THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

   Panza Llena, Corazon contento. Full Belly, Happy Heart. ---A Mexican Saying         Located in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Wheeler Peak, Taos, New Mexico, is a “mix of Native American, Spanish, Anglo, mystical, artistic and hippie ingredients.”   The Taos Pueblo was built between 1000-1450 A.D. and chosen as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.   It is still a vibrant and energetic city full of color, flavors and peoples.   A BRIEF GUIDE TO TAOS is Teresa Dovalpage’s first ebook.   It is a collection of articles she wrote for The Taos News , and contains reviews of local businesses.   Teresa takes the reader on a stroll down the Historic District's Ledoux Street, and points out the best places to eat Mexican (Orlando’s), American (5 Star Burgers), European (Casa Continental) and “New Mexican” (La Cueva) cuisines.   And you can forget that other fancy coffee, in Taos you want an affogato from Elevation – it’s a scoop of ge

   The Latina Book Club welcomes Emma Pulitzer of Open Road Media.  We thank them for putting together a great and colorful poster for Hispanic Heritage Month – September 15 to October 15.  Please feel free to download this poster for your home, office, school, library, bookstore, et al.  Let's celebrate our Latino Authors! FROM   EMMA PULITZER, OPEN ROAD MEDIA Gabriel García Márquez. Frida Kahlo. Christopher Columbus. Pablo Picasso. These are just a few of the countless men and women that have inspired and shaped American art, culture, and politics. Like their forbearers, Hispanic and Latino Americans continue to contribute to the rich fabric of the United States in innumerable ways, from the literature of Isabelle Allende to the music of Carlos Santana. Each year from September 15 through October 15, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. To celebrate, Open Road Medi

  “Why?   Why do you hate so much? Why did you teach me to hate? They’re just people.” –Hannah Explosive.   Suspenseful.   Action-packed.   Thrilling. Emotional.   Heart-wrenching.   This story is so realistic that it is scary because it could actually be happening right now.   Readers will be on the edge of their seats from the explosive start to the bloody finish. Set in the midst of the current Arizona-Mexico border crisis, Larson has given us a modern-day Romeo and Juliet love story.   Our young lovers are from different sides of the border, literally.   Unfortunately, prejudice and politics are against them from all fronts.   Their forbidden romance leads to betrayal, revenge and murder. SUMMARY :     Spoiled white teen with a gun hates all Mexicans and so decides to use them for shooting practice.   His “Diablo Blanco” aka The White Devil uncle is running for sheriff.   Local Mexican gangs are looking for any excuse to have a showdown with the gringos.   Tempers a

  " Ricky,       I know you are having trouble. Just remember that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.  Don't worry about me.  I will always be there for you.  I will always be with you. Just take your breath and listen to what Mr. Langford tells you.  Remember I will always love you and that will never change.  You are becoming a fine young man and a great baseball player.  I couldn't be prouder of you. Now take your breath, find your quiet space and use the gift God gave you.  I love you.        Love you forever,                 M om        P.S.  Take your breath!" THE PITCHER is destined to become a classic.   It is well-written, funny, heart-warming, engaging, easy to read, romantic and uplifting. On the surface this story may seem to be all about baseball and pitchers, but it’s more than that. THE PITCHER, a Junior Library Guild Selection, is about a loving and determined Hispanic mother who will endure anything and survive everyt

   The Latina Book Club welcomes author Dee Tenorio .   She writes in numerous categories, is a perfectionist and loves any and all kinds of books.     A woman after our own heart!   Welcome, Dee. Q:   You write paranormal mysteries, contemporaries, romantic comedies and erotica.  Which category is your favorite?  How do you decide which category to write next? Do you ever get confused? A:   I wish I could say I had a specific favorite. I tend to love the one I'm working on at the time.   It's just the way my mind handles its creativity. If I finish a dark paranormal, I need to lighten up a bit and I write a rom com. Empty one well, switch to another so the one I just used can refill. (That might make sense only in my head, but I hope you know what I mean.) I don't really get confused because I kind of program myself to certain tones using music and imagery. When I have to write two different books at the same time, I simply change my cues and that helps keep e

     I experience the very first moment of clarity in my life where I realized I have been saved.   My overwhelming desire to give my baby everything I didn't have -- safety, security, protection, adoration and unconditional love-- becomes my moral compass and I am no longer confused.   I am clear-headed for the first time ever.   Now I understand why I am alive.... My first baby boy was born a quiet gentle soul who guided me to a more peaceful place, while my second baby came out screaming and taught me to spread my wings and fly. --Julia Torres If you visit the new World Trade Center Plaza, you will find a survivor tree.   One lone tree that survived the mass destruction of September 11.   Just one. Julia Torres is very much like that tree.   She has experience great abuse, neglect, prejudice and heartache --unfortunately, most of it at the hands of family-- but she is a survivor.   And her faith in herself and her determination to have a better life and be a better per

The Latina Book Club's mission is to promote Latina / Latino authors. We do this through book reviews, author interviews, publicity announcements, book of the month selections, etc. A new popular feature we added this year is " Writers Wednesdays ." The first Wednesday of each month, we will feature a writer talking about ...writing. Happy Reading! WRITING STORIES THAT EMBRACE DIVERSE CHARACTERS AND CULTURES by L.G. Castillo I was hooked on books the moment I learned how to read. My fondest childhood memories were of my mother taking my sister and me to the public library. It was a thrill for me to rummage through the hundreds of books. I could spend hours in the library and most of the time I did. I remember writing my first short story called “The Bridge” when I was ten. I’ve been writing in one way or another since then. Most of the writing I do, research on Latino educational persistence and mental health is for my full time job as a professor of counse

   I like you when you’re silent Because it’s as if you were absent Far away and hurting As if you had died One word then one smile is enough And I am happy Happy that it’s not true.   – Pablo Neruda I first read this book in 2011 when it was titled, AS HAPPY AS LING.   Even then the genius of this book shone through.   The new title, HAPPY THAT IT’S NOT TRUE, is taken from a Pablo Neruda poem.   In the author’s own words: “this is a story about human sorrow, inspired by the war in Afghanistan and the spiritual war that tears at every heart.” But, believe it or not, this novel is also a love story; unfortunately, not one with a happy ending.   The husband finds a love letter from his wife to another man.   He contemplates killing the other man, but he can’t take the man from his children who remind him so much of his own.   So the heartbroken husband decides to leave his family and Cuba, and travel to America on a raft. He and seven others start out, with the husban