Certain dark things

Certain dark things / Silvia Moreno-Garcia read by Dan Bittner, 323 pgs.

Drug wars, Mexico City and vampires.  Domingo, a street kid who is a junk picker meets Atl, an Aztec vampire who, along with her dog is being hunted by at least a couple of enemies and the cops.  Atl's clan has been murdered (including her mother and sister) and she goes to Mexico City to find help.  Now Domingo and a couple of old family acquaintances are her only hope.  Lots of action, lots of intrigue, and great narration by Dan Bittner.  Never thought I would like this book but couldn't stop listening once I started.

Return to Centro Historico: a Mexican Jew Looks for His Roots / Ilan Stavans 154 p.

Stavans is professor of Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst.  He's published a lot of nonfiction and some fiction as well, none of which I've read, which I'm sure makes me a poor evaluator of his work.  This is an attractively-made book, full of black and white photos of people and buildings from the old Mexico City neighborhood of Centro Historico.  The material itself is interesting, but Stavans' vague, meandering style was not engaging.  Stavans never fully plumbs his personal story or that of his wider community enough to satisfy.  A further irritant were the frequent typos - the book looked high-quality but there was some editorial skimping, clearly.