Fall’s must-read books
Thalía Sodi has said writing her memoir was “helpful and therapeutic” during one of the toughest times of her life. (Courtesy of Penguin Group)
By ANGIE ROMERO
Channel: Entertainment
This fall, a literary legend returns, a certain sucia runs for her life, and a couple of pop stars open up about their highs and lows. Check out our seasonal list of the most anticipated books by prominent Latinos.
The Aleph by Paulo Coehlo
Out now
Like his masterpiece, The Alchemist, Paulo Coehlo’s Aleph (not to be confused with Jorge Luis Borges’ timeless classic The Aleph) is about self-discovery. Faced with a crisis of faith, the protagonist sets off toward Africa, Europe, and Asia on the Trans-Siberian Railway (the book draws heavily from Coehlo’s own pilgrimage in 2006). There he meets a young violinist named Hilal, whom he knows and loves from a past life but whom he also betrayed. Now he must teach her how to forgive in order to find happiness. Therein lies the challenge: “We can never wound the soul, just as we can never wound God, but we can become imprisoned by our memories, and that makes our lives wretched even when we have everything we need in order to be happy,” writes the 64-year-old Brazilian author, who is an avid, multi-lingual Twitter-head, with over 2 million followers (and 6 million on Facebook).
Lauren’s Saints of Dirty Faith by Alisa Valdés Rodriguez
Out now
The queen of chica-lit is back with the third installment of her wildly popular Dirty Girls series. Her latest centers on Lauren Fernandez, a Boston newspaper columnist (“I’m a dinosaur” she readily admits) trying to shake off a sociopathic ex who happens to also be involved with the mob. She trades in Southie for New Mexico (also the author’s birthplace) and starts anew. Most impressive of all, the Cuban-American author self-published and is handling all aspects of the release herself—including marketing and publicity.
Me by Ricky Martin
New paperback version out now.
Originally released last year, Martin’s memoir holds nothing back, including his decision to come out to the world as a “proud homosexual man” (despite having had relationships with women, which he discusses here). From his early days with Menudo to the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” craze and the birth of his twins, Me is an honest look at one of the most self-aware and enlightened pop stars in the world.
Growing Stronger by Thalía
Out November 1
Written prior to her mother’s passing (Yolanda Miranda died suddenly of cardiac arrest in May of this year), the Mexican superstar went back and added a new introduction and a few additional chapters that address the loss of her former manager and best friend. Here she opens up about being bullied as a child, her first love, her struggle with life in the spotlight, how she came to take ownership of her career, and her marriage to Tommy Mottola, with whom she has two kids: Sabrina, 4, and Matthew, born in June, just weeks after Miranda died. Thalía even dedicated a chapter to Emilio Estefan, her former producer and friend, who introduced the Sony music mogul to his future wife. “I have been blessed with many great life experiences, but also some really heartbreaking ones,” Thalía says of her life story.
