Status Updates From Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Na...

La Esmeralda: Everyone actions and viewpoints within the story were interesting and compelling. One of my favorites. Loved the misunderstanding had me smirking. Plus the little bit of Mexican history I was unaware of (Governor Carbajal 1596).

Amalia: I really liked this one. the shift between life and death, what it means to be alive and enjoying life. I liked the ending paragraph too, written from the niece's perspective!

Taking Inventory: I love a story about death! Short sweet and fascinating for sure!

Flora's Complaint: Interesting story, there was a parallel in there that I liked but I can't seem to put it into words. Almost a HA got what you had coming. Not my favorite but for sure interesting.

The Canary Singer: One of my faves from this collection! Loved the dynamic between Birdy and her family and then reminiscing later on about her life there. It felt close to home that family dynamic. Plus i loved the depth of character and the premise! Loved her "power".

Reading the Road: This one was really good! I love a good fortune telling gone vaguely right. But again the endings just seem to be falling flat to me. I feel she could have cut off a few of the last paragraphs and ended there and still had a good story.

Ghostwriting for the Archbishop: This one had so much promise with its magical realism, strange characters, and strange plot, but it landed flat with its obscure ending. I still liked it better than the last two to be honest though. I found the strange twist at the end to be lack luster and vague, I wish it had tied it to something previously mentioned so as to give us a possible insight to the ghostwriter's identity

A Pearl in the Desert: Not sure how to feel about this one. I liked it a bit more than the last one for sure, I feel like there was more tension, but nothing was resolved for me.

The Fire of San Marcos: One of my least favorite so far but I knew the old woman who be right, they always are.

Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalist: A great story! All of it was good. It has interesting characters, a plot twist, Mexican superstition. Loved it.

Reflection in the Eye of the Crow: Did NOT care for this one at all. Maybe I just didn't read enough into it.

G*psy Lover: this one was interesting, if not for the stereotypes and slur. Wasn't a fan of that, but the story itself was captivating.

Sweetheart: Corazon was the girls name and the title is the English equivalent, a nice touch. I thought the story was so well done! i loved that it wasn't a romance and it was more about finding herself while both distancing herself from her own body. The daydream aspect and sentimentality was close to home for me.

The Transforming Eye: I knew something unsettling was going to happen. A good story with good pacing and a good mystery!

I'm not really a short story person, but I was especially moved by the second story -- of a girl whose older sister disappears one evening f