Archive for November 2008
The People’s Guide to Mexico (13th Ed., 2006)
Carl Franz and Lorena Havens’ long-lived (since 1972) travel guide offers nearly 600 pages of stories, data, philosophy, recipes, potions, bumper-sticker translations, and tips for maximizing your enjoyment as a traveler. I can recommend it highly, especially as an introduction to the many cultural differences one will encounter. However like Mexico itself, some items in this substantial smorgasbord will be more appealing and useful to you than others. The “Staying Healthy” chapter, for example, I found quite amusing, as it hawked everything from witch doctors to “Rescue Remedy”. Maybe it’s just because I went to medical school and am hence a biased jury, but I just don’t pack Dr. Bach’s flower waters in a first aid kit–I prefer Xifaxan 
Be sure to visit their web site at http://www.peoplesguide.com/
English Grammer for Students of Spanish (5th Ed.)
Emily Spinelli’s often recommended book (The Olivia and Hill Press, 2003). I was not able to fruitfully get through the entire book until I had completed first-year college Spanish. In the interim it was helpful to use as a reference to brush up on rusty grammar terminology. My wish list for the book includes: fewer “study tips” (I have my own–put yours on the web) and more Spanish examples; consistently include the Spanish equivalent for English grammar terms (as one progresses, teachers are prone to start saying things such as ‘el complemento indirecto’); and add far more Spanish words to the index.
