Curl up with a Good Book for Hispanic Heritage Month

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National Hispanic Heritage Month takes place September 15 through October 15, and it's the perfect time to reflect on people of Hispanic descent who have influenced our society.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, President Lyndon Johnson first recognized Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. It was later expanded to a month-long period by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The date of September 15 is significant in Hispanic history because it marks the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence on the next day, September 16, followed by Chile on September 18.

What better way to learn about the Latinx experience than by reading books by authors from the Hispanic community? We partnered with Goodreads to put together this list of new releases that deserve a spot on your TBR list. From horror and romance to family drama and memoirs, there's something for everyone on this list.

Related: Best Books of Fall 2023 | Best Romance Novels | Best Halloween Books for Adults

Family Lore

Elizabeth Acevedo (Clap When You Land, The Poet X) is one of the best voices of our time. In this novel, she delves into a Dominican American family through the eyes of the women, each of whom have a special gift. Flor's gift is to foresee a person's death. So when she decides to hold her own living wake, her family speculates about what she saw in her last dream—but Flor won't tell. The generations come together to celebrate her life as each of the women tell their own story and share their gifts.

The Wind Knows My Name

Five-year-old Samuel Adler leaves Nazi-occupied Austria for England after his father's disappearance. Eighty years later, Anita Díaz and her mother board a train to flee El Salvador for the U.S. When she is separated from her mother, Anita escapes to the imaginary world of Azabahar, where her story becomes intertwined with Samuel's.

Still Born

Nettel's novel explores motherhood and friendship through the eyes of Alina and Laura. The two career-driven women in their thirties have different opinions on children. Laura has decided to have her tubes tied, while Alina is preparing to have a baby. Alina's pregnancy causes them to face surprising emotions.

The Cuban Heiress

New York heiress Catherine Dohan and the mysterious Elena Palacio meet on the SS Morro Castle. Their trip to Havana is filled with danger as they fight to survive.

Retrospective

Film director Sergio Cabrera is struggling with his father's death, his failing marriage, and turmoil in his home country. When he travels to Barcelona for a retrospective of his work, he reflects on his family history.

The People Who Report More Stress

Varela's collection of interconnected stories explores topics like parenting, racism, and gentrification. The author of The Town of Babylon focuses on the stresses caused by society's inequities.

Vampires of El Norte

The author of The Hacienda returns with a supernatural Western. Nena, a healer, and Néstor, a vaquero (cattle herder), must team up to defeat a horrifying force in 1840s Mexico. Isabel Cañas draws on the legends of witches, vampires, and El Cucuy, a scary boogeyman in the Rio Grande Valley.

Silver Nitrate

The author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic is back with a dark thriller. Montserrat, a sound editor, and her best friend Tristán, a soap opera star, meet a cursed director and help him finish his lost film.

Monstrilio

In this horror debut, mother Magos loses her 11-year-old son. She cuts out a piece of his lung and nurtures it into a carnivorous monster that she hides in her family's home.

Our Share of Night

When a woman dies, her son and husband go on a journey to her ancestral home, where they find her demonic family called the Order. The son must face his destiny while his father tries to protect him.

Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino”

Héctor Tobar, a Pulitzer Prize–winning author, explores what it means to be a Latino in the 21st century. He explores the Latino identity while drawing on personal experience and the experiences of his parents, who immigrated from Guatemala.

In Vitro: On Longing and Transformation

Zapata revisits diary entries and essays to explore topics about fertility treatments and pregnancy that are often not discussed, including in vitro fertilization.

Witch of Wild Things

This witchy romance is a perfect Halloween read. In the Flores family, the women have magical powers. Sage returns home after her sister dies and reconnects with her high school boyfriend. They're forced to work together and find themselves reconnecting in spite of their past.

First Gen

Alejandra Campoverdi is a first-generation Mexican American raised by her single mother in L.A. Her memoir explores her life of contradictions, from her experience as a gang member's girlfriend to her role as a White House aide.

The Broke Hearts

JD and Danny lost their best friend to police gunfire and years later are still reeling from his death. JD decides to enlist in the Air Force while Danny enrolls in community college, but they must come together to deal with their grief.

(On sale 10/3)

What the River Knows

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera lives in 19th-century Buenos Aires when she learns of her parents' tragic deaths. She inherits a massive fortune and a mysterious guardian—an archaeologist who takes her to Egypt in search of answers about what happened to her parents.

(On sale 10/31)

Call You When I Land

This new memoir by Nikki Vargas, a Columbian immigrant and travel journalist, finds the author exploring the world in search of herself. Her journey leads her to launch Unearth Women, the first international feminist travel magazine.

(On sale 11/7)

Flores and Miss Paula

Rivero explores the mother-daughter bond in this heartfelt new novel. Millennial Flores and her immigrant mother, Paula, have a complicated relationship. After the death of their father and husband, their relationship becomes even more strained, until Flores discovers a note written by her mother under her father's urn.

(On sale 12/5)

How to Draw a Novel

Through a series of essays, Solares, author of The Black Minutes and Don’t Send Flowers, explores the form of the novel. The former publisher pairs line drawings with explorations of location and characters to delve into the way a novel is formed.

(On sale 12/12)

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