My Goodreads Bookshelf!

This Is How You Lose Her
And the Mountains Echoed
Backseat Saints
The Valley of Amazement
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them
How I Write: The Secret Lives of Authors
The Secret Miracle: The Novelist's Handbook
The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life
Julie of the Wolves
Signs & Wonders
From Clueless to Class Act: Manners for the Modern Woman
Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir
Teacher Man
The Bridges of Madison County
Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda
Shadow Tag
Paul Strand: Masters of Photography Series
Fat Chance
Giving up America
The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action


readinginspanglish's favorite books »

Reading in Spanglish

23
Sep 2011

Weekend Roundup

posted in: Weekend Roundup

Happy Quinces, Latina! :: by Latina.com – I’m a long-time subscriber to Latina magazine. To celebrate their quinceañera, you don’t have to sit through an agonizingly long choreographed dance – instead, go check out the webpage they’ve created to honor 15 years!

Hispanic Heritage Month 2011 Recommended Reading List :: by the Florida Department of Education – A comprehensive list of Latino literature organized by age groups.

DC Comics creating Latino heroes in new comics :: via tampabay.com – Latin@ fanboys, rejoice! A superhero that resembles you is coming to DC comics! My question is, will they just “look” Latino or will they also be culturally Latino?

PBS Programs celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month :: via pbs – I love PBS! Unfortunately, my local station doesn’t air too many programs featuring Latinos – I’m assuming there’s just not as much of an audience in Alabama?  Check and see if any programs are playing on your location stations!

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23
Sep 2011

Website: Mamiverse

posted in: Websites

Looking for a website that focuses on motherhood, fashion, finance, and more – from a Latina perspective? Look no further than Mamiverse!

 

I just found this gem of a website, and I have to say, wow! I love reading Latina magazine because they cover a wide array of topics related to Latinas – and I also read several other fashion and parenting magazines and websites for news, views, and most importantly, style tips. With Mamiverse, I get all of the topics that interest me – from a Latina perspective – in one place.

 

Mamiverse is divided into four main topics: health, money, school and style. The website already features hot writer Alisa Valdes (author of The Dirty Girls Social Club) and big names like Carmen Wong Ulrich, whom I recognize for her financial advice on The Today Show. You can get a dash of celebrity, with features about Daisy Fuentes of Jennifer Lopez, but also a series titled Daughters We Love, featuring innovative women. Other articles range from technology to bilingual issues and everything in between.

 

The website’s design is bright and attractive yet simple to navigate. Readers can sign up for a recipe newsletter, or join clubMami to network with other readers. Advertising is unobtrusive and relatable (i.e., no ads promising a way to earn $50,000 a day working from home!).

 

The founder of Mamiverse is Rene Alegria, founder of Rayo, a HarperCollins imprint that specializes in publishing for the Hispanic market. You can see a list of the imprint’s children’s books here.

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21
Sep 2011

Book Review: Dancing with Butterflies

posted in: Authors, books

Ballet Folklorico de Mexico

Back when my mom was a kid, learning ballet folklórico was practically mandatory. Unfortunately, it was something I didn’t learn, but have always admired. As a special outing near my birthday last year, my husband took me to see the Ballet Folklórico de México at a performance they did with our local Community Ballet Association. We – and other brave audience members – drove through a severe ice storm to see the show, and it was worth it. The show was breathtaking, and included wonderful mariachis and grand costumes, all of which I didn’t expect.

 

Reyna Grande brings readers into the world of a folklórico dance troupe, weaving the stories of four women, Yesenia, Elena, Adriana, and Soledad. Yesenia, the founder of dance group Alegría, faces demons of middle age and a long marriage. Elena, a teacher, finds her life turned upside down after the loss of her pregnancy. Adriana, Elena’s sister, rebels against a rough childhood through loose relationships with hard men and distancing herself from Elena. Soledad is an illegal immigrant who finds her dream of becoming a costume designer may be dashed forever. The story is told alternating between each woman’s point of view; their lives at first tangent circles that slowly begin to overlap.

 

What I really liked about this book is that it tells FRESH stories about four women. Void of cliché character development, Grande presents a nuanced vision of the lives of women without judging, preaching, or stereotyping. The reader of this book will come away with not only stories about individuals but stories about relationships. Each woman faces her own challenges in her romantic relationships, but they also face challenges as sisters and friends. In the end, Grande shows us that friendships are always what we come back to after facing life’s challenges.

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