December 2018 Book of the Month
Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist by Sylvia Acevedo
Published by: Clarion
ISBN-10: 1328809560
ISBN-13: 978-1328809568
SYNOPSIS:
The inspiring memoir for young readers about a Latina rocket scientist whose early life was transformed by joining the Girl Scouts and who currently serves as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
A meningitis outbreak in their underprivileged neighborhood left Sylvia Acevedo’s family forever altered. As she struggled in the aftermath of loss, young Sylvia’s life transformed when she joined the Brownies. The Girl Scouts taught her how to take control of her world and nourished her love of numbers and science.
With new confidence, Sylvia navigated shifting cultural expectations at school and at home, forging her own trail to become one of the first Latinx to graduate with a master’s in engineering from Stanford University and going on to become a rocket scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
BIO:
A life-long Girl Scout, Sylvia Acevedo was appointed permanent CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA in May, 2017.
Since assuming leadership at Girl Scouts, Sylvia’s bold initiatives are consistent with its emphasis on the development of character, confidence and character, and its call to action to girls to live their lives as a G.I.R.L.- Go-getters, Innovators, Risk takers and Leaders.
Sylvia’s Girl Scout journey began as a young girl growing up in New Mexico,
Girl Scouts nourished Sylvia’s love for math and science that would culminate in a career as a rocket scientist, engineer, technology executive and award-winning STEM entrepreneur.
She is the author of Path to the Stars, an aspirational memoir for middle school students that focuses on her own journey of perseverance, hope, and achievement against the odds.
Sylvia was one of the first Hispanic students, male or female, to earn a graduate engineering degree from Stanford University—an MS in industrial engineering—and she holds a bachelor of science degree with honors in industrial engineering from New Mexico State University.
Author webpage: https://sylviaacevedo.org/ / https://sylviaacevedo.org/book/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SylviaAcevedo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SylviaEliaAcevedo/
December 2018 Conversations Book
Snow Falling
by Jane Gloriana Villanueva / Caridad Pineiro
Published by: Adams Media
ISBN-10: 1507206623
ISBN-13: 978-1507206621
SYNOPSIS:
It’s been a lifetime (and three seasons) in the making, but Jane Gloriana Villanueva is finally ready to make her much-anticipated literary debut!
Jane the Virgin, the Golden Globe, AFI, and Peabody Award–winning The CW dramedy, has followed Jane’s telenovela-esque life—from her accidental artificial insemination and virgin birth to the infant kidnapping and murderous games of the villainous Sin Rostro to an enthralling who-will-she-choose love triangle. With these tumultuous events as inspiration, Jane’s breathtaking first novel adapts her story for a truly epic romance that captures the hope and the heartbreak that have made the television drama so beloved.
Snow Falling is a sweeping historical romance set in 1902 Miami—a time of railroad tycoons, hotel booms, and exciting expansion for the Magic City. Working at the lavish Regal Sol hotel and newly engaged to Pinkerton Detective Martin Cadden, Josephine Galena Valencia has big dreams for her future. Then, a figure from her past reemerges to change her life forever: the hotel’s dapper owner, railroad tycoon Rake Solvino.
The captivating robber baron sets her heart aflame once more, leading to a champagne-fueled night together. But when their indiscretion results in an unexpected complication, Josephine struggles to decide whether her heart truly belongs with heroic Martin or dashing Rake.
Meanwhile, in an effort to capture an elusive crime lord terrorizing the city, Detective Cadden scours the back alleys of the Magic City, tracking the nefarious villain to the Regal Sol and discovering a surprising connection to the Solvino family.
However, just when it looks like Josephine’s true heart’s desire is clear, danger strikes. Will her dreams for the future dissolve like so much falling snow or might Josephine finally get the happy ever after she’s been dreaming of for so long?
BIO: Caridad Pineiro
Caridad Pineiro is a transplanted Long Island girl who has fallen in love with the Jersey Shore. When Caridad isn’t taking long strolls along the boardwalk, she’s also a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author with over a million romance novels sold worldwide. Caridad is passionate about writing and helping others explore and develop their skills as writers. She is a founding member of the Liberty States Fiction Writers and has presented workshops at the RT Book Club Convention, Romance Writers of America National Conference as well as various writing organizations throughout the country.
Jane Gloriana Villanueva
A lifelong fan of romance novels and telenovelas, Jane Gloriana Villanueva has worked as a publisher’s assistant at Silver Horizons and dating columnist for Cosmopolitan online. She is now thrilled to be publishing her first novel. Snow Falling is a sweeping historical romance based on Jane’s now-notorious true story of being accidentally artificially inseminated as a Catholic virgin, becoming the target of the nefarious crime lord Sin Rostro, and ultimately marrying her true love who died tragically young. Jane’s life, loves, trials, and tribulations can be followed on The CW’s hit television show Jane the Virgin.
Author webpage: www.caridad.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaridadPineiro/
Facebook: @caridad.author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CaridadPineiro/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caridadpineiro/
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CaridadPineiro/
tumblr: http://caridadpineiro.tumblr.com/
