I could not find any Mexican or Mexican American authors in my collection. So I'm cheating. This is an awesome book about Mexico by an author who wrote her first book when she was over 70. #maybookflowers
pickA delightful, odd little novel, Harriet Doerr's debut when she was 73. An American couple uproot themselves, moving to a small Mexican town to reopen the mine the man's grandfather had abandoned 50 years before. While their relations with the townspeople are for the most part narrated with Marquezian verve, the chapters about the non-believing Americans's encounters with local priests and nuns fell flat. Otherwise, this is a quirky gem of a tale.
"I've had these books for sale since 2006," said the used book seller in Tokyo this afternoon. "How did you hear about Harriet Doerr?" "Well," I replied, "it's a long story. A year ago, I was listening to a podcast about language called 'A Way With Words,' and..."
This novel was published as a debut when the author was 74 years old. That was enough to get my attention, but I heard Martha Barnett, the fabulous co-host of the A Way With Words podcast, read a few delicious sentences from it on said podcast a year or so ago. I must check this out! Am I alone?
Stones for Ibarra | 
