Currently Reading: Mexican Gothic (horror)

Recently, on a day-trip to Albuquerque to kill some time, run a few errands, and check of a 50 before 50 item, we just happened upon a Barnes & Noble and I just happened to have an old gift card on me. Obviously, I just had to poke around for a bit while my daughter explored the graphic novels and my wife wandered about aimlessly (book stores are not her jam, but she’s loves us so she supports our book obsessions).

Though on a rather tight time line, I was able to find a few of my Wishlist books and walked out of the store spending half of what I should have and with three new books (plus one for my daughter) in tow:

• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
• Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia
• The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Greene

I’ve decided to start with Mexican Gothic and, at only a few chapters in (summer reading is sloooow right now), it’s getting really good.

Book Beginning

“The parties at the Tuñóns’ house always ended unquestionably late, and since the hosts enjoyed costume parties in particular, it was not unusual to see Chinas Poblanas with their folkloric skirts and ribbons in their hair arrive in the company of a harlequin or a cowboy.”

The Friday 56

“Noemi had not felt scared. Not until now. But this, the woman attempting to speak, it made her indescribably afraid. A fear that traveled down her spine, to the soles of her feet, forcing Noemi to step back and press her hands against her lips.”

From the Author

“After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find — her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region. Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough, smart, and has an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom. Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.”

In the face of such real life horrors unfolding all around us, I desperately needed a story that could pull me into another time and place and offer some solid chills in all the best ways. All boxes checked.

Do tell! Have you read any of these books? What are you reading now? I’d love to hear all about anything bookish you’d like to share 🙂

Linking up with Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings as well as with Head Full of Books for The Friday 56.

Onward,

Melissa