It’s cold outside in most of the country and it’s the perfect time of year to cozy up with a good book. Here are five recent works of fiction by Latin American or Latino authors to keep you company by the fireside.
1. We the Animals by Justin Torres
A Puerto Rican father, a white mother, and three boys growing up together in Brooklyn form the foundation of this dark coming-of-age novel told from the perspective of a 7-year-old boy. We The Animals, a disturbing portrait of a dysfunctional and abusive family, has received mixed reviews for various reasons, including a sudden and controversial ending. This one is not for the faint of heart.
2. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz
Award-winning author Junot Díaz took his time writing This is How You Lose Her. More than a decade in the making, this book of intertwining stories follows Díaz’s alternate personality, Yunior, a young Dominican-American man as he navigates love and relationships with the kind of raw honesty and prose that Díaz is known for.
Read Related: 3 Simple Steps to Start Your Own Book Club
3. Spilt Milk by Chico Buarque
Eulalio Assumpcao has lived a long life. From his bed at a public hospital in Brazil, he tells stories from his vast catalog of experiences to the nurses and his daughter who comes to visit, never forgetting the love of his life who disappeared too soon.
4. Queen of America: A Novel by Luis Alberto Urrea
If you read The Hummingbird’s Daughter, then it’s time to pick up this sequel. This story picks up where the other left off and we find Teresita with her father in Arizona. When Teresita is once again claimed as the spiritual leader of the Mexican Revolution, she must go on the run through turn-of-the-century America to survive.
5. Amor by Isabel Allende (Release Date: 1/29/13, Spanish)
This selection is for those of you who prefer to read in Spanish and love Isabel Allende. Allende’s aptly named Amor is a compilation of love scenes selected from her books—perfect to get in the mood for Valentine’s Day.
SPRING READING
After you’ve made it through your winter reading, a new season will be on its way, along with these five titles to spring into:
• The Five Acts of Diego Leon: A Novel by Alex Espinoza (Release Date: 3/19/13)
• A Wedding in Haiti by Julia Alvarez (Release Date: 3/19/13)
• The Death of Fidel Perez by Elizabeth Huergo (Release Date: 4/2/13)
• The Old Man’s Love Story (Chicana and Chicano Visions of the Americas series) by Rudolfo Anaya (Release Date: 4/19/13)
• Maya’s Notebook: A Novel by Isabel Allende (Release Date: 4/23/13)
Happy reading!
