It’s the dead of Winter up North, and down South of the border the weather is warm and inviting. The oceans are blue and sparkling, and the snow birds are returning. We thought we’d put together a recommended reading list for books you can look up or buy to prepare you for your journey down to Manzanillo Mexico. We've included everything in this list from Manzanillo guidebooks to basic Spanish phrasebooks to how you can live the expat lifestyle Mexican style:

Manzanillo Travel Guides

Frommer's Guide To Manzanillo Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara

For its small size, conciseness, and little price tag, this book gives a basic comprehensive guide to the areas mentioned. Even if you ahve been here awhile, it points out some lesser known places and can give you new ideas for new restarants to try. It is especially useful in Guadalajara.

Travel Scope Manzanillo Mexico and the Costa Alegre DVD

Follow Joseph Rosendo through the Happy Coast's highlights from Comala to Tamarindo. He gives a portion of the attention to the locals and that is great to see in a tourist video.

Manzanillo City Map

A good and (relatively) up to date map for your navigation neccessities.

Living In Manzanillo and Mexico

Gringo In Paradise

A retiring couple builds their dream house in Sayulita. They offer lots of insights on what it is like to make the transition. Although their are a lot of grumbles about the building process, it is well tempered with glowing praise for their neighbors' culture. You see them really adapting and accepting what is around them rather then fighting it.

Retirement Without Borders

How to Retire Abroad--in Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, Costa Rica, Panama, and Other Sunny, Foreign Places (And the Secret to Making It Happen Without Stress)

The same author as Gringo in Paradise offers a sort of "how to" for retirement abroad. It faces the gritty details of moving, finances, home sickness, culture shock, and more. Each section has commentary by expats on their respective countries. This is a very real book on becoming an expat.

The Plain Truth About Living In Mexico

A couple wrote this book about the evolution of a vague idea to move someday, to actually settling in Mexico. It has plenty of informative answers to typical question. Although, it is a little Guanajauto centric, it still is useful. The authors seem to come across rather opinionated, but that is to be expected with expat perspective books.

The People's Guide To Mexico

Colorful from the cover of the book to the end. You won't find dry experiences here. This book really hones in on Mexican culture, and bathes in it's uniqueness. This immersion is a great experience that will color your perspective of Mexico in ways you never knew before. It promises plenty of chuckles as well.

Learn/Speak Spanish

501 Spanish Verbs

For those of us that have a basic structure of Spanish down, this book is handy. Verbs are usually what one struggles with at this point. Any verb you need should be here.

Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish
This is a great place to begin your journey of learning Spanish. Madrigal's is a classic for a reason. It takes a unique approach to teaching Spanish that has made it famous.

Mexican Spanish Lonely Planet Phrasebook
Basic tourist Spanish. Covers the neccessities while traveling. You will be able to order a beer, hail a cab, and get a hotel room without a hitch.

Related posts:

1. Guide to Mexican Cheese
2. Guide To Tipping in Mexico
3. Gringos in Paradise- Book Review
4. Travel Manzanillo for less than $30 a day
5. Manzanillo Mexico Cruises