In Episode 32, Cristina talks about her job as Senior Books Editor at Bustle and her path to that job, Bustle’s approach to recommending books, and shares her book recommendations (some by Latina authors).

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Highlights

• Cristina’s path to becoming Senior Books Editor at Bustle.
• How Cristina’s path would have been different had she known about all the book jobs that existed right when she graduated college.
• The qualities Cristina looks for when bringing on new freelancers or contractors.
• Cristina’s main job responsibilities.
• Bustle’s approach to recommending books.
• How Cristina organizes the ARCs and decides which of them to read.
• Cristina’s take on the January 2020 releases so far (yes, already!).
• One of Cristina’s favorite “bad reviews” of all time.
• How Cristina and I try to fit backlist books into our reading lives.
• Cristina’s experience attending the National Book Awards.
• What it’s like to compile Bustle’s Best Books of the Year lists.

Cristina’s Book Recommendations

Two OLD Books She Loves

• I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell | Buy from Amazon [21:41]
• Author Megan Abbott (particularly The Fever) | Buy from Amazon [23:53]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• Sabrina & Corina: Storiesby Kali Fajardo-Anstine | Buy from Amazon [25:58]
• Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza | Buy from Amazon [28:21]

One Book She DIDN’T Love

• Eligibleby Curtis Sittenfeld | Buy from Amazon [32:48]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

• Wild Gameby Adrienne Brodeur (Release Date: October 15, 2019) | Buy from Amazon [35:52]

Other Books Mentioned

• This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [23:19]
• You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [23:53]
• Give Me Your Handby Megan Abbott (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [23:53]
• Dare Me by Megan Abbott | Buy from Amazon [23:53]
• The Fever by Megan Abbott (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [23:53]
• The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk | Buy from Amazon [28:48]
• Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld | Buy from Amazon [33:15]
• Pride & Prejudiceby Jane Austen | Buy from Amazon [33:15]
• The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett Graff | Buy from Amazon [41:33]

Other Links

• Bustle Books
• Kali Fajardo-Anstine on Instagram
• New York Times review of Optic Nerve 
• Lit Hub‘s profile of Maria Gainza 
• Ursula K. Le Guin’s review of Eligible (The Guardian)
• Details about Wild Game’s publishing deal and film rights
• “We’re the Only Plane in the Sky” by Garrett Graff (Politico Magazine)
• “The 20 Best New Books of Fall 2019, According to Authors” (Bustle)

About Cristina

Instagram | Twitter

Cristina Mari Arreola is the Senior Books Editor at Bustle, where she writes about literary fiction, nonfiction, young adult novels, romance novels, and whatever Reese Witherspoon posts about on Instagram. Cristina also talks about books at Book of the Month, where she recommends books on an intermittent basis. She also served as a judge for the 2018 PEN America Open Book Award. In her free time, Cristina reads books, talks about books, hangs out with other people who loves books, visits bookstores, and thinks about how she should maybe get another hobby. 

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