What better way to kick off the holiday season than with a new batch of Latine releases! Time to grab a blanket and unwind with these great new reads. Check out the four newest additions to my TBR this November!
The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez | On Sale November 7
In this, her ninth novel, Sigrid Nunez takes us to a time and place full of loneliness and fear: the early days of the 2020 lockdown. A bird, a writer, and a student find themselves sharing an apartment; initially strangers, the writer and student soon settle into their roles as roommates, sharing the responsibility of taking care of the bird, Eureka, and leaning on each other during an uncertain time. Throughout the novel, the development of relationships between the three serves as a vessel for the exploration and understanding of time, memory, and writing within such a defining moment of history.
Pedro and Marques Take Stock: A Picaresque Novel by José Falero| Translated by Julia Sanches | On Sale November 7
Set in Porto Alegre, Brazil, this modern picaresque novel follows Pedro and Marques, supermarket stock clerks who dream of something bigger and better than the lives of poverty and hardship they are acquainted with. Noting the shortage of weed-dealers and taking this knowledge as an opportunity, Pedro talks Marques into creating their own weed-dealing business. Quickly their business rises and their riches grow until their newfound empire is threatened by outsiders, ending in a final showdown.
Through a humorous and adventurous narrative, Falero shares a deep insight into the ethics of drug dealing and low-wage labor, urging us to think of the complexities of poverty and class.
Ready Player Juan: Latinx Masculinities and Stereotypes in Video Games by Carlos Gabriel Kelly González | On Sale November 14
By no means do I think of myself as a gaming fanatic, but I do consider myself a pop culture enthusiast and am always curious about how Latine culture manifests itself in these spaces.
Carlos Gabriel Kelly González tackles a very interesting subject: video games. He takes on an intersectional approach to study the representation and experience of Latinx masculinity, analyzing the digital object’s ability to construct and deconstruct the perceptions and expectations placed on Latinx masculinity and identity. This book presents a deep and thoughtful analysis beyond the realm of video games that we can all learn from.
Critical Hits: Writers Playing Video Games | Edited by Carmen Maria Machado & J. Robert Lennon | On Sale November 21
What are the odds that two books about video games would make the most anticipated list in the same month? It's definitely a rarity I’m excited about.
Taking a different approach to video games and culture, Critical Hits collects the voices of writer-gamers as they muse on their relationships and experiences with the medium. With an introduction by Carmen Maria Machado, who edited the anthology alongside J. Robert Lennon, this anthology explores an extensive set of themes ranging from illness and grief to race and language, all connected through the universal experience of gaming. Contributors include Elissa Washuta, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Jamil Jan Kochai, Alexander Chee, Hanif Abdurraqib, Larissa Pham, and many more.
