THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

      HOUSE DIVIDED By Raul Ramos y Sanchez Grand Central Publishing Release date January 28, 2011 DOUBLE GIVEAWAY!! Details and links at bottom. “Honor doesn’t come cheap.” “Dead from hungry? Dead from bullet?... Dead is dead.” A son may have taken the same path as his father, but he is not following in his footsteps. Powerful. Realistic. Terrifying. Thrilling. Spellbinding. Raul Ramos y Sanchez must be congratulated on writing such a realistic and gripping saga. I could not put either of these books down until I had read the endings. The stories are so real that it feels like I should be able to turn on my TV and watch the updates on CNN or, better yet, on You-Tube. If you’ve read AMERICA LIBRE, you know it was the story of Manolo Suarez, a man struggling to provide and protect his family amid smoldering ethnic tensions that give rise to a Hispanic liberation movement that ignites a new civil war upon American soil. HOUSE DIVIDED, begins in the aftermath o

   STAY WITH ME by Sandra Rodriguez Barron HarperCollins Passionate. Suspenseful. Poignant. Well-written. Fast-paced. A must for everyone’s to-be-read pile. Rodriguez Barron has created six great characters that readers will grow to care about and to cheer for. From the author of THE HEIRESS OF WATER, comes a new book about family – the joy, the fights, the sacrifices and the bonds that keep one together--, because sometimes it’s not the family you are born into that nurtures your soul but the family you gather around you. SUMMARY: In 1979, five toddlers wash upon the shores of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, during the aftermath of Hurricane David, all alone on a luxury yacht with a mysterious starfish “tattoo” on their hands. No one comes forth to claim them and speculation runs wild. Even though the kids are ultimately adopted into different families in the US and PR, the kids grow up considering themselves siblings. Now adults, David, the oldest, calls them together for a family

     I only intended to write the one novel as a romantic comedy spoofing vampire clichés. -- author Marta Acosta She may have thought she was going to write one book, but Marta Acosta has written four in her popular—The Casa Dracula Books—series. Marta has even been featured in Latina magazine a couple of times; the latest this January. The Latina Book Club invites you to join us as we chat with Marta about vampires, family, writing and social networking. Read on. Q: Why vampires? A: I’m a humorist and one of my techniques is to take a theme to its extreme. I think I was watching some sci-fi movie and there were no Latinos. I said, where are the Latinos in outer space? Why don’t we see Latinos in vampire movies? I started the first novel on a whim and the vampires became an analogy for “other” and being outside mainstream culture. Q: Where did Milagros de los Santos come from? I love her name. Did you always know she was going to be a series? A: I created Milagro fro

     Last November, we featured author Raul Ramos y Sanchez and his book AMERICA LIBRE . I found the book in turns, passionate, vivid, and terrifying.  It was a totally engrossing and emotional tale about Hispanics in search of justice and a country of their own. Unfortunately, the rebels’ quest leads to the imprisonment of all Latinos in Quarantine Zones. At the end, the battle is lost and the rebels jailed along with all the other Hispanics in the U.S. BUT THE BATTLE CONTINUES…. Manolo Suarez is back and still fighting.  But now, trouble comes from the home front as his teenage son joins the battle but on the side of extremists attacking innocent civilians.  Is this what Manolo fought so hard for -- to lose his son?  Is this the lesson his struggles taught his children?  his people? Here is a sneak peek at the sequel: HOUSE DIVIDED .    HOUSE DIVIDED will be on sale from Grand Central Publishing on January 28, 2011.  Order your copy today. COMMENT : Do let us know wha

    THE THREE KINGS: A CHRISTMAS DATING STORY By Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez St. Martin’s Griffin Everyone Loves Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez’s Novels! “Intoxicating.”—New York Post "Exhilarating.”—Jennifer Crusie “Must-haves.”—Latina magazine From the author of THE DIRTY GIRLS SOCIAL CLUB, comes a new story in time for Three Kings Day (January 6 in Latin countries). Christy de la Cruz, New Mexico’s hottest interior designer, still pines for her gay ex-husband and can’t get back into the dating game. So what is a girl to do but pray to the Virgen de la Guadalupe for a man… and if she can have one, why not two? three? Well, La Virgen – via her sex-savvy cousin Maggie – answers her prayers with three hot cousins out to win Christy’s heart. You got to read it to believe it! This is Alisa at her best. Funny. Sassy. Entertaining. A great book to start the New Year with. DO LEAVE A COMMENT. And let us know what you think and which “King” was your favorite.

Our motto for 2011 is ... READ LATINO. Read Latino.... The Latina Book Club will continue its mission to promote Latino authors. Read Latino.... We also want to encourage literacy among Latinos. This year we are going to have more book reviews and more chats with authors. Plus, we will have interviews with Readers and other Latino book clubs, like the Latin Baby Book Club. Join us on our quest and Read Latino! And, Happy New Year!!