Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15, and it honors the contributions and influence of the Latinx community. Here at We Are Bookish, we can think of no better way to participate than by reading books by Latinx authors. Here are just ten books to consider for your to-be-read piles. These books represent a small selection of the large body of incredible work done by Latinx authors, and we encourage readers to enjoy books from these authors not just this month, but throughout the year!
Something Followed Us Home edited by Cynthia Pelayo
Fans of short stories won’t want to miss this anthology, which features 17 different authors’ takes on Latiné horror. Readers will find themselves trapped in haunted houses and traversing brutal landscapes, haunted by demons and ghosts, and they’ll see how these authors explore the idea of what scares us and why, alongside themes of immigration, colonization, and faith.
Til Quest Do Us Part by Ivelisse Housman
In Ivelisse Housman’s romantic fantasy, a queen and her knight must break their marriage vows to appease a goddess. Ten years ago, believing they would die the next day, Ely and Faron made a vow to each other before the Thousand-Eyed Goddess. When their deaths didn’t come to pass and Ely ascended to the throne, they decided to remain friends and quietly set their feelings aside. Now, Ely needs to marry a neighboring prince, and the only thing standing in her way is the goddess who won’t easily let her out of her vows to Faron.
Where Wilted Flowers Bloom by Johanna Rojas Vann
After suffering a terrible loss, Sandra hopes that a move from New York City to the suburbs of Nashville will be the fresh start she needs to move past her grief. But nothing seems to help—not moving into a house she carefully designed or finally becoming a stay-at-home mom. It’s only when she begins to connect with her elderly neighbor, a widower who understands the pain of loss, that she starts to believe she can heal.
Anger Is Only a Shadow written and narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo
Elizabeth Acevedo returns this fall with a new YA novel. Seventeen-year-old Lil is released from juvenile detention and into her parents’ care to await her next hearing. She knows she should be focused on her court appearance, but she can’t help but worry about her older brother, Aldwin, who has become distant and strange. As the days pass and she becomes convinced she needs to head to Virginia to make sure Aldwin is okay, she wonders if the trip is worth getting into deeper trouble herself.
What the Forest Devours by Elaine Vilar Madruga
This gothic horror transports readers to the Cuban rainforest, where women raise their children to be sacrificed to the endless appetite of a powerful god. The community has exchanged all freedom and hope for the promise of protection from the forest, but when a newcomer arrives, she brings with her the power to change things forever. It’s also currently available to request in audio!
The Lost Guardian by Natalia Hernandez
Natalia Hernandez drew on the history of Atahualpa, the last emperor of the Inca people, for this novel that blends action and adventure with fantasy and romance. Archaeologist Santiago is sent on a quest by his grandfather to find the lost resting place of Atahualpa. In order to get there faster than the tomb raiders tracking him, he enlists the help of Ali, a Peruvian woman who seems to have what it takes to unlock the secrets of the map to Atahualpa’s tomb.
Strange Lights by Mira González, narrated by Vico Ortiz, Nick Walther
You may have spotted this book’s DRC on our roundup of must-read queer books hitting shelves this year, and now you can check out the audiobook! In this sci-fi novel, cryptozoologist Reggie and her adopted chupacabra toddler, Eldi, set out in their sentient Winnebago to investigate a string of UFO sightings and crop circles. Along the way, they find help in the form of a werewolf podcaster as they work to evade the anti-supernatural agency hot on their trail.
Hear the Dead by Ann Dávila Cardinal
An invitation from the Guggenheim draws sixty-six-year-old photographer Elena Altieri back to New York City. She’d thought she left the city, its punk scene, and her memories of her youth behind years ago. But her return brings with it the start of auditory hallucinations in the form of a woman screaming. Elena begins to believe the screams belong to her late best friend, who passed under mysterious circumstances, and soon becomes convinced she can uncover the truth of what happened.
When the World Was Happy by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s final YA novel, published posthumously, follows a queer teenager, his twin, and their friends in the wake of a school shooting. CheChe’s junior year is nothing like he imagined it might be: He’s learning to walk again after being injured by the three gunmen who terrorized his school, mourning the loss of friends who died, and learning to find support, community, and love in unexpected places.
Paradise of Lies by Brittany Amara
Evangeline Windemere is plagued by a strange illness that has brought her to the brink of death. Desperate to find a cure, she bids her boyfriend goodbye and agrees to a restorative stay in the town of Paradise, where she can be watched over by Dr. Sebastian Blithe. The town feels like something out of a dream, but when a mysterious marking appears on her skin, Evangeline starts to fear that she may have stepped into a nightmare.
What’s the best book by a Latinx author you’ve read this year?
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