Home to 53 million Spanish speakers, the United States constitutes the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, after Mexico. For Hispanic communities here, libraries hold a place of primacy, offering everything from voting and tax information to language courses and, of course, books. But what books resonate with Spanish readers? There is as much variety when it comes to choice of reading matter for readers of Spanish-language books as for readers of English books. This year’s trends lean towards self-help, non-fiction, and novels about perseverance.

Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial
 

Grupo Editorial is a division of Penguin Random House, whose goal is to publish Spanish- language books for readers of all ages, in all formats—print, digital and audio—in all the countries where it operates: Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Perú, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and the United States. Publishing 1,700 new titles a year across 40 imprints, Grupo Editorial’s catalogs feature over 38 Nobel Prize winners and hundreds of acclaimed authors worldwide. New titles include:

Tiempos recios by Mario Vargas Llosa (Fierce Times, October 2019, ISBN 9781644731048). In this novel, which is connected to the acclaimed La Fiesta del Chivo (The Feast of the Goat), Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa fuses reality with two fictions: that of the narrator who freely recreates characters and situations, and the one designed by those who would control the politics and the economy of a continent by manipulating its history.

Sidi: Un relato de frontera by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (Sidi: A Story of Border Towns, September 2019, ISBN 9781644731062). Sidi is a story of exile and border towns, and of the struggles to survive in a hostile and wavering territory full of opposing forces. It narrates the adventures of a warrior who, forced into exile, rides as a means to survive; by his side is a troop that respects and follows him. His strong character and his military victories have made him an authentic living legend.

Ciudad de mujeres by Elizabeth Gilbert, (City of Girls, October 2019, ISBN 9781644730966). Beloved author Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction with a love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s. Told from the perspective of an older woman as she looks back on her youth with both pleasure and regret, this title explores themes of female sexuality and promiscuity, as well as the idiosyncrasies of true love.

Desafiando la tierra salvaje by Brene Brown (Braving the Wilderness, October 2019, ISBN 9788416076475). Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture.

Doble bendición by Mark Batterson (Double Blessing, November 2019, ISBN 9781644730409). The New York Times bestselling author and pastor invites readers to pursue, recognize, and flip every blessing from God. He provides the tools necessary to inventory one's blessings and participate in double blessing—that moment when a blessing in your life is leveraged to doubly bless another.

Sofía Valdez, presidenta tal vez by Andrea Beaty (Sofía Valdez, Future Prez, November 2019, ISBN 9781644731079). The newest picture book from the creators of Iggy Peck, Architect; Rosie Revere, Engineer, and Ada Twist, Scientist stars Sofia Valdez and showcases a community leader who stands up for what she believes in.

Spanish Publishers LLC
 

Miami-based Spanish Publishers is a book import and distribution consortium that has opened up a rich corridor of transatlantic book trade between Spain and the United States, explains President Lucia Laratelli. Through strong international partnerships, they are able to bring Spanish translations of English bestsellers to market with almost no lag time.
 

Their 2019 offering is eclectic, featuring such titles as the hugely popular Margaret Atwood sequel Los Testamentos (The Testaments, September 2019, ISBN 9788498389494), which takes readers inside the inner workings of the dystopian Republic of Gilead more than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale.

College para todos (College for All, October 2019, ISBN 9788416997169) by Ana María Jaramillo is a practical guide for parents hoping to advise their children on successfully navigating the complex educational system in spite of overburdened public-school counselors.

Continuing in the vein of self-help, Cambia tu entorno, cambia tu vida (Willpower Doesn’t Work, August 2019, ISBN 9788417399542) by Dr. Benjamin Hardy shares the assertion that willpower simply doesn’t work, and that it’s more important to alter one’s surroundings to support life goals and challenges.

HarperCollins Español
 

HarperCollins Español publishes a range of books for the Spanish reader, spanning from best-selling biographies and current affairs titles to literary fiction. This Spanish-language imprint has a threefold mission: to acquire English books from other publishers and translate them into Spanish; to acquire original Spanish-language books; and to translate existing HarperCollins titles into Spanish.
 

“Spanish speakers need to see books [in their public libraries] that speak to their
culture and community.” -Edward Benitez, Executive Editor, HarperCollins Español
 

New titles from HarperCollins Español include Recuerdame (Remember Me, June 2019, ISBN 9781074414009) by bestselling Spanish author Mario Escobar, which tells the story of children sent by ship to live in Mexico in order to escape the horrors of the Spanish Civil War.

Las Hijas del Capitan (The Captain’s Daughters, June 2019, ISBN 0062936875) by Maria Dueñas is the story of three Spanish sisters immigrating to New York City and struggling to overcome the challenges of the era and build a life in the New World.

Deja de hacer p*nejadas (Stop Doing That Sh*t, October 2019, ISBN 9780062938312) is another bold title from Gary John Bishop, author of 2017 international bestseller Unf*ck Yourself. In his latest work he offers tips to breaking through cycles of self-sabotage in order to live a more fulfilling life.
 

Penguin Random House Vintage Español
 

Vintage Español, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. has a 25-year history as a publisher of fiction and nonfiction in the Spanish language. Having started with just three books, it has grown to become one of the largest Spanish-language publishers in the United States, with a wide variety of titles and genres represented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama, Roberto Bolaño, Isabel Allende, Dan Brown, and Cristina Garcia are among its authors. The diverse 2019 lineup for this publisher includes:
 

Afrodita: Cuentos, recetas y otros afrodisíacos by Isabel Allende (Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses, November 2019, ISBN 9780525436010). With equal portions of humor and insight, Allende's exuberant memoir celebrates the sensual life, blending personal reminiscence with folklore, historical legends, and literature—erotic and otherwise.

Cuentos completes by Jorge Luis Borges (Complete Stories, October 2019, ISBN 9780525567127). Collected in a single volume, Borges's classic short stories and universe of mirrors, labyrinths, libraries, and masks make up one of the most brilliant and influential legacies in Western literature.

Desierto Sonoro by Valeria Luiselli (Lost Children Archive, October 2019, ISBN 9780525566946). From the two-time National Book Critics Circle Award finalist comes an emotionally resonant, fiercely imaginative new novel about a family's road trip across America.

La gesta del marrano by Marcos Aguinis (Against the Inquisition, January 2020, ISBN 9781984899033). From the prize-winning Argentinian author Marcos Aguinis comes a historical novel based on the true story of one man's faith, spirit, and resistance during the Spanish Inquisition in Latin America.

Misery by Stephen King (Misery, November 2019, ISBN 9781984898722). Now in Spanish, Stephen King's #1 national bestseller about a famous novelist held hostage by his "number one fan" and suffering a frightening case of writer's block—that could prove fatal for him.

El poder de los hábitos by Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit, September 2019, ISBN 9780525567141). For Spanish-language readers of business and psychology books, the break-out New York Times bestseller shows how understanding the three-step "loop" all habits form in our brains—cue, routine, reward—can change behavior and transform lives.

Prohibido nacer: Memorias de racismo, rabia y risa by Trevor Noah (Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, September 2019, ISBN 9781984897534). Now available in Spanish, Trevor Noah's compelling and comically sublime coming-of-age story is set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

Los señores del tiempo by Eva García Sáenz de Urturi (The Lords of Time, August 2019, ISBN 9781984898579). Already a major bestseller in Spain and Latin America, the sensational Trilogy of the White City returns with a third installment, where Inspector López de Ayala investigates a set of murders that mimic the crimes described in a historical novel set in the twelfth-century Villa de Vitoria.

La uruguaya by Pedro Mairal (The Uruguayan Woman, November 2019, ISBN 9781984899071). Published with raving success in Argentina in 2016, this is an unsettling, yet deeply entertaining novel about marriage crisis written by one of the most renowned narrators of contemporary Latin American literature.

HarperCollins Mexico
 

This division of HarperCollins publishes 35 titles a year, focusing on nonfiction and featuring original Spanish language books and English translations. With Mexico representing 40 percent of books sold in Latin America, it’s expected that their catalogue will grow rapidly in coming years.
 

“Spanish publishing isn’t just another format. It’s publishing,”
-Chris Garrido, Vice President and Publisher, HarperCollins Mexico.
 

In 2019, stories that capture a spirit of perseverance are proving popular, as with Inquebrantables (Unbreakable, November 2019, ISBN 9781400220366) by Latin American social media icon, Daniel Habif. Habif has been influential in social movements in Venezuela, Honduras and Puerto Rico, and this work explores the theme of self-determination and pushing through one’s current reality in order to realize happiness.

Similarly, Liderazgo: En tiempos turbulentos (Leadership in Turbulent Times, October 2019, ISBN 9781404111295) by Pulitzer-winner Doris Kearns Goodwin, evokes current political issues by telling the tale of four U.S. presidents and sharing how leaders are made, not born.

This year’s Spanish-language titles align closely with English-language favorites, as with Margaret Atwood’s novels and advice from Marie Kondo. The market for Spanish-language books in the United States is only expected to grow, as more people immigrate, pass the language on to their children or learn their “heart” language anew. Libraries can continue to play a vital role in meeting the needs of Spanish speakers with relevant titles that inspire and challenge.

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