If you're interested in becoming part of a book review blogging tour for Hispanic-focused books let me know!

- Get your Spanish on with McNally Jackson Books!
Every Saturday at 12pm
Spanish Language Discussion Group
Practice your Spanish with Javier Molea, our resident Spanish language literature expert. Javier owned a bookstore in Montevideo, Uruguay, where people gathered on Saturdays to discuss books. He has brought that tradition to our store. No preparatory reading is required; Borges, Cortazar, Fuentes, and all of the greatest Latin American writers are discussed. about the Spanish Lanugage Discussion Group.
McNally Jackson Books is located at 52 Prince Street between Lafayette and Mulberry.

- Get your lit Tweets here:
Centerstreet
Faithwords
Forever Romance
Grand Central Publishing
Little Brown
Orbit Books
University of Minnesota Press
Penguin Books
The New York Times Arts
The New York Times Books
The Wall Street Journal
Publishing Talk
Yale Press
Harper's
The New Yorker
Norton Fiction

- There was recently a Frida Kahlo look-alikes Contest held: "Images of the Frida-wannabes are posted online, and they're beautiful." Via Jezebel.com

I've been thinking about adding a new feature to Literanista - a Book Blog Tour program.

Book Bloggers would be able to sign up to review Hispanic-related books for free and receive review copies directly from publishers. The program would be organized by me and linked to here.

What do you think? Would anyone be interested in participating?

A couple things of note:

There's a new Book Club in El Barrio (NYC) Barrio Book Club

La Casa Azul Bookstore & El Museo del Barrio invite you to the monthly book club meeting.

Tuesday October 14, 6:30pm-8pm Book: Mexican Enough by Stephanie Elizondo Griest
Tuesday November 11, 6:30-8pm So I Won't Forget by Paquita Suárez Coalla
Tuesday December 9, 6:30-8pm Next Stop by Ivan Sanchez

Location: El Museo del Barrio 1230 Fifth Ave, at 104th Street
Light refreshments provided. RSVP for the book club at lacasaazulbookstore@gmail.com

New Book: The Trouble With Black Boys: And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education by Pedro A. Noguera

I just haven't been blogging. Even though, everyday I come across something I want to share here - somehow I just end up not having the time anymore, well at least lately. Blogging has sadly become a luxury but it's August anyway and most people are taking breaks from their routines.

Let me start with some fantastic news: Giga Omni Media, Inc. has taken me on as a contributing tech blogger! You can stay tuned to my posts here: Webworkerdaily.com

• Those of you who are interested in honing the craft, check out the The NYC Latina Writers Group.
• Also my ole Hunter College pal, Suheir Hammad, wrote to me and reminded me that there are Hedgebrook.org writing fellowships available - all you have to do is apply.


• Miriam at Feministing writes about Reggaeton as a guilty pleasure.


• Check out Rebecca Walker is a "Black Buddhist warrior".


• This scares me: All of US could be overweight by 2048


• Those of you who love to write book reviews, check this out: Basbleu.com, one of my favorite bookish catalogs, pays $25 for reviews chosen to be published. More info here: Basbleu.com/Reader-Reviews


• Become an early reviewer at Librarything.com


• Stay up to date on book giveaways at www.hbgusa.com/contests & Bookloons.com
• Words I learned this week: Eponym & Sesquipedalian


• Weread.com/ is another book-related social community, it launched only 11 months ago


• Orli Yakuel is always hooking me up to the hottest new sites, through her tweets I discovered both Monitter.com/ & Faceyourmanga.com/


• Cassy at Reachformore hooked me up with another Arte y Pico award. Thanks!!! I also discovered another great Latina book blogger: Amoxcalli.ginaruiz.com/


• Daniel Serrano, a Puerto Rican, NYC-based attorney and new author wrote to me to tell me about his book, Gunmetal Black.

  "It's a " Spanglish, complex, action-packed page-turner. Some have called it Carlito’s Way for the modern generation. It is the story of Eddie Santiago, a Puerto Rican parolee who exits prison wearing a money belt stuffed with forty thousand dollars he made selling weed out of his cell. The cash is the seed of Eddie’s simple dream of starting over by investing in a record label to bring back salsa dura. But Eddie’s old associates are unreformed. As soon as he returns to Chicago he is robbed by two dirty cops. Figuring he was set up, Eddie vows to recover his money, no matter what. Along the way he becomes a murder suspect, implicated in a drug war, and ensnared in a reckless plan to rob a casino. He has an affair with a troubled Mexican beauty. In the end he settles old debts in a shocking and deadly climax."



• Also coming from HBGUSA, is the inspiring memoir of Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, and her sister Congresswoman Loretta Sánchez, Dream in Color: How the Sánchez Sisters Are Making History in Congress.


• Boys are increasingly left out of reading. (Duh, I've been saying for how long now?) WSJ.com, is Grossology really the answer? Um, How about just some good reads about topics that boys are interested in?


• He gets it, he really gets it: "In my case, I was never very keen on the notion of the reclusive author working in solitude, and have always tried to interact with my readers. So I've spent a lot of time on my website, knowing that it is one of the rare public platforms, besides the traditional book signing, open to me." - Novelist Paulo Coelho on the Newstatesman.com


• The finalists for this year’s Dayton Literary Peace Prize (www.daytonliterarypeaceprize.org) were announced, Diaz & Alarcon made the list!


• DailyLit.com "redesigned its site, adding customer ratings and free online book reviews. The redesign coincides with the launch of DailyLit’s 1,000th book. "


• The Strand to Close Manhattan Annex


• How Can Publishers Embrace Web 2.0? “Just Do It” Hello!


• PBS has a new series, Reading Rockets which airs this fall. It will focus on how to make the make the most of the years before a child starts school.


• Donate a book - Readfortherecord.org


• September Is Library Card Sign-up Month
  Ala.org

That's it for now, I'm tired and it's time to head home

If you're anything like most young women or at least my younger brother's girlfriend, Jen - then you know about the Book/vampire madness reigned by Stephenie Meyer.

The Chicago Sun Times says there is no such thing as a casual fan for this series. LOL!

Tonight it gets even crazier, Midnight Parties for Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga are being held across the nation. You can find more info and nearby events here:
The TwilightSaga.com's event locator

Party hardy & have fun but beware of frisky bloodsuckers!

Booklover and reading enthusiast, Oprah, is now helping kids select good books and cultivate a love of literature: "the Book Club section of Oprah Winfrey's Web site will offer a list of recommended children's titles, courtesy of the American Library Association's Quick Lists Consulting Committee." Love it!

Also on the radar, check out Construyendo Puentes:
" In January of this year, Idealistas.org launched a program called Construyendo Puentes, idealist.org, a web-based initiative that seeks to bring together those who are interested in converting their good intentions into concrete actions in order to create social change.
I've added their banner to my sidebar!

Latinbabybookclub.blogspot.com has an interview with the ever-gorgeous Jorge Ramos about his new children's book. (Sigh!)

On to some more out-there stuff:

Check out this place that lets you get your hair or nails done, 24/07-365 days a year:
http://hair24hours.com/

At Transitional Sizes, one can rent a Slimmer Wardrobe while downsizing and dieting. I don't know sounds kinda yuckers to me. It's one thing to borrow a friend's sweater or buy an item at Thrift shop (since you find you find unique stuff at a great price and it yours to keep and has been dry-cleaned) but to pay to borrow used clothing? Naw, man!

Via Techcrunch: Amazon To Acquire AbeBooks, And With It A Stake In Library Thing