Here is what Charles Towill, author of the mystery thriller novel, Passport to Paradise and longtime snowbird resident of Guanajuato had to say about Retirement Tales: Two Gringos Living in Mexico
"I'VE GOT A COPY OF CHARLIE'S BOOK---IT'S GREAT: FUNNY, INFORMATIVE AND OVERALL QUITE DELIGHTFUL. IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR ANYONE IN, OR GOING TO, MEXICO."
Sandy Watts, a psychiatrist originally from Scotland and later Canada who with his wife Olga, stayed in Guanajuato for awhile and is now retired in nearby Morelia in the state of Michoacan just south of Guanajuato had this to say:
"Charlie,
Thank you for your Letter from Mexico. When you first mentioned you planned to compile the letters and publish them in book form, I wondered how feasible that would be. Having read them, I think it's a great idea. I love your sly, gentle sense of humour and your keen perception. You may have a best seller on your hands."
From Kadi Wills, recent visitor to Guanjuato:
Hi Charlie!
I wanted to be among the first to send you fan mail about your new book. I bought it at the breakfast on sunday and read it all that day. It was a real pleasure to read with lots of laughs along the way. I'm going to pass it on to my mother when I get home. She and my dad had great adventures in Mexico back in the 60's when they were Jim and my age. She will get a kick out of it!
From a Los Angeles attorney:
Hi, I bought your book at Spanglish Cafe and enjoyed it. My 75 year old mother enjoyed it even more and brought it home from Mexico to let her husband read it. Congratulations on a fun book.
From a reader in Virginia:"Hi Charlie! I'm only about halfway through your book, and I'm loving it! I love
personal anecdotes like these.
Your book has been not only entertaining but very helpful. I've read a lot
of things about retirement in various cities in Mexico, but nothing til now
about the flies or mosquitos! I spent two years in Togo, West Africa, so
it's not just a passing concern. It's nice to know that they're in short
supply in Guanajuato."
"Thanks again for a nice little book which will be a permanent part of the
Mexico Retirement section of my personal library."
From a reader in Minnesota: "Hola,
I just finished your book and enjoyed it. My husband is in Mexico right now, checking out cities for our eventual move there. I will retire from the Post Office in June and Bill retired from the City of Minneapolis two years ago. We are 55 and 57.
Bill was in Guanajuato a few weeks ago. He has visited many of the colonial cities you write about. We have friends in Cuernavaca and our daughter lived and studied there for a year (heavy in the living, light on the studying). I think Bill is leaning toward Cuernavaca, but I want to check out the other cities myself.
Thinking about your move, are there things you would have done differently? In particular, I was wondering about the shipment of your household good from Wisconsin. Would you take different things?
Also, I would like to hear about a typical day, when friends are not visiting. How do you and Carole spend your time?
I apologize for the familiarity, but after reading the book, I feel like I almost know you. I will appreciate your response to my questions and thank you in advance."
From a retired university professor in Guanajuato:
"Hi Charlie,
Marcia bought your book and I was imediately interested in reading it. I
read the first three chapters and I was laughing. What good sense of humor. For
me it is very interresting to see how foreign people see us. I liked it so well
that I would like to send it as a gift to my American friends that have been
here at one time or another. I am sure they will enjoy it."
A review that appeared on Amazon.com:
This book relates the experiences of one American couple who take the plunge and retire to Mexico. It is not a comprehensive guidebook to retirement south of the border, and readers looking for that kind of information would be well-served to look elsewhere. But even the best guidebooks often fail to give their readers a real "taste" of what day-to-day life will be like in their chosen retirement haven. So, if you're considering retirement in Mexico, it helps to have both a "guidebook" and "guide." Charlie Montemayor is a great guide! His tales, told with wry humor and equanimity, reveal the everyday obstacles and frustrations, but also the small insights and large rewards, of navigating in a culture not one's own. These tales, told in the author's distinctive voice, ring true. Recommended!
From Rachel Lauden, Guanajuato Author: I have been re-reading your book and it is really wonderful.
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