Spooky New Latine Books to Start Off Latine Heritage Month

When I first set out to compile a list of new books by Latine authors to kick off Latin Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), I had a mind to include a variety of genres. But, being a seasonal reader who is currently reveling in all the spooky and deliciously gothic releases coming out this month, I decided to lean into the moment. A big part of Latine Heritage Month is about celebrating liberations. September 15th was chosen as the start of the month because several countries (“Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua”) gained their freedom that day, while others (“Mexico and Chile”) gained it soon after. Keeping that in mind, the books below, and the themes of freedom and generational trauma they explore, are of the moment in more ways than one. They take us from 1870s Brazil to modern-day L.A., and feature queer witches, ancient evils, and so much more. The House of Gardenias by Isabel CañasI’ve been rocking with Cañas’ brand of Mexican Gothic since her 2022 debut, The Hacienda. I will follow her wherever she takes me, including to the unnamed country in The House of Gardenias that looks a lot like colonial Mexico. In Cañas’ YA debut, we find 16-year-old M...