Happy Indigenous Heritage Month, book peeps! We’re excited to transition from the seemingly never-ending heat in SoCal to (finally) fall-ish weather, with cool, overcast mornings and crisp, though darker earlier, nights. I’m super thrilled to be wearing a sweatshirt as I type out this newsletter on the morning of Election Day - it’s the little things.
After a blockbuster month of events last month for Filipino American History Month and an incredible turnout for our Palestinian-Filipino celebration for debut author Jenan Matari, we’re looking forward to our last few events of the year and hopefully a busy holiday season. It’s been another rollercoaster year for our small but mighty bookstore (six years as a brick-and-mortar this fall!), and we’re proud and honored to still be here, welcoming authors, artists, and readers into an amazing community grounded in joy, caring, and curiosity. Let’s keep doing what we can when we can to stand up for each other and for the transformative power of reading and storytelling
EXPERIENCE: My favorite experience of the month is a draw between the heartwarming celebration we hosted at KUBO LB for Palestinian author Jenan Matari and the heartfilling gathering of Filipinx authors, artists, makers, and community members that is Liwanag Lit Fest. Both experiences were fraught with tension (Will there be protesters? Will anyone show up? Are the authors/audience having a good time? Do we have enough/too many books?), but so much joy (seeing families and friends gather together to enjoy storytime, author panels, and shopping small, enjoying good food, laughing with relief at an event gone smoothly). You can order signed copies from the events here.
MEDIA: Our local indie movie theater, the Art Theatre Long Beach, played The Dark Crystal last month, and Mr. Bel Canto and I enjoyed a fun evening of 1980s nostalgia, watching the film at the Art, and then racing home to watch the “making of” documentary, The World of the Dark Crystal (simply astounding what Jim Henson and his team painstakingly created by hand for the film).
FOOD: Last week, we visited the Got Your Back LB residency at Selva, and it was one of the best meals we’ve had all year! Thankfully they’ve just extended their dinner service into November, so if you’re in the LA area, please check them out. Everything we had was delicious, but standout faves were the sinigang chicken wings, tuna kinilaw, and Brennan’s bibingka! Ang galing!
JOURNALING: I’m more than halfway through putting together my Paris travel journal, using a blue TN refill that I picked up at Ijii Papeterie. It’s getting so chonky (an official journaling term, trust me), with tons of photos and ephemera that I picked up on our travels. It’s been such a fantastic antidote to mindless doomscrolling or binge watching (though I do have Emily in Paris playing in the background as I work).
BOOKS: This was another stellar month for reading, as I finished eight really great books! Standouts include: TO BE TAUGHT, IF FORTUNATE by Becky Chambers (I’m now a completist of her work), YOUR FACE BELONGS TO US by Kashmir Hill (about AI and the rise of digital surveillance), and the just out LIGHTBREAKERS by Aja Gabel (about a time-traveling love triangle of sorts) and THE WORKS OF VERMIN by Hiron Ennes (weird, creepy, bug-filled gothic horror).
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 the rest of 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)!
Fri 11/7, 6pm-9pm @ KUBO LB
First Fridays
Sat 11/8, 12pm-2pm @ Ambitious Ales
Jeff Chang + Dr Bernard Remollino to Celebrate Bruce Lee’s 85th Birthday
Sat 11/8, 3pm-7pm @ KUBO LB
KUBOANDLUCY Stationery Popup
Sun 11/9, 12pm-5pm @ Ambitious Ales
Holiday Boozy Book Fair
Sun 11/16 @ KUBO LB
12pm-1:30pm Storytime + Signing with Lil Miss Hot Mess (Make Your Own Rainbow: A Drag Queen’s Guide to Color)
3pm-4:30pm Storytime + Signing with Debbi Michiko Florence (Monster Maker: The Strange Creatures of Mark Nagata)
Fri 11/21, 5pm-8pm @ Alder & Sage
Cozy Fall Popup Market
Sun 11/23, 4pm-6pm @ KUBO LB
Stephanie Griest (Art Above Everything: One Woman’s Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life)
Sat 11/29 + Sun 11/30 @ All Locations
Small Business Saturday Celebration
Bel Canto Books book clubs are free to join and attend. We greatly appreciate your support of our work and our featured authors and encourage you to buy from our stores on Retro Row and KUBO LB, Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, and/or request books from your local library. Learn more and kindly RSVP here.
Bel Canto Book Club
SHUTTER by Ramona Emerson
Thu 11/20, 6:30pm at BCB Retro Row
Burning Issues Book Club
THE SERVICEBERRY by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Sun 11/30, 12pm PT / 3pm ET (virtual)
Graphic Novel Book Club
PEMMICAN WARS by K. Vermette, S. B. Henderson + D. Yaciuk
Sat 11/15, 10am PT / 1pm ET (virtual)
Queer Book Club
THE SECRET LIFE OF ALBERT ENTWISTLE by Matt Cain
Sat 11/15, 7pm at BCB Retro Row
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