THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

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?...

  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...

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...

“ 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...