Literanista

Get Caught Reading Posters

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:57:00 +0000

My favorites:

Highlights from the Nuyorican's 35th at Townhall

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:56:00 +0000

Last night, I had a blast. So many wonderful poets - but Bronx's, always beautiful La Bruja and perfomance poet Kirk Nugent were on fire!

My favorites from the evening:

Kirk Nugent - Pursue your passion

La Bruja spoofing the song Umbrella. Her version:

Arroz con Habichuela

Not a Lot of Civil Disobedience

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:20:00 +0000

I was told to work from home today by my boyfriend who has the inside scoop on NYC issues. Today Rev. Al Sharpton has planned a day of disobedience at 3pm at several locations all over the city and says they will shut the city down to protest the Sean Bell verdict.

It's still early and perhaps it's the quiet before the storm but as someone with an activist background, sort of hard to be a Hunter alumni and not be one - anyway, I've seen and heard nothing! No one I know is planning on going or getting involved. In one sense and I know this might anger some people - this is no Amadou_Diallo. I will never ever forget the day the verdict on that case came forth. It was raining heavily and I felt chills and then started crying for this innocent man whose name meant "beloved."

On to lighter topics: I saw this add today and it's interesting - get your books' weight in ...more books.

Are Your Shelves Full Of Books You've Already Read?Exchange them at NovelAction.com! Select any books from the website and send in an equal number of your books in exchange. With flat rate shipping and no transaction fees, Novel Action is the perfect place for avid readers. Join and order by May 30th and pay just $1.00 shipping to get 6 pounds of books. Use coupon code MediaB08. Check it out.

First National Latino Book Club is Launched!

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:30:00 +0000

Las Comadres set up latino book clubs with discussions at select borders to celebrate Latino literature. The 2008 slate of books are:

June: A Handbook to Luck by Cristina Garcia
July: The King's Gold by Yxta Maya Murray
August: Mexican Enough by Stephanie Elizondo Griest
September: More Than This by Margo Candela
October: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
November: The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez (I have a galley of this and haven't been able to put it down since yesterday)
December: Their Dogs Came with Them by Helena Maria Viramontes

read more digg story

Marquez Writes Another Novel After All

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:10:00 +0000

From Publisher's weekly: A friend of Gabriel Garcia Marquez (and head of news at a Colombian radio station) says that the author "is putting the final touches to his new novel," after having said two years ago that he was finished with writing. Dario Arizmendi says, "He wrote a first draft which he didn't like, then another, then another; then, with the fifth draft, it was ready." Running about 250 pages, the book--described as "a novel of love"--should be publishable before the end of the year. Guardian

What Religion do You Believe in? Take the quiz

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:27:00 +0000

What do you really believe?

www.beliefnet.com/

Mine:

Quote:
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Neo-Pagan (98%)
3. New Age (95%)
4. Liberal Quakers (77%)
5. Scientology (73%)
6. Secular Humanism (72%)
7. Mahayana Buddhism (70%)
8. New Thought (68%)
9. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (65%)
10. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (63%)
11. Hinduism (60%)
12. Theravada Buddhism (59%)
13. Taoism (55%)
14. Reform Judaism (50%)
15. Orthodox Quaker (43%)
16. Nontheist (41%)
17. Sikhism (40%)
18. Jainism (39%)
19. Bahá'í Faith (32%)
20. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (26%)
21. Orthodox Judaism (21%)
22. Seventh Day Adventist (20%)
23. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (19%)
24. Eastern Orthodox (18%)
25. Islam (18%)
26. Roman Catholic (18%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (14%)

100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man’s Library

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Thu, 15 May 2008 01:17:00 +0000

There are the books you read, and then there are the books that change your life. We can all look back on the books that have shaped our perspective on politics, religion, money and love. Some will even become a source of inspiration for the rest of your life. From a seemingly infinite list of books of anecdotal or literal merit, we have narrowed..

read more | digg story

Criticas Seeks Librarian Book Reviewers

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Call for Reviewers!!

Criticas Magazine is seeking librarians to review Spanish-language books on a range of subjects, especially autobiography/ biography; commercial and/or literary fiction(includes original works in Spanish & world literature in translation); reference (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, ESL/ language guides, etc.); religion; and self-help.

Reviewers should be familiar with general collection development in public and academic libraries and be willing to review books on a regular basis. Please send a résumé and sample book review to the editor at aida.bardales@reedbusiness.com.
All reviews for must be submitted in English.

Going to the Circus!

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:41:00 +0000

I'll be attending the Mediabistro Circus, a 'conference' that covers both media and technology (two of my fave subjects), tomorrow and Wednesday.
Be sure to say "hello" if you're going to be there.

Check out their blog for updates.

"Women, Words & Wisdom"

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Tue, 27 May 2008 02:06:00 +0000

Web roundup:

- Latina Writers on 'blog' tour

May 19 - Mary Castillo, author of "Switchcraft"
May 20 - Caridad Ferrer, author of "It's Not About the Accent"
May 21 – Lara Rios, author of "Becoming Americana"
May 22 – Mayra Calvani, The Dark Phantom Review
May 23 – Caridad Piniero, author of "The Calling" Vampire series
May 24 – Jamie Martinez Wood, author of "Rogelia's House of Magic"
May 25 – Berta Platas, author of "Cinderella Lopez"
May 26 – Tracy Montoya, "I'll Be Watching You"
May 27 – Kathy Cano Murillo, aka "The Crafty Chica"
May 28 – Misa Ramirez, author of "Living the Vida Lola"

- Latina chefs get sleek from power diet

- Biographers profile trailblazing Latinas

- Cuban author living in Miami wins the prestigious Premio Alfaguara de Novela 2008. He will present his winning novel, Chiquita

- Brida, New from Paolo Coelho. Read an excerpt

- Check out USA Today's 2008 Summer books

- Booksellers' Selections for Summer Afternoons

What are your selections for Summer reading?

* "Life is a Beach" by

John Terriman

, on Flickr

Mediabistro Circus Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Tue, 27 May 2008 03:20:00 +0000

Last week, I attended the MediaBistro Circus Conference on digital trends and media. Here are the pics from my Flickr set and others:

view slideshow

Playing the Angel: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:15:00 +0000

Via Criticas Magazine

Primera Pagina (An Anthology) by The Latino Writers Collective

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:16:00 +0000

From the press release:

This anthology includes poems by such established poets as Gloria Vando, editor of Helicon Nine Editions and winner of the Latino Literary Hal of Fame for her poetry collection Shadows & Supposes (Arte Publíco Press). Also included are former Taco Shop Poets member Tomás Riley of California, who was featured at the collective’s reading series in Kansas City last year, and Andrés Rodríguez, author of Night Song (Tía Chucha Press). Newer voices include Chato Villalobos, a Kansas City, Mo., police officer; Marcelo Xavier Trillo, a former gang leader and past intern to poet Jimmy Santiago Baca; Gabriela N. Lemmons, who has work forthcoming in Just Like a Girl: A Manifesta (Girlchild Press), and Angela Cervantes, a recent runner-up in The Missouri Review’s Audio Competition. Other contributors include José Faus, editor of the Kansas City Hispanic News, and Linda Rodriguez, author of the forthcoming I Don’t Know How to Cook Mexican Cookbook (Adams Media).

“This is a major first anthology of Latinos in a collective who both accept and defy their identities,” writes Rane Arroyo, vice president of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) and long-time Midwestern Latino author, in his preface to the book.
The Latino Writers Collective, based in the Kansas City metropolitan area, organizes and coordinates projects for the larger community, especially to showcase national and local Latino writers and provide role models and instruction to Latino youth. The collective sponsors an annual reading series in Kansas City and plans release of a performance CD later this year.

Primera Página is $16.95 in trade paperback, 173 pp., ISBN 978-0-9791291-1-7. For more information or to request a media review copy, please contact Ben Furnish at (816) 824-6138 or scapegoatpress@sbcglobal.net. This book is available to bookstores and libraries through Baker & Taylor.

More info here: http://www.latinowriterscollective.org/anthology.htm

Interview with Jaime Martinez Wood, Author of Rogelia's House of Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:20:00 +0000

Via Blogcritics.org

Serendipious

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:03:00 +0000

I've felt the need to come here and do a personal post for days now and just haven't found the time yet it's a call I can't continue to ignore.

My new job is going really well - I am frantically busy but happy, busy.
I'm also psyched about my upcoming vacation, we're going to Mexico for a week!

Recently, my coworker S. mentioned some brilliant Portuguese writer to me several times, one I had never heard of before. The other day I found myself at Borders browsing the new fiction and spotted a misplaced book on the table. The book was brilliantly and simply white. The name of the author rung a bell - José Saramago, it was the same writer he had mentioned to me.

I don't believe in coincidences - how was it that this book, Blindness (ironic, no?) - the one written by the man mentioned to me several times in a few different conversations came to land right in front of me, right in my path? I am not sure - but I picked it up and bought it with me and even the clerk validated my purchase by telling me how brilliant a book it was and then giving an extra 20 percent off.

It was meant to be and I hope that my mind is open enough to accept whatever message is within it for me to reap. I also hope I finish it before the movie comes out, which I heard is in the works.

Right now, I'm reading The Mistress's Daughter by A. M. Homes, which I've been wanting to read for over a year now. Being a 'lovechild' myself, the title intrigued me, and the book is written so articulately and by someone so self-aware and intelligent that I'm disappointed to already be coming upon the end. I think it's the author herself in the cover image of a blue-eyed, balck haired child, which haunts me. It's the spitting image of my sister as a child and the same features her sons have - the china doll hair and skin, the alarmingly blue eyes and that sad haunting look.

The past couple of days my allergies have been so bad that my head feels I'm trapped under water, my ears are clogged, my nose is stuffed and head aches. What's interesting is that I never had allergies when I was younger (except for dust) and I was very proud of that. Now I feel horrible and it's upsetting to realize that it's something as benign as allergies. The only respite I feel is delving into my books.

Peace,
Lit

Sizzling in the City

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:55:00 +0000

Boy is it hot, seriously hot and tomorrow will be no better. I'm chilling at home with the central air on high in every single room. I'm totally missing out on the 116th St. festival and the Puerto Rican Day Parade but I can't say that I'm sorry. I hate crowds and chaos and with this heat, I'm getting on my own Boricuaness at home, thank you very much.

This morning I awoke from allergy medicine stupor and turned on the TV. Daisy Martinez was on and she was making Grilled Red Snapper, breadfruit tostones with ajilimojili sauce and Asparagus in Sour Orange vinaigrette.

My boyfriend who is Jamaican and Chinese loves red snapper, tostones and breadfruit. So I decided to make this today for dinner. I promptly jumped out of bed, had my cafe negro and headed off on my walk to my Pathmark. I figured I could get fresh fish there but took my chances finding the breadfruit for the tostones.

I've never had breadfruit tostones, only reg. ones so I really wanted to try these. I was also surprised to discover that breadfruit was same thing my mom referred to as panapen. I didn't realize we had this also but according to Daisy, it's a staple for most of the Caribbean. I also recently discovered that many people are taken aback by the thought of eating a fish with the head on, for most Caribbean this is par for the course.

Anyhow, suffice it to say - Pathmark had no breadfruit nor sour oranges so I bought plantains and regular oranges for my dish.

I also forgot to mention in my post about Jose Saramago that I also discovered this book: The Five Percenters: Islam, Hip-hop and the Gods of New York by Michael Muhammad Knight.

It looks really interesting, especially since I've always heard proud references to the Fiver Percenters from people my older sister's age and up.

I will definitely have to look into it.

I also wanted to let every one that the International Latino Book Awards, were announced at this years' Book Expo America. View pics at the digital pressroom

You can download the list here or browse it at lbff.us.

America Libre was selected as the Best Novel-Adventure or Drama-English, via Raul Ramos.

Tomorrow, Long Beach beckons!

On the Web

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:18:00 +0000

Shelfari.com has some new features on their ever-developing site. Check it out and friend me if you join: Literanista

Booktour.com, also has new features to zoom into, maps!

My good friend, Orli, wrote to me to tell me about a new children's book community called: Lookybook. She wrote also wrote a review on her tech blog.

The Prestige of Getting Galleys

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:50:00 +0000

or why galleys are hot: Observer.com & Gawker

What's a galley, you ask?
Galley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reading - 20 years ago

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:19:00 +0000

An interesting article on how Reading habits have changed over 20 years.

Kindles in the Night

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:10:00 +0000

I just came across this post at Silicon Alley Insider about spotting an actual Kindle user and found it amusing. Last week, it was a hot, sticky evening and I decided to go to this Sushi, Live Jazz spot that I frequent in midtown.

Usually, I get stuck at the bar but I deal by reading whatever Galley I have on hand. So anyway, last week toward the end of my meal this older man sits next me. He must have been in his sixties at least and he whips out his kindle, which I found interesting.

One, I hadn't seen one before although I'm very familiar with the Reader Digital Book from Sony since they were given out to my entire company, and two, he was up there in age and did not fit into what we stereotypically define as the techie generation and he also seemed like a businessman of some sort.

I struck up a conversation with him about the Kindle and he raved about all its features. It turned out he was reading a business book and I, a Twelve book. He thought it was odd that I paid in cash and perhaps, that I was there alone. While I thought it was odd he owned a kindle.

Friday Flex

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:23:00 +0000

I saw Pulitzer Prize-winning, Dominican author Junot Diaz on the Colbert Report on Wednesday night, and I just felt so thrilled for him and oddly proud. I remember when my friend James De La Vega told me about Drown several years ago and mentioned Junot was a good friend and paisano.

You can view it here: www.comedycentral.com

I read some great news today about one of my favorite authors, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, and on googling him discovered an great article about bookish books. The article mentions a few other books, in addition to The Shadow of the Wind, which are now on my to-read list.

Speaking of lists, I saw a couple of top book lists this week that caught my eye. I love to go over these, see which ones I've read or haven't and ponder the different additions and why they've been added or left off. Like EW.com's The New Classics: Books, The 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008 and Telegraph.co.uk's 110 best books: The perfect library. Peruse and have fun.

I also came across this: Readatwork.com It's a site geared toward New Zealanders that allows you to read books while at work and not look like you're doing any pleasure reading. Funny and perhaps useful to those barred from 'reading' while on duty. God forbid! I will never forget that one time one of my previous coworkers took her lunch time break and read at her desk, the COO happened to walk by and made a really snotty comment about her 'reading.' Those type of comments were par for the course at that place, which led me to leave a copy of The No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton blatantly out on my desk. I'm not the type to indulge in petty, passive aggressive stuff like that but that place and those comments really dug into my soul like thorns. I've luckily moved on to better and brighter places.

On to other things, I've been hearing a lot about The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and I want to read it for myself.

Marcela Landres, editorial consultant, will be interviewed by PowerfulLatinas.com. They will be doing one interview per week, on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. PST, 8 p.m. EST. The interviews will be about an hour in length and will be FREE for the first 200 callers and those who join us via webcast. You can register for our next call by clicking here: http://powerfullatinas.com/interviews.

They also have a great blog!

I spotted this on Marcela's site: "INFIDELITY SURVEY
Dr. Ana Nogales, author of “Latina Power,” is conducting a study to evaluate the effects of parental infidelity on adult children. If either (or both) of your parents was ever unfaithful, you are invited you to participate in this study by clicking on this link.

The results of this survey will be published in a book about parental infidelity. For more information about Dr. Nogales, please visit Drnogales.com."

Coldplay's Songs Always Make Sad

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:04:00 +0000

Paging Paulo Coelho Fans!

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:29:00 +0000

HarperCollins is offering a free full preview to Paulo Coelho's Brida!

"Brida is a tale of love, passion, mystery, and spirituality from a master storyteller. Coelho wrote Brida right after The Alchemist, and it launched his career as an international bestselling novelist. It has never been published in English—until now. Brida will be in stores June 24th, but you can read the the entire book online now."

On what to read

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:00:00 +0000

On my way into work this morning, I went over to my ever-growing stack of free magazines and picked two for the commute. I finally finished Blindness by Jose Saramago last night and I'm trying to not start a new book until I'm on the airplane to Mexico this weekend.

Blindness by the way, was very much my sort of book. It delves into what makes us human in the face of outrageous suffering and conditions imposed upon us by a terror-driven government who in the face of science choose to remain ignorant. It reminded me of
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, 1984 by George Orwell and more recently, The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

So while browsing the O, The Oprah Magazine, March 2008 Issue, I spotted these new (to me) interesting reads:

- Lush Life: A Novel by Richard Price: "From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Master of the Bronx and Jersey projects, Price (Clockers) turns his unrelenting eye on Manhattan's Lower East Side in this manic crescendo of a novel that explores the repercussions of a seemingly random shooting. When bartender Ike Marcus is shot to death after barhopping with friends, NYPD Det. Matty Clark and his team first focus on restaurant manager and struggling writer Eric Cash, who claims the group was accosted by would-be muggers, despite eyewitnesses saying otherwise.

As Matty grills Eric on the still-hazy details of the shooting, Price steps back and follows the lives of the alleged shooters—teenagers Tristan Acevedo and Little Dap Williams, who live in a nearby housing project—as well as Ike's grieving father, Billy, who hounds the police even as leads dwindle. As the intersecting narratives hurtle toward a climax that's both expected and shocking, Price peels back the layers of his characters and the neighborhood until all is laid bare. With its perfect dialogue and attention to the smallest detail, Price's latest reminds readers why he's one of the masters of American urban crime fiction."

Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander
"Product Description

From its unforgettable opening scene in the darkness of a forgotten cemetery in Buenos Aires, Nathan Englander's debut novel The Ministry of Special Cases casts a powerful spell. In the heart of Argentina's Dirty War, Kaddish Poznan struggles with a son who won't accept him; strives for a wife who forever saves him; and spends his nights protecting the good name of a community that denies his existence.

When the nightmare of the disappeared children brings the Poznan family to its knees, they are thrust into the unyielding corridors of the Ministry of Special Cases, a terrifying, byzantine refuge of last resort. Through the devastation of a single family, Englander brilliantly captures the grief of a nation."

I've grabbed a stack of books of my own to stuff my suitcase with and I'm letting you all know I won't be online until after the 4th of July.

Hasta luego, amigos! Tulum, here we come!

It was over too soon

noreply@blogger.com (Literanista) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:31:00 +0000

I got back from my trip to Tulum and Atlanta on Sunday and boy, it was quite an experience. Almost every calamity from an expired passport, delayed trips and lost money, bug bites to broken souvenirs, thunderstorms and closed airports fell upon my little bit of paradise. However, we made the best of it, after all, it could've been much worse and we at least got two spend two full glorious days in Mexico.

These are two my favorite pictures from the trip. I really need to remember to stop scrunching up my face at photo opps, especially when sun burnt. LOL!

I've been writing this post in my head for days now and I have so much I want to say and share.

I came across these free, online literature courses: http://www.litlovers.com/course/catalogue.htm and was delighted to discover them. I think they are a wonderful resource for anyone looking to sharpen their critical thinking skills and become a better reader. Who said school's in recess? School is never out is my book.

The TV show, Lost, has created a cool new book club at abc.go.com that features books that have been referenced to on the show. Love it!

Why I love blogging: One of my readers, Jesús, reached out to all the way from the Canary Islands! He sent me a Spanish translation of Michael Ende's "Mirror in the mirror." If that's not fresh, I don't know what is!

From Lacasaazulbookstore.com newsletter:

Junot Diaz will be at SummerStage on Thursday July 17, 7pm-10pm See you there!

Junot Diaz is the winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Sargeant First Novel Prize for his debut novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. In Oscar Wao, a nerdy, sexually frustrated teenager tries to grow up under the watchful eye of his mother, grandmother and sister, and a family curse that just won't go away. Alternating between New Jersey and the Dominican Republic, Junot's own birthplace, this often hilarious and heartbreaking novel illuminates the modern immigrant experience through fictionalized footnotes and multi-generational storytelling.
http://www.summerstage.org/

I've been reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz and let me tell you, I'm not surprised, ladies and gentlemen, that he won the Pulitzer. It's a little street and gritty, has ton of Spanglish and Sci Fi references and mixes in tons of intellectual and historical references. Then it's heart-warming and funny to boot. I'm actually dreading coming to end. Kudos, Junot!

Speaking of street stuff and the nitty gritty, Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen by
Reymundo Sanchez, Sonia Rodriguez, is being published by Chicago Review Press. Sounds interesting.

If you steer toward the more proper side of things, check out: http://www.apostropheabuse.com/ for good laughs.

Jai over at Mamistimeout.com gave me an Arte & Pico Award. Thanks, mami!

Through July 14, bestselling author Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is available for free on iTunes. Coelho's classic fable centers on an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago, who teaches us the importance of following your dreams. Just go to the iTunes store, Free on iTunes, and download the entire book.

Lastly, I think that's it but I'm not even sure - You can sign up for a free subscription to Latina Magazine here