Janelle Milanes

Back to School Diverse Reads

October 1, 2019

Back to school season is ultimately upon us whether we are ready for it or not! Even though this teacher could have used another month off I still can’t help but get excited for the fresh beginnings of a brand new school year! There is also nothing better than delving into some good back to school diverse reads to really get me into the school mode.

Here are five essential back to school reads with diverse characters and own voices authors to add to your back to school supply list!

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Emoni Santiago plays by the rules but the one place where she breaks them is when she is in the kitchen. She creates the kind of food that has magical and healing properties that revives everyone around her. Emoni has been dealing with some tough choices throughout her life when she got pregnant as a freshman and has to take care of her Abuela. When her high school offers an elective to study abroad in Spain for a culinary arts program she knows it’s an opportunity she can’t pass up. Despite the lack of money and time, Emoni knows that her passion for food is one that she simply cannot ignore.

This is an inspiring back to school read for those that have a dream that seems impossible. Not to mention, reading about the food will definitely give you a hankering for some good back to school snacks.

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Tanner Scott’s family moved from California to Utah which is known to be a devout Mormon community. Unfortunately, this has pushed him back into the closet. The bisexual teen expects to coast his way into his last semester of high school when he ultimately falls for the Mormon prodigy Sebastian who mentors the class he is enrolled in. Now Tanner must figure out whether he wants to coast through his senior year or risk outing himself to have a chance with his new crush.

Autoboyography seems to be an adorable rom-com back to school read that I definitely want to delve into. This is the first young adult romance by Christina Lauren and I know they will deliver the kind of fluffy romance that will leave us smiling from ear to ear. I have a feeling this is the kind of book that will make us nostalgic for first love and those obligatory butterflies.

Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes

Analee Echeverria is the kind of girl who is trying to figure out who she is after losing her mother to cancer three years ago. She plays two different identities. In school, she is a shy and awkward teenager. At home, she is the online avatar elf hunter of her favorite online game named Kiri who takes no prisoners. She would much prefer to get lost in her online world and avoid the world of high school until she gets an offer from the most popular jock in school. This offer makes Analee realize that she has an inner fierceness that is slowly waiting to come out.

Analee in Real Life was the first YA book I read with the main character who is Cuban and it made my heart so happy as a Cuban American woman. This fake dating trope has the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before feels only with a clever twist. The thing I loved about Analee, in Real Life is that it illustrates the reality of what high school is really like without sugarcoating it. Milanes perfectly depicts the journey that Analee goes through in high school and slowly finds the Kiri that is inside her all along.

The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed

The Nowhere Girls brings together three different girls from vastly different backgrounds to vindicate the rape of a classmate. Grace Salter is the new girl whose family had to escape their community due to their mother turning from a Baptist preacher to a radical liberal. Rosina Suarez is a queer girl from a Mexican family with a pension for punk music. Erin Delillo lives for marine biology and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Together these girls create the secret group The Nowhere Girls and they combat the sexist attitudes running throughout their school and bring justice to the rape of their classmate.

Amy Reed’s book is giving me the Foxfire girl power vibes from the nineties and this is the exact kind of book we need in our #MeToo culture. The Nowhere Girls is the perfect book that tackles serious issues that high school students face in their day to day realities.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Vivian Carter is tired of the sexist culture that pervades through the school and she begins to take action when she hears four little words. “Make me a sandwich.” Vivian is officially fed up and she decides to create a feminist zine and names it Moxie. Vivian’s mom used to be in the riot girl crowd and this influenced her to create the Riot Girl movement in her school. Vivian brings together all kinds of girls from all different backgrounds to come together to take a stand against the prevalent sexism in their school. She meets girls like Lucy Hernandez who is the quintessential Moxie girl and she encourages Vivian to push the boundaries of Moxie. Vivian gets all the girls together to spark the Moxie movement and they learn to find their own inner Moxie girl!

This book will teach women and girls everywhere to do what makes them happy and let go of the stereotypes and unrealistic expectations that are put upon them. Moxie is the kind of book that should be required reading in schools because it truly explores the different facets of feminism and how we view it in our society today. Not to mention, it will also inspire us to let our badass riot grrrl self out and live our best Moxie lives!

Interview with Latinx Contemporary Author: Janelle Milanes

September 7, 2019

1) What was your inspiration behind Analee, in Real Life and Victoria in my Head?

The Victoria in my Head was something that I had been thinking about for a long time. I would take the subway to work (usually about an hour and a half each way) and zone out during the commute by listening to music. Somehow, this idea began to take form. I imagined a girl coming alive on stage in a way that no one who knew her would expect. I think high school me was living vicariously through this idea because I would have loved to sing in a band. Like Victoria, I was incredibly shy (ultimately, I sang in the chorus which is decidedly less cool but was still a fantastic outlet.) I started thinking about what it would look like for an introverted girl with stage fright to completely let everything go and live out her rock star fantasies.

Analee began as a writing exercise for a class I was taking. We had to write from the perspective of a high school stereotype, and I wrote as a wallflower. Years prior, I had also gone through an intense but short-lived World of Warcraft phase. The thought of trying on a whole other persona online was so intriguing to me. I thought it would be an interesting outlet for someone like Analee who felt so stifled in reality and could only live her truth in a virtual world.

2) Which character do you relate the most to Analee or Victoria?

Both characters have pieces of me in them. Victoria is a lot like my teenage self–sheltered, imaginative, yearning for something more than the mundane day-to-day routine. Her parents are very similar to my own as well. Analee possesses a heightened version of my insecurities. She is my anxiety times one thousand and has gone through much more in life than I have.

3) I really loved and related to the part of Victoria’s love of making very specific playlists. Do you find yourself making your own playlists in your writing process and what kind of music do you gravitate to when your writing?

Music is something that really inspires my writing. I do find myself coming up with story ideas after listening to certain songs. When I’m actually hunkering down to write, though, I have to be careful that what I listen to won’t distract me from the writing process! I will make playlists of songs that I can imagine fitting certain scenes in my story. The music tends to be all over the place but there is a fair amount of indie pop/rock in there. While I’m writing, I like the music to be very mellow.

4) Victoria was caught in a love triangle of sorts in The Victoria in my Head. If you had to pick Strand the carefree bad boy or Levi the nerdy hipster who would you pick?

Strand! Strand, Strand, Strand. I’m a sucker for a “bad boy” with a heart of gold when it comes to fiction.

5) How have your experiences of growing up as a Cuban-American influenced your characters Analee and Victoria?

It’s so hard to view objectively how my Cuban-American heritage has influenced my writing, because it’s all I’ve ever known. I’m not even sure I’m conscious of how it seeps into my characters. It’s in the way they speak, think, in their relationships with family and friends. It’s something that’s very difficult to define because it’s so much a part of me!

6) What diverse Latinx authors do you recommend us to read for the year of 2019?

Don’t Date Rosa Santos is an adorable read by Nina Moreno, about a Cuban-American girl who dreams of visiting Cuba but is cursed by the sea. Lilliam Rivera has a new book out as well that I’m excited to check out. It’s called Dealing in Dreams, and it’s a futuristic, dystopian Latinx novel.

7) One of my favorite things about Analee, in Real Life and Victoria in my Head, is that you describe characters that are not your caricature Cuban characters. They identify with their culture but they don’t fit in with their Cuban-American heritage and the stereotypical behaviors they are expected to have. Have you ever identified with these feelings of not fitting in growing up in a Cuban-American family?

I think there is a wealth of diversity within the Cuban-American culture. There is no universal experience, and I try to reflect that in my characters. For me, when growing up and even now, I struggle with feeling as though I’m not “Latina” enough. I have to remind myself that there is no right or wrong way to be a Cuban-American. I am a proud Latina who speaks terrible Spanish, who has never been to the island from which my family originates, and who married an Irish-Italian guy from New York. I am who I am. My family still gives me flack about certain things, especially my Spanish, but they accept me regardless. It’s still a process of learning to accept myself and letting go of the feeling that I have something to prove.

Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes

January 4, 2019

Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes
Published by Simon Pulse on September 18, 2018
Genres: contemporary, YA Contemporary, YA Romance
Pages: 416
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Barnes & Noble, Buy on Books & Books
Goodreads

Ever since her mom died three years ago, Analee Echevarria has had trouble saying out loud the weird thoughts that sit in her head. With a best friend who hates her and a dad who’s marrying a yogi she can’t stand, Analee spends most of her time avoiding reality and role-playing as Kiri, the night elf hunter at the center of her favorite online game.

Through Kiri, Analee is able to express everything real-life Analee cannot: her bravery, her strength, her inner warrior. The one thing both Kiri and Analee can’t do, though, is work up the nerve to confess her romantic feelings for Kiri’s partner-in-crime, Xolkar—aka a teen boy named Harris whom Analee has never actually met in person.

So when high school heartthrob Seb Matias asks Analee to pose as his girlfriend in an attempt to make his ex jealous, Analee agrees. Sure, Seb seems kind of obnoxious, but Analee could use some practice connecting with people in real life. In fact, it’d maybe even help her with Harris.

But the more Seb tries to coax Analee out of her comfort zone, the more she starts to wonder if her anxious, invisible self is even ready for the real world. Can Analee figure it all out without losing herself in the process?

Catfairy’s Booktape

Here is a mix of the songs that I grew up with being raised in a Cuban family and the songs that I am into right now that have those fluffy contemporary YA feels…

Catfairy’s “Real” Bookish Babbles

Analee, in Real Life, sneaked up on me unexpectedly and I am so happy it did! The year 2018 was the year where so many amazing diverse books were being published and Analee, in Real Life came at a perfect time since it was published during Latinx month in September!

Janelle Milanes’s book was the best-underrated book that I have read in 2018 because it is written by an own voices Cuban American author and the MC Analee is Cuban American! This book took me back to a time when I was a shy emo teenager writing unrequited love to one of the popular jocks in school. I can identify with Analee so hard because as a Cuban American I love that this story is not really about a girl who is Cuban, it’s just about a girl who is just trying to exist in the media-saturated world we live in.

Catnopsis

Analee Echeverria is a girl who juggles between two identities. She is an awkward and shy girl at school that prefers to be invisible and she is the kickass online avatar elf hunter named Kiri of her favorite online game. Analee lost her mother three years ago and she struggles with finding her own voice. She wants to be more like the online character of Kiri who always takes action but she keeps holding herself back until she finally decides to stop hiding behind her computer and face the real world.

The character is going through many changes in her life and she prefers to escape reality more than deal with it head-on. Her dad is going to marry a yogi lifestyle YouTuber named Harlow and her best friend won’t speak to her anymore. She finds comfort in her friend Harris who is her online gamer buddy who she has never met and to make things more complicated she has love feelings for him. Analee’s world begins to change when she gets an offer to pretend to be the girlfriend of the most popular jock in school. She finds herself in the process and realizes that she may be more like Kiri the elf hunter than she thinks…

The Meow Casting Call

Meet Analee (Played by Isabella Gomez)

“I’m a crappy excuse for a Cuban anyway. My Spanish is awful. I don’t know proper vocab, only slang words that would get me laughed out of actual Spanish-speaking countries.”

-Analee

via GIPHY

One Day at a Time was one of my favorite shows of 2018 and I have said before that this show is like the Cuban version of Full House! The show gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings and my favorite character was, of course, Elena Alvarez! Elena is a loveable and geeky Cuban American character who reminded me so much of Analee!

Pop Culture Purr-references

via GIPHY

Of course, I have to reference One Day at a Time once again! Analee, in Real Life, reminds me so much of this show because there were many times where Analee’s family made me crack up! There is a hilarious scene in the book where the future stepmom of Analee, named Harlow tries to cook a healthy version of ropa vieja for Analee’s Cuban grandparents and the look of horror on their face is classic! The dynamics of the family in One Day at a Time has the similar heartfelt humor to Analee, in Real Life and it gives me all the nostalgic feelings of growing up in a Cuban family myself.

Catfairy’s Glittery Introspections

I love how this book didn’t end the way I expected it to. Analee, in Real Life, is kind of similar in the vein of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series but with a twist. This is a story about a girl who finds herself and gets the people she loves back in her life. Analee finally finds the strength that is inside of her and realizes that life is best lived outside of her online gaming world. Milanes’ book gets 4.5 stars for me because I felt that the relationship between Harris and Analee was unnecessary and I just wasn’t invested enough in that part of the story. Although, I totally ship the relationship that evolved between Analee and Sebastian even though I have very conflicted feelings about the Sebastian character! There were some choices that Sebastian made in the story that really aggravated me but then again he is a high school jock! I can’t expect perfection from Sebastian!

Janelle Milanes wrote the kind of book that was extremely special because it is a book about a Cuban character who simply existed as a Cuban character. This book had all the dynamics about how it is like to grow up in a Cuban family but the book wasn’t really about that. I love that this book just simply has Cuban characters and that it doesn’t just center the writing on their own culture. Books that are diverse are not solely relegated to just hone in on the character’s cultural background, it can just be about the character’s journey whether it be fighting warlocks or crushing on popular boys.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Reads of 2018

January 1, 2019

Happy New Year Tuesday and happy birthday to me! I am officially in my mid-30’s! Gasp!

Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. Top Ten Tuesday this week consists of the best books of 2018.

1…Save the Date by Morgan Matson

I was highly anticipating this book for a solid 6 months and waited anxiously for my pre-order! I am so happy to say that I absolutely freaking love this book! If you know me then you know Morgan Matson is my contemporary homegirl! Morgan Matson has the ability to bring out those relaxing summer vibes along with the perfect blend of sentimentality! She has a gift of character development and she knows how to show the growth of her characters in a realistic pace. This book brought me to tears and hysterics at the same time which is hard to do! My love for Morgan Matson is real especially since I traveled all the way to Georgia from Miami just to meet her! Read my review about this book here.

2…Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

This wouldn’t be a Top Ten Tuesday without mentioning the book Girl, Wash Your Face! I cannot begin to tell you how important this book was for me this year. When I turned 34 this year, I had so many goals and I felt like I was in a race due to the fact that I am about to enter the mid 30’s and I was freaking out about not accomplishing my ultimate goal which is to finish my book. My Capricorn self is always making deadlines and I was pushing myself to finish writing my book by the age of 35. Rachel Hollis taught me that accomplishing your goals is not about being on a race and that it’s about working on them every day on a consistent basis. This woman offers real advice in a way that is relatable and feels like your vulnerably talking to that best friend after drinking a bottle of wine. She has taught me to stop the self-doubt and insecurity and to go after my dreams no matter what.

3…The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

If I could sum up this book in two words I would say that it is one of the most authentic and relevant books I have read this year! This book is about the Black Lives Matter movement and it encompasses so many issues that our society is facing today. The Hate You Give should be required reading for high school students because it really touches on issues of race, tolerance and stereotypical attitudes many people hold especially in the times we are living in today.

4…The Thorn Necklace by Francesca Lia Block

The Thorn Necklace is officially my writing bible resource whenever I am stuck on where my novel is going! This year of 2018, I actually took action and began to write my novel. Currently, I am on 13,000 words and wanted to get to 20,000 words by the end of this year but I keep telling myself that I went from writing 0 words to 13,000 words and that is a huge thing. This book has had such an impact on me and if you want to find out why read my book review here.

5…The Poet X

This is one of the most original and touching books I have read in 2018! Now I never planned to read The Poet X this year because I had no idea about this book AT ALL until I met Elizabeth Acevedo when she did a book talk with Tomi Adeyemi of Children of Blood and Bone. The minute I heard Elizabeth Acevedo speak I was completely blown away and I bought her book right on the spot! This is a coming of age story about a Latinx girl written in the form of beat poetry! The writing is FLAWLESS! I read this book and finished the rest of the book on audio since I heard it was highly recommended. The writing of this book filled up my soul and find out why in my book review here.

6…The Sun is Also a Star

Nicola Yoon’s debut novel Everything, Everything was an addicting read for me! Yoon’s lyrical, poetic, and creative writing completely transfixed me! The Sun is Also a Star was just as beautifully written as Everything, Everything and the only regret I have is that I put this book off for far too long! The relationship between Natasha and Daniel is insta-lovey but it is one of the few instances where instant love is written with that exquisite feeling of those first-love butterflies.

7…Analee, in Real Life

Analee, in Real Life, was like coming home to me. This is written by a Cuban writer with a Cuban main character! Analee is the MC and she is your typical awkward teenager who struggles with the growing pains and losing her mother to cancer. She ends up in an unexpected relationship with the popular guy in school and through this relationship, she learns a lot about herself in the process and most importantly learns to accept the beauty within herself. One of the things I loved about this book is her Cuban family and the Cuban elements sprinkled throughout this book that reminded me of my own upbringing. I love the message behind this book and the unexpected ending of this book! This book is like To All the Boys I’ve Loved before with a twist!

I am happy to say that I got to meet this author and I intend to read every single book written by Janelle Milanes! The Victoria in My Head will be my next read for 2019!

8…Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

This book was the ultimate feel-good YA contemporary romance of the year! If this book didn’t give you the warm and gleeful fuzzies than there is something wrong with you! I was fortunate to read this book and then see a private viewing of the movie right after!

I will forever ship the romance between Simon and Blue forever! Read my fangirly review here.

9…The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

I did a buddy read of this book with my mom and I didn’t expect this book to break me the way it did! At first, I thought this was just going to be a fun and gossipy read but I was utterly WRONG! The character of Evelyn Hugo was written in such a realistic fashion that I felt like she was a real person that I could just google and find her whole Wikipedia biography! I finished this book on a plane and I was a sobbing mess after reading it. Read more about all emo feels of Evelyn Hugo here.

10…Warcross

This book is not my typical read because sci-fi is definitely not my go-to read but the plot sucked me in! The book is a virtual reality kind of book and I have always been fascinated with virtual reality. The virtual reality aspect definitely piqued my interest in this book! The world was written in such a fascinating and realistic fashion and let’s just say I had a complete crush on Hideo Tanaka! He gave me the 50 Shades of Grey feels only the writing was ten times better! I want more of Hideo Tanaka and Emika Chen and need to read the sequel Wildcard for the year of 2019!

Miami Book Fair Tiny TBR List (EEEEK!)

November 7, 2018

I am highly anticipating the Miami Book Fair! The fair goes on from November 11-18th! This fair always attracts one of the biggest authors! There are huge authors coming like Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies what what?!), Laura Esquivel, Meg Cabot…the list goes on!!!

1…Analee, in Real Life

Words cannot possibly describe how EXCITED I am to pick up and read this book! This is my number one read for the Miami Book Fair! If I cannot get to any of the books for the Miami Book Fair this is my MUST read before I get to meet Janelle Milanes on November 18th!

This book is a contemporary read and as I have mentioned in a previous post, the central character is Cuban American and just knowing that I get to read a character who I can identify with is EVERYTHING to me! I am Cuban American and I am so excited to binge read this book once it comes in the mail!

2…Circe

I am all about Greek mythology and I remember devouring Edith Hamilton’s stories in high school and in my early college days! The story centers on Circe who is the daughter of the Titan sun god Helios and she has realized that she has the powers of witchcraft. She gets vanished by Zeus, of course (Big surprise there.) and that’s where Circe learns to hone her powers of witchcraft! If this doesn’t sound like an intriguing and fascinating read I don’t know what is! Since the powers of time are not on my side, I will be listening to this book on audio. I have heard amazing things about the audiobook for Circe from a couple of bookish friends and I am so ready to immerse myself into this magical world!

Books I wish I could read before the Miami Book Fair…

So I told you that this TBR list was going to be tiny! I wish I could say that I could read all the recently released books by all the authors by November 17th but I would be lying to you and myself! I have lied to myself frequent times when it comes to announcing my TBR list and I need to STOP!

If you’re going to the Miami Book Fair please let me know if you’re going to be there! Let me know in the comments below if you want to read these book, if you have read them, or if you’re attending any awesome book fairs this year!