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Season of the Bruja Book Recs

October 22, 2019

My fascination with witches began like any girl growing up in the nineties. The nineties were ultimately the best witch-filled nostalgic time in my life. I fell in love with the carefree and mischievous Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus. After watching The Craft, I tried to conduct a séance from a kit I bought at Spencer’s gift store for a sleepover. I tried to do my own love spell that a Wiccan friend gave to me which was a huge fail when I realized that I needed to somehow attain a piece of my crushes hair. Nowadays, I would much rather read about my brujas instead of attempting one of my failed witchy schemes. Here is my TBR with a bruja vibe and I hope that these reads bring some brujita magic into your life!

Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1) by Zoraida Córdova

Alex is a bruja who despises magic. When her Deathday Celebration comes she performs a spell to get rid of her magical powers and it takes a turn for the worst. Alex’s family disappears and the only person that can help her bring her family back is a brujo named Nova who she doesn’t trust.

First off, I get a little thrill knowing that the main witch in this book shares the same name as me! For some reason, I knew of the book Bruja Born which is the second book to this series. Cordova’s books just passed me by and after reading a couple of lukewarm witchy reads at the time I never thought to pick it up. Until just a couple of weeks ago, I was sold when my favorite author Nina Moreno, stated that Cordova’s books were one of her top Latinx reads. I am looking forward to picking up this duology during the spooky season and I am ready to ride into some witchy adventures.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

The Nomeolvides women have tended the garden of La Pradera for as long as they can remember. The beauty of the La Pradera garden estate has brought visitors from all over the world but it also hides a heartbreaking secret that the Nomeolvides women have to live with. They are cursed against falling in love because whenever they do their lover disappears. Until a boy suddenly appears in the garden in front of the Nomeolvides woman Estrella and he is a mystery to the women of the family as much as he is to himself. The only thing he knows about himself is that his name is Fel. Together the Nomeolvides women unlock secrets about Fel and they learn about the magic that is inside of themselves, their family, and the mysterious beauty of La Pradera.

This magical realism read has been sitting on my shelves for a while and I am so happy that I finally get to delve into McLemore’s lush prose. I am currently entranced with the complexities of the characters and the alluring setting. Wild Beauty has own voices Latinx LGBT representation and I am deeply mesmerized in this poetic read and I want to just get lost in the mysterious world of La Pradera for a little awhile.

A Dash of Trouble (Love Sugar Magic, #1) by Anna Meriano

In Rose Hill, Texas lies an adorable little Mexican bakery owned by the Logroños family. They are getting ready for the Dia De Los Muertos festival and they are baking all the delicioso cakes and cookies to begin the festivities. Leonora wants to help her family bake all the buttery-sweet sugar skull cookies and cakes, but her family keeps her away from the kitchen claiming she is too young. When one day Leonora sneaks into the kitchen to suddenly discover that the women in her family are witches who mix up some magic to every sweet baked treat. Leo takes the opportunity to secretly whip up her own magic to prove to her family that she is a little brujita herself.

This middle-grade has three things that I am deeply passionate about. Witches, Latinx representation, and baked goods! I have a feeling that Love Sugar Magic is going to be a delightfully spooky-sweet Halloween read!

Latinx Month Reads

October 9, 2019

Featured in Frolic Media

Latinx Month (AKA Hispanic Heritage Month) is making my Cubanita heart burst with joy especially since this is the ultimate year for the Latinx book community! Now with the prevalence of Latinx authors popping up all over the place especially in the YA genre and amazing readathons like Latinx-a-thon that encourages readers to read more inclusively I literally have no shelf-control!

This year is such an exciting time to read Latinx books because it used to be that the only books that were getting published were issue books and now Latinx books are featuring Latinx characters doing some really cool things such as opening up portals to another universe, a Wiccan bringing her bff back from the dead, and baking magical Mexican treats! Here are my TBR recs that will take you through September and all the way through October 15th!

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Like Water for Chocolate catalogs the history of the De La Garza family and tells the story of Tita. Tita is gifted with the ability to cook food in a magical way where it makes others feel what she feels. When Tita meets Pedro she falls hopelessly in love with him but Mexican tradition requires her to be unmarried and to watch after her mother till she dies. Pedro’s feelings for her is very requited and he marries her sister Rosaura so that he can still be close to Tita. The pining begins in this delectable tale of love, the transformative power of food, and how love can conquer all.

Laura Esquivel’s Mexican tale is a classic in magical realism literature. My recommendations always begin with Like Water for Chocolate for anyone that wants to get into the genre of magical realism. This novel is unique and immersive in that Tita’s broken heart is translated through the mouth-watering Mexican food that she creates. The profound connection between Tita and Pedro will give you heartache and it perfectly articulates the heart-wrenching feeling of not being able to be with the one your in love with.

Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia

Dreaming in Cuban represents a story about a family that is ultimately divided by the Cuban revolution and the complicated feelings that it ensues. This character-driven novel tells the story about each character and their unique perspectives about their bittersweet island. Christina Garcia recounts Cuba in such a lyrical fashion and perfectly captures the beloved beauty of the island and its disintegration.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read that details the honest feelings about the Cuban revolution. When I read this story I felt that each character represented someone in my family and it made me appreciate the struggles that my family went through during the Cuban revolution. Christina Garcia’s story is an ultimate Cuban gem that is supremely underrated and needs more recognition. The writing is beautifully poetic and captures the beauty and ruin of Cuba.

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

Marisol has always wanted to have the opportunity to live the American dream. Although her dreams come crashing down when she falls for a girl named Liliana. Marisol is forced to leave her home in El Salvador after her brother is murdered and her sister’s Gabi’s life is threatened. When they are caught crossing the border, Marisol is presented the opportunity to stay in the United States when she is asked to become a grief keeper. In this experimental study, Marisol is taking away the grief of someone suffering to be transferred over to her. Essentially the main subjects of the study are white teen girls from wealthy families and Marisol is assigned to take away their grief.

This is the group book for this year’s Latinx-a-thon and although this book is still on my TBR, I can already see that this will be a stunning read. Villansate’s book explores many heavy and controversial subjects about immigration, the society we live in today, and I have a feeling this book is going to completely shatter me.

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Sal Vidon is a gifted magician who is capable of getting a raw chicken into his bullies locker and even bringing back his mom from the dead! Being the new kid in Miami, he meets the ambitious Gabi Real who has Sal all figured out and soon Sal brings Gaby into his universe of magic. Until they realize that they could potentially put their universe in danger they go on an adventure to save the universe and it is filled with ropa vieja, atomic wedgies, and many laughs along the way.

Sal & Gabi is like a rollercoaster that I don’t want to get off of. The characters are very dynamic, relatable, and it almost feels like they are going to grab you from the page and take you through their crazy teleportals! This is the kind of novel that you can gobble up in one sitting and not even realize it!

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

Mila Flores is a kickass teenage Wiccan who lives life on her terms and doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her as long as she has her BFF Riley by her side. Until Riley is involved in a suicide pact with two other resident mean girls. Mila is on a mission to find out how her best friend Riley died and she refuses to listen to anyone’s explanation. Mila puts her Wiccan skills to use and brings her best friend Riley and the other girls back to life. Together they have to unearth the truth about their death and uncover their murderer before the spell wears off in seven days.

I was completely sold by Lily Anderson’s book when I heard that it is a clever mix of Mean Girls, Hocus Pocus, and The Craft! This is everything I want in a novel and it is the ultimate read to gear up for Halloween!

Back to School Diverse Reads

October 1, 2019

Back to school season is ultimately upon us whether we are ready for it or not! Even though this teacher could have used another month off I still can’t help but get excited for the fresh beginnings of a brand new school year! There is also nothing better than delving into some good back to school diverse reads to really get me into the school mode.

Here are five essential back to school reads with diverse characters and own voices authors to add to your back to school supply list!

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Emoni Santiago plays by the rules but the one place where she breaks them is when she is in the kitchen. She creates the kind of food that has magical and healing properties that revives everyone around her. Emoni has been dealing with some tough choices throughout her life when she got pregnant as a freshman and has to take care of her Abuela. When her high school offers an elective to study abroad in Spain for a culinary arts program she knows it’s an opportunity she can’t pass up. Despite the lack of money and time, Emoni knows that her passion for food is one that she simply cannot ignore.

This is an inspiring back to school read for those that have a dream that seems impossible. Not to mention, reading about the food will definitely give you a hankering for some good back to school snacks.

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Tanner Scott’s family moved from California to Utah which is known to be a devout Mormon community. Unfortunately, this has pushed him back into the closet. The bisexual teen expects to coast his way into his last semester of high school when he ultimately falls for the Mormon prodigy Sebastian who mentors the class he is enrolled in. Now Tanner must figure out whether he wants to coast through his senior year or risk outing himself to have a chance with his new crush.

Autoboyography seems to be an adorable rom-com back to school read that I definitely want to delve into. This is the first young adult romance by Christina Lauren and I know they will deliver the kind of fluffy romance that will leave us smiling from ear to ear. I have a feeling this is the kind of book that will make us nostalgic for first love and those obligatory butterflies.

Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes

Analee Echeverria is the kind of girl who is trying to figure out who she is after losing her mother to cancer three years ago. She plays two different identities. In school, she is a shy and awkward teenager. At home, she is the online avatar elf hunter of her favorite online game named Kiri who takes no prisoners. She would much prefer to get lost in her online world and avoid the world of high school until she gets an offer from the most popular jock in school. This offer makes Analee realize that she has an inner fierceness that is slowly waiting to come out.

Analee in Real Life was the first YA book I read with the main character who is Cuban and it made my heart so happy as a Cuban American woman. This fake dating trope has the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before feels only with a clever twist. The thing I loved about Analee, in Real Life is that it illustrates the reality of what high school is really like without sugarcoating it. Milanes perfectly depicts the journey that Analee goes through in high school and slowly finds the Kiri that is inside her all along.

The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed

The Nowhere Girls brings together three different girls from vastly different backgrounds to vindicate the rape of a classmate. Grace Salter is the new girl whose family had to escape their community due to their mother turning from a Baptist preacher to a radical liberal. Rosina Suarez is a queer girl from a Mexican family with a pension for punk music. Erin Delillo lives for marine biology and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Together these girls create the secret group The Nowhere Girls and they combat the sexist attitudes running throughout their school and bring justice to the rape of their classmate.

Amy Reed’s book is giving me the Foxfire girl power vibes from the nineties and this is the exact kind of book we need in our #MeToo culture. The Nowhere Girls is the perfect book that tackles serious issues that high school students face in their day to day realities.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Vivian Carter is tired of the sexist culture that pervades through the school and she begins to take action when she hears four little words. “Make me a sandwich.” Vivian is officially fed up and she decides to create a feminist zine and names it Moxie. Vivian’s mom used to be in the riot girl crowd and this influenced her to create the Riot Girl movement in her school. Vivian brings together all kinds of girls from all different backgrounds to come together to take a stand against the prevalent sexism in their school. She meets girls like Lucy Hernandez who is the quintessential Moxie girl and she encourages Vivian to push the boundaries of Moxie. Vivian gets all the girls together to spark the Moxie movement and they learn to find their own inner Moxie girl!

This book will teach women and girls everywhere to do what makes them happy and let go of the stereotypes and unrealistic expectations that are put upon them. Moxie is the kind of book that should be required reading in schools because it truly explores the different facets of feminism and how we view it in our society today. Not to mention, it will also inspire us to let our badass riot grrrl self out and live our best Moxie lives!

Pride Month Reads

September 30, 2019

Featured on Frolic Media

This year is especially special for the LGBTQ community due to the 50^th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and in the times we are living in today it is especially important to recognize our Queer Community and celebrate love in all kind of forms. Here are my top three queer reads!

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

Hannah is one of the strongest witches of her coven and she is an Elemental Witch who has the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. She lives in the ultimate witchy town of Salem, Massachusetts and she keeps her powers to herself while working in the touristy Fly by Night Cauldron shop. Her ex-girlfriend Veronica works in the shop and she does her best to avoid her until she is forced to work with her. There is an end-of-school-year bonfire that gets interrupted by a disturbing blood ritual. Veronica is also an Elemental Witch and Hannah has to join forces with Veronica to fight off the Blood Witch. Through their quest to fight the Blood Witch Hannah falls for a girl named Morgan and suddenly juggling supernatural forces with dating begins to get a bit complicated.

My witchy heart cannot possibly contain my excitement for this book! I am obsessed with all things witchy and this is the perfect book to add to my summer list. These Witches Don’t Burn seems like the perfect Sapphic romance to curl up to and get those spooky summery vibes!

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student for the Medio School for Girls and she is trained for one of two roles. The first role is the Primera where the woman runs the household and business affairs for the husband and the second role is the Segunda where the woman raises the children and provides entertainment for the husband. Danielle graduates at the top of the class and becomes the Primera for an affluent family. Her future is bright but she is hiding a dark secret that could ruin everything her parent’s sacrificed for in order to get her into the Medio School in the first place. The town of Medio is poverty-stricken and she must keep her truth hidden in order to avoid a life of famine. When she enters into the marriage of a Primera she realizes it’s not the life she wants to live and finds herself developing feelings for the other wife the Segunda, named Carmen. Danielle also gets involved with a resistance group called La Voz who is fighting for the equal rights of the people who live in Medio. Danielle must make the choice of whether she will choose her privileged existence as a Primera or forbidden love and the possibility to fight for a free Medio.

We Set the Dark on Fire has been compared to A Handmaids Tale and it is the perfect dystopian book we need today because it has diverse characters and speaks to relevant issues in our society. Mejia’s book has Latinx rep, feminist themes, and a forbidden Sapphic romance that makes it a must-read for Pride Month!

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz has no time or energy for love. He is perfectly content being a part of the White House Trio which is made up of his sister, the Veep’s granddaughter, and he has greater political ambitions of his own. Alex especially has no time to deal with the Prince Henry of Wales who has been his ultimate nemesis through the years. Until he finds himself in the most scandalous confrontation during a royal wedding with the Prince Henry of Wales and it gets leaked to the tabloids. Now Alex’s mother President Ellen Claremont makes plans for damage control by staging a fake friendship between her First Son and the Prince Henry of Wales. Their fake friendship turns into something more and they begin to carry out a secret relationship with one another. Alex and Henry’s relationship could ruin Alex’s mother’s campaign and upend American/British relations. As they navigate their secret relationship they are forced to ask themselves if their relationship is worth losing everything over.

I started to read Red, White, & Royal Blue back in May and this book took me completely by surprise! This sharp and witty read has made me laugh out loud in various parts and made me fall in love with the characters in this story. Casey McQuiston’s writing has created characters that just jump off the page and she has an incredible gift of crafting the steamiest and sexiest scenes that I have ever read in a romance book in a long time. This book is more than a rom-com read, it is about two people questioning their whole entire lives and deciding whether true love is worth risking it all.

My Nineties Tween Girl Reading List

September 7, 2019

Featured on Frolic Media

Now with the announcement of The Baby-Sitters Club reboot and just recently finding out that my girl Alicia Silverstone will be playing Kristy Thomas’ mom I couldn’t help thinking about the time that I first cracked open Kristy’s Great Idea from the Baby-Sitters Club series. It was the first time I moved away from Romona and the Fudge series and I was in that in-between time where I was starting to peruse through the magazine racks of Bop Magazine and Teen Beat. Being a tween girl in the nineties were the happiest times of my life because I was able to dream and fantasize in my sunflower bedspread about being part of an exclusive club, getting stuck in a haunted house, and working for the gossip column of the school newspaper while dealing with a rambunctious twin sister. Here are my vintage girl reads that changed my reading life forever.

The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin

For those of you that didn’t get to revel in the pure girlish joy that is the Baby-Sitters Club, it’s basically about a tomboy named Kristy Thomas who comes up with the “great idea” of starting a Baby-Sitters Club. Hence the title of the first book was born which is Kristy’s Great Idea! She gets together a group of girls with all their own lovable personalities to start a club where they take care of kids around their neighborhood of Stoneybrook, Connecticut!

The club begins with four original members in the beginning of the series but then grows and changes throughout the series. Even though the members changed the most memorable members for me will always be Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, Dawn, Jessi, and Mallory. The Baby-Sitters Club is the first book series I ever read, and they are the books that made me the little bookworm that I am today. My favorite member was always Dawn. Dawn is one of the reasons I have an unreal obsession with California and ghost stories but inside I am really a Mary Ann. These books influenced me to torment my parents about having my own Baby-Sitters Club. Most importantly the Baby-Sitters Club has influenced me as a tween to realize that girls can accomplish anything and through success, girls can form the best friendships of their entire lives.

Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal

Sweet Valley High was one of those binge-worthy books to read back in the day before there was Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Hills! Sweet Valley High consisted of two sisters who are twins and they both share the same blonde hair and signature eyes as blue as the “Pacific Ocean.” They live in the fictional town of Sweet Valley, California and go to the drama-filled high school of Sweet Valley High. The two twin sisters Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield look exactly alike but their personalities are like night and day. Elizabeth is the quintessential do-gooder who writes for the gossip column Eyes and Ears for the Sweet Valley High newspaper, loves to eat cookie dough with her best friend Enid, and has a dependable boyfriend named Todd. Jessica loves trouble, boys, and shopping. Jessica is the girl that always gets what she wants even if it means leading poor guys on like Winston, she is the cheerleader for Sweet Valley High, and never misses a good party.

Sweet Valley High are for the nineties girls pushing thirteen who are beginning to experiment with makeup in their brightly colored caboodles and wearing Dr. Pepper lip smackers. These are for the girls who sang to their Teen Beat posters of Jonathan Brandis (RIP) and dreamed of living the lives of the Wakefield sisters. Since The Baby-Sitters Club is doing a Netflix reboot, I am hoping there are talks of a Sweet Valley High reboot so they can make my nineties girl heart happy!

Goosebumps by R.L. Stine

If you were a tween girl in the nineties you were probably obsessed with ghost stories and contacted Elvis Presley on your Ouija board (At least I did.) hoping he would sign your autograph. The Goosebumps series was a form of addiction for me and I couldn’t get enough of the scary stories like haunted houses, interactive choose your own adventure books, a terrifying dummy named Slappy, and being trapped in a medieval haunted tower in the middle of London. Goosebumps were the books to talk about with your best friends over a sleepover and they were the perfect stories to get you delightfully spooked over in the middle of the night.

Goosebumps is the reason why Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year and it’s the inspiration behind my first book that I wrote at twelve years old about my math teacher being a ghost!