THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

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...

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...

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...

    by Maria Ferrer Welcome to a new feature on The Latina Book Club ,  Book Cover Fridays    Every Friday we will be discussing book covers, because YES, we do judge books by their cover. They are so much fun, and book covers often times give clues as to what the book is truly about. In a 2018 survey, 82% of respondents said they check out the book covers and read the back cover copy before buying a book. We agree. We are visual people so let’s judge books by their covers. We want to start with Sylvia Moreno-Garcia ’s MEXICAN GOTHIC (Del Rey), last year’s runaway hit. The author’s first gothic novel and an Amazon Best Book of July 2020. What do you see on this book cover? Well the title alone tells us that it is going to be dark. Gothic conjures up images of dark pleasures and forbidden desires. The heroine is young, sexy, and look at that beautiful dress with lace bodice and tulle skirt. Gorgeous. Now, did you notice the brocade wallpaper behind her, ...