Book of the Month
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN: A MEMOIR OF COURAGE
Author: Silvia Vasquez-Lavado
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
ISBN-10: 1250776740 / ISBN-13: 978-1250776747 / ASIN: B092T9SNLP
SUMMARY:
Endless ice. Thin air. The threat of dropping into nothingness thousands of feet below. This is the climb Silvia Vasquez-Lavado braves in her page-turning, pulse-raising memoir following her journey to Mount Everest.
A Latina hero in the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, she was hanging by a thread. Deep in the throes of alcoholism, hiding her sexuality from her family, and repressing the abuse she’d suffered as a child, she started climbing. Something about the brute force required for the ascent―the risk and spirit and sheer size of the mountains and death’s close proximity―woke her up. She then took her biggest pain as a survivor to the biggest mountain: Everest.
“The Mother of the World,” as it’s known in Nepal, allows few to reach her summit, but Silvia didn’t go alone. She gathered a group of young female survivors and led them to base camp alongside her. It was never easy. At times hair-raising, nerve-racking, and always challenging, Silvia remembers the acute anxiety of leading a group of novice climbers to Everest’s base, all the while coping with her own nerves of summiting. But, there were also moments of peace, joy, and healing with the strength of her fellow survivors and community propelling her forward.
In the Shadow of the Mountain is a remarkable story of heroism, one which awakens in all of us a lust for adventure, an appetite for risk, and faith in our own resilience.
About the Author:
In 2016, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado became the first Peruvian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal. By 2018, she completed climbing the 7 Summits (otherwise known as the tallest mountain in each continent), becoming the first openly gay woman to do so. Silvia is a role model for anyone who has been told that their identity comes with limitations. She is a fierce advocate for LGTBQ+ equality and women’s rights and sexual abuse survivors. Silvia’s achievements made her recognized as a leader on and off the mountain and a symbol of women’s empowerment worldwide.
Website: https://www.silviavasla.com/ https://henryholt.com/
Facebook: @silviavasla @HenryHoltandCompany
Goodreads: @Silvia_Vasquez_Lavado
Twitter: @silviavasla @HenryHolt
Instagram: @silviavasla @henryholtbooks
Conversations With Book
A CARIBBEAN HEIRESS IN PARIS
Author: Adriana Herrera
Publisher: HQN Books
ISBN: 1335639844 / ISBN-13: 978-1335639844 ASIN: B09G6ZFXD8
SUMMARY:
Paris, 1889. The Exposition Universelle is underway, drawing merchants from every corner of the globe…including Luz Alana Heith-Benzan, heiress to the Caña Brava rum empire.
Luz Alana set sail from Santo Domingo armed with three hundred casks of rum, her two best friends and one simple rule: under no circumstances is she to fall in love. In the City of Lights, she intends to expand the rum business her family built over three generations, but buyers and shippers alike can’t imagine doing business with a woman…never mind a woman of color. This, paired with being denied access to her inheritance unless she marries, leaves the heiress in a very precarious position.
Enter James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, who has spent a decade looking for purpose outside of his father’s dirty money and dirtier dealings. Ignoring his title, he’s built a whisky brand that’s his biggest—and only—passion. That is, until he’s confronted with a Spanish-speaking force of nature who turns his life upside down.
From their first tempestuous meeting, Luz Alana is conflicted. Why is this titled—and infuriatingly charming—Scottish man so determined to help her? For Evan, every day with Luz Alana makes him yearn for more than her ardent kisses or the marriage of convenience that might save them both. But Luz Alana sailed for Paris prepared to build her business and her future; what she wasn’t prepared for was love finding her.
About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last 15 years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings. When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family, or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a social worker in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Website: https://adrianaherreraromance.com/ https://www.harlequin.com/
Twitter: @ladrianaherrera @HarlequinBooks
Instagram: @ladriana_herrera @harlequinbooks
Goodreads: @Adriana_Herrera
Facebook: @AdrianaHerrera @HarlequinBooks
