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...

BOOK OF THE MONTH "I had good intentions. But all I did was bring misery to our people. My days as a king are over. -- King Robin   Seductive. Erotic. Thrilling.  Robin Hood meets Game of Thrones  SUMMARY: In this bold retelling of the Robin Hood legend, the beloved rogue of Sherwood Forest triumphs over the ruthless Prince John and takes the throne – only to become a tyrant himself. In a saga spanning a half-century, this action packed and erotic Medieval thriller vividly explores the seductive undertow of power as it transforms a hero into a despot. Maid Marian, Friar Tuck, Little John, King Richard and the legend’s other characters are complex figures alive with raw passions, dark impulses and ribald humor.  We stayed up all night reading KING ROBIN, and we loved it. It’s a very different telling of the legend & very realistic. We kept picturing Kevin Costner in the role. KING ROBIN is the story after the Happy Ever After. It’s not very pretty, but harsh and d...

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...

  The Latina Book Club is honored to participate once again in  Multicultural Children's Book Day .  The book was a gift, but the review is our own.  ACCORDIONLY: Abuelo and Opa Make Music by Michael Genhart, PhD Illustrated by Priscilla Burris Magination Press “Watching Abuelo and Opa made my heart sing with happiness. With all my family together, in harmony.” Genhart has written a heart-warming tale about family, about straddling two cultures, and about bridging the gap. This story was inspired by his childhood, family gatherings and his father playing the accordion. The illustrations by Burris are colorful and lively. Her father also played the accordion so this story brought back loving memories. SUMMARY: Young Michael is worried over the silence between his grandfathers – one who is Mexican and the other is Swedish. Neither grandfather spoke the other’s language so family gatherings were very quiet, until Michael had an idea. He asked both grandfathers to bring...

The Latina Book Club is honored to participate once again in  Multicultural Children’s Book Day January 29, 2021.  The book was a gift, but the review is our own.  We welcome author Vanessa Varela. ATTRIBUTES OF A HISPANIC GIRL: I CAN  Written and illustrated by Vanessa Varela, M.Ed., M.A. FLL.  (Bilingual Book)  The stick-figure drawings are powerful in their simplicity and femininity. The book is short, sweet, pink!, and to the point. The author has taken all the negative remarks about girls and Latinos, and turned them into positive attributes, like speaking two languages allows girls to bridge two cultures. And she does it all in English and Spanish.  All we can say is: Brava! INTERVIEW The Latina Book Club: This book started as an academic paper based on Gloria Anzaldua’s book BORDERLANDS & Jaques Lacan’s MIRROR STAGE. Share with us what you saw in their work that inspired you. Vanessa Varela: Literature is the window that has let me unders...

Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace.—Amelia Earhart FLYING FREE is Inspiring. Empowering. Rewarding. Cecilia Rodriguez Aragon is the daughter of a Chilean father and a Filipina mother. She grew up a shy, timid child often bullied by her white classmates. The teachers ignored her intelligence and tried to steer her away from science. “Girls can’t do science.” Cecilia showed them. Cecilia may have been painfully shy but she stuck to her guns and earned her PhD in computer science. She worked with astronomers to solve some of the greatest mysteries of the universe; worked with Nobel Prize winners; taught astronauts to fly; worked with NASA designing software for Mars missions; and created musical simulations of the universe with rock stars. Today, she’s semi-retired from flying but holds her dream job – Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington. It only took her six years to overcome her shyness. FLYING FREE recalls those years. It all ...

  We may have come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. --        Martin Luther King, Jr.  

    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, ...

The Latina Book Club wishes everyone a Happy & Healthy New Year.  We wanted to start 2021 with a powerful and inspirational book,  and are well pleased with our find.  I AM THESE TRUTHS by Sunny Hostin is a timely, poignant and moving memoir. From New York, to Washington, and back again, our heroine has overcome poverty, racism and sexism through hard work, education and tremendous perseverance. Sunny’s story is a triumph and an inspiration to women everywhere. I AM THESE TRUTHS A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and  Living Between Worlds by Sunny Hostin HarperOne What are you? A simple and difficult question for a Latina woman straddling two cultures. Sunny Hostin has lived between two worlds and has learned to “bridge them together to fight for what’s right.” Asunción Cummings Hostin aka Sunny Hostin grew up half Puerto Rican and half African-American raised by teenage parents in the South Bronx. Escaping poverty and the turbulence of her early life thro...

The Latina Book Club welcomes Thelma T. Reyna , editor, of the newly published WHEN THE VIRUS CAME CALLING.  It's a heart-wrenching anthology that records the events Americans - and the world! - have been living and struggling with these past seven months.  Some of the stories are hard to read, but all expose the havoc this disease has wrought and, most importantly, the resilience of people who refuse to be defeated.  WHEN THE VIRUS CAME CALLING:  COVID-19 STRIKES AMERICA Thelma T. Reyna, Editor   A ground-breaking anthology of 46 distinguished American contemporary poets and prose writers, written in real time in the first half of the historic, devastating coronavirus COVID-19 invasion of America in 2020. In heart-wrenching, wide-eyed observations, firsthand events, tragedies, and reflections, these top authors document for us the horrors, grief, and heroism of friends, family, neighbors as we watched the disease unfold. Here are moments of hope and togethe...