spainrico

I have been reading a range of non-fiction (and some fiction) books on Spain (in English) for a while now and think I have covered most of the 'classics' - anybody got any of their favourites to recommend?

Not touting for links but I have a list of my best reads here

http://www.shelfari.com/Best-Of/10445/Books-on-Spain

steviedeluxe

I think my favourite book was on football, and called Morbo.
I've recently bought books from this on-line specialist, and the books turned up ok. He announces new books on twitter too. http://books4spain.com/
What he won't have is a famous history of El Corte Ingles - apparently the despot in charge didn't want anyone reading it, so he bought the whole print run and binned them!
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...glish-cut.html

Pocaloca

Well, for non-fiction/20th century history, pretty much anything by Paul Preston or Ian Gibson, both "honorary Spaniards". More readable than Anthony Beevor, I find him a bit turgid. I especially like Preston's The Doves of War about four real-life women in the Guerra Civil (two British, two Spanish, two Republican and two Francoist).

On a lighter note Jason Webster's Duende is a good read. He's a young guitarist who goes off in search of "real flamenco" and ends up in hot water with some gitanos in Sevilla.

Janet Mendel's cookery books are wonderful, e.g. My Kitchen in Spain. They are more than just recipes, they go into the whole food culture.

Also on food, there's a lovely book about Galicia called Everything but the Squeal, by John Barlow, who is determined to eat every bit of the pig in the course of a year (sometimes accompanied by his long suffering vegetarian wife!)

You don't have Driving over Lemons on your list, is that deliberate? It's the only "expat experience" worth reading IMO (though I haven't read many!)

steviedeluxe

Not a book "on Spain", but I thought "The Shadow of the Wind" was excellent.

spainrico

[QUOTE=steviedeluxe;10561832]I think my favourite book was on football, and called Morbo.
I've recently bought books from this on-line specialist, and the books turned up ok. He announces new books on twitter too. http://books4spain.com/

Hi Stevie - Yes Morbo is a great book on Spanish football, also see 'White Storm' by Phil Ball (yes really) on Real Madrid and also 'La Roja' A Journey through Spanish football by Jimmy Burns which I bought from Books4Spain, which is a great site run by Rod Younger. I have posted some reviews on B4S.

Yes a book on Cortes Ingles would be interesting. Pity they were destroyed - or did anyone obtain a copy....

Pocaloca

Yep - have you read the sequel? I think it's called Prisoner of Heaven in English.

spainrico

Hi Pocaloca, Yes Paul Preston is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest writers on Spain. I have read a few of his including 'We saw Spain Die' from the foreign correspondents viewpoints.

I also quite like Beevor - yes he is detailed (he has also written good stuff on WW2) - just found his 'The Spanish Civil War' published prior to his 'The Battle for Spain'

I have read all 4 of Webster's non-fiction books, and Duende was good.

I omitted Driving Over Lemons because I felt it was so well known and I tried to highlight some others. But yes it is a modern classic in the genre.

Having bothered with the cook books as I have a Spanish wife! But yes worth a mention. Bring on Rick Stein.

spainrico

Yes loved it - read all 3 - the latest 'The Prisoner of Heaven' is disappointing though. (IMO)

michaleen oge

The Tomb in Seville by Norman Lewis- a little gem about the author and his Spanish friend who travel to Seville at the time of the Spanish Civil War,looking for the tomb of his ancestors' who are supposed to buried in the grounds of the cathedral there.

spainrico

Yes he travelled in 1934 with his Sicilian brother-in-law who got him into problems.

My short review

"NL has some interesting adventures during his travels mostly connected to the pre Spanish civil war era in which he was making his journey. He captures the moments in succinct phrases but in such a way as to spark the imagination and easily get mental images of his situations. No waffle, and a good interesting read filling in some gaps of that era. Must have been an interesting man to have met."

His 'Voices of the Old Sea' also worth a look.

And just read his 'Naples 44' about his time as an Intelligence Officer in Italy late WW2.

agoreira

If you are into bullfighting, Alexander Fiske-Harrison is worth a read. Got great reviews.
http://www.alexanderfiskeharrison.com/
Just looking along my bookshelves, Adam Hopkins, Spanish Journeys, Norman Lewis, Voices of the Old Sea (didn't do it for me!), Ted Walker, In Spain, John Hooper, The Spaniards, Alistair Boyd, Sierras of the South, Robert Elms, Spain, to name a few. Anyway, you should be reading in Spanish!

agoreira

Gibson reckons he is now Spanish! Nationalised Spanish, Spanish passport. Doesn't make him Spanish, but that's what he reckons.

spainrico

Hey Agoreira, - That's an interesting bookshelf, some authors that are new to me - just been googling Ted Walker and Robert Elms.

John Hooper's 'The New Spaniards' is a great book, I have just written some articles using that as the main reference.

Have to admit bullfighting does not do it for me and yes to be able to read in Spanish - what a new world that would open up.

Thanks for contributing to the thread.

mogsmum

I have recently read

Hand of Fatima by Ildefonso Falcones ( Spanish writer ) recommended by a Spanish Colleague It is based in the 15th century and based in the Kingdom of Granada. Now reading Cathedral of the Sea. by the same author.

husband reading
The Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth-Century Spain

The Ornament Of The World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain

Dick Dasterdly

http://www.elcorteingles.es/informac...?IDM=3002&NM=3

A little bit here about Corte Ingles and it's origins, (a tailors shop in Madrid), from which it took its name.
Not much information I can see anywhere else incl. wiki.