Celebrating literature for, by, and about Latinas
 

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to highlight and celebrate the books and voices of latina writers and readers.

 
 
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NYCBOOKOWL

I’m back! I spent a super needed vacation in Austin 🌟where I ate all the barbecue and visited some really amazing indies. I’ll share a little more in my IG stories and highlights soon but I think I might have found one of my new favorite indies. Guys, @bookpeople is worth allll the hype and if you’re ever in Austin I definitely recommend dropping by! The space is GORGEOUS, their curation is on point, they have coffee 😩☕️ and they have the most awesome staff blurbs I have ever read. Austin your bookstores are lit! 🙌🏽 . . . #Book #books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #bookporn #booklover #vscobooks #booknerd #bookish #booklove #bookpeople #booknerdigans #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #bookaddict #austin #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #bookgasm #bookstagramer
Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend! ☀️ • Even though I spend about a sixth of my weekday commuting home I’ve never been much of a audio book person, perfecting to read physical books or listen to podcasts instead🎧BUT I recently downloaded the Libby app which allows you to check out audiobooks from your library and it’s been such a game changer! I recently listened to One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul narrated by the author for my work book club and I really enjoyed the experience. • I am still a audiobook beginner though because I completely forgot I had also requested a physical copy from the library 😅 and although this feels slightly blasphemous after reading some of the physical book, I think I enjoyed the experience of listening to this particular book more as Koul narrates her brand of dry humor with aplomb. • Have you tried audiobooks? If so are there any you recommend? . . . #Book #books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #bookporn #booklover #vscobooks #audiobook #bookish #booklove #instabooks #booknerdigans #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #bookaddict #bookblogger #scaachikoul #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #ownvoices #bookstagramer
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend and survived the crazy heat wave! ☀️ • This past weekend I participated in the 24 in 48 hour readathon which was a ton of fun! I didn't make it to the full 24 hours but I did make a big dent in the pile of books I wanted to read and got a lot of reading time in, including some at the beach! (before it got too hot and I returned to the AC)😅 • What did you read this weekend? . . . #Book #books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #bookporn #beachplease #vscobooks #booknerd #bookish #booklove #instabooks #booknerdigans #beach #unitedbookstagram #bookaddict #bookblogger #beachreads #booksofinstagram #summer #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #bookgasm #bookstagramer
Happy Pre-Friday everyone! I am so excited for the weekend coming up! I will be participating in the #24in48 readathon! I will be doing up dates here and on @latinasleyendo. Are you participating too? Let me know so we can cheer each other on!🙌🏽 • In reading news, this year I’ve been reading a lot more non-fiction this year and I’m loving it 🤓Reading a book that shifts your perspective on something you’ve never thought about is exhilarating. I remember the first time I realized as a student that history as we learned it in school was not so much an objective “Truth” backed by facts but rather a story with a particular frame. I was learning about the Mexican-American war in the US, a topic I had previously learned about in Mexico and I was shocked at how completely different the two stories I was told were. Both stories agreed on the facts; dates locations and events, but the way they were framed was radically different (particularly in which side was the “right” side). Something that seems obvious to me now but was a revelation to high school me. • I don’t think this realization would have come as easily or at all if I had not personally experience these two “sides” of the narrative as an immigrant. But this is something that has always stuck with me and I’ve always found it important to search out different narratives of history that differ from what I learned in school. This book is turning out to be so far another one of those perspective shifting books. It essentially de-centers a euro-centric view and tells the “history of human civilization” from an Islamic perspective ☪️It is incredibly interesting (for someone like me who grew up with a very Western-centric perspective) and also surprisingly funny. Ansary’s tone is conversational and wry which make the pages fly by. I am only about a third through but I am enjoying it immensely. • Have you read a non-fiction book that changed your perspective on something?🤔 . . #Book #books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #weneeddiversebooks #nonfiction #booklover #vscobooks #booknerd #bookish #booklove #instabooks #booknerdigans #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #bookaddict #bookblogger #bibliophile #booksofinstagram
Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope you’re having a wonderful week! 😊It’s been a little while but I wanted to share some of the book spoils from my recent trip to Albany📚 • I picked these books up from my favorite of the four stores we visited, the Dove & Hudson, a cozy and well curated used bookstores that had an incredible history, philosophy and policial science section that made me drool 🤤 • We also inadvertent stumbled into the store during their 30th anniversary sale and got to chat with the owner who was really nice and recommended other great bookstores in the Hudson River area, including one that is located in a refurbished farm! Unfortunately it was closed while we were there but I definitely plan on going back! . . . #Book #books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #bookporn #booklover #vscobooks #booknerd #bookish #booklove #bookhaul #booknerdigans #indiebookstore #unitedbookstagram #bookaddict #bookblogger #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #bookgasm #bookstagramer
Happy Monday everyone! Where did the weekend go? 😦I feel really lucky that at work there are a lot of fellow book lovers always up for a chat about what they’re reading. For the summer, one of my colleagues even organizes a book club and this time she choose: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng which follows the Lee family in the aftermath of the death of their favorite child Lydia, as well as flashbacks to events leading up to her sudden death. I just finished it this weekend and oh boy, I have all the feelings! • Time for an unpopular opinion: I couldn’t really get into Little Fires Everywhere🔥. I started reading it when it came out and it just didn’t hook me, it felt very slow and meticulous. I put it down vowing to return to it one day. What was interesting to me was that Everything I Never Told you is very similar in this regard, but for some reason this one DID work for me. I appreciated Ng weaving meditations on assimilation, racism, interracial relationships and parental and gender expectations throughout the narrative. Perhaps it is because all of these issues are particularly important to me that I enjoyed this story more, BUT I also think that the mystery fan🕵🏽‍♀️ in me was intrigued enough by the question of what happened to Lydia to keep turning pages until the end. Overall I think Ng has won me over and the think it might be time to give Little Fires Everywhere another chance. • Have you ever put a book down by an author only to find that another one of their books resonates with you? . . . . #Book #books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #weneeddiversebooks #booklover #vscobooks #everythinginevertoldyou #bookish #celesteng #instabooks #booknerdigans #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #flowers #bookblogger #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #bookgasm #bookstagramer
Happy Wednesday everyone! I’m back, slightly sunburned and tired but happy 😊 also I picked up more books than I was expecting during my trip to Albany 😅 • I think I’ve mentioned it before but one of my absolute favorite things to do when traveling is to visit locals bookstores, chat with the book sellers and browse the local history, staff recs or local author section. 🤓I think it’s a really fun way to learn about a place your are visiting and find books you might not otherwise come across. • Our first bookstore stop was this super cozy and well stocked indie called Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza they had the comfiest couches and an adorable kids section too. I had to be dragged out of this one otherwise I would have happily spent the whole afternoon browsing ☺️You can see more pics of the stores saved in my highlights! Do you have any things you like to do when traveling? . . . #Book #books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #albany #booklover #vscobooks #booknerd #bookish #booklove #instabooks #booknerdigans #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #independentbookstore #bookblogger #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #indiebookstore #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #bookgasm #bookstagramer
Happy hump day! I wish the day was as bright as these flowers but here we are 🌧 • I feel like I’ve started so many books recently but haven’t finished one in a while. I generally have 3-4 books that I have started but switch between them depending on my mood, which sometimes means it takes me forever to finally finish a book. Other times if I’m really absorbed in a book I will drop everything else and just focus on that one. Are you a book monogamist or a do you read multiple books at once? . . . #Book #books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #booksandflowers #bookporn #booklover #vscobooks #booknerd #booksandcoffee #booklove #coffee #booknerdigans #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #bookaddict #bookblogger #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #bookgasm #bookstagramer
Happy Sunday everyone! I’m kind of sad that the weekend is over but I am so glad I got a chance to enjoy a mini vacation with my family and that the weather was absolutely gorgeous! ☀️ • We went to the beach, stumbled upon a library book sale and ate all the things🙌🏽 what a great way to kick off the summer! Can’t wait to go back to this wonderful reading spot🏖 what are your summer reading plans? . . . #Book #books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #summerreading #booklover #vscobooks #booksonthebeach #bookish #booklove #instabooks #booknerdigans #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #bookaddict #bookblogger #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #bookgasm #bookstagramer
 
 

Latinas Leyendo

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! It’s been a busy last couple of weeks and I feel like my reading has stalled and I haven’t read as much as I would have liked, but the books I HAVE managed to finish have all been really wonderful 🙌🏽including: The Other Half Of Happy by Rebecca Balcárcel🌟 • The Other Half of Happy is a middle grade novel that comes out tomorrow! 🎉(9/20/2019) I was super lucky to have been provided an early review copy AND have the opportunity to interview the author for a blog tour! You can find my full review and the interview with Rebecca on the blog (link in the bio)👆🏽 • Synopsis: Quijana is a girl in pieces. One-half Guatemalan 🇬🇹, one-half American 🇺🇸: When Quijana's Guatemalan cousins move to town, her dad seems ashamed that she doesn't know more about her family's heritage. One-half crush, one-half buddy: When Quijana meets Zuri and Jayden, she knows she's found true friends. But she can't help the growing feelings she has for Jayden. One-half kid, one-half grown-up: Quijana spends her nights Skyping with her ailing grandma and trying to figure out what's going on with her increasingly hard-to-reach brother. In the course of this immersive and beautifully written novel, Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole. This lyrical debut from Rebecca Balcárcel is a heartfelt poetic portrayal of a girl growing up, fitting in, and learning what it means to belong. • When I saw the cover (so cute!😍)and the synopsis I knew I was going to enjoy the book but I was not prepared to tear up several times reading Balcárcel’s spot on story of growing up bi-culturally, it is a present to anyone who has grown up between two worlds and at some point has felt like they don’t belong. . . . #Books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #leyendo #readlatinx #vscobooks #bookish #theotherhalfofhappy #instabooks #latinx #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #latinxreads #bookblogger #weneeddiversebooks #booksofinstagram #read #ownvoices #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #latinasleyendo #bookstagramer #latina #libros #leer
🎼Having fun isn't hard, When you've got a library card! • Happy Friday everyone! We did it! 🙌🏽We made it to the weekend. I am SO ready for some R&R time (aka Reading and Relaxing). Especially because I just wrote down my TBR pile that I need to get through and review for the upcoming weeks and its a little bit fright y'all😅. But is that stopping me from getting even MORE books from my library? Absolutely not. • I love the @nypl system the wealth of books, events and resources it offers is incredible and allows me to read and explore books that I otherwise would be able to access. Today I picked up these two holds from the library. Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal (a horror/thriller) and My Corner of the Ring by Jesselyn Silva a memoir by a rising boxing star. Neither of these books are in my wheelhouse, and tbh I probably wouldn't risk using my book buying budget on them but I can read them through the library which allows me to step outside of my reading comfort zone in super easy and risk free way 🌟and who knows? I might discover a new hidden favorite along the way! . . . . #Books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #leyendo #booklover #vscobooks #bookish #libraryhaul #weneeddiversebooks #latinx #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #latinxreads #bookblogger #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #latinasleyendo #bookstagramer #latina #libros #leer
Happy almost Friday everyone! It was a short work week for me but I am already looking forward to the weekend! 🙌🏽I just received my schedule for grad school which I start in the Fall and I am both excited and nervous for this new chapter of my life. Part of me wants to totally be a Mexican Hermione Granger and part of me wants to enjoy the rest of the summer to the max and not think about classes until later🏝 • On a bookish note, these are all the books I acquired at Book Woman in Austin! 📚I am very excited to read all of these. I went book shopping with the intention of picking up books by Texan Latinas and luckily Book Woman had a great selection, it was honestly hard to narrow it down. I ended up picking up Cabañuelas by Norma Elia Cantú (which was blurbed by Sandra Cisneros!) and Brides and Sinners in El Chuco by Christine Granados which has the creepiest cover ever. Also because August is #Womenintranslation month I had to pick up Naked Woman by Armonía Somers, a feminist author from Uruguay. it was translated from the Spanish by Kit Maude and this edition is from the Feminist Press which I absolutely love🌟 • I hadn't head of any of these titles before picking them up in Austin and while I love ready buzzy books as much as anyone there is also something special about picking up a book with no context and no expectations any maybe finding an new under-the-radar favorite. Have you ever walked into a bookstore and bought a book you hadn't heard of before? . . . #Books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #leyendo #booklover #vscobooks #ownvoices #booklove #instabooks #latinx #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #latinxreads #weneeddiversebooks #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #bookhaul #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #latinasleyendo #bookstagramer #latina #libros #leer
Hi everyone, I'm back after a little but much needed vacation 😌I spent the last couple of days in Austin, TX catching up with friends, visiting bookstores and eating all the BBQ🍗Of course I brought home a LOT of chiles to stock up my kitchen🌶 because they’re soo expensive in New England 😩. I shared some of my bookstore finds on IG stories but haven't had many updates because I honestly didn't get a lot of reading done, and I'm totally ok will that too. • But now I wanted to share some of the spoils of my trip (this was me restraining myself😅) I wanted to find books written by Texan Latinas and I found these (and a work in translation) at Book Woman an indie bookstore specializing in books by & about women. The staff there was really friendly and lovely to chat with. I definitely recommend dropping by if you are in the area❤️ • I'll be catching up on posting and sharing with y'all soon! But in the meantime I'm curious. Do you visit indies when you're on vacation? . . . #Books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #leyendo #booklover #vscobooks #bookish #austin #weneeddiversebooks #latinx #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #latinxreads #texas #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #latinasleyendo #ownvoices #latina #libros #leer
I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I am currently super hyped for my upcoming (much needed) vacation this week! ☀️ in particular I am very excited to visit some really cool local indies 📚 • In the meantime I am getting myself in vacation mood by reading Don’t Date Rosa Santos which is as sunny and fun as its cover and I am absolutely loving it! It’s a small town, YA contemporary romance centered on a Cuban-American family that has been cursed by the sea. So when Rosa begins to fall for a boy with a boat she knows there’s trouble around the corner. There are complicated but loving grandmother-mother-daughter relationships, reflections on what being part of the Cuban diaspora means, and a plot to save the town marina from developers, what’s not to love? 😊 • I am excited to find out how the story ends and share my full review with you but for now it feels like the perfect summer read 🏝 Have you read Don’t Date Rosa Santos yet? . . . #Books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #leyendo #weneeddiversebooks #vscobooks #bookish #booklove #instabooks #latinx #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #latinxreads #bookblogger #ownvoices #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #dontdaterosasantos #igreads #igbooks #latinasleyendo #bookstagramer #latina #libros #leer
Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you’re having a lovely weekend! I haven’t been on social media as much this past week, partially because it turned out to be a hectic week and partially because I have become completely absorbed by this book!❤️ • Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-García is a fantasy adventure novel based on Mayan mythology and I am in love with it. The narrative feels like a fairy tale, the protagonist feels relatable and strong without being tropey and the story visits two of the places where I have lived. Basically it’s the book I’ve been wanting to read since I was a mythology obsessed, fantasy adventure loving 10-year old Mexican girl who binged all of the Greek mythology based fantasy novels and dreamed of seeing her country’s mythology in a novel too. All this to say that this book was probably my most anticipated release of the year and I am so happy to finally be reading it! Also the cover makes me ridiculously happy. How pretty is it? 😍 . . . #Books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #leyendo #weneeddiversebooks #vscobooks #bookish #booklove #instabooks #latinx #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #latinxreads #bookblogger #godsofjadeandshadow #read #silviamorenogarcia #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #latinasleyendo #bookstagramer #latina #libros #leer
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend and survived the heatwave unscathed!☀️ • Over the weekend I participated in the #24in48 readathon 📚which was a ton of fun! I didn’t make the full 24 hours but I did make a big dent in the pile of books I wanted to read and spent a lot of time reading which was super relaxing 😌 • My goal was to read Angie Cruz’s books so I wanted to share a little more about her second book: Let it Rain Coffee ☕️ • This book was particularly interesting to read right after I finished her first novel, Soledad. Let it Rain Coffee has a lot of similar elements as Soledad. It follows a Dominican family living in NYC, it deals with generational tensions and family secrets and involves an interesting magical realism twist. However they are also quite different. Let it Rain Coffee is subtler in tone that Soledad, the tension, dialogue and interactions simmer rather than snap. Angie also ands a second layer on top of multiple POVs by utilizing a non-linear narrative which keeps you on your toes as each character’s back story is slowly revealed. Lastly while Soledad is centered around Washington Heights, Let it Rain Coffee centers the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 and it’s political past in the story. I loved both books and Angie’s ability to weave incredible and complex characters, while exploring various narrative styles is a testament to her talent and evolution as a writer. • I am so happy I finally got to read her backlist. I fell in love with Angie’s incredible voice as a storyteller and she has become an auto-read author for me. I cannot wait to see how she will surprise and delight in Dominicana, her newest novel coming out in September which I didn’t get to during the readathon but which I am definitely picking up soon! . . #Books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #leyendo #booklover #vscobooks #bookish #booklove #ownvoices #latinx #angiecruz #unitedbookstagram #latinxreads #bookblogger #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #latinasleyendo #weneeddiversebooks #latina #libros #leer
Happy Saturday everyone! I hope everyone is staying safe and hydrated today, it is sooo hot! ☀️ • In reading news, we’re in the thick of the #24in48 readathon! (Basically the perfect excuse to escape this heat and read with the AC on all day😅) It’s been really fun so far! I just finished my first book, Soledad by Angie Cruz which was absolutely phenomenal. I couldn’t put it down. Her voice is simply astonishing. She weaves multiple character’s points of views both in first and third person into one beautiful, heartbreaking and magical portrait of love, secrets and family in 🇩🇴 Washington Heights in NYC. It was an exhilarating read that I definitely want to re-read again in the future as there is so much to unpack. But for now I definitely recommend it! I can’t believe it took be so long to get to and I’m so glad I finally read it. Angie has become an auto read for me with this book and I cannot wait to dive into her second book ‘Let it Rain Coffee’ next! • I also got some audio book time in, and took an ice cream break 🍦I’ll be posting more on instagram stories too! If you are participating too, what are you reading? Let me know below! . . . #Books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #bookworm #leyendo #booklover #vscobooks #bookish #soledad #instabooks #latinx #readathon #unitedbookstagram #latinxreads #bookblogger #ownvoices #booksofinstagram #read #weneeddiversebooks #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #latinasleyendo #24in48readathon #latina #libros #leer
Happy Friday everyone! We’re less than two hours away from the start of the #24in48 readathon 📚happing this Saturday and Sunday! • Check out their IG @24in48 for more info! • I’ll be posting here as well as on twitter and on Instagram stories through out the readathon! You can also follow other participants through the hashtag #24in48. • As I mentioned in a previous post I’ll be trying to read all of Angie Cruz’s backlist as well as her upcoming title Dominicana for the readathon 🙌🏽 I also added a couple of graphic novels and an audiobook to my Readathon #TBR to switch things up! • I can’t wait to get started but first I’ll catch a couple hours of sleep because I’m such a grandma 😴 . . . . #Books #bookstagram #vscocam #vsco #vscobooks #weneeddiversebooks #instabooks #latinx #bookphotography #unitedbookstagram #latinxreads #bookblogger #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #read #reading #vscobook #reader #igreads #igbooks #latinasleyendo #bookstagramer #latina #libros #leer