Novels to read during Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15th-October 15th, honors the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans with ancestry in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. To help you celebrate through reading, our librarians put together a list of fiction by Latinx authors published between 2016-2018; see the full list and place holds in our catalog.

The Living Infinite by Chantel Acevedo
A real 19th-century Bourbon infanta is the inspiration for this novel about a princess who writes a rebellious feminist memoir. Fresh, fast-moving historical fiction from a master storyteller.

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara
A cast of gay and transgender kids navigate the Harlem ball scene of the 1980s and 1990s. Inspired by the House of Xtravaganza made famous in the documentary, Paris Is Burning.

The Regional Office Is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales
When a prophecy suggests that an insider might bring down a powerful underground organization, devoted recruit Sarah and young assassin Rose find their respective lives clashing in a dispute that threatens everything they know.

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Eight stories showcase Machado’s fluency in the bizarre, magical, and sharply frightening depths of the imagination. Each of these stories has a strange and surprising idea that communicates, in a shockingly visceral way, the experience of living inside a woman’s body.

Lost Empress by Sergio de la Pava
A madcap, football-obsessed tale of crossed destinies and criminal plots gone awry.

The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles
Two girls from a sugar plantation in early 20th-century Brazil pursue pop stardom. Samba music and its allure beats beneath this winding and sinuous tale of ambition, memory, and identity.

What Happens In Summer by Caridad Piñeiro
Years after a failed summer fling, Jonathan and Connie are thrown together again. Their attraction is alive and well, but their fundamental differences are still getting in the way. Aren’t they?

The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea
Across one bittersweet weekend in their San Diego neighborhood, revelers mingle and celebrate the lives of family patriarch Miguel “Big Angel” De La Cruz and his mother, recounting the many tales that have passed into family lore.

~ posted by Andrea G.

New Fiction Roundup – September 2018

9/4: The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory – When her boyfriend surprises her with a Jumbotron proposal at a baseball game, Nik says no, and is saved when a stranger steps in to whisk her away. That stranger is Carlos, and could there be a spark between the two?

9/4: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker – Set in the midst of literature’s most famous war, Barker imagines the events of The Iliad as experienced by the captured women living in a Greek camp in the final weeks of the Trojan War.

9/11: She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore – In a novel shot through with magical realism, Moore reimagines the dramatic story of Liberia’s early years through three characters who share an uncommon bond. A Peak Pick!

9/18: 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day in this literary puzzle. Evelyn Hardcastle dies at a party Aiden Bishop is attending. Waking up the next morning, Aiden finds it is once again the morning of the party, only he is in the body of a different guest. He’ll inhabit 8 people on that day, until he can solve the crime.

Romance throughout American history

Happy 241^st birthday, America! You don’t look a day over 240 years old. In honor of Independence Day, here are a few romances from some eras of American history that aren’t as beloved in the romance world as the Wild West or the Civil War, in chronological order.

Hamilton’s Battalion by Courtney Milan,
Rose Lerner, and Alyssa Cole
This collection of historical romance novellas are all connected by one man: Alexander Hamilton. In Milan’s “The Pursuit Of,” a Black American soldier goes on a 500 mile walk and is joined by a motor-mouthed Redcoat, who knows that his companion’s silence can mean more than one thing. Rose Lerner’s “Promised Land” is the story of Rachel, a Jewish woman who disguises herself as a man to fight for America, only to come face to face with the man who broke her heart. And in Alyssa Cole’s “That Would Be Enough,” Mercy is Eliza Hamilton’s servant, helping Eliza’s quest to preserve her husband’s legacy. But when a bold dressmaker comes into the Hamilton household, Mercy must decide what’s more important: being safely alone or taking a chance on love.

Romance by authors of color

Over the past week, there’s been a spirited discussion on Romance Twitter (yes, it’s a thing) about the way the industry and publishers treat authors of color as well as readers of color. Authors told stories about being shunted to “ethnic” imprints, seeing books by white authors featuring characters of color with racist tropes in them, and, in one thoughtless thread, someone asked if people of color even wanted to read or write romance.

If you’re wondering how to find an author of color writing good romance, here are some great recent choices available at the Seattle Public Library:

Time to Wine Down

One of my favorite activities for wine o’clock is to curl up with a book.

Maybe a Full Bodied Murder mystery or A Case of Syrah, Syrah by chance.

For more of a darker blend you could try a Deadly Tasting.

If you prefer a lighter read, like me, you could try Blush for Me or a story that was Once Upon a Wine.

But as with all good wines its good to Let It Breathe.

~posted by Kara P.