Querencia

Description

Suburban-raised Stephen Bodio travels to Magdalena, New Mexico, in the 1970s and never leaves. Soon finding a two-story home along the highway, Bodio settles into a country life, explaining in vivid detail his time spent among the wilderness. A lover of nature, Bodio finds himself the center of his neighbors' attention when they discover his endless knowledge of the local fauna: snakes, birds, and dogs. Bodio soon falls in love with Betsy Huntington, a woman twenty years his senior, and the two became inseparable until her death some years later. It's through Bodio that her story is painted in such memorable passages that soon captivate readers. Together the two make their home among the mountains of New Mexico, returning to a simple life of hunting, attending cockfights, and becoming acquainted with the local reptiles and insects of the desert, as well as attending the biggest festival on the calendar: the Annual Quemado Street Dance and Brawl. From the Spanish term meaning "one's true home," Querencia captivates and settles the heart. It is an astonishing read for those looking for an escape from the hustle of the big city, or just seeking to find solitude in the country life.

Stephen Bodio is a renowned writer and naturalist. He was the longtime book reviewer for Gray's Sporting Journal, and his articles have appeared in magazines and papers as various as the LA Times, Atlantic Monthly, Men's Journal, Sports Illustrated, and Smithsonian. Bodio is also the author of several books, including Aloft, On the Edge of the Wild, and Eagle Dreams. He loves to travel and write about it, and still lives in Magdalena, New Mexico. Malcolm Brooks is a carpenter by trade, and his fiction and essays have appeared in a variety of publications, including Montana Quarterly, Sports Afield, and Fly Lines: The Best of Big Sky Journal Fishing. He is the author of the novel Painted Horses, and resides in Missoula, Montana.