el dia de los muertos // where we celebrate latinx culture through 10 book recommendations

hey lovelies!
so, i don’t know why, but just for today i’m going to write in all lowercase. because. it’s more intense and today will be   ~q u i t e~   intense via all the amaze-tastic books. so. bear with me!

what is this post even about?

well, happy dia de los muertos, or ‘day of the dead’, tomorrow! (also, happy halloween ehehe) el dia de los muertos is a celebration of ancestors in mexico, and i thought, well, why not celebrate some really nice YA latinx books here? i missed latinx heritage month (sorry!) but now’s as good a time as any. these books are by a latinx author and/or have latinx main character(s).

i haven’t read all of the books, but i will definitely mention which ones i’ve read! (look out for the ‘verified’ tag)

10. with the fire on high – elizabeth acevedo

i’ve heard so many good things about this books and here’s to hoping i get to read it soon! apparently the food descriptions are to die for! have any of you read it?

9. more happy than not – adam silvera

so. apparently this is a gay book (i!! love!! gay!! books!!) so it’s honestly a no-brainer. this  n e e d s  to be read by me! and, from the synopsis, i think this will definitely bring up mental health and whatnot- which is amazing.

8. shadowshaper – daniel josé older – verified

this is such a beautiful cover, first of all. second, i literally love all the magical aspects and the representation. i got it as a birthday from vaishnavi (hi!!) so it’s automatically going to be great *wink wink*. i think it should be read by everyone- the culture is so richly approached, and i really love that!

7. echo – pam muñoz ryan – verified

gods, gods,  g o d s . this book is SO freaking good, and it’s SO beautiful, just please read it. i mean, it’s technically middle-grade (whoops) but i don’t care- this tale of beauty and magic and a child growing older and a plant blooming gently. this book warmed my heart, so please read it! for my sake? *heh* and it’s set during ww2, so bonus points.

6. don’t date rosa santos – nina moreno

i’ve heard so many good things about this! honestly, who knows if i’ll end up picking it up and *actually* reading it? not me, that’s for sure. but i can still recommend it because even if i haven’t read it… so many others have, and that’s something! alsooo, it’s cuban rep, and that’s great because i… have never read a book with cuban rep, sadly.

5. aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe – benjamin alire sáenz – verified

hi.

hi, are you there? are you there, aditi?

oh, sorry, i might have blanked out ag- DID SOMEONE SAY ARI AND DANTE?

oh my god nooo, she started it again!

welp, if you didn’t get the picture- this is a favorite. i loved it to pieces, and its beautiful and poetic writing will capture your heart. also, it’s gay.

4. the girl who could silence the wind – meg medina

i mean, the cover’s gorgeous and it’s magical, so. why not?

3.  sal and gabi break the universe – carlos hernandez

you know, one thing i’m really good at? breaking my own rules. case in point: 1) i said this is a YA book list and this book is evidently not YA, 2) i said that i’ve never heard of any cuban books before, and this is also a cuban book that i’ve heard of before. so.

ok, but it’s uncle rick presents!! how can it NOT be good?? (well i didn’t even finish aru shah which is supposed to represent my people BUT) it has to be good! i love uncle rick- he’s on my automatic buy list (haha i don’t have a list like that. my parents don’t really buy books for me- ‘use the library’) and he’s just phenomenal!

i mean, it’s a-casual-time-travel-book-with-latinx-characters-and-middle-grade ok??

2. the education of margot sánchez – lilliam rivera

ok, all of these books have such perfect covers!! lemme be honest here- i totally didn’t click on it for the cover.

wait, that’s not honest.

sorry: i totally clicked on it for the cover. that’s kinda true. well, a bit more than kinda. but looking at the synopsis, it looks really good! i think margot sounds preppy (i live for the snobby-but-not-really girls in books) and very sassy. very, very, sassy. i love sass, so this is a no-brainer!

1. we set the dark on fire – tehlor kay mejia – verified

this is a fitting ending. a very fitting ending. ‘

i think that regardless, if this is a three or four or five-star read for you (like it was for me), you should read it because you will enjoy it. and, i mean, i love the premise so much! and. it’s. gay. (well, f/f, but still). imagine: stealing this from may, but ‘if you were a weak straight man and your two wives don’t love you. instead, they fall in love with each other. instantly crushed.’ OK THEN OK. please read it!

well guys, we made it through! and sorry-not-sorry, but i’m tired of writing lowercase.

That’s better, thank god.

Before we go, lemme bug you again with this link to sign up for the blog tour for my new collaboration blog, The Diamond Village!

We’d love to have you spotlight us! Contact me for more information either via email or my contact page (or twitter or goodreads or instagram or bloglovin or wattpad or- you get the idea XD).

Before you go, talk to me: have you read any of these ten books? Which ones, and how did you like them? Are you going to wait to sign up for the blog tour until I stop bugging you? Do you celebrate Dia De Los Muerto or Halloween? What’s your costume gonna be???