It’s Day 10594 (or at least it feels like it) of this wild ride called “WKOFIT” (What Kind of F*ckery Is This?). I’ve been ricochetting from crisis to excitement to fury to exhaustion and back again, so I’m continuing to double down on finding (and creating) joy wherever and whenever I can. Here’s what’s been bringing me back to life these days.
Jho’s February Moments of Joy
EXPERIENCE: I turned 52 this February 4th and am now happily ensconced in Zero F*cks Land (aka Being A Woman of A Certain Age). Goodbye (mostly) to stressing out about what other people think of my outfit/life choices/reading tastes, and hello to embracing silliness, comfort (I’m looking at you, elastic waist everything), and furious joy. I celebrated with a trip to Idyllwild, happy hour with LB friends, and a rowdy family dinner with Chinese food and BBQ!
MEDIA: Mr. Bel Canto and I just visited the Art Theatre Long Beach for their annual showing of Oscar-nominated animated shorts, and it was so fun! My favorite (embracing silliness) was The Three Sisters, while Mr. Bel Canto’s was The Girl Who Cried Pearls (maximum creepy artistry).
FOOD: We returned to one of my favorite local destinations, Idyllwild, for my birthday weekend and spent most mornings at Raven Hill Bagels (adjacent to the excellent Speakeasy Books). Raven Hill has great coffee, excellent bialys, and a lovely outdoor patio to enjoy both while you breathe in the crisp mountain air.
BOOKS: I’ve had such a good start to 2026, with 15 books read in the 50 Book Challenge by LBPL. Some favorites so far: Big Jim and the White Boy (a graphic novel reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), The Moon Without Stars (great middle-grade fiction about two young friends navigating puberty), and Whistler (coming out June 6th - a must read, new Ann Patchett novel)!
JOURNALING: My Hobonichi daily journaling habit is going strong! I’m taking time each day (or every few days) to reflect, doodle, and record what I’ve been doing/eating/reading — and since I got a vintage thrift store fountain pen restored at the California Pen Show, I’ve been even more excited about putting pen to paper! Thanks to Nannette and Logan for encouraging this fun analog hobby.
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
A teen girl comes face to face with the ghost of her recently deceased dad when she ignores a strict Filipino superstition in GOODBYE AND EVERYTHING AFTER, a contemporary YA novel that tackles grief, family tension, and first love. We’re thrilled to welcome Mae Coyiuto on her US book tour, in conversation with local queer author CB Lee (of COFFEESHOP IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE) and Filipina Authors Book Club co-organizer Kristtina Swilling!
A poignant non-fiction comic that sheds light on the inclusive and life-changing world of skateboarding featuring brand new art from award-winning creator of In Waves, AJ Dungo. We’re honored to host co-creators and childhood friends AJ and Brandon Dumais to celebrate their amazing new graphic novel, SKATING WILDER!
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)!
Fri 3/6, 6pm-9pm @ KUBO LB
First Fridays
Sat 3/8, 4pm @ KUBO LB
Mae Coyiuto + CB Lee for GOODBYE AND EVERYTHING AFTER
with Filipina Authors Book Club
Sat 3/14, 3pm @ Billie Jean King Main Library
Blanche Collins Forum presents Lindsay Ellis
Sun 3/22, 5:30pm @ BCB Retro Row invite only
Bel Canto Books Member Event
Fri 3/27, 6pm-9pm @ BCB Retro Row
Fourth Fridays
Sat 3/28, 11am-3pm @ Cerritos Library ticketed
The Writer’s Festival with Nikki Erlick, Soo Jin Lee and Linda Yoon, Joss Richard, Nayantara Roy + Zahida Sherman
Sun 3/29, 12pm-5pm @ Ambitious Ales
Bookstore Popup at Ambitious Ales Anniversary Party
Sun 3/29, 4pm @ KUBO LB
AJ Dungo + Brandon Dumais for SKATING WILDER
Book clubs are free to join and attend. 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
THE WHITE HOT
Thu 3/19, 6:30pm at BCB Retro Row
Burning Issues Book Club
PLEASURE ACTIVISM
Sun 2/29, 12pm PT (virtual)
Graphic Novel Book Club
POLAR VORTEX
Sat 3/21, 10am PT (virtual)
Queer Book Club
SELF-MADE BOYS
Sat 3/21, 7pm at BCB Retro Row
AI Ethics Book Club
CARELESS PEOPLE
Wed 3/18, 6:30pm at Ambitious Ales
Movies N’ Books Club
HAMNET screening + discussion
Wed 3/25, 7pm at Art Theatre LB
Death & Dying Book Club
SMOKE GETS IN YOURS EYES
Thu 4/9, 6:30pm at BCB Retro Row
TIMPLA Cookbook Club
A FEATHER AND A FORK meeting + potluck Q2 at KUBO LB
SAVE THE DATE: God help us—Bel Canto Books is going to the LA Times Festival of Books for the first time ever this April 18-19th!
Dubbed “Bookchella,” this annual book celebration welcomes more than 180,000 participants to USC for two days of author readings, panels, book signings, games, and more. We’ll be at Booth 854 in the Green Zone, so please come find us, check out all the books and goodies we’ve schlepped to campus, and make sure we haven’t succumbed to the stress (180,000 people, people! Yowzer!). We hope to see you there!
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.