It’s almost my favorite time of the year, book peeps – Blazer Season! Although we’ve been in the clutches of a heatwave in Long Beach as I write this, I’m filled with anticipatory joy at the prospect of cooler temps, cozy drinks, and big Fall books.
Before we get to the Fall book news, I wanted to share my August Moments of Joy:
EXPERIENCE: My sisters and I road-tripped to Pismo Beach this month, passing through San Luis Obispo, Summerland, and Ventura, and making stops at wineries, seafood restaurants, a California mission, The Madonna Inn for pink champagne cake, and of course, bookstores (including Timbre Books, Godmothers, and Smitten). I’m happy to report that no sisters were (seriously) injured or left behind!
MEDIA: I can’t say that I watched anything truly transcendent, but I did binge-watch some great, fun (and sometimes cringey) TV this month, including the latest seasons of The Gilded Age, Wednesday, and The Summer I Turned Pretty, thoroughly satisfying my inner 16 year old.
FOOD: While in Pismo Beach, I had some of the best clam chowder of my life and an amazing crab cocktail (which I’d never even heard of), all at Ada’s Fish House. Both were so fresh and chockful of seafood, and I may have to bring Mr. Bel Canto back sometime to enjoy the restaurant and the natural beauty of the area.
JOURNALING: This one is an anticipatory joy because we’ll be hosting one of our favorite stationery companies, Traveler’s Company USA, at KUBO LB again on Sunday 9/20 from 11am-4pm. If you’re curious about Traveler’s notebooks (or just want to see a bunch of stationery nerds freak out), stop by!
BOOKS: By the time this month is done, I’ll have read at least 11 books - I think a personal best for me since I’ve been a bookseller! Some of my faves: The Wayfarer sci-fi series by Becky Chambers, Winnie M. Li’s suspenseful sibling road trip novel WHAT WE LEFT UNSAID, and an early copy of Yume Kitasei’s cli-fi novel SALTCROP.
Lastly, I wanted to share with you our Fall 2025 Most Anticipated Books list, which includes “auto-buy” authors Elaine Castillo, Susan Orlean, and R.F. Kuang, new biographies of Octavia E. Butler and Bruce Lee, new fiction from Olivie Blake and Quiara Alegría Hudes, and art books by two of my favorite artists Shay Mirk and Sally Mann, among others.
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)!
Friday 9/5, 6-9pm @ KUBO LB
First Fridays
Saturday 9/6, 11am @ KUBO LB
Storytime with Kimberly Tso, TIC TAC TOE CHICKEN
Saturday 9/13, 10am-6pm in San Pedro
FPAC x KUBO Popup + Author Signings
featuring Shelby Rabara, Joy Francisco, Rachell Abalos + Tracy Badua
Sunday 9/14, 12-4pm @ Ambitious Ales
Boozy Book Fair
Saturday 9/20, 11am-4pm @ KUBO LB
Traveler’s Company Popup
Sunday 9/21, 4pm @ BCB Retro Row
Eric Wat, DADDY ISSUES
in conversation with D Hideo Maruyama
Wednesday 9/24, 7pm @ Ambitious Ales
HEARTLAND MASALA Cookbook Celebration
with Jyoti Mukharji + Auyon Mukharji
Friday 9/26, 6-9pm @ BCB Retro Row
Fourth Fridays
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
SOLITO by Javier Zamora
Thu 9/25, 6:30pm at Alder & Sage
Burning Issues Book Club
MIGRATING TO PRISON by César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández
Sun 9/28, 12pm PT / 3pm ET (virtual)
Graphic Novel Book Club
BROWNSTONE by Samuel Tear, illustrated by Mar Julia
Sat 9/20, 10am PT / 1pm ET (virtual)
Movies N’ Books Club
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN by Frank W. Abagnale and Stan Redding
Wed 9/24, 5pm at the Art Theater LB
Queer Book Club
THE SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller
Sat 9/27, 7pm at BCB Retro Row
TIMPLA Cookbook Club
MAYUMU by Abi Balingit
Sun 9/28, 1-3pm at KUBO LB
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