The House of the Spirits

I have read a number of things by Isabel Allende over the years, starting with Zorro, when I was really probably to young to appreciate Allende’s prose, because my brothers and I were obsessed with the movie The Mask of Zorro, starring Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I cannot tell you how many…

Nothing to See Here

I was sent a review copy of this one a few months ago (thanks ECCO books!) and am just now getting to it. To be honest, I can’t say it sounded overly much like I’d be into it. So, I wasn’t rushing to get to it. Plus, I’ve been working hard to focus on female…

When the Moon Was Ours

I’ve wanted to read something by Anna-Marie McLemore for awhile now. I love magical realism and all her stories sound so wonderful. Over the years, the book I wanted to start with changed, but the wanting itself never did. And this Hispanic Heritage Month seemed like the perfect time to finally pick one up. Why…

Like Water for Chocolate

I read this more years ago than I’d like to admit, in a Spanish class at some point. Having taken Spanish from middle school all the way through majoring in it in college, I cannot remember exactly when. I any case, many years have passed and, since I first read it in Spanish (not my…

Things We Lost in the Fire

This was my choice for the August Just One More Pa(i)ge Reading Challenge prompt: Women in Translation month. It was a great chance to both read something totally different and, in this case, to work on my side goal of reading more books by Latinx/Spanish-speaking authors. And this was such a good choice. Completely different…

The Pisces

When I originally read the description for this book, I wasn’t sure it was for me. When it started making the rounds on bookstagram, I still wasn’t totally interested in it. But over time, I started to get intrigued by the love/hate reactions I was seeing in reviews. I am a sucker for a controversial…

The Night Tiger

Years ago, like back before I started publishing my reviews on a blog (in 2014), I read Choo’s first novel, The Ghost Bride. I left a short review on Goodreads when finishing (you can check it out here). It was generally positive and I feel like past me would not be surprised that current me…

The Essex Serpent

I saw this book around a lot when it was first published and the topic, the possible existence of a mythical serpent in Essex, is definitely one that struck my fancy. Plus, the detail in the cover is lovely in its delicacy. Which is, in fact, what prompted me to buy it. I saw it…

Everyone Knows You Go Home

As part of my goal of reading more diversely, I want to focus, this year, on specifically trying to read more Latinx authors. According to my reading stats for last year, only 3% of the books I read were by Latinx authors. I feel like, with the current political focus on immigration in the US,…

She Would Be King

I love reading because it opens up so much of the world that is unknown. Like, there is just so much out there to learn about. I am drawn to books that will give me insight into something I didn’t previously know about. And even if, like in this case, the story itself is told…