Happy Pride!
Happy Pride Month, book peeps!
We’re thrilled to celebrate books by and about the queer community with our featured book list, author events, book clubs, and more! I hope you’ll make a point to seek out LGBTQ+ authors and artists this month, including some recent new faves of mine:
GAYSIANS by Mike Curato - the first adult graphic novel from the acclaimed children’s book author and illustrator, GAYSIANS is an exuberant and moving story about four Asian friends navigating Seattle’s queer community. I loved everything about this book - the artwork, the coming of age story, the found family struggles - and we’re thrilled that Mike will be coming to KUBO LB on Wednesday 6/11 with local author Rasheed Newson. You can preorder signed copies here!
COFFEESHOP IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE by C.B. Lee - this book was one of the most buzzed about at our CALIBA book conference - a cozy fantasy about two young women whose meet-cute is in a magical coffeeshop! We’re so lucky that author C.B. Lee is a local friend of the bookstore and coming to KUBO on Saturday 6/28 with Emery Lee, along with coffee popup Shio Coffee. You can preorder signed copies here!
Merchant Ivory documentary - Please tell me that you were also obsessed with the films of Merchant Ivory in the 1990s! I think I must have watched A Room with a View dozens of times (I can immediately call up the stirring music and those fields of wildflowers). This fantastic documentary takes you deep into this extraordinary partnership, with so many amazing cameos (Helena Bonham Carter! Emma Thompson! Hugh Grant! Vanessa Redgrave!). It’s so satisfying to watch, and if you have a library card (this is your cue to sign up!), it’s free on Kanopy!
Lastly, we are beyond excited and honored to have helped with the curation of the new Filipino American Cultural Heritage Collection at Harte Neighborhood Library. You’ll see so many of our favorite Filipinx authors sharing shelf space in this amazing new space. The grand opening celebration is on Saturday 5/31 from 10:30am-1:30pm. We hope you’ll join us for this groundbreaking achievement!
Here’s to books, laughter, and joyful resistance!
Jhoanna
Head Booknerd + Owner of Bel Canto Books
JUNE EVENTS
Thursday 6/5, 7pm @ KUBO LB
Amina AlTai, THE AMBITION TRAP
Friday 6/6, 6-9pm @ KUBO LB
First Fridays
Wednesday 6/11, 7pm @ KUBO LB
Mike Curato, GAYSIANS (with Rashid Newson)
Friday 6/13, 11am @ Cerritos Library
Storytime with Erica Lee Schlaiker
Thursday 6/19, 3pm @ BCB Retro Row
Juneteenth Storytime with Naheemah McMicheaux McCallop
Sunday 6/22, 2pm @ KUBO LB
Stamping Workshop with CJ Mauro
Tuesday 6/24, 7pm @ KUBO LB
Alix Dick + Antero Garcia, THE COST OF BEING UNDOCUMENTED
*RSVP required*
Friday 6/27, 6-9pm @ BCB Retro Row
Fourth Fridays
Saturday 6/28, 4pm @ KUBO LB
C.B. Lee, COFFEESHOP IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE + Emery Lee, DON’T DRAG IT OUT
with Shio Coffee popup
JUNE BOOK CLUBS
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, Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, and/or request books from your local library. Learn more and kindly RSVP here.
Bel Canto Book Club
THE PALACE OF EROS
Thu 6/26, 6:30pm at Union @ Compound
Burning Issues Book Club
ANOTHER APPALACHIA
Sun 6/29, 12pm PT / 3pm ET (virtual)
Graphic Novel Book Club
GAYTHEIST
Sat 6/21, 10am PT / 1pm ET (virtual)
Movies N’ Books Club
No June book/movie
Queer Book Club
THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO
Sat 6/21, 7pm at BCB Retro Row
The Conscious Tea Book Club
UNASSIMILABLE
Sun 6/29, 11am at KUBO LB
TIMPLA Cookbook Club
UMMA Potluck + Discussion
Sat 6/28, 1pm at KUBO LB