The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Hispanic & Latino

Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, Jesus Is Alive! by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

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Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, Jesus Is Alive! by Melissa Lozada-Oliva
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This is a short story collection that is always honest. The stories move through themes of growing up, messy relationships, and the awkward and painful process of becoming an adult. There’s some body horror, some nonlinear storytelling, and a few second-person narratives that pull you in. The horror feels like late-night scary stories that are unnerving in a specific but familiar way. The strangest moments are very relatable (any other stress poopers?). Each story is different, but they share a common thread that keeps the collection together. The women at the center are messy, funny, and deeply human. The novel balances THE HORRORS with the curiosity of being alive. Beyond All Reasonable Doubt is understanding of what it’s like to move through the world in a body that feels both powerful and vulnerable.

Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, Jesus Is Alive! by Melissa Lozada-Oliva, (List Price: $26, Astra House, 9781662601828, September 2025)

Reviewed by Chloe, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

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Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
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What in the world did I just read. This book was crazy and insane from start to finish and I am genuinely thinking so many things right now. I think it truly shows how animalistic human beings are. It’s horrifying, it’s gory, but it seems so completely realistic – making it worse. It’s the way that human beings change and adapt to new language in order for human horrors to not seem so animalistic, such as calling humans “special meat”. This in a way makes it seem like the atrocities they’re committing make it okay, makes it seem normal. While we’re horrified by what’s happening with these human beings, it’s the exact same thing that’s happening to cattle and other animals that we consume. But because we can physically distance ourselves from them, we don’t seem to care how the dairy industry and meat industry are committing the exact same things to their animals. I think the scene with the dogs is especially important to the story. As humans, we feel compassion for the puppies because we see them as pets and creatures that belong to us and need our care, making the horrific scene that happened to them disturbing. However, no one bats an eye when it’s a cow or another animal that is consumed. Really eye opening right there. Overall, it was amazing and incredibly done, as well as utterly horrific

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, (List Price: $17.99, Scribner, 9781982150921, August 2020)

Reviewed by Itzy, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina

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What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez

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What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez
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For fans of Angie Cruz, What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is at times laugh out loud hilarious while also delivering an poignant account of a young woman searching for herself as she searches for her sister. The first page left me breathless! Jimenez delivers a sophisticated, plainspoken account of a Latina teen grappling with the urge and opportunity to escape her Staten Island family while also recognizing the value of the intense, turbulent bond she has with her mother and sister.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez, (List Price: $17.99, Grand Central Publishing, 9781538725979, February 2024)

Reviewed by Adah Fitzgerald, Main Street Books in Davidson, NC

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Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

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Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
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A modern literary gothic take on the Frankenstein story that is low on the scares but high on thoughtful explorations of what makes a monster. That being said, this fits well into the horror genre- both beautiful and horrifying imagery, body horror wrapped up in parental love, and cannibalism nested among the dangers of living for someone else. Tender and surprisingly sweet, the heavy topics of grief and the search for personhood are handled expertly. Just a gem of a debut novel!

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, (List Price: $17, Zando, 9781638931607, January 2024)

Reviewed by Tyler, Wild Aster Books in Chamblee, Georgia

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When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley

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When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley
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A lovely novel that is part historical fiction, part fantasy, part queer romance, and all about the remarkable joy it is to find family. Set in the early 20th century at Coney Island featuring a colorful cast of diverse and lovable characters, this story is ultimately about having the courage to seek justice, even if it comes at a great personal loss.

When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa, (List Price: $29, Erewhon Books, 9781645661535, April 2025)

Reviewed by Jamie, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

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Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
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Catalina Ituralde is a fascinating protagonist; prepare to be hooked by her twisting, turning narrative. Catalinatells the story of an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, who is currently in her senior year at Harvard and hopes to be a writer. As she struggles to find her place in the world, Catalina works through her feelings on gender, desire, relationships, belonging, and family bonds. The book’s stream-of-consciousness prose style emulates authors such as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, while also reflecting the state of Catalina’s jumbled thoughts. If you’re looking for a wry narrative with cheeky dialogue and plenty of literary references, this is the book for you!

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, (List Price: $28, One World, 9780593449097, July 2024)

Reviewed by Catherine Pabalate, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera

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The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera
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This is a heartwrenching story that will bring you to tears. Graciela and Consuelo are two Indigenous sisters who were taken from their homes to serve under a dictator. When genocide strikes their community, they flee in an effort to make new lives for themselves. Both believing each other to be dead, fate brings them back together years later. This story feels like a fresh wound, and waiting for time to let it heal. This story explores the dark colonial past of a nation while still exploring hope, love, and the importance of family in the end.

The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera, (List Price: $28, Pantheon, 9780593317235, August 2025)

Reviewed by Gabriela Warner, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson

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Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson
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Fans of the high drama of telenovelas will find plenty to enjoy in this Romeo and Juliet retelling. Julieta is the head chef at her family’s fish taco restaurant in a heavily Latinx area near La Jolla. But when their landlord sells their entire block to the Taco King owners, everyone is infuriated, bit none more than Julieta and her mom. See, when Julieta’s mom was young and living in Mexico, she had her own fish taco stand, and she fell in love with a young Mexican American man. But he stole her recipe and took it back to the US to create his fast food empire, and she never saw him again. But, not knowing who he is, Julieta meets the man’s son during the Day of the Dead celebration and falls for him immediately. But are they doomed to fail?

Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson, (List Price: $16, Berkley, 9780593336229, February 2022)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez

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The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez
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Jasminne Mendez teaches an important tale of standing up for what you believe in and against those who seek to bring you down. The heroine, Yuliete Lopez, holds a strong sense of justice, thanks in part to the activism efforts of her older brother. She and her friends work diligently to raise awareness about the discrimination she has faced in theater, and protest the banning of books at the school.

The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez, (List Price: $19.99, Dial Books, 9780593531877, September 2025)

Reviewed by Molly Reinhardt, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Alligator Tears: A Memoir in Essays by Edgar Gomez

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Alligator Tears: A Memoir in Essays by Edgar Gomez
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Edgar Gomez’s memoir in essays is spectacular. He writes with clarity and ease when discussing his life as a queer Latinx person trying to navigate the difficulties inherent in those identities growing up in Florida. I’ll always remember his recounting of the Pulse shooting and the impact that had on him.

Alligator Tears: A Memoir in Essays by Edgar Gomez, (List Price: $28, Crown, 9780593728543, February 2025)

Reviewed by Daniel Jordan, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas

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The Broposal by Sonora Reyes

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The Broposal by Sonora Reyes
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The Broposal was a wild ride from start to finish. Alejandro (Han for short) has been best friends with Kenny since they were 8. Now, at 23, they are still inseparable. When Kenny learns that Han lost his job that was meant to sponsor his visa, he comes up with the idea of fake-marrying Han for his citizenship instead. Although their plan seems foolproof, Kenny’s ex Jackie continues to cause trouble for the two. This book has the fun romance trope of fake relationships while also showing the struggle of an undocumented person in America. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry, and hope for their happily ever after.

The Broposal by Sonora Reyes, (List Price: $17.99, Forever, 9781538766682, January 2025)

Reviewed by Gabriela Warner, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez

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Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez
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The Campo family has weathered all kinds of adversity, but nothing prepares them for the secrets that the matriarch, Mirta, has been keeping. Daughter Monica is facing her own trials with an unexpected pregnancy and questions about her future when her mother shares life-changing information about who her father really is. Add in that Mirta is dealing with heart surgery and memory-clouding aftereffects, a father who regularly disappears when he feels threatened, and two potential suitors for Monica and you have the tender and warm family story that Tita Ramirez has created. Cuban history is deftly woven into the making of the Campo family, adding an additional layer of interest and understanding of the choices that were made.

Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez, (List Price: $28.99, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, 9781982157319, July 2024)

Reviewed by Mary Jane Michels, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Islandborn by Junot Díaz

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Islandborn by Junot Díaz
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It means the world that stories like this exist throughout children’s literature these days, and Islandborn is a book that tells the tale so wonderfully. This is the story of an immigrant who moved here as a baby, or maybe even a child born in the States, who is surrounded by talk of “home” and of the “old days” all their life. This is the story of how that can be alienating and painful and how learning more about where and who you’re made of can bring you strength and joy untold. The illustrations are vibrant and lovely, each page full of story and tiny, beautiful details.

Islandborn by Junot Díaz, (List Price: $17.99, Dial Books, 9780735229860, March 2018)

Reviewed by Cristina Russell, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida

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The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Camarillo Gonzalez James

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The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Camarillo Gonzalez James
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Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel Marcia Marquez in a multi-generational novel about ancestral crimes on the Texas border. It took no time at all for me to know The Bullet Swallower was going to be one of the first books I picked up for 2024. In two separate times we follow both the odyssey of the bandit Antonio Solero, scion of a cursed mine owner born with literal gold in his eyes, and his descendent Jaime, one of Mexico’s most recognizable actors of the 20th century who must uncover the cosmic truths of his family’s violent past. Elizabeth Gonzalez Jones’s prose is glittering with beauty and stagecraft while still packed with action.

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Camarillo Gonzalez James, (List Price: $26.99, Simon & Schuster, 9781668009321, January 2024)

Reviewed by Amanda Depperschmidt, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez

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The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez
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This beautiful, immersive book is everything you could want from historical fiction. Straddling geographic and social divides with aplomb, Henriquez gives us a collage of characters for whom the Panana Canal upended both lives and landscape in the United States’s pursuit of what they consider “progress.” The stakes are personal—we know the Canal will be built—and the impending losses we know are coming allow the characters’ major and minor heartbreaks to take center stage.

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez, (List Price: $30, Ecco, 9780063291324, March 2024)

Reviewed by Leah Jordan, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas

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