THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

    The Latina Book Club welcomes a new reviewer, Julia Abrantes.   She is an avid reader and a member of the Leadership Team at Las Comadres Book Club. Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin's Press/ MacMillian Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Review by Julia Abrantes   Welcome to Mexico City…   An Oasis In A Sea Of Vampires… This story takes place in futuristic Mexico City.  The time has come when Vampires are mixed in with locals all around the world.  This book talks about different species of vampires.  Some species glow in the dark, others have distinct hair, in others the females can sprout wings (not your white fluffy fairy wings, but rather big blue-black majestic feathers).  Some species feed by draining the life force from their prey, others can only feed from the young.  Anyway, I digress.  I enjoy your typical vampire novel – and this is anything but typical.  Weaving togeth...

ElMuseo del Barrio's 38th Annual Three Kings Day Parade and Celebration went on as planned earlier today, January 6, 2015, despite the snow storm and dropping temperatures.   Joseph and Mary bundled up the baby Jesus, while the three magi gulped hot cups of coffee.   The *Honorary Kings, Madrinas and Padrinos lined up outside the Museum, school graders from the neighborhood gathered with their homemade crowns, while sponsors and radio stations jockeyed for position.   Even Aurora Anaya-Cerda, founder of La Casa Azul Bookstore , and La Muerte, ruler of the Land of the Remembered, from the +movie "Book of Life" joined the fiesta. Outside, dozens of men, women and children of all ages gathered on 104th Street and on Third Avenue to watch the parade in all its white glory.  Also, present were members of Las Comadres Para Las Americas (a networking group for Latina women of which I am proud to be a member).   There was a nice "lady" camel bu...

The Party Continues!   Join The Latina Book Club every week this month for new book reviews, fun “Top 14” lists, author interviews and book giveaways.   This week, we are giving away an e-book copy of EVERY HIDDEN FEAR.   Leave a comment below or tweet our hashtag -- #amreadingwiththelatinabookclub --   to win. Happy Hispanic Heritage Month and Good luck! --mcf If you’re not constantly watching and taking care of little things with a house, all kinds of things will fester in the dark and grow out of sight to damage it until they pull it down on your head. —Gran Riveting. Masterful. Suspenseful. Memorable. EVERY HIDDEN FEAR is book three in Linda Rodriguez’s Skeet Bannion series.  It’s a fast-paced, exhilarating drama starring a clever heroine, a ghastly murder and more suspects than innocents.  Readers will be enthralled (once again) from the very first page to the last.  NOTE: This may be third in a series, but it stands alon...

    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 ...

     The Finalists of the 2014 International Latino Book Awards were released yesterday, March 18.   There was some problems yesterday connecting to the LLN website and downloading the list so The Latina Book Club has printed the complete list below for reader convenience. The Awards celebrate books in English, Spanish and Portuguese.   Finalists are from across the USA and from 18 countries outside the USA.   The Awards are divided into eight categories, including The Mariposa Awards given to Best First books; Children, Youth & Young Adult; Nonfiction; Fiction; Ebook & Audio; Portugese Awards; Design Awards and Translation Awards.   The International Latino Book Awards will be presented on June 28th in Las Vegas as part of the ALA (American Library Association) Conference.  The Awards are produced by LatinoLiteracy Now , an organization co-founded by Edward James Olmos and Kirk Whisler, and co-presented by Las Coma...