I mentioned one of these books in a post back when we were still doing a Book of the Week, but now have to give another shout out because the deluxe editions are out! Introducing these beautiful new editions of Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree!

In what have been called ‘cozy fantasies,’ both books share the many wonderful adventures of my current favourite orc, Viv, as she builds for herself a different life than being a mercenary. Legends & Lattes was first published in 2022 as a paperback, followed by the prequel Bookshops & Bonedust in 2023, also in paperback. Both also featured fantastic cover art by Carson Lowmiller.

But with their popularity came the announcement that hardcover editions would be coming out, and look at them! Beautiful new covers and – yes, I know it’s really trendy but I love them anyways – look at those sprayed edges! And in addition to the new graphic-style artwork on the covers, the books feature new full-colour paintings by Lowmiller on the front and back endpapers.

Picking up on the metaphor of every edition of a book being a specific performance of the manuscript, this is another case of having first heard a great new band playing in a dive bar somewhere, and then seeing them on their stadium tour or backed by a full orchestra in a posh concert hall now that they’ve made it big. It’s going to be fun to revisit these stories now in their ‘glow up’ form.

And nothing against the original trade paperbacks – love them still! – but I think thinks there’s nothing quite like the look and feel of a hardcover. Plus I now have lending copies!

Happy Reading!

– Winston