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ISABEL ALLENDE ON THE CRAFT OF WRITING

The Latina Book Club thanks Boroughs Publishing for pointing out this quote from the legendary writer. Isabel Allende on the Craft of Writing “Show up. Show up in front of the computer or the typewriter. And if I show up long enough – it happens.” “When I started writing, I always had the feeling that the book was like a gift–that it would just fall in my lap like an apple or something. So I almost had the feeling that it wasn’t going to happen again. That I had written The House of the Spirits, and that was it. Or I had written the second or third book, and that was it. But what I have learned in time, in thirty-two years of writing, is that it’s a lot of work, and if I just show up, and I work and work, there is a moment, a magical moment, at some point, when it gives. And then you don’t need the effort anymore. It’s like dancing. When you’re dancing and counting the steps, you’re not dancing. When your body just goes—then you’re dancing, and then there’s a ...

BOOK OF THE MONTH: IN THE MIDST OF WINTER BY ISABEL ALLENDE

    Tell your super-ego to fuck off, man.  The way you examine every single action, past and present, is twisted. The sin of pride. You’re not that important. You have to forgive yourself once and for all.   --- IN THE MIDST OF WINTER ATRIA BOOKS Isabel Allende starts a new book every January.  IN THE MIDST OF WINTER must have been started during a snow storm because this book takes place during a hard winter in Brooklyn. IN THE MIDST OF WINTER is a heartwarming, captivating, suspenseful, adventurous, gratifying novel.  It’s about love and loss, about justice and redemption, about survival and rebirth, about friendship and family. Allende tackles issues like gang violence, political atrocities, domestic abuse, illegal immigration and human rights se with truthfulness and integrity. Her characters are so realistic they could be your next door neighbors. This novel is fast-paced and with enough plot twists –I did not see that dead...

4th ANNUAL BOOKS OF THE YEAR, 2016

We lose ourselves in books; We find ourselves there too. We don’t know who said it, but we truly believe in the saying above. We have lost ourselves in numerous books this year. Books are our happy place; our escape; sometimes our refuge. It’s always a pleasure to discover a “new” author and to reconnect with favorite ones. We were super excited as The Latina Book Club started putting together its 4th Annual List of Books of the Year for 2016. Readers will love these exciting, daring, gripping books by Latino authors and about Latinos in all genres, and some in two languages. We encourage everyone to support our authors by buying their books and telling all their friends and neighbors about the books. Remember that books make great gifts year round, and do consider giving books to your local library. For this new year, explore a new author, a new genre. All learning is good. And, who knows? Maybe you’ll find yourself in one of these books too.  Happy ...

15 NOTORIOUS LATINO BOOKS TO READ DURING BANNED BOOK WEEK

For centuries books have been “challenged.”  In some cases the books were stored away out of sight, out of mind; in worse cases, they were burned and lost forever.  Even today, books are “banned” for all sorts of reasons – violence, foul language, portrayals of abuse/drugs/alcoholism, religious points of view, sexual content, etc., etc., etc.  Believe it or not, even The Holy Bible was banned at one point for sexual content and violence.  No wonder it’s the number one bestselling book every year. So to Celebrate Banned Book Week (Sept 25 – Oct 1) and to Celebrate Our Right to Read, here are 15 “notorious” Latino Books that have been banned at one time or another for all sorts of reasons.  We encourage you to add them all to your Library and read them in public.  Happy Reading! NOTORIOUS BANNED LATINO BOOKS 1.              …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomás Rivera ...

BOOK OF THE MONTH: THE JAPANESE LOVER BY ISABEL ALLENDE

Atria Books This book also available in Spanish. I would empty myself of everything but love. – Ichimei Isabel Allende’s THE JAPANESE LOVER is an engaging and romantic tale spanning 70 years and multiple generations. The main themes in this novel are family, friendship, loyalty, identity and above all, love.  Love makes the world go round and in this novel, love’s survival is at its heart. The forbidden love between Alma, a young Polish girl and her family’s Japanese gardener, Ichimei, lasts a lifetime in spite of their racial differences and the trials that separate them. Beautiful love letters and small token gifts keep them connected through his imprisonment in the Japanese concentration camps and afterward when they wed other people.  Readers will laugh and cry as these lovers fall in love, only to lose their love.  Romeo and Juliet?  Maybe, but these lovers decide to live and to love even if it’s in secret and only in their hearts...

INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARDS – WINNERS!

    The Latina Book Club congratulates ALL the Winners and Finalists of the 2015 International Latino Book Awards . The Awards are produced annually by Latino Literacy Now, and were presented on Saturday, June 27 th , at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis Hotel during this year’s American Library Association's Annual Conference. 2015 ILBA Winners, Finalists and Presenters I was happy to be part of the Las Comadres Para Las Americas Team that helped present the awards, and especially proud to be able to present the Best Young Adult eBook Award to my friend author Dania Ramos for WHO’S JU? (Northampton House Press).  It was a spectacular evening, complete with a special salute to past award winning author Juan Felipe Herrera, who was named U.S. Poet Laureate by the Library of Congress.  He is the first Latino to hold this honored position in 78 years. Other notable winners included: MICAELA by Adalucia (Cholito Prints and Publishing...

2014 WINNERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARDS

    This year, the International Latino Book Awards were presented during the American Librarians Association Conference in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 29.   (Viva Las Libraries!)  The list of winners contains some of my favorite authors and some new ones I look forward to reading.  I especially look forward to reading the two winning books by Shanaya Fastje and Alina Gonzalez, both 14-years-old with a lot of confidence and charm. Below are some of the winners: Best Young Adult Fiction Book – English Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, Meg Medina; Candlewick Press; Cuba Best Young Adult Fiction Book – Spanish or Bilingual La Guarida de las Lechuzas, Antonio Ramos Revillas; Ediciones El Naranjo; México Most Inspirational Young Adult Book Salvation, Anne Osterlund; Penguin Group; USA Best Book Written by a Youth Bully in the Mirror, Shanaya Fastje; Changing Lives Press; USA Best Poetry Book Written by a Youth ...

REVIEW: RIPPER by Isabel Allende

  "The kids who play Ripper are a select group of freaks and geeks from around the world who meet online to hunt down and destroy the mysterious Jack the Ripper."       RIPPER is not the type of novel fans expect from Isabel Allende.   This is a totally new genre for her, and instead of keeping to the "norms" of a typical suspense novel, Allende creates her own.   And, while this may be a novel about young-adults, the graphic and sexual nature of the killings call for a more mature audience.   RIPPER is about revenge, obsession, betrayal and loyalty.   The premise is very interesting -- gamers in search of a real killer--, but Allende over populates this novel to the point where the reader loses sight of the story.   Instead of the focus being the murders and the gamers, the focus becomes the never ending list of who's who of secondary characters -- the psychic, the neighbors, the lovers, the exes, the policemen, the clien...