THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

The taste of you remains Clinging to paradise But as the distance from you grows All that my heart ever knows Hunger for your kiss Longing for your touch Beautiful Maria of my soul --Lyrics, Beautiful Maria of My Soul Song by Los Lobos THE MAMBO KINGS PLAY SONGS OF LOVE By Oscar Hijuelos (1989) Farrar Straus Giroux Winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize in Literature We loved the book, the movie and the sequel !!! SUMMARY:   It's 1949 and two young Cuban musicians make their way from Havana to the grand stage of New York City. It is the era of mambo, and the Castillo brothers, workers by day, become stars of the dance halls by night, where their orchestra plays the lush, sensuous, pulsing music that earns them the title of the Mambo Kings. This is their moment of youth, exuberance, love, and freedom―a golden time that decades later is remembered with nostalgia and deep affection. Hijuelos's marvelous portrait of the Castillo brothers, their families,...

I never wanted to work from home. I like the hustle and bustle of New York City, and I enjoy the dynamics of an in-person workplace. March 13 was the day the world changed for me. Suddenly, I’m working for home.   All meetings are virtual ones. Now I really have to order internet service.   It was the end of the world as I knew it. The corona virus had taken over the world, and changed its name to Covid-19.   It was not sexier; it was just more terrifying. New York City becomes the epicenter of this plague.   Governor Cuomo and Mayor De Blasio tally the dead.   500 dead loved ones. 600 dead loved ones. 799 dead loved ones.   And, my niece an operating nurse in the biggest hospital in Queens, where all the sick go, where ice trucks are parked outside because the morgue is full and there are no more empty rooms or corridors to place the body bags. These are scary times.   BUT, our Medical Personnel are Super Heroes . T...

The Latina Book Club's March Madness begins.  No, not basketball.  Our madness is a dark and thrilling book that will keep people on the edge of their seats.  Happy Reading!   Independently Published He was not the demon everyone portrayed him to be, but rather he was a savior –a messiah—saving souls, and forgiving those who had failed to protect those they were supposed to protect. ---The Cowboy Dramatic. Scary. Thrilling.   Author Manny Meléndez has written a dark crime thriller that attracts and repels readers in equal measure, but keeps them reading. Clichés abound, but the author uses them wisely to quickly identify villain and hero alike. Readers are in for a roller coaster of emotions in this gripping page-turner, with twists and turns that will have readers on the edge of their seats until the surprising end. Meléndez doesn’t shy away from writing dark menacing characters.   Must be his love for the dark Master E...

The Latina Book Club celebrates LATINX HERITAGE MONTH every day. To honor authors during this celebratory month, we will highlight a new book every day. Join us and #ReadLatinoLit. TAINA by  Ernesto Quiñonez Vintage Another virgin birth? In Spanish Harlem?   Could be.   TAINA is full of magical realism, revolution and redemption. And the best part, this novel is available in English and Spanish. Happy Reading. SUMMARY:   When Julio, a teenager living in Spanish Harlem, hears that Taina, a pregnant fifteen-year-old from his high school claims to be a virgin, he decides to believe her. Julio has a history of strange visions and his blind and unrequited love for Taina will unleash a whirlpool of emotions that will bring him to question his hard-working Puerto Rican mother and his communist Ecuadorian father, his beliefs and even the building blocks of modern science (after seeing the conception of Taina’s baby as a revolution in nat...

The Latina Book Club welcomes back author Edward Cisneros aka Eddie C.  He has revamped and revised his old book, HIS-PANIC, to bring us the new improved version – HISPANICUS: THE APOSTATE LIFE OF ANTONIO PINTERO.  It’s the dirty, gritty story of a 15-year old drug dealer who rules the streets of New York.  Before we share an excerpt from his book, we asked Eddie C about how New York City inspires much of his writing.--mcf Q:  How does New York City and its dark underbelly inspire you? EDDIE C:   I think for visualization purposes, you can easily move away from the neon lights of Times Square and perhaps move a little further uptown, soak in a totally different atmosphere. Maybe journey out to the Bronx, Brooklyn, certain parts of Queens. It’s not to say that New York in general is this entire rotten apple, but there are parts that can give you that grime and realness, in order to authenticate what you write about. I've always said tha...

   Every Wednesday The Latina Book Club features excerpts from exciting novels by Latino authors.                                                                                                  Happy Reading and Happy Holidays! This is the season to be jolly but we have a great “dark” excerpt for readers from our friend Carlos Colón from book 1 of his Sangre Series -- SANGRE: THE COLOR OF DYING .  No reason to be scared…if you’ve been good!   Here’s a mini interview with ...

  As we count down to Halloween and Day of the Dead this week, The Latina Book Club will bring you some “dark and intriguing” books to stay up late with,    including this debut novel by Elyse Reyes .    Happy Reading.  And always, Read Latino!   Hey Jude Don’t make it bad Take a sad song and make it better …. And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain Don't carry the world upon your shoulders               “Hey Jude” by The Beatles This is an exciting and dramatic debut from new author Elyse Reyes.  Her young adult novel – ORDER OF VESPERS – is a coming of age novel about a teen with extraordinary powers who was unable to save her family from destruction. Now she must learn to harness her powers in order to save her world. Who is Jasper really? What is she? Why is she stuck going in circles in an inferno of her own? And why is the myster...

   Congratulations to Carmen Rita on her debut novel. The Latina Book Club is happy to name NEVER TOO REAL our Book of the Month.   “Everyone bore witness to…the supreme power of love. Family love and the love of friends. It was all so real.” Kensington Books THEY ARE EVERY WOMAN! Finally!  A book where today’s professional, savvy Latinas are represented.   Latinas will be able to recognize themselves in these four protagonists -- educated, professional, hard-working women, who are proud of their heritage and sexual orientation.  Readers will find the book funny and heart-wrenching, and at the end wish they too could be part of this tremendous sisterhood. NEVER TOO REAL is a “savvy and wise” novel by debut author Carmen Rita.  It’s awe-inspiring and very real.  It’s about fierce friendships that stay with you through lost careers, broken marriages, financial troubles and identity-crises.  It’s about the famil...