Welcome to September and the end of summer. Where has the year gone? We did have a nice family outing. River had gelato for the first time. He’s a fan.
Also popped into Secret Headquarters which has got to have the classiest sign of any comic shop ever. It’s a small shop but has along with the standard fare, a wonderfully curated selection of independent books and a kid’s section. I picked up Milo’s World which I have not read yet but has some lovely Studio Ghibli-esque artwork.
Some other sweetness. I am to say the least, a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur. Levain’s Bakery are my favorite but being on the other side of the country is an issue. I was thrilled when they came out with a grocery store version and it finally came to L.A. Unfortunately I did not love them.
Last week Sophia surprised me with a fresh shipment from New York. They were phenomenal. On to some recs! Yes, if you’re in New York definitely drop by Levain’s Bakery.
Song I’m Listening To
Why is this song not on the radio? It’s so good. Check out her other stuff if you like it. I’m a fan.
Book I’m Reading
Scales & Scoundrels Book 1: Where Dragons Wander
I purchased this when it popped up in one of Amazon’s book recommendations. It’s a fantasy adventure that follows Luvander, a treasure hunter with a secret. The reader is clued in on the secret pretty early on but I won’t spoil it.
Luvander falls in with a small group on their own adventure but Luvander’s past is catching up with her.
Written by Sebastian Girner and art by Galaad, it was a fun read. I’ll be picking up the next book. Something I found interesting about it was the main story wraps up but there’s about 25% left of the book where we follow Luvander on a handful of short adventures along with some backstory.
The one thing that is a weird tone thing to navigate with Middle Grade stories (though this is probably YA) is how to handle death and violence. There is a bit of both but it’s mostly off screen and bloodless. Like the old GI Joe cartoons where everyone is shooting guns but nobody gets hurt. I don’t have a better answer on how else to handle this. I guess it’s just one of the odd things the creators have to figure out when writing for young readers.
And that’s what’s awesome! Thanks for reading.
