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Print this pageNew books take minds off summer heat
Readers find fare from
There is no swimming
Pool on
Our street,
Only sprinklers
On lawns,
The helicopter
Of water
Slicing our legs.
– from Ode to the Sprinkler in the book Neighborhood Odes, by Gary Soto
The beginning lines of Soto’s slice of summer capture memories of the carefree days of childhood. We may not run through the sprinklers anymore and the red Kool-Aid smile tattoo has long faded from our lips, but we can still look to summer reading to sweeten these hot days.
FICTION
STILL WATER SAINTS, by Alex Espinoza (Random House, 242 pages, $23.95 hardcover). Book-ended by two holy days – Dìa de Los Reyes and the feast day of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe – this California author’s first novel details a year in the life of Agua Mansa, a town outside of Los Angeles. Contrary to its serene name, the town is a whirl of neighborhood stories that all spiral to a single point: botànica owner Perla Portillo. Residents go to Perla for remedies, advice and, often, to share their deepest secrets.
THE HEIRESS OF WATER, by Sandra Rodriguez Barron (Rayo/HarperCollins, 299 pages, $13.95 paperback). Another debut, this perfect beach book is set mainly on the shores of El Salvador and combines elements of mystery and a multi-layered love story. The novel’s protagonist shares a similar background with Rodriguez Barron, who was born in Puerto Rico and spent part of her childhood in El Salvador before moving with her family to Connecticut, where she now lives.
NAMES I CALL MY SISTER, by Mary Castillo, Berta Platas, Sofia Quintero and Lynda Sandoval (Avon Trade/Harper Collins, 384 pages, $13.95 paperback). This new book collects four novellas which explore a range of sister relationships. The four Latina authors are from different areas of the country – California, New York, Atlanta and Denver – and have a diverse background of previous writing, including chica lit, hip-hop fiction, and romance.
WHAT WILDNESS IS THIS:Women Write about the Southwest, edited by Susan Wittig Albert, Susan Hanson, Jan Epton Seale and Paula Stallings (University of Texas Press, 336 pages, $19.95 paperback). While not technically a Latino book, this anthology of nearly 100 pieces about the rugged American Southwest includes new and reprinted pieces by some of the most acclaimed Latina writers, including Denise Chávez, Pat Mora, the late Chicana feminist Gloria Anzaldúa and Tucson-based writer Leslie Marmon Silko. Dozens of women writers are represented in this collection created through the Story Circle Network, a national organization that solicited work for the book.
NON-FICTION
HOME SENSE, by Eduardo Xol (Rayo/Harper Collins, 208 pages, $24.95 paperback) and THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF STYLE, by Nina Garcia (Rayo/Harper Collins, 188 pages, $22.95 hardcover). It wasn’t long before reality TV would hit the Latino presses. Xol, a designer on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, believes that home design should stimulate all five senses and teaches readers how to work with problem areas like a small bathroom or cramped closets. As for what to hang inside that closet, Garcia – a fashion judge on Bravo’s Project Runway and the fashion director at Elle magazine – offers advice, inspiration and the essential rules of fashion in her handbook.
THE DESERT REMEMBERS MY NAME: On Family and Writing, by Kathleen Alcalá (The University of Arizona Press, 192 pages, $14.95 paperback). This collection of personal essays explores the many meanings of “family.” Alcalá’s previous books include a short story collection and a trilogy of novels set in 19th-century Mexico. Here she reflects on the family history she uncovered in her earlier work and examines the forces that shaped her as a writer.
¡ASK A MEXICAN!, by Gustavo Arrellano (Scribner/Simon & Schuster, 256 pages, $20 hardcover). Arrellano’s controversial nationally-syndicated column has got people talking. This newly released book is based on the column of the same name, which started as a joke in 2004 in the OC Weekly, an alternative newspaper in Orange County, and now appears in more than 20 papers. This book reprints some of the questions Arrellano has answered, with some new essays and new questions.
POETRY
THE WIND SHIFTS: NEW LATINO POETRY, edited by Francisco Aragòn (The University of Arizona Press, 288 pages, $17.95 paperback). What does it mean to be Latino in the 21st century? In this collection of poems by 25 young, Latino poets you will find writing that addresses subjects as varied as our community, from signing mortgage papers to living with HIV. Casa Grande native Eduardo C. Corral (To a Mojado Who Died Crossing the Desert) is a contributor.
CHILDREN
DE LA CABEZA A LOS PIES (Rayo/Harper Collins, $6.99 paperback) and 10 PATITOS DE GOMA (Rayo/Harper Collins, $19.99 hardcover), by Eric Carle. Two popular English-language picture books (From Head to Toe and 10 Little Rubber Ducks) are translated to Spanish, perfect for parents eager to introduce Spanish at an early age. Toddlers and preschoolers will recognize Carle’s familiar and celebrated illustrations and there’s even a quacking surprise at the end of Patitos.
