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BOOK COVER FRIDAY! CRADLED BY SKELETONS BY MARTA MIRANDA-STRAUB

The Latina Book Club reserves Fridays for Book Covers.  Yes, we do judge books by their covers.  They are so much fun, and often give clues as to what the book is truly about.  Today we are looking at the cover of CRADLED BY SKELETONS:  A Life in Poems and Essays by Marta Miranda- Straub  Breathe, beat, swim, stretch, grasp, swallow. Your time is now.                                                                  –The Cradle poem We are getting many mixed signals from this cover. The skeleton of a torso are a clear indication that not all the poems or essays in this book will be good or sweet natured. The skeleton bears all, literally. The emotions portrayed in this book go deeper than the heart; they go down into the very bones of this author. The vision is stark and bleak. However, there is h...

BOOK COVER FRIDAY! WHEN STRONG WOMEN SPEAK, STRONG WOMEN LISTEN BY ADRIANA FUENTES DIAZ

by Maria C. Ferrer The Latina Book Club reserves Fridays for Book Covers.  Yes, we do judge books by their covers.  They are so much fun, and often give clues as to what the book is truly about.  Today we are looking at the book cover of Adriana Fuentes Diaz’  WHEN STRONG WOMEN SPEAK, STRONG WOMEN LISTEN.  The book cover looks like a marriage between expressionism and surrealism. There are distortions, exaggerations, elements of fantasy. It’s all very vivid, very jarring, but dynamic. Our heroine is naked at the river. Nakedness could represent that she is every woman, that she is free from the chaos reflected in the colorful, imposing bits and pieces hovering above her. The pieces are suspended and hopefully, at her control. What about the water? is she stirring it or calming it? Is she blessing the water or purifying it with blood? The title mentions Strong Women twice. We speak. We listen. This gives the Reader impression of mentors, of inspiring w...

BOOK OF THE MONTH: KING ROBIN BY R.A. MOSS (includes interview)

BOOK OF THE MONTH "I had good intentions. But all I did was bring misery to our people. My days as a king are over. -- King Robin   Seductive. Erotic. Thrilling.  Robin Hood meets Game of Thrones  SUMMARY: In this bold retelling of the Robin Hood legend, the beloved rogue of Sherwood Forest triumphs over the ruthless Prince John and takes the throne – only to become a tyrant himself. In a saga spanning a half-century, this action packed and erotic Medieval thriller vividly explores the seductive undertow of power as it transforms a hero into a despot. Maid Marian, Friar Tuck, Little John, King Richard and the legend’s other characters are complex figures alive with raw passions, dark impulses and ribald humor.  We stayed up all night reading KING ROBIN, and we loved it. It’s a very different telling of the legend & very realistic. We kept picturing Kevin Costner in the role. KING ROBIN is the story after the Happy Ever After. It’s not very pretty, but harsh and d...

INTERVIEW WITH THE SUBURBAN LUCHADOR PHILIP D. RIVERA

The Latina Book Club welcomes Philip D. Rivera.  With an electric blue luchador mask wrapped tightly around his head, accenting his fierce eyes and flashing smile, and shrouding the rest of his face, this Suburban Luchador shares hilarious anecdotes about his wife’s pregnant cravings, the kids’ potty training, and puppy love at the local school where he teaches. We are eager for the sequel!  What lessons did the Suburban Luchador learn from 2020?  Philip : 2020 taught me what is really important in life: my Christian faith, my family, my friends and my health. Many other things vied for my attention, but the pandemic really made me reflect on what brings me true happiness. Spending so much time with my wife and kids was a blessing (sometimes in disguise), and the memories we made will last a lifetime. You are also a High School teacher. How are you surviving remote learning? How did you help your students get over not having a senior trip or prom or even graduation?...

INTERVIEW WITH JUANA VELASCO – HEROINE OF MELT WITH YOU BY S.E. LEWINSKI

  The Latina Book Club is doing something different for Valentine’s Day .  We bring you an interview with Juana Velasco  the Heroine of MELT WITH YOU by S.E. Lewinski. We wanted some friendly romance advice.     Juana is a tough, sassy, street-smart, food truck loving, proud Mexican woman. She has a great sense of humor and doesn’t let anything get her down, not being poor, not being fired again!, and not finding Mr. Right. It takes work and “huge fricking cojones,” but Juana makes her dreams come true and opens her own nail salon. Her success brings prosperity to her family, gives her brothers new purpose, and makes Taco, her furry partner, an overnight sensation. The search for Mr. Right might be over if Antoine gives her a second chance.  Our fingers are crossed for Juana!  Read Chapter 1 by clicking here .     Q&A WITH JUANA Latina Book Club: Have you heard from Antoine? How is the long distance romance with your undercov...

BOOK COVER FRIDAY! THE MAYAN CHRONICLES BY LEE E. CART

by Maria Ferrer The Latina Book Club reserves Fridays for Book Covers. YES, we do judge books by their cover. Covers are so much fun, and often give clues as to what the book is truly about.  Today we are looking at the book covers from Lee E. Cart ’s The Mayan Chronicles.        Clearly the author is experimenting with covers given the radically different styles. One is a very sharply focused photograph, the second a colorful drawing. We prefer the photo on Book 1, because it’s a crisp image that grabs the attention, especially with those sharp teeth. Cover 1 (BORN IN THE WAYEB) says jungle, mystery, ruthlessness, ancient prophecies, and shouts danger. We’re getting images of that old Mel Gibson movie, Apocalypto , and the foreign film Embrace of the Serpent . Our hero is in for dark and perilous times. Cover 2 (RISE OF THE JAGUAR WOMAN) is more of an amateurish cover, but it conveys an image of female power in tune with the elements, with nature. We lo...

BOOK OF THE MONTH: THE CIPHER BY ISABELLA MALDONADO

“ I’ve given up on hope, from now on I fight.” – Nina Guerrera       THE CIPHER by Isabella Maldonado Thomas & Mercer Intense, thrilling, with a kick-ass Latina Heroine. Yes, I read it in one sitting, and yes, I love this "Warrior Girl" Nina Guerrera, who survives a nightmarish childhood, who thrives in the face of adversity, and brings villains to justice. I kept picturing a Latina Dr. Samantha Waters with brown hair, who gets inside the minds of serial killers to solve heinous crimes. The dynamic between Nina and FBI Mind Hunter Jeffrey Wade was brilliantly complicated. Not enemies, but certainly not friends. By the end, they learn to trust one another and have each other’s backs.  We’re hoping for a Book 2. We don’t want to let Nina and Wade go.  Maldonado’s writing is realistic, sharp, precise, graphic, and well detailed. It helps that she is a former Police Captain.  This made the book very intense, very suspenseful, and very addictive. Reade...