Cristina Perez Martinez
“I like the sea, Galicia, the blue, the wine and July“
@crisperezmartinez
@crisperezmartinez
I also remember two books I read years ago that left a deep impression on me. One was Mirafiori by Manuel Jabois, and the other was The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I don't recall the stories as vividly, to be honest, but I do remember the effect they had on me.
Personally, I'd be lying if I said I have just one. However, on many occasions, both in work and in my personal life, I’ve drawn a lot from This Too Shall Pass by my beloved Milena. A phrase I repeat to myself frequently. It reminds me of the healthy and valuable lesson, during difficult times, to take things more lightly, to take the weight off the bad, not to worry excessively, and above all, to remember that everything will pass. Because everything passes, and everything arrives.
When the pandemic hit and I found myself with so much free time, one of the activities I picked up again was reading. My first approach was through short stories by journalists or writers, very light texts. I read a few thrillers and other books you devour in one sitting, but not much more. I don’t remember how, but I discovered Jesús Terrés. I read one of his stories, then another, and another, and reading started becoming appealing to me. That same summer, I bought Nothing Matters. I loved it. From that book, I moved to another, then another, and another, and I’ve continued ever since. It was thanks to that book that I started reading.
One book I’ve particularly marked up is Mirafiori by Manuel Jabois. I started it on a trip to Granada; at some point, it made me cry, and now the book is sitting in Galicia, covered in dust and blue ink.
Many authors know just how to hit the exact mark. I could make an endless list. But I do remember one of many from Milena Busquets that stuck with me:
"We all see different things, we all always see the same, and what we see defines us absolutely. And we instinctively love those who see the same as us and recognize them instantly."
She always nails it.
My favorite reading plan is on a summer afternoon (preferably late August), after returning from the beach, a bit sun-kissed, getting home, and opening a book on the porch. And if I have a cold beer and some chips nearby, even better.
A must-visit place for book lovers in [city name].
I should be the one asking this question because I’m not super well-versed, hahaha.
In Madrid, my go-to bookstores are Tipos Infames (in Tribunal), Antonio Machado (in Salesas), and Pasajes (in Génova, Alonso Martínez). Every time I walk in, it’s impossible to leave empty-handed.
Another bookstore I find wonderful is La Mistral, though I admit I frequent it less because of its location. But it’s gorgeous.
There’s another bookstore where I could spend hours; it’s in the La Latina area. I think it’s called Sin Tarima. You can find everything there: current books, old editions... anything you can imagine is there. Whenever I visit El Rastro, I make an early stop there.
She gifted me Reunion by Fred Uhlman, a book she loved and wanted to include in my Christmas presents. The story, set in Nazi Germany, revolves around friendship. I’m only 10 pages in, and I already know I’m going to love it.
If you could go back in time and give a book you’ve already read to your younger self, which one would it be?
This might sound cliché, but I think if I had read any of the books that have left the biggest marks on me ten years ago, I wouldn’t have known how to appreciate them. At that time, I wouldn’t have connected with them, and one of two things would have happened: either I wouldn’t have finished them (most likely), or they would have passed through me without leaving a mark. It wouldn’t have been the same, and I think it would have been a shame.
It’s a book to read and reread. I was also fascinated by Woody Allen’s movie Midnight in Paris, one of my favorites.
If not literary, definitely Julio Iglesias. No doubt. And I’d pick some Galician product and a nice wine.
If it had to be an author, I think I’d organize an informal dinner with women I admire deeply and who have a great sense of humor. It would be a table for four, I think. And, of course, I’d order the dinner. One of them would definitely be Joan Didion, a woman who has always fascinated me, and I would have loved meeting her in such a close setting. Imagining her gestures, how she would light a cigarette, and everything she’d have to share... hahaha. I’d also invite Nora Ephron and Milena Busquets for some laughs. It would be such a fun dinner where we’d sip wine and laugh about everything. I don’t know how it would end, hahaha, but I think I’d leave that dinner fascinated and “not giving a damn,” hahaha.
Since I usually read more than one book at a time, I have several bookmarks. Some are simple pieces of paper with notes from the book; others are the actual bookmarks I get when buying books... it depends. But what I always keep is a piece of paper, now wrinkled and discolored, with a wine glass mark on it, which I wrote on one summer afternoon on my porch years ago. It’s always with me.