, a woman who loves her home and yet travels constantly, who sees God and yet is haunted by her own failings in not saving a friend from a fire as a child, who supports her husband and yet has a very special relationship with a man with clear, blue eyes. Maybe like me you won't want this short little book to end, but when it does that ending will make you catch your breath!

I have not yet read this book, I have only just ordered it, but I am so excited to read it because currently I am the coordinator of the Hollenback Community Garden in Brooklyn New York. Our garden is on the former site of the Hollenback Mansion where Amelia grew up, which burned down in 1979.

Compiled, edited and Annotated by Mary J. Straw Cook, Immortal Summer: A Victorian Woman's Travels In The Southwest is a collection of letters and black-and-white photographs by Amelia Hollenback, a Victorian woman who had the opportunity to see 1897 America with her own eyes. With extensive contextual annotation, Immortal Summer is a vivid, superbly organized and presented primary source which takes in what American life, land and people were really like more than a century ago. One curious note: Author and historian Mary Cook lives in Santa Fe in the very house that Amelia Hollenback commissioned John Gaw Meem to build in 1932!

Chaco Canyon is in the middle of nowhere, a unexceptional canyon in the New Mexico desert where nobody in his right mind would try to make a living. All the more amazing is that this barren place was the center of the Anasazi civilization. The Great House of Pueblo Bonito is the largest pre-historic building north of Mexico, counting 800 rooms and constructed about 1,000 years ago.

Chaco is mysterious and this book of seventeen essays by authorities in several fields explores those mysteries. One is given the point of view of the scholars as well as representatives of the Pueblo, Hopi, and the Navajo Indians. Good charts, maps, and photos, some in color, support the text. Perhaps the most interesting of all the mysteries is how the Anasazi fed themselves in this unpromising environment and a brief sidebar talks about Chaco agriculture -- although not enough.

The most interesting essay in the book is titled "The Chaco Navajos" and is about the coming of the Navajos, the Spaniards, and the Anglos to Chaco Canyon long after the Anasazi had disappeared. Included is a brief account of pioneer archaeologist, Richard Wetherill, killed in a gunfight with a Navajo in 1910. "Richard Wetherill Anasazi" by Frank McNitt is a fine biography of Wetherill, a character worthy of legend.

"In Search of Chaco" is an attractive, up-to-date look at current theories and thinking about Chaco. One suspects there's a lot more to learn. One quibble: I despise the politically correct term "Ancestral Pueblo" used by the scholars for the people who built Chaco. The old and romantic name, "Anasazi," is far preferable.

Smallchief

Chaco Canyon is in the middle of nowhere, a unexceptional canyon in the New Mexico desert where nobody in his right mind would try to make a living. All the more amazing is that this barren place was the center of the Anasazi civilization. The Great House of Pueblo Bonito is the largest pre-historic building north of Mexico, counting 800 rooms and constructed about 1,000 years ago.

Chaco is mysterious and this book of seventeen essays by authorities in several fields explores those mysteries. One is given the point of view of the scholars as well as representatives of the Pueblo, Hopi, and the Navajo Indians. Good charts, maps, and photos, some in color, support the text. Perhaps the most interesting of all the mysteries is how the Anasazi fed themselves in this unpromising environment and a brief sidebar talks about Chaco agriculture -- although not enough.

The most interesting essay in the book is titled "The Chaco Navajos" and is about the coming of the Navajos, the Spaniards, and the Anglos to Chaco Canyon long after the Anasazi had disappeared. Included is a brief account of pioneer archaeologist, Richard Wetherill, killed in a gunfight with a Navajo in 1910. "Richard Wetherill Anasazi" by Frank McNitt is a fine biography of Wetherill, a character worthy of legend.

"In Search of Chaco" is an attractive, up-to-date look at current theories and thinking about Chaco. One suspects there's a lot more to learn. One quibble: I despise the politically correct term "Ancestral Pueblo" used by the scholars for the people who built Chaco. The old and romantic name, "Anasazi," is far preferable.

Smallchief

Lisa Sandlin's new collection is worth two reads. I just reread it and love the world we enter. It's a place that's mystical and spiritual and filled with salt of the earth characters who are searching for more from life. I'm reminded of Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez with their magical realism. Sandlin's third collection is beautifully written, deep and multilayered in complex characters and a joy to read and savor.Keep your eye on Lisa Sandlin. She's a writer worth knowing and watching. If you haven't heard of her, she has two other collections--The Famous Thing About Death and Message to the Nurse of Dreams--worth reading. Thank you, Lisa, for your stories. I'm sure you will give us another collection soon.

First, a disclaimer: I am acquainted with Ms. Sandlin, as she was once a colleague. But she's a fellow writer, so I was equally prepared to see, and to enjoy, either her failure or her success. That's two different species of enjoyment, however, and so I can say I was immensely pleased to read "In the River Province" for all the reasons that would do me credit.

"In the River Province" is Lisa Sandlin's third collection of short stories, each better than the one before it, and this one matchless in its artistry and its vivid depiction of the lives of Anglo and Hispanic inhabitants of New Mexico both contemporary and historical. Like some literary descendant of Chaucer, she uses the annual pilgrimage from Santa Fe to the village of Chimayo as the focal point of three stories ("'Orita on the Road to Chimayo," "Everything Moves," and "I Loved You Then, I Love You Still"); not surprisingly, while on their hegira the protagonists in those stories search their souls and rearrange the way they define themselves, but introspection never bogs the stories down and they stay vividly active in the colorful present moment of the pilgrimage and of their companions and their lives. Two other stories, likewise set in Santa Fe, round out the portrait of life in that city - "Night Class" contains a long passage about the terrors of teaching for the first time that everyone who has stepped in front of a class will readily identify with. "Another Exciting Day in Santa Fe" celebrates a long friendship between a man and a woman, a rare thing to see and a pleasure to watch unfold.

But the highest peak in this Sangre de Christo range is far and away the novella entitled "The Saint of Bilocation," a marvelously ambitious, moving, and suspenseful account by a New Mexican priest who has been called back to Spain in 1630 to interview a nun who claims to be traveling miraculously to Santa Fe without transporting her body, where she allegedly works wonders, converting the Indian population. Based on historical documents by Fray Antonio Jimenez Vera, who worked with New Mexico's indigenous peoples for decades, the novella follows his fictional representation as he arrives in Spain properly skeptical yet willing to concede the possibility of the nun's miraculous claim. The story poses a vivid contrast and tension between practical religious practice and mystical faith, between reason and the imagination, and it speaks to our time very well. Lisa Sandlin makes Fray Antonio's mission itself a suspenseful undertaking (is the abbess Sor Maria de Agreda a saint or a charlatan?), and a brilliant coda to the story is slyly and meaningfully ambiguous.

Edith Warner's own words exceed in beauty and simpicity anyone else's account of what her experiences were like in Northern New Mexico during the era of the making of the atomic bomb. Captured for the reader are the feelings of an anglo woman being accepted by Native Americans, the difficult life a woman making it on her own, and her intense feelings about how the war affected pueblo people.
Editor, Patrick Burns, has done a fine job of editing and staying true to the spirit of these wonderful writings!

Edith Warner came to New Mexico from the East in 1922, seeking a place to regain her failing physical health. Rather, she found a place ideal for her spiritual health, an ancient land where she felt at peace. She settled into a little house beside the Rio Grande at a lonely railroad siding called Otowi, where she supervised the off loading of freight. Ironically, in that out-of-the-way location, fate placed her at a crossroads in time, to live between the pastoral life of the neighboring Pueblo Indians and the frenzied pace of nearby scientists ushering in the atomic age at Los Alamos. In the midst of these different worlds, Edith completed her personal journey and touched the lives of everyone who passed her way, from sheepherders and potters to world-renowned physicists. Her story has been presented in two previous books, THE HOUSE AT OTOWI BRIDGE, a memoir and southwestern classic by Peggy Pond Church, and THE WOMAN AT OTOWI CROSSING, a fictionalized and altered version of Edith's life by Frank Waters. Now, IN THE SHADOW OF LOS ALAMOS offers the story through Edith's own writing, with a preface to set the stage.

As a reviewer, I am suppose to tell you whether or not you will enjoy this book, but such a prediction would be based solely on opinion. What I can tell you is that Patrick Burns, the book's editor, was passionately dedicated to his project on Edith Warner and that his admiration of Edith, despite never having met her, shows through in his work. Burns pursued lost documents in dusty archives, salvaged old letters that were about to be destroyed, and talked with Edith's friends and relatives from around the country to gather and preserve this record of her writing, which includes published and unpublished articles, letters, and surviving portions of her journal. IN THE SHADOW OF LOS ALAMOS is the result of years of in-depth research into a remarkable woman and a place in time. Edith's story leads the reader to wonder what might have become of her had she stayed in Pennsylvania, never having found her little house by the river, but we will never know because Edith recognized that she was right where she was suppose to be. She pursued her destiny. Through this book, she continues to inspire others to do the same. My opinion? You will more than enjoy IN THE SHADOW OF LOS ALAMOS.

This book was perfect for my adventure loving 6 year-old son. I am looking for more titles by this author. The puzzles really make you think!

Jack's Time Machine is a delightful book suitable for young and old alike! It follows a magical and beautifully illustrated journey of a young boy and his trusted friend Scruff to the land of the Aztecs. The book contains five challenging conundrums, which have been skilfully integrated into the story as to make the reader feel that they are assisting Jack and Scruff in their quest. However the author has been kind enough to supply all of the solutions at the back of the book, just in case!

Dan James has once again proved that he is a man of many talents, a puzzle setter, author, and above all, a fine artist. The full-page illustrations are truly captivating and make it quite impossible for me to pick a favourite. To that end, it will ensure that Jack's Time Machine will remain a firm bedtime favourite for many a year to come.

There is however one puzzle who's solution still eludes me .... "Why has this book only been published in the States and Canada, when Mr James is British?" Thank you Amazon for bring this book to my attention!

Readers seeking a fast-paced thriller with a different flavor will relish Janus Deception, a story of international intrigue and a chemical weapons program gone awry. When Commander Jake discovers mysteries surrounding a sick soldier's murder, he teams up with beautiful agent Kaci to probe the depths of a program which has caused the death of an entire Mexican village, and which threatens the world. Fast action and unpredictable twists make this hard to put down.

John Bayer's The Janus Deception is a thrilling novel with a deep inner message of faith. Lieutenant Commander and recent widower Jake Madsen feels he has little left to live for, when he discovers a conspiracy to test chemical weapons on U.S. soldiers. He must fight against faceless computers and a human mass that has abdicated responsibility both without and within, and hold close to his steadfast faith as a Christian. The Janus Deception is far more than just another action/adventure novel; it is also a cautionary tale of the perils that await humanity should it forsake morality for money.

For my children's literature class, I made pumpkin empanaditas from the Josefina Cookbook I got when I was 11 or 12. They turned out wonderful! So now I'm eager to make everything from this book!

Except, I don't know why the book is nearly $20 through Amazon. ??????

Josefina's Cookbook has a variety of foods that are common in the traditional New Mexican diet. New Mexican food is unique to the region and includes items that are not even in the Hispanic diet in neighboring states. In a state whose State Question is "Red or Green?" (as in "Do you prefer red or green chile?"), caution must be taken in trying new foods if you are sensitive to spicy-hot foods, as many children are. If you are unfamiliar with what is HOT in the New Mexican diet, going out and buying a New Mexican cookbook to introduce your children to this type of food may meet you with watering eyes and children reaching for tortilla chips to neutralize the burn.

Josefina's Cookbook is a much better choice for children because it is filled with child friendly recipes that still represent the New Mexican diet. Some of the recipes are for small items, like home-made tortillas, hot chocolate, soft cheese, and pinto beans. Empanaditas (little empanadas), posole, green chile stew, and carne adovada are more meal oriented recipes. Just remember the sopaipillas if you are cooking with chile!

The format of this book is a joy to look through even if you want to learn about New Mexican cooking without preparing the more adventurous items. The ingredients and cooking equipment are listed at the beginning of each recipe and the recipes themselves are well written and illustrated. It won't be hard for a girl to find something that she'll want to try.

This is another well written, intense and interesting novel by Kate Horsley. She pulls readers into her stories and keeps them there. You may not always agree with what she has to say but you must agree that it keeps you thinking. I am buying the other Kate Horley's that I haven't read yet, today!

Horsley's revisisionistic view of the period provides historical insight into a period of rampant exploitation. Beyond that it is one woman's story of redemption. The story centering around a woman searching for her children who have been taken on a "nature trip" in the mountains soon comes to realize that no matter how horrible the acts of man, if the powers that be support the actions the perpetrators either individually or collectively can get away with the most heinous of crimes.

"L of BH" is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Great topic, good sense of suspense, interesting characters, insight into an unusual(and, may I add, still contoversial)period of Southwestern history. All of Claire's novels are very very good, this was the best. I just returned from a trip to New Mexico, went thru Bernallilo, stayed at Tamaya, so I could totally get into the atmosphere, evoked quite well. Van Giesen has such a good way of writing intelligent and provocative aspects of Albuquerque/New Mexico tales and keeping the mystery, energy and intrigue up, especially thru the view of a "book-loving" main character. More!!

Archivist Claire Reynier works at the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. One day Isabel Santos informs Claire that she tripped over a loose brick on the floor but when she investigated it she found a wooden cross with a note hidden in it. Isabel made a copy of the document and shows it to Claire who believes it was the last note written by a Jewish mystic before he was killed in the Mexican Inquisition.

The document should be placed somewhere safe but when Claire tries to convince Isabel to give it to the university, she tells the archivist she has to think about it. The very next day Isabel is murdered in her home and the document is missing but the cross is found On a hunch, Claire asks the police to dig around the area where the cross was buried and they unearth a skeleton over four centuries old. The police think Isabel was murdered in a robbery gone bad, but Claire thinks the modern day homicide, the document, and the skeleton are all linked together and she intends to prove it or die trying.

The protagonist is an independent thinker who does not allow herself to be sidetracked when she thinks she is right. She is a woman of the new millennium one to be admired and emulated. Judith Van Gieson tells a creative and fascinating story intermingling the past with the present and educating the reader in a period not widely studied. The who-done-it is fascinating but it is the mystery of the past that holds the reader's attention.

Harriet Klausner