Book of the Month
THE HOUSE IN THE PINES
Author: Ana Reyes
Publisher: Dutton
ISBN-10: 1408717697 / ISBN-13: 978-1408717691
SUMMARY:
An instant New York Times bestseller!
“This is an absolute, can’t-put-it-down thriller…It’s truly a wild ride that had me flying through chapter after chapter—which I think is the perfect way to kick off your year of reading.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Jan ’23 Pick)
Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend’s sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed….
Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.
Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.
At her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin….
Utterly unique and captivating, The House in the Pines keeps you guessing about whether we can ever fully confront the past and return home.
About the Author:
Ana Reyes has an MFA from Louisiana State University. Her work has appeared in Bodega, Pear Noir!, New Delta Review, and elsewhere. She lives in Los Angeles where she teaches creative writing to older adults at Santa Monica College. The House in the Pines is her first novel.
Website: https://www.anareyeswriter.com/
Facebook: @Ana-Reyes-113585258019615
Twitter: @anareyeswriter
Instagram: @anareyeswriter 
Conversations Book
CHINGONA:
OWNING YOUR INNER BADASS FOR HEALING AND JUSTICE
Author: Dr. Alma Zaragoza-Petty
Publisher: Broadleaf Books
ISBN: 1506483186 / ISBN-13: 978-1506483184
SUMMARY:
Creating the world you want to live in takes guts and grace and everything you’ve got. To heal the world, though, you’ve also got to find healing yourself. You’ve got to get in touch with your inner badass.
In Chingona, Mexican American activist, scholar, and podcast host Alma Zaragoza-Petty helps us claim our inner chingona, a Spanish term for “badass woman.” For all the brown women the world has tried to conquer, badassery can be an asset, especially when we face personal and collective trauma. Working for change while preserving her spirit, a chingona repurposes her pain for the good of the world. She may even learn that she belongs to a long line of chingonas who came before her—unruly women who used their persevering energy to survive and thrive.
As a first-generation Mexican American, Zaragoza-Petty narrates in riveting terms her own childhood, split between the rain-soaked beauty of her grandparents’ home in Acapulco and a harsh new life as an immigrant family in Los Angeles. She describes the chingona spirit she began to claim within herself and leads us toward the courage required to speak up and speak out against oppressive systems. As we begin to own who we are as chingonas, we go back to where our memories lead, insist on telling our own stories, and see our scars as proof of healing.
Liberating ourselves from the bondage of the patriarchy, white supremacy, and colonization that exists in our own bodies, we begin to see our way toward a more joyful future. This work won’t be easy, Zaragoza-Petty reminds us. Imagining a just and healed world from the inside out will take dialing in to our chingona spirit. But by unleashing our inner badass, we join the righteous fight for dignity and justice for all.
About the Author:
Alma Zaragoza-Petty, PhD, is a Mexicana social justice advocate ad scholar who
teaches equity to create change. Born in Los Angeles, but raised in Acapulco, Mexico, for much of her childhood she is the daughter of immigrant parents and a first-generation high school and college graduate. Dr. ZP, as she is known to her students, is committed to fighting injustices and imagining life-affirming spaces in education and social impact sectors. She released her first book, a personal narrative on healing and justice titled Chingona: Owning your Inner Badass for Healing and Justice. The book is a call to reclaim our roots, the pain, and the beauty of it in order to step into full chingona territory.
Website: thedoczp.com https://www.broadleafbooks.com/
Twitter: @thedoczp
Instagram: @thedoczp
Facebook: @doctressZp
Conversations Children’s Book
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL
Author: Dora Maria Abreu
Publisher: Skinny Brown Dog
ISBN:
English / Spanish – ISBN-10 : 1957506474 / 1957506423 / ISBN-13 : 978-1957506470 / 978-1957506425
English / Farsi – ISBN-10: 1957506512 / ISBN-13 : 978-1957506517
SUMMARY:
Hello! Hola! Do you know that you are Beautiful?
You are very special. You are the only you there is in the entire world, and that’s out of billions of people!
You are smart, funny, courageous, and unique, which is something you should always remember.
You bring an amazing light into this world that no one else can bring, and only you know how you can shine.
This book will introduce you and your child to other kids that celebrate just how amazing you both are as you read together affirmation of empowerment.
What you will find in this book:
– 18 Inspiring affirmations about self-esteem, courage, inner strength, and self-love.
– A simple and engaging writing style suitable for both shared and independent reading
– Identification with the characters who celebrate the diversity of our children’s world.
– Beautiful images to accompany the reading and stimulate the imagination
– Powerful messages everyone needs to hear
Children love this book, and it helps them to:
– Develop confidence in themselves and their abilities
– Cope better with difficult situations
– Never give up, and do not be discouraged by small failures
– Believe in their dreams
– Understanding the importance of relationships with parents and friends
– Be curious and follow their passions
This book is perfect if you want a book that:
– Celebrates what makes us beautiful inside and out.
– Reinforces positive messages that promote self-confidence and high self-esteem.
– Teaches children what true beauty is.
– Recognizes diversity in children and applauds it.
– Encourages parents to talk with their children about their unique qualities and traits.
– Builds self-love in young children so they will walk tall and stand proud, no matter what they may face.
– Teaches positive messaging that begins at birth and lasts a lifetime.
** Please consider donating this book to orphanages, foster homes, day care centers, after school programs, and senior centers. **
About the Author:
Dora Maria Abreu is a pioneer as a Latin American woman in technology leadership. Her extensive experience in technology, training, product/leadership development, web design/social media & project management in the financial, educational & engineering sectors has opened doors for other women of color in the field. Her passion for inspiring youth has extended to involvement for the past 20 years serving on multiple not-for-profit boards. “Don’t have just one mentor. Get a variety of mentors, so you can get different perspectives.” – Dora Maria Abreu
Websites: Author linktr.ee/dmabreu Skinny Brown Dog Media https://skinnybrowndogmedia.com/
Twitter: @dmabreu @ericgreid
Instagram: @dmabreu @ericgreid
Facebook: @DMAbreuCommunity @SkinnyBrownDogMedia
