Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone with the Wind by Alexandra Ripley

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I will be the first person to say that I never cared for Gone with the Wind. The book, people, not the film! But yes, I found GwtW just so sentimental and racist, though I do understand that it was written from the perspective of a white woman who lived in the South and who … Continue reading Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone with the Wind by Alexandra Ripley

The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino

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The author Italo Calvino is not for all readers, a fact for which I am grateful and for which I love him and his writing even more. Reading this book in particular is like taking a semiotic journey through a vaguely medieval setting in which signs and symbols abound, but that take on multiple meanings … Continue reading The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

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You know a writer is good when he or she writes a villain in such a way that you not only sympathize and empathize with them, you find yourself actively rooting for them and hoping they get away with murder. Patricia Highsmith did it with Tom Ripley. Thomas Harris did it with Hannibal Lecter. Shakespeare … Continue reading A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

A Good Marriage (Full Dark, No Stars) by Stephen King

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Marriage is one of those relationships that, if you've never had one, is likely impossible to understand. Having never been married myself, I'd tend to agree. From an outside viewpoint and from witnessing the many marriages within my own family and circle of friends, it seems to create both a seemingly unbreakable bond and a … Continue reading A Good Marriage (Full Dark, No Stars) by Stephen King

Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham

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Go camping, they said. It'll be fun, they said. Uh, no, it wasn't. I had to sleep in the crappy orange tent under the leaky section on the side closest to where the trash bags were, and yes, yes, that WAS a bear that wandered into our camp site that night to forage in the … Continue reading Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham

The City of Mist by Carlos Ruíz Zafón

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If you haven't read any of the books of Carlos Ruíz Zafón, you're surely missing out on one of the true literary pleasures of this universe. A modern-day Cervantes, Ruíz Zafón spun stories about labyrinths, mysterious figures in black, magical pens, death and destruction and war, the beauty of love, the pain of romance, the … Continue reading The City of Mist by Carlos Ruíz Zafón

The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte

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"The Anjou Wine" is the first chapter in this rollicking adventure tale reminiscent of Alexandre Dumas, the famous French author of The Three Musketeers saga, and plays a starring role in this week's recipe, too. The Club Dumas, in short, is the tale of Lucas Corso, an antique book dealer who is sent in search … Continue reading The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

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Being the former Goth girl that I am, I retain my love for all things dark, macabre, creepy, ghostly, horrific, and occasionally gruesome, which explains why I love this book so much. What Moves The Dead is a fantastic re-imagining of Edgar Allan Poe's story The Fall of the House of Usher, which is like … Continue reading What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

Slow Burn: A Family History of Green Chile Stew

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My latest article for the New Mexico Humanities Council talks about my family's method for that wintertime classic, green chile stew, and I share the history of the Crock-Pot, so give it a whirl at: https://nmhumanities.org/?blogId=2026

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

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The revolutionary era of Mexico seems to be a popular literary backdrop these days, which I appreciate because it shines a light on an era that I personally know little about. Growing up in New Mexico, the connection with Mexico was of course a significant part of our culture, and I have a vivid memory … Continue reading The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas