August is almost ending but what better way to make the best of the remaining sunny summer days than with a few new additions to our ever-growing TBR’s! Below are my most anticipated reads for the month, expect to find lots of magic, female empowerment, and self-discovery.
Family Lore: A Novel by Elizabeth Acevedo | On Sale August 1
National Book Award winner Elizabeth Acevedo has graced us with her first adult novel—a much anticipated read on my list this year! Acevedo is a great storyteller and has a way of writing such lyrical and intimate stories that have made me a huge fan, no doubt Family Lore will be another emotional and unforgettable read. In her newest novel, Acevedo unravels the family history of the Marte women, weaving the past and present, from Santo Domingo to New York City, spanning the three days before a living wake requested by Flor, the Marte sister with a gift for predicting death. Family secrets, magic, and sisterhood are just some of the elements you can expect from this novel.
Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel | Translated by Rosalind Harvey | On Sale August 8
When I think of women’s fiction, I think of books like Still Born. When friends, Alina and Laura, find themselves at opposite ends of parenthood—while Laura makes the decision to have her tubes tied, Alina pursues her desire to be a mother—both are forced to confront their notions of childbirth, family, and friendship. Nettel is "one of the leading lights in contemporary Latin American literature" (Valeria Luisell, author of Lost Children Archive) for a very clear reason, her novel explores one of the most lived experiences for women: the societal pressures and expectations of motherhood. Human experiences are universal no matter the language and thanks to translators like Rosalind Harvey, we get to explore stories like this one.
Daughters of Latin America: An International Anthology of Writing by Latine Women Edited by Sandra Guzman | On Sale August 15
I love anthologies, especially ones that feature such a diverse set of contributors. The talented multimedia storyteller Sandra Guzman brings together 140 literary voices to form a strong collection of poems, speeches, letters, essays, memoirs, short stories, songs, chants, and novels to highlight and celebrate the work of Latine women of our past, present, and future. I’m excited to read works from some of my favorite writers like Elizabeth Acevedo (see above), Jamaica Kincaid, and Karla Cornejo Villavicencio; I’m equally excited to discover and familiarize myself with new voices and genres.
Contributors also include Julia Alvarez, Norma Cantú, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Angie Cruz, Edwidge Danticat, Lila Downs, Conceição Evaristo, Sonia Guiñasaca, María Hinojosa, Celeste Mohammed, Cherrié Moraga, Angela Morales, Nancy Morejón, Anaïs Nin, Julia Wong, and many more.
A Tall Dark Trouble by Vanessa Montalban | On Sale August 29
Initially, it was the purple and pink of the cover that drew me in, but it was the synopsis that sealed the deal. Set throughout two timelines, one in contemporary Miami and the other in 1980s Cuba, we witness how magic and family secrets have intertwined the lives of Lela, Delfi, and Anita. When they receive premonitions of a killer targeting brujas, twins Lela and Delfi, are forced to defy the order from their mother to stay away from magic; meanwhile, in Cuba, Anita is desperate to escape the magic that surrounds her thanks to her mother’s cult. This exciting YA fantasy is set to be a promising page-turner I can’t wait to get a hold of.
