Issue 2: Legends and Lattes is for Recovering Angry People
Legends & Lattes is for Recovering Angry People
In honor of Travis Baldree's upcoming visit to Portland, Maine on November 12, I wanted to talk a little bit about a cozy fantasy book that had a significant impact on me. Usually that's not the result when one reads a cozy fantasy book, but Legends and Lattes is different.
The story centers on Viv, a retired orc warrior with the battle scars and precious favorite sword to match. She wants to live a quiet life and run a coffee shop in a city, and so she does. Most of the reviews of this book will tell you about how sweet it is, how there is a distinct lack of gore and love of fluffy, sweet language that draws you in like the smell of a perfectly baked pastry that just came out of the oven. That is all true, and more. It is not just fluff, it is well-written, heartwarming fluff.
Aside from the lovely warmth that this book exudes, Viv's search for peace within herself is what really struck me to the core when I read Legends and Lattes. The orc's tendency to solve all her problems wielding a sword and fear is akin to recovering from being an angry person. Perhaps your childhood was like mine. Anger was a central part of my growth as a person for years. I learned early on how to use anger as a weapon and a shield at the same time. I became a warrior of words; I knew how to say the perfect cutting thing in a battle.
This is not a sustainable way for me to live. I want to be open to joy and spread more love in my life. Anger and fear can be weapons, but I can also choose not to use them. I have found that I feel more at peace when I seek to resolve things with compromise, a plan to make things work, and other people to work with me, much like Viv in the book. I have learned more about true and real love from my best friends in the world than I did as a child. For Viv, it is the same. Throughout Legends and Lattes, she has a choice on numerous occasions: trust that community and friendship will be there for her, or pick up her sword and start slashing.
This sweet novel is an easy read that goes beyond the gumball fantasy genre to reach into the hearts of angry people and speak to us. Like Viv we can choose to ask friends for help and learn to respond with love. It is an ongoing process that will take time and repetition just as Viv experiences. The beautiful thing about Legends and Lattes is that it is about choosing love over violence.
Something I love right now
If you haven't discovered The Gilded Age yet, and you happen to have HBO, and you also happen to love totally inane social drama between insanely rich people, I cannot recommend this show enough. It's a stand-off between the old-wealth New York families and the nouveau-riche families of the Industrial Revolution, with a sprinkling of focus on white servants and Black New Yorkers working for the rich folks.
It is delightfully pithy and full of luxurious, over-the-top sets, fashion, and emotions. Watching someone have a total meltdown because their niece chose to work at a local school as an art teacher once a week is the kind of low-stakes drama I can handle right now. Because I like royal drama and high society bullshit, this is definitely my kind of show. Now if only they would throw in more queerness...
My world
Last week was a devastating week in the state of Maine. I don't want to get into it too much, other than to say that I am very grateful I did not lose any friends in this tragedy. I have friends who did, and I will grieve with and for them. It is going to take our local community a long time to recover. Please hold the people you love and let them know you love them. We never know when that last moment might happen.
Along those lines, I want to send love to everyone reading this email. I am glad you are here in this world and it is a privilege to get to know you in whatever way I do. I am grateful to be sharing this moment with you.
Much love,
Coco