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alcuban

Feb 20, 2005, 8:46 AM

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books

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Is there a Mexican equivalent of Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble to order Spanish-language books by mail? Is there a fair-size bookstore in SMA or do you need to go to larger cities like Guanajato o Queretaro? Thanks.

Carol Schmidt

Feb 20, 2005, 2:38 PM

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Re: [alcuban] books

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There is an excellent bookstore called Libros El Teclote at Jesus 11 which has many Spanish-language books as well as English-language books on many, many topics. They do special orders and will get you a book in a week or two, much faster than Amazon or B & N, I have found. They also have a used books section in a room in the back. Their email is tecolotebooks@yahoo.com, phone 415-152-7395, if you want to ask them more. They're closed Mondays.

They're in the same courtyard as one of my favorite restaurants, Cafe de la Parroquia, and we go into the bookstore every Sunday morning while we wait for a table to open for brunch. The back room is also going to be used for meetings of the local Authors Sala and will feature more local authors' books.

El Colibri is much smaller in selection and includes artists' materials and magazines as well. It's at Sollano 30. It's best for paperbacks and art books.

Lagundi is primarily an art materials and framing store but it has some current English-language bestseller paperbacks and many magazines, both English and Spanish language. It's at Umaran 17.

Many garage sales have used books, both English and Spanish language, depending on who's holding the garage sale.

Down at Civica Plaza there are often stalls selling Spanish-language books, especially children's books.

The Biblioteca often culls its books and sells at very low cost its Spanish and English language older books, and it has something like 25,000 books in each language for loan.

I haven't ordered any Spanish-language books online--not that fluent. But Tecolote will get you anything you want and you're helping a local business.

Carol Schmidt

alcuban

Feb 21, 2005, 7:40 AM

Post #3 of 7 (1312 views)

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Re: [alcuban] books

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Thanks! That's a good thing, because I've read contradictory reports about the reliability of the Mexican postal service in one of the threads. Thanks again. I'd rather buy local anyway.

alfredo

Cynthia7

Feb 21, 2005, 12:37 PM

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Re: [alcuban] books

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Sanborn's in Queretaro has books, magazines and periodicals.

jennifer rose

May 4, 2005, 6:56 PM

Post #5 of 7 (1202 views)

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Re: [alcuban] Online Bookstore

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Esmas is an online bookstore, with titles in Spanish and in English. http://www.esmascompras.com/libros/

not_ally

May 5, 2005, 6:59 AM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Online Bookstore

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Also, the Biblioteca has used book sales every Thursday, I think, lots and lots of books for very low prices. I usually get my fix there.
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"The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly I discover there is no reason." John Cage

Carol Schmidt

May 5, 2005, 7:59 AM

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] books

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El Tecolote is for sale, by the way, and I'm sure hoping it continues. The location is prime, but the building is not for sale, it is the bookstore's name and good will, the two-year-lease, and the contents--asking price $200,000. Seems high to me. It's not that big of a store, nothing like a Border's or B&N.

I'm in two book clubs, and one gave up on having everyone read the same book because of problems of availability, and that book club reads any book of your choice in a certain category--mysteries, biographies, coming of age novels, rereading a book you loved in high school, books with a political theme, etc.

The other club is more organized and the members go back to the States more often, so we read current best-sellers that we choose six months ahead, and we rotate so all of us get to read the best of the best on the NYTimes best seller list. Both clubs have members bring books they want to give away to meetings, so we're rotating a lot, retreads reappearing.

And relatives in the States know to send me Amazon gift certificates as presents. We get our new book fix one way or another.

Carol Schmidt