Between the bulky sweaters, the restrictive skinny jeans and the onslaught of "comprehensive" technological devices, it can be a bit difficult to figure out what to give family and friends this Christmas.

Despite the fact that Christmas has a set anniversary, it always always seems to sneak up on you. And it's always nearly impossible to figure out what to give your mother, sister, cousin, uncle and brother each holiday season, no matter how well you know them.

Never fear, Latin Post has you covered.

Whenever in doubt, a good book is always a great present to share with anyone who's interested in romance, adventure, mythology, history, self-discovery, biographies, graphic novels, cooking, technology, politics and mystery. Whether that book is an audiobook, loaded up on a device, like an iPad, Kindle or Nook, or if it's in print form (which is still extremely popular among savvy teens), books continue to be a safe bet.

But are you unclear about what to buy particular family members? Learn the names of their favorite author's and look for that author's previous works; browse libraries; search online book seller websites, like Amazon or Barnes and Noble; check best-seller and award-winning book lists; search in-store displays; and find out what people are reading on social media sites. Or, better yet, allow Latin Post to make some helpful suggestions, giving you a list of great novels, memoirs and collections written by truly terrific Latino authors.

"The Doctor's Wife" by Luis Jaramillo

"Luis Jaramillo's combination of irony, tenderness, and restraint brings to mind Evan Connell's iconic portrait of Kansas City's Mrs. Bridge." -- NPR Books 

"The House of the Spirits" & "Ripper" by Isabel Allende

"Extraordinary . . . powerful . . . sharply observant, witty and eloquent."-- The New York Times 

"The House on Mango Street" &"Have You Seen Marie?" by Sandra Cisneros

"Sandra Cisneros is one of the most brillant of today's young writers. Her work is sensitive, alert, nuanceful...rich with music and picture." -- Gwendolyn Brooks 

"Traveller of the Century" by Andrés Neuman

"The literature of the twenty-first century will belong to Neuman." -- Roberto Bolaño 

"The Clairvoyant of Calle Ocho" by Anjanette Delgado

"The Clairvoyant of Calle Ocho reminds me of why I started reading in the first place--to be enchanted, to be carried away from my world and dropped into a world more vivid and incandescent. Anjanette Delgado loves her characters, even the miscreants, and makes us love them too." -- John Dufresne, author of "No Regrets, Coyote"

 

"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" & "This Is How You Lose Her" Junot Diaz

"Funny, street-smart and keenly observed...An extraordinarily vibrant book that's fueled by adrenaline-powered prose."-- Michiko Kakutani, New York Times 

"The Vicious Deep" by Zoraida Córdova 

"This mythical tale is a great read told on land and below the sea. These mermaids are not the lovely creatures you know - they may be beautiful but they are also deadly. Córdova gives us a great new ending to The Little Mermaid. Boys and girls will enjoy this book, because while there's a romance here, there's also a good amount of action. 4 Stars." -- RT Book Reviews 

"This is Not a Test" by José Luis Vilson 

"In its telling, Jose Vilson's evocative collection of essays are ferociously honest and, as expected from someone whose creative impulses are informed by hip-hop, unapologetic and lyrical. A thoroughly engaging narrative about the intersection of race and culture, identity, economic disparity, and education, This is Not A Test is a must-read for parents and educators who want to understand, truly and deeply, the challenges inner-city students face. It was, after all, written by one of those children, a young man from a marginalized community, who grew up and bum-rushed the system he dedicated his life to changing from within." -- Raquel Cepeda, author of "Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina"

"Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quiñonez 

"A new and authentic voice of the urban Latino experience." -- Esmeralda Santiago, author of "When I Was Puerto Rican" 

Las Christmas: Favorite Latino Authors Share Their Holiday Memories &"When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

"[Santiago's] story is painful at points, funny in others, but it speaks a universal truth: We never totally leave our past behind." -- Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 

"The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon" by Willie Perdomo

"Willie Perdomo's lines are ritualistic codes whose speaking is likely to summon the saints or 'whistle evil out of [your] garden.' If your ears, feet, and heart have not been initiated yet into the myth-making genius, sly observances, hip-speak, and erudition of this poet's pen then The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon is your body's reparation and reconciliation act, your own bomb-diggity." -- Major Jackson, author of "Holding Company"

"Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White" by Lila Quintero Weaver

 "A vivid, insightful, and moving illustrated graphic memoir by Weaver, who emigrated from Argentina to the American South as a young girl in 1961, recounting her impressions of her family's new and unexpected life in racist, rural Alabama during the civil rights movement. In beautiful gray-shaded drawings, Weaver depicts the reality of the segregated and newly integrated South and her struggle to position herself as an ally to her black classmates, only to find that it's a path fraught with pitfalls from both sides of the divide." -- Publishers Weekly 

"Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass" by Meg Medina

"Poignant, powerful, pull-your-heart-apart sad, snort-out-your-nose funny--a nuanced, honest telling of how courage and choice can triumph over the hell of being bullied." -- Carrie Jones, Author of the "Need" series and co-editor of "Dear Bully"

"A Cup of Water Under My Bed: A Memoir" by Daisy Hernandez

"Warm and thoughtful, Hernández writes with cleareyed compassion about living, and redefining success, at the intersection of social, ethnic and racial difference. Personal storytelling at its most authentic and heartfelt." -- Kirkus Reviews 

"Esperanza: A Latina Story" by Sandra López

"Sandra López is a fresh and resonant voice from the Hispanic rainbow." -- Ray Michael Baca, author of "Brotherhood of the Light"

"Leaving Little Havana: A Memoir of Miami's Cuban Ghetto" by Cecilia Fernandez

"'Leaving Little Havana' is a candid, touching, and engaging memoir of a young Cuban exile's coming of age. Cecilia Fernandez writes with passion and intensity, both of her missteps and her triumphs, casting fresh light on the American experience in the process."-- Les Standiford 

"Comprehending Forever" by Rich Villar

"Reading this book is like listening to those last few notes of an Al Green slow jam. Known widely for his ferocious and incisive political poems, here Villar turns his gaze toward the politics and pains of romantic love. In this debut collection, the battle rhymer turns soul singer. And damn if he doesn't work it out!" -- John Murillo, author of "Up Jump the Boogie"

"Mañana Means Heaven" by Tim Z. Hernandez

"Hernandez's intimate knowledge of life amid the agricultural fields of central California and his ability to conjure the thoughts and emotions of the young Bea Franco make for a graceful and melancholy tale." -- The Associated Press 

"Chasing the Sun" Natalia Sylvester

"Love the mystery and suspense of Gone Girl? Chasing the Sun keeps you nail-biting as Andres tries to solve the mystery of his missing wife." -- Cosmopolitan for Latinas 

"Happy That It's Not True" by Carlos Aleman

"This is an instant classic that immediately makes artist turned author Carlos Aleman the next big thing in literature. He has a natural ability that few authors with decades of experience can match." -- Jonathan Marcantoni, author of "The Feast of San Sebastian"


Also, check out works by Ana Castillo, Hector Tobar, Rudy Garcia, and Cristina Henriquez as awesome Christmas gifts!