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Gritty and brutal. The words get the job done but with no beauty.

I greatly enjoyed Herrera's Transmigration of Bodies when I read it several years ago. In Kingdom Cons all of the characters are frequently referred to by their professions. Lobo AKA Artist is the protagonist, a young street musician rescued & recruited into the services at the beginning of the novella of a drug lord referred to throughout as King. As critic Tobias Carroll writes, “There‘s a sense that the Artist is just a touch out of his👇

Imma keep it real with you, did not enjoy this book as much as I thought. I think the translation is a bit goofy, add to that the weird prose. I kept reading it because I love the way it describes corridos. I think it honors them very well, but I still could not get through it. This is definitely something I‘d like to try and read in Spanish :)

Excited to read from this genre known as #narcolit. I consume a lot of narco media through novelas, corridos, and the news so I am interested to see what the literature has to say. I find that this topic is better approaches through different forms of media as it is complex and tbh, sad and scary.

Possibly my first ever Mexican writer. This was longlisted for the Tournament of Books, so I picked it up, but at 103 pages it was hardly around long enough to leave a lasting impression. Some nice courtly intrigue and a light, accessible translation, but all too brief for my tastes.

Short Book. I can't recommend Yuri Herrera enough. Lisa Dillman's translations of his beautiful prose are masterful. This is his first book but the one most recently translated to English, just published in the US a few months ago. Signs Preceding the End of the World and The Transmigration of Bodies also fit the #shortbook bill. And are also amazing. #readathon #30DaysofReadathon @DeweysReadathon

I took this picture a few weeks ago while having dinner on a restaurant's outdoor patio because I thought I'd be able to use at some point in a Litsy post 😂Turns out that it is very similar(minus the Gargoyle)to the cover of this wonderful little book.Tho' it's the 3rd of the author's to be translated into English, it's actually his debut novel & is a perfect intro to his weird and wonderful work. It's also perfect for #24in48 #booksintranslation

Today's late afternoon sun is perfect for getting in another few pages before dinner. #Sundayfunday

#Sunday morning. #bookandcoffee #bookandbreakfast

Two #booksintranslation, both written in Spanish&translated by the incredible Lisa Dillman.KC is the most recent Yuri Herrera to be published in English.My library ordered it for me(as they did his last one)and I'm the first checkout :) SSH came highly recommended by Kelsey @RoscoeBooks I saw it was a Lisa Dillman translation & I was sold.Bonus points for me-the author is from Spain where my daughter is studying for the next few weeks. 🇲🇽 🇪🇸

Everybody that came through Receiving today was made to look at this. So much story packed into a slim 100pgs.

"When a person likes words, they're like booze for your ears."

This book is unputdownable and so beautifully & precisely written that I may just reread it as soon as I finish it.

Happy book birthday to the latest English translated novel from Yuri Herrera - about a musician at the crossroads of patronage, integrity, and the arts.