Reading for Cinco de Mayo

According to Wikipedia, "Cinco de Mayo... is primarily a regional and not an obligatory federal holiday in Mexico. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day; Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16, which is the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

The holiday commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin over invading French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Click here for an award-winning website which gives a fuller, but somewhat partisan history of the battle and the struggle of Mexico for self-governance.

Try these stories with Mexican or Mexican American protagonists:

Like water for chocolate : a novel in monthly installments, with recipes, romances, and home remedies by Laura Esquivel Find this book in our catalog

Names on a map : a novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz Find this book in our catalog

Fantasmas : supernatural stories by Mexican American writers Find this book in our catalog

The Pearl by John Steinbeck Find this book in our catalog

Paranormal Romance: a fast-growing trend

On my bedside table right now is A Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton. I have only just started it, so all I can commit myself to now is that it is very different and also quite absorbing. I am still at the part where all the characters and the premise of the book are laid out and I am wondering whether I would have done better with this paranormal romance if I had read the first of the series first, A Kiss of Shadows. Laurell Hamilton is the author of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series of romantic mysteries. The Dark Fantasy series I am in involves Merry Gentry, a half-human half-fairy detective living in Los Angeles and specializing in supernatural crimes. Merry is heir to the throne of one of two competing fairy courts, and has a bodyguard to protect her from those who would do her ill. It's complicated! What is clear from the relationships between the princess and her bodyguards is that this is going to turn out to be quite a sexy book, so be warned if you don't care for that. Already I can see that this book would appeal to fans of fantasy, and books about alternate worlds, to fans of sexy romances, and of mysteries.

With such a wide appeal Paranormal Romance is taking off in popularity. Book groups might like to consider reading one or two. To help us find titles, Linda Frydl, a librarian in Frederick County Public Libraries did this little blurb on paranormal romances for a book group I belong to:
"Wikipedia Definition: Paranormal romance is a literary subgenre of the romance novel. Paranormal romance blends the real with the fantastic or science fictional. Beyond the more prevalent themes involving vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, or time travel, paranormal romances can also include books featuring characters with psychic abilities, like telekinesis or telepathy. Paranormal romance has its roots in Gothic fiction and is one of the fastest growing trends in the romance genre.
These novels often blend elements of other subgenres--including suspense, mystery, or chick lit--with their fantastic themes. A few paranormals are set solely in the past and are structured much like any historical romance novel. Others are set in the future, sometimes on different worlds. Still others have a time-travel element with either the hero or the heroine traveling into the past or the future.
A good resource for Paranormal Romance is at http://www.paranormalromance.org/. It includes reviews, new and upcoming releases, author interviews and much more.
The P.E.A.R.L. (Paranoramal Excellence Award for Romantic Literature) is a reader's choice award, presented annually to the top voted paranormal romances by the ParaNormal Romance Groups naming the "best of year" in ten categories related to paranormal romance and romantic science fiction. Authors such as Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Christine Feehan have written under this genre and won P.E.A.R.L. awards.
The 2007 Finalists of the Pearl Award can be found at this link:
http://paranormalromance.org/pearl/finalists.php"