THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

  Many thanks to the MCCBD creators  Mia and Valarie for including  The Latina Book Club i n their lineup.    We strongly believe in diversity in schools, on TV and  at the Oscars.—mcf Publisher: Making Spirits Bright...one book at a time I love chocolate milk.  In fact, every Wednesday it is my ritual to visit my local Farmer’s Market and buy a pint of chocolate milk from the Ronnybrook Farm.  It is so rich and creamy. It’s like drinking a chocolate bar.  I also love making hot chocolate by melting pieces of a Cortés Sweet Chocolate Bar in Carnation evaporated milk.  Yum. Hence, I was very pleased to receive a copy of CHOCOLATE MILK, POR FAVOR! by Maria Dismondy to review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day, January 27.  It is a beautiful and touching story of inclusion, diversity and empathy.   As Maria Dismondy puts it: “It is about how actions speak louder than words!”   Children of all ag...

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...

The Latina Book Club wishes everyone a Happy New Year and a Happy Three Kings Day! January 6, 2016, was the 39 th annual Three Kings Day Parade sponsored by El Museo del Barrio .  This is my fourth year attending and each year the parade is spectacular, as was the company.  Members of Las Comadres Para Las Americas , of which I am one, gather to attend the parade and then finish with a fabulous lunch at La Fonda restaurant. Julia, Tess, Dora, Maria, Ingrid, Carmen, Clara, Gladys, Nikki & Julie Wednesday was a magical day full of shiny crowns, music, dancing, colorful puppets and live camels! The day was sunny and bright so it was easy to see the smiles and joy on the faces of the kids and adults lined up on 106 Street and Third Avenue; all eager to catch a glimpse of the Baby Jesus, his parents Mary and Joseph and the Three Kings. Aside from the parade, El Museo del Barrio also honored Latinos who have made a contribution to the community....

G.P. Putnam's Sons I underestimated the dog. He wasn’t just a dog. He was negative energy, a competitor for my husband’s attention, a nuisance, a bad roommate, a total traitor. —Mia STEPDOG is a comedy of errors about woman versus dog.  The funniest part is that this story is true. Mireya “Mia” Navarro has written a wonderfully funny, sentimental story about her and her rival.  She is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist with The New York Times .   She’s traveled the world and covered many difficult topics from immigration to 9/11.   She has won numerous accolades and taught university.   Nothing gets under Mia’s skin.   Well, nothing but the dog. It’s a hate-hate relationship from the start.  Mia finds the man of her dreams, with the dog of her nightmares.  She knows that marrying a man from a different culture will be a challenge—she's Catholic; he's Jewish; plus, he has kids which will also be difficult. Stepmom so...

    The Latina Book Club is proud to release its 3 rd Annual Books of the Year list. All the books are written by Latino authors or about Latino characters.  The List contains something for everyone – fiction,  non-fiction, poetry, short stories, young adult, memoirs, mysteries, thrillers, children’s books, etc. We encourage all our readers to Help Support An Author by buying their books and telling all your friends.  We also wish everyone  H appy Reading and Happy Holidays. --Maria Ferrer 2015 BOOKS OF THE YEAR A Estudiar, Carajo by Ana María González (Amazon Digital - Spanish) A Falling Star by Chantel Acevedo (Carolina Wren Press) A Miracle from God in the Hands of a Mother by Catalina Prieto (CBH Books) Adultery by Paulo Coelho (Vintage) Alburquerque by Rudolfo Anaya (Open Road Media) As My Mother Would Say/ Como Decia Mi Mama by Judith Valles (iUniverse) Barrio Imbroglio: An Abraxas He...

It's Halloween Week and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The Latina Book Club is proud to bring you books that will scare you and make your heart race.   So Be Brave and Happy Reading. Arte Publico Press I love graffiti art, especially large, colorful murals that depict fun communal scenes.  I found a lot of these in Harlem, and so many more during my recent trip to San Juan.  SOFI AND THE MAGIC, MUSICAL brings these murals to mind and to life.  The book is full of vibrant pictures and enchanting narrative, and I love that it is bilingual.  Readers will be delighted and amazed.  I am, and I am thinking of buying extra hard copies for my nieces and nephews in New York and on the island. SUMMARY:  When Sofi walks through her   barrio  to the local store, she always passes a huge mural with images from Puerto Rico: musicians, dancers, tropical flowers and her least favorite a vejigante, a character from...

It's Halloween Week and Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). The Latina Book Club is proud to bring you books that will scare you and make your heart race.   So Be Brave and Happy Reading.    Harry N. Abrams Publishing This children’s book is playful, artistic and fascinating.  I never knew the history of the calaveras and why they are identified so much with Mexico.  This book was fun and arresting. Readers of all ages will love it. SUMMARY:  FUNNY BONES tells the story of how the amusing calaveras—skeletons performing various every day or festive activities—came to be. They are the creation of Mexican artist José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada (1852–1913). In a country that was not known for freedom of speech, he first drew political cartoons, much to the amusement of the local population but not the politicians. He continued to draw cartoons throughout much of his life, but he is best known today for his calavera drawings. They h...