Feeling the Summer Vacation High!

Hi book peeps! I’m writing today as I come off Summer Vacation High, first from a mid-July trip to Boston and Cape Cod to see family and friends, and then this past weekend to Palm Desert (aka the surface of the sun with temps in the 110s!) for our annual family trip.

We’ve been gathering for almost 10 years with a fluctuating assortment of grandparents, siblings, cousins, and the now nearly adult nieces and nephews. This trip was the first where my siblings and I were the elders, with no grandparents able to join us this time. It was as joyful, relaxing, and gossip-filled as usual, though with moments of sober reflection, talking about who we were missing, thinking about how many more years we have all together.

I don’t know if you have a tradition like this—maybe yours is a winter ski weekend, holiday tamale-making, or reading retreat with friends—but it reaffirmed for me what social creatures we are, even bookish introverts like me, happy to read my book or work on my travel journal amid the chatter and chaos of 14 other people laughing, cooking, splashing in the pool, playing piano, drinking slushy margaritas, and eating seemingly nonstop. It’s one of the foundational goals of our bookstore, to make space for community and creativity, to help bridge the gap from strangers to friends. It’s the feeling l’ll be chasing all year long.

Jho’s July Moments of Joy

• EXPERIENCE: The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway! This was an activity that our entire family enjoyed out in the desert this past weekend, a thrilling 2 1/2 mile ride up to Mt. San Jacinto in a rotating tram car, followed by hiking and dining atop the 8516 Mountain Station. I dragged my sisters to the Rangers Station at the top of the mountain to chat with the rangers and get our State Park stamps!

• MEDIA: I rewatched the first three seasons of Ted Lasso in anticipation of the new season coming out on 8/5, and it was such a lovely time. I’m not much of a football/soccer fan, but this show has so many amazing character actors—including Anthony Head, former Buffy beloved Rupert Giles as big baddie Rupert Mannion. Highly recommend!

• FOOD: Olive and cheese fougasse! We stayed in Falmouth MA for a mini-Cape Cod vacation after spending a few days in Boston with family and friends mid-July. It’s a great destination for beach, book, and bread lovers, with beautiful beaches within a long walk or short drive of the town center, Eight Cousins bookstore in town and my favorite, Titcomb’s Bookshop, just 30 minutes away, and best of all, Maison Villate, an incredible French cafe and bakery in the town square. They have so many delicious pastries, sandwiches, breads, and quiches that it’s hard to choose. This time we tried the fougasse, a Provencal flatbread with cheese and olives that I’ll be dreaming about until next summer.

• JOURNALING: I switched it up in July and spent most of the month using a 48-page Field Notes dot graph memo book for my travel journaling. My passport-sized Travelers notebook was getting a bit too chunky to throw into my little crossbody bag, so the slim Field Notes was perfect for the two weeks I’d be away from home. Also, shout out to our friend Job at Travelers for including us in their Summer Days with TO&FRO blog post! What an honor! <3

  • A special shoutout to Bobo Palm Springs, the cutest stationery shop owned by designer Angie Chua! My nieces and I wanted to buy everything in the store, but my favorites were the It’s Not Trash, It’s Ephemera envelope and their incredible free stamp station!

• BOOKS: I read 7 books this month, including one audiobook (LIVING, TOGETHER edited by Samantha Paige Rosen, a thought-provoking book of essays on communal living and alternative housing), one advanced copy (the fantastic historical fiction novel MEET ME IN THE GARDEN by Nina LaCour, coming to Long Beach next week!), and several book club reads (THE PAIRING by Casey McQuiston is a great, steamy travel/beach read). We’re looking forward to hosting Nina next Tuesday 8/11 in the garden at our neighbor, everywhere lb. Hope some of you can join us!

Read on for more info and signup links to our exciting roster of author events and book clubs.

Here’s to books, laughter, and joyful resistance!

Jhoanna
Head Booknerd + Owner of Bel Canto Books

We’re proud to host these amazing authors and artists this month! Bel Canto Books events are free to attend, unless otherwise noted. Please join us in supporting our authors by RSVPing in advance and purchasing their books from us (or requesting them from your local library)!

We are especially excited to welcome back Randy Ribay, award-winning FilAm author, for an afternoon craft talk and evening book event for his latest novel, NEST OF TONGUES, on Sunday 8/16! If you’re a budding/aspiring writer, this will be a great opportunity to learn from one of the best!

Fri 8/7, 6pm-9pm at KUBO LB
First Fridays

Sun 8/9, 12pm PT (virtual)
Storytime with Eric Ruiz Roxas for WHAT MAKES A FAMILY: CELEBRATING THE FILIPINO DAY OF THE DEAD

Tue 8/11, 7pm at everywhere beer lb
Nina LaCour + Jacques LaCour for MEET ME IN THE GARDEN

Sun 8/16, 2pm at KUBO LB
Craft Talk with Randy Ribay ticket required

Sun 8/16, 5pm at Ambitious Ales
Randy Ribay for NEST OF TONGUES

Wed 8/19, 7pm at everywhere beer lb
Diana Giovinazzo (DAUGHTER OF NAPLES) with Mansi Shah (SAVING FACE)

Fri 8/28, 6pm-9pm at BCB Retro Row
Fourth Fridays

Sun 8/30, 7-9pm at BCB Retro Row
BCB Members Night private event

Want to read great books with a community of engaged book lovers? Join one (or all) of our free monthly book clubs. We appreciate your support of our work and our featured authors and encourage you to buy from our stores, Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, and/or request books from your local library. Learn more and kindly RSVP here.

Bel Canto Book Club
Thu 8/20, 6:30pm at BCB Retro Row
MALAS

Burning Issues Book Club
Sun 8/23, 12pm PT (virtual)
RUIN THEIR CROPS ON THE GROUND

Graphic Novel Book Club
Sat 8/22, 10am PT (virtual)
THIS ONE SUMMER

Movies N’ Books Club
Mon 8/3, 7pm at Art Theatre LB
LIFE OF PI

Queer Book Club
Sat 8/22, 7pm at BCB Retro Row
THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE US

Death & Dying Book Club
Thu 8/13, 6:30pm at BCB Retro Row
CRYING IN H MART

AI Ethics Book Club
Wed 8/26, 6:30pm at Ambitious Ales
CULPABILITY

TIMPLA Cookbook Club
Sun 11/15, 12pm at KUBO LB
THE JAPANESE ART OF PICKLING AND FERMENTING meeting + potluck

Have you picked up a Summer Bookish Bingo card from our 4th Street location? I’m happily more than halfway through completing all 25 activities and prompts (aka “blackout” bingo, which participants have until August 31st to turn in for a chance to win a $50 Bel Canto Books gift card).

I’ve got two “regular” bingo lines completed which would earn me two prizes out of our goodie jar if I weren’t a team member, lol. So far, my favorite square to complete has been 5) Attend a book club, book swap, or reading party! Our July Queer Book Club discussion (organized by @loganslovelylibrary) of THE PAIRING, a steamy queer romance/travel novel that includes wine and food pairings, was so fun even in the heat, with folks bringing treats inspired by the book and good-naturedly explaining why they loved or hated the book.