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This Is the Only Kingdom: A Novel

Jaquira Díaz

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LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL AWARD • From the Whiting Award-winning author Jaquira Díaz, an epic novel of a mother and daughter wrestling with the aftermath of a murder, set against the backdrop of a tightknit, working-class barrio in Puerto Rico.

When Maricarmen meets Rey el Cantante, beloved small-time Robin Hood and local musician on the rise, she begins to envision a life beyond the tight-knit community of el Caserío, Puerto Rico – beyond cleaning houses, beyond waiting tables, beyond the constant tug of war between the street hustlers and los camarones. But breaking free proves more difficult than she imagined, and she soon finds herself struggling to make a home for herself, for Rey, his young brother Tito, and eventually, their daughter Nena. Until one fateful day changes everything.

Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation as the community that once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Now Nena, a teenager haunted by loss and betrayal and exploring her sexual identity, must learn to fight for herself and her family in a world not always welcoming.

For lovers of the Neapolitan novels, This is the Only Kingdom is an immersive and moving portrait of a family – and a community – torn apart by generational grief, and a powerful love letter to mothers, daughters, and the barrios that make them.

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Posts about this title from Sapph-Lit

Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Mar 24

RSVP for Sapph-Lit's interview with Jaquira Díaz on 3/28!

Join us on March 28th for our conversation with @jaquiradiaz all about our March book pick: THIS IS THE ONLY KINGDOM 🇵🇷🩵✨ Drop any questions you have below! xx

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Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Sep 30 2025

End of Summer Sapph-Lit R.E.P.O.R.T. 𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ ˚⋆𓇼

The 7th installment of my newsletter sharing all the things I've been reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating myself to!

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Posts about this book from across Bindery

Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Mar 24

RSVP for Sapph-Lit's interview with Jaquira Díaz on 3/28!

2 books

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Jan 4

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DAY 3 POSTING CHALLENGE: 2026 Latine Book Bingo Book Recommendations Part 1

25 Latine book recommendations to help you fill Bien Leidos Book Club bingo card! I take you through the first half of the bingo card with my recs for each.

WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME Join Bien Leidos Book Club by joining my Bindery: https://bien-leidos.binderybooks.com/ Find me everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/tomesandtextiles

BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO: Orange Wine (Ebook is currently $3.99): https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9781964721354 Our Share of Night: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780451495150 My Train Leaves at Three: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593977330 This Is The Only Kingdom: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9781616209148 Gods of Jade and Shadow: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780525620778 The Sun And The Void: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780316336543 The Ex-Perimento: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593955246 The Unworthy: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/978166805188 La Lucha: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9781917260169 Middle spoon: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593835173 When the Tides Held the Moon: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9781645661535 Haunting in Hialeah Gardens: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593472132 Now I Surrender: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593084076 Estella, Undrowning: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780063429956 We Are Green and Trembling: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780811238618 Posession of Alba Diaz: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593641071 Thirst: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593472088 Poppy State: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9781643265148 The Man Who Could Move Clouds: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593311165 Salvacion: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9781250895080 Death Takes Me: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593737002 These Vengeful Gods: https://bookshop.org/a/1421/9780593898123

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Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Dec 15 2025

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\ \ I know I left y'all hanging & I apologize 😅\ \ Here are the rest of the books I got with the birthday giftcards my friends gave me:\ \ A Man for Mrs. Claus by Rebekah Weatherspoon\ \ I love her books & when I saw the cover of this 1 on her IG, I knew I had to get it!\ \ New Worlds, Old Ways: Speculative Fiction Tales From The Caribbean edited by Karen Lord\ \ I found this book when I was helping a student w/ research.\ \ The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord\ \ Another book inspired by that research appointment. I also love stories with a multiverse.\ \ The Chainbreakers by Julian Randall\ \ Julian Randall is one of my autobuy authors.\ \ Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis\ \ I've been waiting to get this book for a while! I'm all in on Black vampire stories.\ \ They Thought They Buried Us by Nonieqa Ramos\ \ This book has been on my TBR for a while as I'm always trying to find more books by Puerto Rican & queer authors.\ \ We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, & Hope edited by Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz, & Malka Older\ \ Okay, so I'm on a Karen Lord spree 😂 but y'all know I LOVE speculative fiction soo whatever!\ \ This Is The Only Kingdom by Jaquira Díaz\ \ More Puerto Rican Fiction 😍\ \ Are any of these books on your TBR?](https://bookish-afrolatina.binderybooks.com/item/za6f1X7J5rt8MSZvHu22/)

Birthday Books, Part 2

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Nov 26 2025

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10 before the end of the— Latine edition

10 before the end of the— Latine edition #10beforetheend #2025tbr #readlatinxbooks #bienleidos #tomesandtextiles

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Nov 3 2025

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November Possibilities Pile

Do we have any overlap in our November possibilities pile? #novembertbr #tiktokbookrecscontest #booktok #tomesandtextiles

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Bien Leidos\ \ tomesandtextiles\ \ • Oct 21 2025

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Happy Tuesday,\ \ Today’s post will be brief because I’m currently back home and recovering from my trip to Dallas for the Hay Festival Forum this past weekend. I feel like my brain chemistry was altered this weekend in a way that will shift all my work moving forward. I haven't gathered all my thoughts and I'm so exhausted right now, but you'll be getting a full wrap-up soon!\ \ As a reminder, giveaways for November’s book club selection, Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan, are up exclusively for Libritos and Lectores members here, but you can also enter here (this giveaway is for ALL subscribers), as well on Tik Tok and Instagram for a total of 12 books I am giving away. All winners will be announced later today, so make sure to get your entries in soon!\ \ And I must apologize that time constraints kept me from creating this post before I left last week for Libritos and Lectores members. In addition, due to my tardiness and lack of time, not all books will have descriptions this week. We'll be back to normal programming later this week.\ \ So without further ado, let’s start off with the book of the week!\ \ \ \ Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings by Miriam Gurba (Audiobook) I can not tell you how excited I am for a book about California nature and flora written by one of my favorite and most searing voices of US Latine literature. This is possibly one of my most anticipated books of fall and possibly all of 2025 for me!\ \ PICTURE BOOK \ \ Frida Kahlo y Su Corona de Flores by Nydia Armedia-Sanchez and illustrated by Loris Lora\ \ LITERARY FICTION \ \ \ \ This Is The Only Kingdom by Jaquira Diaz (Audiobook) Mother and daughter wrestling with a murder set against the backdrop of a barrio in Puerto Rico\ \ \ \ Where the North Ends by Hugo Moreno\ \ IN TRANSLATION \ \ An Infinite Sadness by Antonio Xerxenesky and translated by Daniel Hahn\ \ \ \ Carne De Dios by Homero Aridjis and translated by Chloe Garcia Roberts\ \ YOUNG ADULT FANTASY \ \ \ \ Fall of the Fireflies by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (Audiobooks) First in the Seasons of Sisterhood trilogy a Mythology reimagining of Sophocles Antigone--available in both English and Spanish\ \ HORROR REISSUES \ \ \ \ The Shoemaker's Magician by Cynthia Pelayo (Audiobook)\ \ \ \ Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo Adult Horror (Audiobook)\ \ ROMANCE \ \ Play You For It by Samantha Saldivar (Audiobook) In this sapphic romance, Journalist Caroline Beck believes that snagging an interview with Jordan D’Amato, the first female head coach of a Division 1 men’s basketball team, is the key to her big break. But what begins as a professional relationship soon transforms into chemistry that neither can resist, even as it puts their jobs at risk.\ \ NONFICTION \ \ \ \ Taco by Ignacio M. Sanchez Prado (Audiobook) You will never eat a taco the same way again--a deep dive into this food staple and its origins.\ \ xoxo,\ \ Carmen\ \ Join for free or login

EXCLUSIVE: October 21st Latine Book Releases

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Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Sep 30 2025

End of Summer Sapph-Lit R.E.P.O.R.T. 𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ ˚⋆𓇼

The 7th installment of my newsletter sharing all the things I've been reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating myself to!

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