English books with some Spanish or Spanglish in them

[Anonymous]

I've been reading a fun cozy mystery called "Mango, Mambo, and Murder" by Raquel V. Reyes and I've really been enjoying the bits of Spanish that are sprinkled into the book. I'm a Duolingo nerd (spanish) so it's combining two of my interests!

I'm probably not at the point where I would be up for an entire book in Spanish, but do you know any other titles that would have some Spanish?

I haven't read them for a while but I'm thinking that Like Water for Chocolate, The House on Magno Street, and Isabel Allende books might also fit in this category.

Any other ideas?

[Anonymous]

The brief wondrous life of Oscar wao by Junior Diaz. Also the audible version is fantastic - read by Lin Manuel Miranda.

[Anonymous]

*Junot Diaz

[Anonymous]

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Inglesias

I'm not sure if it's your genre of books. It's kind of a darker Breaking Bad type of book.

[Anonymous]

Silvia Garcia-Moreno books. She writes across a few genres. I'd try The Beautiful Ones and Gods of Jade and Shadow first.

They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis—neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse—and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.

When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.

But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina—and himself—that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins. The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal, and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.

[Anonymous]

American Dirt

[Anonymous]

Las Madres by Esmeralda Santiago. It will be out soon.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Silvia Garcia-Moreno. She likes to play with different genres, so that means there’s a wide variety and probably one you’ll like. My personal favorite is Mexican gothic, but it’s “a lot” and could be triggering (and/or cathartic) for anyone who grew up in an abusive family. The two titles above are both solid choices that I enjoyed despite not being into those genres. Untamed Shore is the closest to regular historical fiction. Her other few titles didn’t work as well for me personally, but she’s a good enough writer that even those aren’t terrible. You might like some more than others, but you can’t go totally wrong by trying one or more of her books.

[Anonymous]

There is a collection of early poems by Barbara Kingsolver which are also translated into Spanish on the opposite page. I think its some of her best work: Another America

[Anonymous]

Thank you everyone!

[Anonymous]

For Whom the Bell Tolls

[Anonymous]

Solito

Just finished it. Spanish and Spanglish throughout. So beautifully written.