Mexico Books

Criminally out of print, this is nominally a biography of Cortes, but the vast majority of this book focuses on his expedition. This is the kind of story that is too incredible to be fiction, it could only be the product of real people and real events. There are other versions of this tale of course, but this is among the best if you can get a hold of a copy. It is simply absurd that the book is no longer available new, but there are used copies floating around -- get one. This book will glue you to your chair.

A better book on the topic could not have been written. I have read 6 books on this topic, and this was the best. A stunning story that finally finds an author that captures its details and emotions.

...and doesn't have more reviews, as it is a damn good book, and drives home what a ballsy swashbuckler and crafty statesman Cortes really was. It's also pretty refreshing in the it doesn't present him as a monster and the Aztecs as innocent victims. The book also disputes the standard notion that Montezuma thought that the Spaniards were gods, and instead maintains that Montezuma was trying to put together a partnership with them, willing to trade the gold that the Spanish wanted for weapons/technology. Interesting and to me,
very plausible.

My family and I planned a trip last summer (2000) using this book. Our original plan was to spend most of our time in Santa Fe and Taos. After we read this book, however, we found several far more interesting trips that cost us about half what it would have cost in Santa Fe. Sure, we did a night in Santa Fe and Taos, but this book showed us the hidden spots in town that really were known only to locals. This book is so good that we even had a wonderful time in Farmington! Yes, that's right, Farmington. In fact, we plan to return their and once again enjoy the hidden restaurants and trading posts in which we found some of the most unique indian jewelry ever (and at about 1/3 of Santa Fe prices). Kudos to Ms. Moore! I just wish I could talk her into writing a similar book about Wisconsin.

This small but fact-filled book explores the richness of New Mexico beyond the Albuequerque-Santa Fe-Taos axis. The author really knows her stuff--giving equal weight to the Native American, Hispanic and Anglo influences that make New Mexico such an interesting state. It's in the car beside me every time I head there.

This is a nice book. It is well written.
The chapters are devided into areas of New Mexico. In each chapter there is a little bit about the history of that area, places to visit and more information about other nearby areas.

Having been to many of the areas that are discussed in this book, I found the description on target and the suggestions of places to visit good. I particularly liked the history of the area with directions to see some of the historical spots in each area.

Very nice. Well worth the money. This book will join me in the car as we go on our trips. It will join the RoadSide History of New Mexico as one of our invaluable, must keep in the car resources.

Enjoy.

I enjoyed this book. I am a huge fan of mysteries, especially mysteries like this one. Steve Brewer is a fine story teller, and he captures the multicultural aspects of the American southwest perfectly. Crazy Love is an excellent book.

Do you like your mystery detectives to be human? Are you tired of the too tough to care detective? Bored with the detective that can tell a persons past by the lisp of their s and the limp of their leg? If so, then let me introduce you to Bubba Mabry. Bubba is the star of the novel, Crazy Love, the sixth book in a series of excellent mystery novels by Steve Brewer. Born and raised in Mississippi, transplanted to Albuquerque by the Air Force, Bubba is a private investigator working hard and usually scraping bottom. He is not the tough as nails, super confident type of PI that spits blood casually at the feet of thugs beating him, but instead takes his licks and deals with them like a real person: He bleeds, bruises, and takes aspirin to help with the swelling.

In "Crazy Love", Bubba gets into one of his typical situations. He isn't getting much work, and rather than allowing his wife to support him, he takes on an odd case, the client that wants to find out with whom his dead wife had an affair. Things seem to move toward a quick conclusion of the case when suddenly the suspected lothario is dead, Bubba's client is the key suspect, Bubba is viewed as a potential accomplice, and the client disappears. Ever faithful to his client, Bubba tries to find out who the real murderer is. Getting in his way is a happy widow, a bruising hulk, another case with a demanding client, and Bubba having to deal with his jealousy of his wife working long nights with a handsome new coworker and his parents dropping by from out of town. He is sucked further into the quagmire finding himself in jail for attempted murder, being fired from a case, and his wife angry at him for his jealous accusations. How does he resolve it all? As only Bubba can.

If you enjoy a good twisted plot mystery, a likeable detective, and hours of good reading, pick up Crazy Love by Steve Brewer. While you're at it, pick up any of the other titles by Brewer, they are all very enjoyable.

Think Elvis is dead? Then perhaps you should start with Lonely Street, the first Bubba Mabry mystery.

It is such a pleasure to read a mystery where the protagonist isn't a super hero. In fact, Bubba Mabry is probably the antithesis of a super hero. Steve Brewer's characters and scenes get better and better with each story. There were occasions when I stopped and went back just to read his description of a particular character, because that description was so enjoyable. Read his description of Melvin Haywood on page 2 and you'll get the picture. Brewer's characteristic humour presents itself once again in Crazy Love. Bubba is his usual funny self, and Bubba's father, Dub, is the perfect foil to bring out the worst in his son. The scenes with Bubba and Dub are priceless. I recommend any of Brewer's books. I've read them all and it is a pleasure to see his grasp of his craft improve with each novel.

Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (9/06)

Flora Adams is a woman of forty plus years who is returning home to west Texas from Albuquerque to visit her Aunt Cora in Luddock. It's been twenty years since Flora has been home, but she hopes a visit will help her recover from recent breast cancer surgery and the ravages of the chemotherapy treatments. Flora also hopes the time away will help her failing marriage of twenty years to husband Jeff.

While visiting her old hometown, Flora remembers all the fond childhood memories of her mother and grandmother as they put together lovely quilts for the family to enjoy, creating lasting treasures to snuggle and keep warm with. Flora remembers how the intricate patterns of special blocks were always special to behold such as the Five Point Star and the Flower Basket. With the leftover scraps, the odd shaped pieces could be used as a Crazy Quilt, and that is what Flora feels she's made of her life--not a lovely and stitch perfect block, but a crazy quilt.

While visiting the exact spot of her old home, Flora meets Mac, a stubborn old man who teaches Flora some important lessons of life. Flora ends up extending her visit and moving in with Mac. Flora reacquaints herself with old friends, even old boyfriend, James Willie, who is now the town sheriff. Mac teaches Flora to live for today and to take what your soul needs, for tomorrow may be too late. Flora tells Mac about her cancer and her fears of death. Flora and Mac become good friends and learn just how much they have in common. They soon realize they both need each other in more ways than they know. Even Shorty the dog is a loyal and needed companion in this unique partnership.

Because of troubles at home, Mac's granddaughter Jillian comes to live with Mac and Flora. It soon becomes apparent the know-it-all punk rock front that Jillian wears is just that, a front. She too is running away from something and has found solace in the lifestyle Mac leads. Jillian loves the home she now shares in Texas, especially when she meets Scott, another teen who lives nearby.

I loved everything about Crazy Quilt from the first page to the last. It is all about living and caring about what is most important in life. Crazy Quilt is about finding out who you are, what you really want out of life, and what makes you happy. Ultimately, we all desire a fulfilling life without regrets.

Women in their middle years or those touched by cancer are the target audience, for they will readily relate to Flora and her fears. Those dealing with chemo, a troubling marriage, menopause, teens, or sick and aging loved ones should also relate. Quilt lovers will enjoy the novel too.

Crazy Quilt is a lovely story with a memorable and heartwarming message you will not soon forget. The characters are interesting and their personalities are well developed. The underlying theme of quilts just pulls it together so nicely. I strongly recommend reading this superb book. Thirty percent of the author's royalties from the book goes to the University of New Mexico Cancer Research and Treatment Center for cancer research.

Crazy Quilt by Paula Paul is the entertaining, original and engaging story of Flora Adams, a cancer patient who, in the midst of a recuperation leave, stumbles upon an old man who becomes both an annoyance and an infatuation to her. Readers will be delighted as author and former journalist Paula Paul's intricate plot and an amusing spectra of characters ranging from Jillian, a young punk-rocker, to James Willie, the Texas town's sheriff. Enthusiastically recommended reading, Crazy Quilt is superbly crafted, fun and entertaining novel.

Flora Adams' cancer treatment is over. Minus a breast and hair, she refuses to face the fear that her tumor might return. Her husband offers no support, but she cannot accept that her disfigurment is adding more stress to her already shaky marriage. So she runs from her Albuquerque home, supposedly to visit an aunt in Lubbock, Texas. In reality Flora isn't sure where she's going. She finds herself in Muleshoe, a town near the New Mexico border. There, for reasons she can't quite understand, she searches out the old ranch house where she grew up. The house isn't there. Instead, a crusty old man named Mac inhabits a shack on the land, now owned by a large corporation. In fact, as Flora arrives, Harley, a man in the company's employ, tries to drive her and Mac away. Drawn to Mac, Flora begins to protect him. Sooin, she meets old friends, including a high school flame, James Willy, now the local sheriff. Then comes Jillian, Mac's great granddaughter cast off by her own mother.

The unlikely group has a strange effect on Flora, her self confidence, her marriage, and her fear. Mac becomes an example for her to follow in her own life. Jillian, James Willy, and Mac's neighbors, Lucy, Juan, and baby Brittany add their support. Like a quilt frame, they let Flora lay out her life and play with its possibilities, as a quilter would experiment with a design.

In Crazy Quilt, Paula Paul offers a wonderful array of small town characters who have a rich existance on the beautiful high plains of west Texas. They draw Flora into this life. She feels herself reconnecting with her past. Using the metaphor of a quilt, the author cleverly weaves Flora's history into the present, as she recalls her mother and grandmother piecing fabrics together to make the bed coverings. The recollections bring Flora a healthy dose of wisdom, and understanding of herself and her situation.

As she gets more involved with her new friends, Flora realizes that they, too, have problems they must solve. Mac has several big ones. So does Jillian. Helping them sort through their messes, leads her to some interesting perspectives on her own.

Crazy Quilt is a story of growth, and the discovery that hope pops up in unlikely places. While tackling the serious subject of a breaat cancer patient's feelings after treatment, Crazy Quilt never gets maudlin or syrupy. Paula Paul has found a good balance of humor, pathos, reality, memory, sensuality, and human spirit to make her story both believable and uplifting.

I used this guide for pre-cruise planning and while on a 2 week charter in Belize last month. The book is well-written with good information. We cruised from Ambergris Cay to Placencia and found enough accuracy and detail to keep out of trouble (assuming you pay attention to your other sources of navigational information) and to make decisions about what to see and do. The sketch charts and regional maps provided were very helpful. Some of the assesments of the holding ground offered in various locations were a little more dire than we experienced. (We had a Delta, the author used a Bruce). Overall, the guide is well worth the money.

Just checked here for the availability of this guide and was suprized to see no review. Having recently returned from cruising with friends in Belize I can say that this guide is often the only chart info available inside the reef. If you intend to cruise Belize obtain all available charts of course but be sure to get this book. Capt. Rauscher has obviously spent countless hours charting Belizean waters and although they are really no more than sketches (and do not purport to be more) they are invaluable for piloting within the 10 fath. curve. The guide also includes sailing directions and commentary on the various destinations.

...We used your books for years to guide cruisers passing thru New Haven, Belize. Your guide is the most accurate and informative of it's kind on southern Belize and the Rio Dulce...

Natural spirit-filled poetry accompanied by stunning colourful artworks.
I hear the book is out of print so I would recommend getting a copy on Amazon as it is a collectable to pass down with meaning in your family.
If you have interest, respect, or intregue like the Native American Indian culture for nature, spirit, the earth, and heartfelt connections to all, then this is a beautiful book that you will appreciate. A special find.

I first read Nancy Wood's Dancing Moons after visiting Santa Fe and seeing Frank Howell's gallery. The words and thoughts that Wood has shared with the reader are thoughtful and energising. I find myself going back to her writings for guidance often,for myself and to share with friends and loved ones. I am appreciative of the emotions she has shared with us. Her talents as an expressive writer are world class.

I have never quite understood why Nancy Wood's poetry collections are classified as "young adult". Her deep wisdom and clarity are more likely to be more fully appreciated by adults. This is a wonderful gift book for transitions times: graduations, marriage, death of a loved one, etc. Her poems are liking looking deep into a Medicine Lake where one sees the very fabric of life and all the its intricate connections. Frank Howell's paintings will fill you with awe and haunt your dreams.

you would expect great writing from this author. you get it. and it is an accurate portrayal of the atmosphere on the CU campus as well as a great story. if a master of words is going to write only one novel, he should be very happy with this one.

In the era of the probably unconstitutional, Orwellian-entitled "Patriot Act," Dark Matters examines class warfare and the suppression of civil liberties on several levels: social, political, and moral. Like most good novels, it explores the intersections of landed aristocrats with middle-class strivers, principally academics, as well as the exploitation of the working classes by management, and with compelling psychological insights and unexpected flashes of humor it presents an international cast of well differentiated characters espousing varying political beliefs. The principal constituencies of a public university are perceptively portrayed, from the toadying administration bending to the state legislature's will through academic politics among the faculty to the students coping with hypocritical parietal rules and issues such as abortion that remain timely and controversial. It candidly reveals the limited career possibilities for humanities graduates, such as working in a regional post office's dead letter department, and it captures the incipient sexual revolution of the mid-twentieth century. Structured as a universe of credible characters interacting in a realistic plot, Dark Matters is a serious, well crafted novel written by a full professor of English and writing, published by a neighboring state's university press. This work is highly suitable not only for all readers of substantive fiction but also for aspiring writers as a grounding in the traditions that must shape the flowering of their individual talents.

For example, a character is described as having a "butterfly mind" because her conversation flits from topic to topic in an associative stream-of-thought pattern. As a gifted author should, Professor Levitt then illustrates this characteristic with a typical manifestation:

"A guy and three gals sat down at the vacant table to my left. One of them, Brenda Oates, I knew from my Italian Renaissance history course. She always wore a butterfly pin on her right shoulder, and must have owned dozens of them because I never saw her wear the same one twice. The pin aptly corresponded to her butterfly mind. She flitted from one subject to another, talking in a stream of associations.

"The fellow said: 'You'll never guess what I heard today. Some Negroes are forming their own fraternity. Christ, what next: hog maws and chitterlings on the school menu?'

"Brenda took her cue. 'We used to have a Negro cook, Jemima, I never liked that name, you know. My favorite is Darlene. A cousin of mine had that name: Darlene Densmor. She acted in a movie. But she retired, you know. My dad says that as soon as he retires he's going to take me canoeing in Acadia State Park. That's in Canada. Did you know that they speak two languages up there? English and French. God, I really hate my French class! The other day, the other kids in that class laughed at me when the professor said he knew children this high' - she held her hand about two feet above the floor - 'who could speak French fluently. "Well, of course, they can," I said, "they're probably French." I really thought I'd like to visit France, but not any more. They all speak French there.'"

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is funny, fluent, passionate, sad and contemporary. Dark Matters offers a hilarious and poignant look at four very different students attending college in the 1950s. They respond to controversy re: the forced signing of the loyalty oath, learning on a local level about the evils of McCarthyism and repressive politics. Of course, being college students, political affiliation is only one of their challenges: they also enjoy love, sex, religious debates, familial reminiscences. There are hilarious scenes in which at least one political radical attends a sorority party! From the local scene at University of Colorado, the students follow each other and their good intentions to New Mexico to support a mining strike. While fighting repression and exploitation on a state level, they learn more about themselves and each other. Finally, we follow the foursome through graduation (or not) and into adulthood. Each makes different choices, for better and for worse-and all are entwined as a result of their shared youthful passions. Marriages, children and jobs unfold with surprising twists and turns. Finally, more than a decade after college, the political stage shifts to international concerns: the reactionary regime that follows the overthrow of Dubcek in Czechoslovakia. We see the heartbreaking harvest of this regime and the terrible cost of resisting it. Throughout the novel, individuals respond to institutional disregard for personal freedom. I closed the novel feeling satisfied and uneasy: satisfied by a good read, including laughter, tenderness and sorrow as young students, more and less idealistic, tangle with the life and politics of their time; disturbed by the contemporary implications of our own choices as we encounter abuses of individual rights in our own societies.
Read this book: you will have a wonderful time, learn some fascinating history, be challenged and uplifted.

Another GREAT BOOK by Kirby Jonas. I've read all of his books now and finally gave up trying to rank them - they are all terrific, 6 star out of 5. This book is no exception , I felt like I was riding with Tappan the protagonist all the way -a wonderful read!

My unsatiable appetite for books on the old west has found
momentary satisfaction in The Devil's Blood. Jonas has the
ability and talent to propel your mind and soul to the Arizona desert and foothills where characters are revealed in vivid dimensions. Where emotions and nature's sovereign power collide in panoramic grandeur. I am getting hungry again and anxiously await Jonas' next book written with western film legend Clint Walker.

Great western story with a hint of actor Clint Walker's personality involved with the title character. If you enjoyed Clint's western movies and the old Cheyenne Show then you will enjoy The Devil's Blood.

Rubén Cobos' short but monumental "Dictionary of New Mexico and Southern Colorado Spanish" (1983) was a classic the day it was printed. If you have any interest in the Spanish-speaking cultures of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, this book is a great way to learn something about the dialect without plunging into a difficult linguistic study.

Like Samuel Johnson's dictionary, Cobos's is a book you can sit down and read enjoyably. The entries are not just translations of Spanish words into English. Cobos traces their origin and (in most cases) illustrates their meaning by including them in sample sentences. For instance, "murre" (in standard Spanish, "muy"): "Esta muchita es murre gente" ('This child is very friendly'). Additionally, many words are also explained by the use of proverbs and folk-poems.

Cobos also explains the cultural signficance of about a third of the words in the dictionary. For example, "pitarrilla": "Pitarrilla, f. [Obviously, the dictionary has great value not only (nor even primarily) for the linguist, but for the anthropologist and historian, as well. It is completely free of technical linguistic terminology and accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of standard Spanish. (I might emphasize that the book is a guide to local usage only and does not include standard Spanish words.) Although the pronunciation of the New Mexico/southern Colorado dialect is relatively standard, Cobos has taken care to indicate divergences where they exist (e.g., "raices" is pronounced "rái-ces", not "ra-íces"). He includes a short historical and linguistic introduction, tracing the four-hundred year evolution of the dialect. Finally, for a kick, at the start of each alphabetical section you'll find a short proverb -- "P. 'Pa pendejo no se necesita mestro' (To be a fool one needs no school)."

A valuable book that sells for a good price. Five stars.

For years, my wife and I had heard people in northern New Mexico speaking Spanish as described in this book, and we believed they were just not educated properly in correct Spanish grammar and vocabulary. Then I found this book. All the sudden, all the odd pronunciations, verb conjugations and vocabulary made sense. This Spanish evolved almost on its own since the 1500's!

My wife, who is from Oaxaca, Mexico, constantly looks to me to interpret for her when we do business with Northern New Mexicans (who refer to themselves as "Españoles", not Hispanics)who speak this dialect of Spanish. Some time ago, we bought furniture from a sales-lady who referred to herself as an "Española". My wife was happy to be attended to in her native tongue, but when the sales lady asked for my wife's "licencia para arrear", I could tell she didn't have a clue. Thanks to this book, I was able to properly interpret it as "drivers license" (not "marriage license" as my wife was inclined to believe).

From a practical standpoint, it's probably not of much use anywhere else in the world, but if you come to northern New Mexico, and you want to converse with the native Spanish-speakers, you'd better come armed with this book!

I recently wrote a book about the history of the towns of New Mexico's Sandia Mountains, and during that time I probably picked this book up two or three times every day.
It is invaluable--loaded with obscure words that no normal Spanish-English dictionary would ever have. It's well-structured, nicely organized, clearly printed, thorough, and as complete as you would ever need it to be.
In its way, it's a sort of linguistic and cultural history of New Mexico and southern Colorado, disguised as a dictionary. Leaf through it and glance at a few words and definitions, and you can't help but learn fascinating things about the people and the places that produced these terms.
If you are a New Mexico student or scholar or writer, you really NEED to have this book. Your work will be incomplete without it.

This is a great book to help children get interested in history. I usually find history boring, but it was fun to read about characters my own age and how their lives were! Culca is young girl who goes on many adventures around the world! I would recommend his book to anyone who likes to read about exciting adventures!

The Diving Bell is an interesting and exciting book written by Todd Strasser. It takes place in a mexican village in the 1500's. It is about a brave and determined young girl named Culca, and her brother Tulone - a courageous young diver. He dives down and gets oysters to get pearls to sell for his family.
It all begins when the Spaniards come and kidnapp all the young men in the village and take them to a ship wreck to dive for treasure. Culca is determined to save her brother and his friends, and she would risk her life to do it. Will she accomplish it? Will she save her people? Read the diving Bell and you will find out!
I've read this book so many times that the cover is falling off. It is adventurous and daring. So if you are a person who likes suspensful stories, read The Diving Bell!

HI, to all the people that have not read this book it is the time to do it!I read a chapter, and then put it down, then I had to pick it back up and read it! I think that Todd should make another book about the main character, Culca. He should make it about her life and about things that happen to her as she goes on with her life. I would go out and get it the day it came out. People may think it is a kids book but,I think anyone could read it if they wanted to read it.I am 10 yr. I love big 300 page books like that for adults. But this book is for anyone to read. I think Culca was so brave for what she did and how far she went to get her brother.I love all the Todd Strasser books! I love the book Help I'm Trapped In My Camp Counselors Body. It is in way two diff. worlds from the book The Diving Bell. I also can't get over how she said she would dive instead of her brother. How when she was climbing up the rope it's like I felt her pain too!So I would get the book the day it came out if he made another one ! Well hope I encouraged you to read this book!