Last week, I was tagged on Instagram by Jennifer Givhan, an author whose work I love and like to scream about. I checked the post and saw a giveaway for her book, The Sleeping Sisters, but also a call to action. Givhan asked those of us on her unofficial street team (of which I was called La Reina, talk to me nice) if we might consider spreading the word about the importance of preorders, requesting books from libraries, etc, which of course I am happy to do. The bummer here is that this isn’t just a general PSA in Givhan’s case, but a plea for help.
Despite her work garnering countless awards and all sorts of rave reviews, Givhan’s publisher says her numbers aren’t high enough. This isn’t an unfamiliar story. Do sales matter? Absolutely. But the world of publishing is deeply imbalanced when it comes to which stories continue to get the big marketing budgets, who gets more chances, whose books always get greenlit, and which stories are considered worth telling. Givhan is one of at least four writers in my feeds, all from marginalized backgrounds, who have come to social media platforms in the last week to report similar messaging from their publishers, or to tell readers that Barnes & Noble won’t be carrying their books nationally, or at all.
So here I am with a gentle reminder to support the work of authors you want to keep writing.
- Here’s a primer on ways to support books and authors, including free ones like placing holds at your library or writing a review.
- If it’s within your means, preordering books is a great way to tell publishers that there is interest and enthusiasm for books.
- At the time of this writing, ThriftBook’s Hot Summer Bonus Days are on, which means you’ll earn 2X the points on every order. Amazon’s Prime sale is also happening. Not an Amazon shopper? Bookshop.org is hosting its Anti-Prime sale with free shipping on orders. Barnes & Noble’s preorder sale is on, where upcoming books are 25% off. All of these sales and offers are valid through 6/26.
Need help deciding which books to preorder? Oh look, a list!
Latine Lit
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The Summer of the Serpent by Cecilia Eudave, translated by Robin Myers (July 7)
This one comes out soon, but there is still time to preorder! Over a sweltering summer in late 1970s Guadalajara, Mexico, children are witnessing things they can’t unsee, and the adults appear not to notice. This read is told through colliding POVs from adults and children, the haunted and the haunting, the living and the nearly invisible. It’s pitched to fans of Samanta Schweblin, Mónica Ojeda, and Brenda Lozano, which tells me the kind of horror ride we’re in for!
The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (July 14)
I’d read a book on tax code if SMG wrote it, but lucky for me, she’s written a noir tale of desire, greed, and seduction. In 1940s Mexico, a handsome grifter charms women into giving him their money through letters. Intent on securing a bigger, more reliable bag when the letter scheme runs its course, he sets his sights on the owner of a boardinghouse in a small town in Veracruz. There are two flaws in this plan: his intended victim’s niece clocks him right away and wants in on the scheme as a means to escape this small town, and his victim is not quite the gullible mark he thinks she is…
Mutual Discord by Liana de la Rosa (August 18)
Liana de la Rosa is one of my romance faves. She has an entire backlog of fantastic historical romance, including the Luna Sisters series I’ve recommended numerous times before. Mutual Discord is her contemporary debut about an influencer who, unbeknownst to her friends and family, is the secret brains behind a popular video series about forgotten women in history. What starts as casual convo with an anonymous follower turns into private video chats with the guy, who turns out to be a total hottie. Problem: she soon discovers said hottie is her bestie’s boyfriend. What to do, what to do….
Old Flames by Nadine Gonzalez (August 18)
A horror writer and a fantasy writer check into a B&B for a writing retreat, only to find out the place is haunted by a couple of star-crossed lovers sending messages from the beyond. We get a haunting, writer MCs, fated lovers, and a tropical Key West setting. This sounds like the perfect summer read.
The Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan (August 18)
More people should know the name of Mexican American and Indigenous novelist and poet Jennifer Givhan. Period. Her last two releases were absolute bangers (see Salt Bones, River Woman, River Demon), and her latest centers the fight for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous and Latina girls and women. Inspired by actual events (the West Mesa Murders in Albuquerque), the story introduces us to Fortuna, a mother who moves her family to a better neighborhood across the Rio Grande in hopes of outrunning a violent family curse, and Jeanette is a detective who’s spent decades chasing the ghosts of her murdered cousins. Fortuna and Jeanette’s paths collide when a body is found in this Chicanified remix of the legend of the headless woman. If you like your horror layered, feminist, a lil’ witchy, and imbued with Latine culture, you need to be reading this author.
An Immaculate Deception by Isabella Livino (September 1)
Give me all the Gothic horror. Make it Latine, and I’ll take two! This one is set in 1870s Brazil, where a young pregnant woman raised in a deeply religious household has just been issued an ultimatum by her mother: she can either marry the baby daddy or surrender the child. She is sure the guy will do right by her, but a violent storm sends the carriage they’re traveling in off the road before she can break the news. When she awakens, she is in his sprawling family home, where something just… isn’t right. I do love a creepy house in gothic lit, that’s all I really need to know!
Cemetery Boys: Espíritu by Aiden Thomas (September 8)
It’s been almost six years since Aiden Thomas first introduced us to Yadriel and Julian (and my fave Maritza, a real one). In September, we’ll head back to the graveyard in Espíritu, where Julian is navigating life post-sacrificial ritual. Things are mostly pretty sweet—except for the part where he sees shadows in his eyes, glowing eyes in the dark, and these ominous dark spots on people that no one can explain. There’s also a mysterious new nonbinary bruje in the mix, one who Julian is drawn to but Yadriel is looking at with some side eye for their cutthroat approach to brujeria.
The House of Gardenias by Isabel Cañas (September 29)
Isabel Cañas has been on a roll: first we got The Hacienda, then The Vampires of El Norte, then The Possession of Alba Diaz. This is her YA debut about a self-described coward who flees her abusive father and poverty for a cushy gig as a maid to a wealthy widow. When political violence breaks out, she and the widow retreat to a gothic mansion high above the capital city to wait out the slaughter of the deposed fascist viceroy’s enemies. At la Casa de las Gardenias, she meets the staff and the cruel members of the Del Valle family. But this is a gothic story, so the living residents of the mansion are the least of anyone’s worries.
Catch up on recent Latine releases, and for even more Latine books, check out our Latine Lit archives.
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