Best Audiobooks to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

When I decided to write this blog, I knew I had to listen to something … anything by Elizabeth Acevedo. So, I started here since I knew how loved and decorated this book is: Winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Pura Belpré Award. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to listen to her work — which is not just for young adults, even if the heroine is an Afro-Latina, sophomore from Harlem. Yes, I’ll be adding her other books to my TBL (to be listened to) list immediately.

Imagine spending your whole life (all 17 years) as an average teenage American only to find out that you technically aren’t legally an American citizen at all. Oh, and you can’t get your driver’s license either. We have Rafael Agustin to thank for the many laughs, tears and heart-warming moments on the hit CW show, Jane The Virgin. In Illegally Yours, Agustin shares his Ecuadorian immigrant experience as a teenager in the ‘90s in his touching yet funny memoir. 

Back in the summer, I included Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut novel on our list of Top 10 Favorite eBooks This Year (So Far).  So, you already know I love this book.  I love it so much that I went back and wanted to give the audiobook a listen to see if it would still hold up — and of course it didn’t disappoint, a trio of Puerto Rican-born narrators bringing this story to life.

George Lopez (yes, that George Lopez, of stand-up & sitcom fame) kicks off a fun new middle grade series about twelve-year-old Jorge, who has just been sent to live with his grandparents.  He finds a new friend in Carter … who just happens to be a young Chupacabra – the legendary creature, whose name actually translates to “goat sucker.” Before I was even five minutes into this story I was laughing and knew I wanted to listen to more books narrated by Giordan Diaz (you can find those here).

Decoding “Despacito”: An Oral History of Latin Music, Leila Cobo
As a BIG music fan (I worked in a record store for five years) I LOVE books like this. Happy to report that when looking at the songs included here, I recognized the majority of them instantly — many were part of family gatherings as I was growing up. It was fun to learn the stories behind iconic songs by Miami Sound Machine and Willie Colón and recent hits by Daddy Yankee and Rosalía. They were all stuck in my head immediately after learning about them, and I’m happy to let you know the author created a playlist with them. 

When Eva’s husband is arrested for the murder of a friend, she must confront her murky past and embrace her magick to find out what really happened that night on the river. Eva doesn’t know whom to trust — least of all, herself. Award-winning author Jennifer Givhan’s latest is perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic, The Girl on the Train, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, and master of spooky and scary, Stephen King.

This collection includes fifteen essays and poems from a group of bestselling and award-winning authors you should know, as well as some up-and-coming writers you’ll want to know. This all-star anthology shows how diverse the Latinx diaspora truly is, and I could see bit of my own life reflected in some of these essays. A number of the authors narrate their contributions, but it also introduced me to Frankie Corzo & Avi Roque, two more narrators to add to my overflowing TBL list.

Proud to say I knew about this back way before it was all over #BookTok. While this wasn’t Adam Silvera’s first novel, it was the first one I picked up to read (and have him sign at an event when it was released). I’m glad more people know the story of Mateo (who I identified with a lot — and not just because we’re both Puerto Ricans that wear glasses) and his new friend Rufus as they meet on their last day. Another story I knew well, but was happy to revisit via the audiobook this time around. And, while I know we’re talking audiobooks here, I have to plug the awesome hardcover B&N Exclusive Edition of the upcoming prequel, The First to Die at the End, which I’m excited to read (or listen to … or both).

Good things can come in small packages, and this short memoir by chef and activist Gaby Melian is a good thing.  I definitely wanted to know more about the former Bon Apetit test kitchen manager’s story and more about her journey with food. I also found myself very hungry after listening to this on my commute. While Melian’s latest cookbook might be geared towards young chefs, it gives me comfort in knowing I should be able to tackle these delicious recipes (including empanadas) to take a trip across Latin America.