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Names I Call My Sister: Stories
Four stories of sisterhood—the bonds, the wars, the frustrations, the love—seasoned with hot Latin spice! Those "Wild Orihuela Girls," Dori and her sister Sela, intend to live up to their reputation—and more!—in order to give their snooty sister-in-law-to-be exactly what she deserves on her wedding day . . . Till Death Do Us Part by Mary Castillo Anita Suarez is only seeking comfort after losing her dream job and carefree lifestyle, but finds that her old-fashioned sister Susana has abandoned her family to run off to Sin City with a college hunk. Now it's up to Anita to bring Susu back to reality and keep the younger man's sexy big brother at bay . . . What Stays in Vegas by Berta Platas Michelle Saez is a total straight-arrow by day—but at night, she lives a shocking double life in leather as Madame Michelina. And her scandalous secret could very well derail her attorney sister Jennifer's bid for elected office . . . Whipped by Sofia Quintero Popular talk-radio queen Marisol Avila can't keep her mouth shut—and she's airing her sister Cristy's dirty laundry to millions of listeners nationwide. It's going to take more than Cristy's unwanted fifteen minutes of fame to repair this sisterly rift and re-connect siblings who are seriously . . . Diss-Connected by Lynda Sandoval
- GenresFiction
398 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2007
1 person is currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Mary Castillo
20 books121 followersMary Castillo's novels have turned romance and mystery readers into dedicated fans. She is the author of The Dori O. Paranormal Mysteries starting with Lost in the Light and Girl in the Mist. Her romantic comedies include Switchcraft, In Between Men and Hot Tamara and novellas featured in the anthologies, Orange County Noir, Names I Call My Sister and Friday Night Chicas.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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January 10, 2013I'm the author of this book and I loved the time I spent with Dori, Sela and Grammy. Dori and Grammy continue their adventures in Lost in the Light.
August 15, 2021
Names I Call My Sister surprised me, and not in a good way. It was a book that had been on my to-read list for years, that I decided to finally give a chance I quickly regretted. While it didn't bother me that this was a short story collection, what did was that these were seemingly all variations of the same story blueprint: each featuring two sisters of varying Latin American backgrounds and their raucous relationship to one another, haphazardly stitched together by often head-scratching (largely unamusing) hijinks.
**Any textual references made unfortunately will not include page numbers, since I read the novel in digital format.
Given the lack of depth and largely asinine storylines, the stories included were far too long - to the point where eventually, they just began to drag. As a reader, I too often found myself wondering how much longer the story would go on (like . The stories honestly could've accomplished the same level of innocuousness in far less pages.
Though I ended up finding all of the sister relationships in Names I Call My Sister irritating, to me Anita and Susana's in "What Stays in Vegas" was the worst. Their arguments bordered on maniacal, sometimes escalating to outright physical brawl - going from 0 to 60 and back again in the span of just a few sentences. Not to mention the fact that, maddeningly, none of their fights achieved any semblance of resolution. And the very premise of the story started to feel unhinged after a while, turning into Susana essentially communicating to Anita . If forced, I'd say that I found "Till Death Do Us Part" and parts of "Diss-connected" to be the most tolerable.
I honestly don't know what made me finish this. Unfortunately with short story collections, I think my mind plays tricks and considers them differently than I would a novel: whereas with a novel I almost always stick with my 100 page litmus test, with short stories I tend to hold out hope that the next one just might be better/redeem my reading experience (which has rarely - if ever - been the case). Had I read the collection's own description that includes the cringewothy line "seasoned with hot Latin spice!" (exclamation included), it would've clued me in and been enough for me to bypass this blunder. Not to mention the fact that "hot" is meant to imply each story's incorporation of some typically unconventional sexual element or act: . Inexplicably, the included authors apparently weren't fazed (given their involvement in this collection) about being so infuriatingly typecast by and feeding into such an overused cultural trope.
I wanted more from these stories than the authors, apparently, were capable of giving: more multifaceted and interesting characters, more depth to the relationships as far as the sisters featured in each were concerned. Instead all four stories maintained the same attempted comical slant, punctuated by a hokey ending. I would give this 1.5 stars if I could. If you're looking for a mindless escape, this is the book for you. But if you're looking for some kind of more profound commentary on sisterhood and the complexity of sister relationships, look elsewhere.
**Any textual references made unfortunately will not include page numbers, since I read the novel in digital format.
Given the lack of depth and largely asinine storylines, the stories included were far too long - to the point where eventually, they just began to drag. As a reader, I too often found myself wondering how much longer the story would go on (like . The stories honestly could've accomplished the same level of innocuousness in far less pages.
Though I ended up finding all of the sister relationships in Names I Call My Sister irritating, to me Anita and Susana's in "What Stays in Vegas" was the worst. Their arguments bordered on maniacal, sometimes escalating to outright physical brawl - going from 0 to 60 and back again in the span of just a few sentences. Not to mention the fact that, maddeningly, none of their fights achieved any semblance of resolution. And the very premise of the story started to feel unhinged after a while, turning into Susana essentially communicating to Anita . If forced, I'd say that I found "Till Death Do Us Part" and parts of "Diss-connected" to be the most tolerable.
I honestly don't know what made me finish this. Unfortunately with short story collections, I think my mind plays tricks and considers them differently than I would a novel: whereas with a novel I almost always stick with my 100 page litmus test, with short stories I tend to hold out hope that the next one just might be better/redeem my reading experience (which has rarely - if ever - been the case). Had I read the collection's own description that includes the cringewothy line "seasoned with hot Latin spice!" (exclamation included), it would've clued me in and been enough for me to bypass this blunder. Not to mention the fact that "hot" is meant to imply each story's incorporation of some typically unconventional sexual element or act: . Inexplicably, the included authors apparently weren't fazed (given their involvement in this collection) about being so infuriatingly typecast by and feeding into such an overused cultural trope.
I wanted more from these stories than the authors, apparently, were capable of giving: more multifaceted and interesting characters, more depth to the relationships as far as the sisters featured in each were concerned. Instead all four stories maintained the same attempted comical slant, punctuated by a hokey ending. I would give this 1.5 stars if I could. If you're looking for a mindless escape, this is the book for you. But if you're looking for some kind of more profound commentary on sisterhood and the complexity of sister relationships, look elsewhere.
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June 11, 2012From Mary:
Thanks for checking out Names I Call My Sister! Many of you have emailed and tweeted if I'd write a sequel to "Till Death Do Us Part." Well, I did!
It's called Lost in the Light and is now available in print or e-book at Lost in the Light
In the mean tine, here are Reader Reviews from HarperCollins' FirstLook program where readers are treated to Advanced Reading Editions of Names I Call My Sister!
» “What's not to love about a book that begins with a story about a gun-toting ‘packed’ grandma? This book was not only about sisters but about how our, shall we say ‘unique’ Latin families add their sazon to the boiling pot that is our life. Tremendously funny and very entertaining.”
--Carmen (Newark, NJ)
» “Names I Call My Sister is a beautifully written and bold collection of novellas. The sisters in each story are struggling to find themselves within each other's strengths and weaknesses. An excellent choice for a book club.”
--Emily (Jefferson, GA)
» "Till Death Do Us Part" by Mary Castillo was my favorite novella in the collection. Castillo’s treatment of the sister Dori and Sela made me laugh till I cried. The grandmother/abuela was a scream I could picture her looking a bit like a cross between Celia Cruz and Lucille Ball. The story speaks true of the culture/class clash which immigrant families experience as their children marry people different of backgrounds and mainstream themselves into white American society through education.”
-- Victoria (Cumberland, VA)
» “I’m new to reading chick lit, so I am glad I read this book. This was an introduction to each author, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the different styles they showcased. The four authors create pairs of sassy sisters in page-turning situations that could easily evolve into novels. This is a fun, light read.”
--Ana (Gardena, CA)
» “This was an enjoyable book! The four stories in it covered the range of relationships between sisters. It shows sisters might fight, but when the chips are down, they have each others backs. Each story was very interesting and stood on its own. I was disappointed when each ended; I could have happily read for much longer. They were THAT good! Anyone with sisters should read this book.”
--Sheila (McDonough, GA)
Best,
Mary
Thanks for checking out Names I Call My Sister! Many of you have emailed and tweeted if I'd write a sequel to "Till Death Do Us Part." Well, I did!
It's called Lost in the Light and is now available in print or e-book at Lost in the Light
In the mean tine, here are Reader Reviews from HarperCollins' FirstLook program where readers are treated to Advanced Reading Editions of Names I Call My Sister!
» “What's not to love about a book that begins with a story about a gun-toting ‘packed’ grandma? This book was not only about sisters but about how our, shall we say ‘unique’ Latin families add their sazon to the boiling pot that is our life. Tremendously funny and very entertaining.”
--Carmen (Newark, NJ)
» “Names I Call My Sister is a beautifully written and bold collection of novellas. The sisters in each story are struggling to find themselves within each other's strengths and weaknesses. An excellent choice for a book club.”
--Emily (Jefferson, GA)
» "Till Death Do Us Part" by Mary Castillo was my favorite novella in the collection. Castillo’s treatment of the sister Dori and Sela made me laugh till I cried. The grandmother/abuela was a scream I could picture her looking a bit like a cross between Celia Cruz and Lucille Ball. The story speaks true of the culture/class clash which immigrant families experience as their children marry people different of backgrounds and mainstream themselves into white American society through education.”
-- Victoria (Cumberland, VA)
» “I’m new to reading chick lit, so I am glad I read this book. This was an introduction to each author, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the different styles they showcased. The four authors create pairs of sassy sisters in page-turning situations that could easily evolve into novels. This is a fun, light read.”
--Ana (Gardena, CA)
» “This was an enjoyable book! The four stories in it covered the range of relationships between sisters. It shows sisters might fight, but when the chips are down, they have each others backs. Each story was very interesting and stood on its own. I was disappointed when each ended; I could have happily read for much longer. They were THAT good! Anyone with sisters should read this book.”
--Sheila (McDonough, GA)
Best,
Mary
December 21, 2007
Names I Call My Sister had two strikes against it when I picked it up for review. First, it isn't a novel, it's four novellas, and I am notoriously impatient when it comes to short fiction, and secondly, the cover is a little dull. Which is a real shame, because the quick-fire, funny reads inside are anything but.
The novellas are linked by the theme of sisterhood, and cover topics such as sharing secrets, running away from your husband (briefly), and S&M (not as naughty as it sounds, apparently).
To read the rest of the review, please visit
http://www.trashionista.com/2007/11/b...
The novellas are linked by the theme of sisterhood, and cover topics such as sharing secrets, running away from your husband (briefly), and S&M (not as naughty as it sounds, apparently).
To read the rest of the review, please visit
http://www.trashionista.com/2007/11/b...
June 6, 2016
I was disappointed with this book. From the title and the cover I didn't think it was just going to be sex stories. I don't have anything against this kind of fiction, but it's not my cup of tea.
The writing isn't great, and some of the stories just aren't interesting or are completely predictable (the first two especially). This is just quick read mass-market junk.
I wish I wasn't the type of person who has to finish what they start reading.
The writing isn't great, and some of the stories just aren't interesting or are completely predictable (the first two especially). This is just quick read mass-market junk.
I wish I wasn't the type of person who has to finish what they start reading.
July 18, 2007
This was ok. I think part of my problem with the book is that I don't really like short story anthologies because just when I start to get attached to the characters, the story ends. The authors are all gifted writers, I just wish there were more story.
July 16, 2008
I only read half of the short stories because although they were interesting, the end of each story was disappointing.
November 11, 2008
Very entertaining. Just a plain old feel good read. Four stories about different sister relationship with interesting scenarios and story lines. Very enjoyable.
May 12, 2011
Four very different stories about sisterhood, with much more drama than my sisters and I have. A couple of them have some adult material in them.
June 17, 2011
Lynda Sandoval's story was my favorite.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews