ALN Monthly Book Club: Legends and Lattes (Old Town)

For our December Monthly Book Club, we will be reading Travis Baldree's "Legends and Lattes!"

We will be hosting this event IN PERSON, outdoors, at Presidio Park in Old Town! We recommend (but do not require) that attendees wear masks and maintain social distance.

We typically meet at the picnic tables in the shade at the end of the loop made by Cosoy Way. Please see the embedded map below for more details.

Content warning: PG Violence. Details not given here to avoid spoilers. Contact an organizer if you have concerns about the book's content.

Imagine that the characters from your D&D campaign were real people, and the barbarian orc decided that she was going to quit marauding and open a coffee shop instead.

We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Events:
January: Nettle and Bone, by T. Kingfisher
February: You'd Look Better as a Ghost, by Joanna Wallace
March: Blood over Bright Haven, by M. L. Wang
April: The Hexologists, by Josiah Bancroft
May: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, by Axie Oh
June: The Demon-Haunted World, by Carl Sagan
July: The Chaotic Orbits Trilogy, by Beth Revis
August: The Spear Cuts Through Water, by Simon Jimenez
EPIC: The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon
September: 2026-2027 ALN Book Selection!

Discussion questions:
Intros: If you were to move into a completely new job, what would you choose?

1. Was it reasonable for Viv to take the scalvert stone as her share of the spoils? Do you think the stone actually had magical properties? Does the actual effect of the stone change whether it was reasonable for Viv to take it?

2. Viv is focused on rejecting her former life of violence and pillaging. Does only seeing her new life impact how your see that transformation? Is it a true change given that Viv's new life is built entirely on the riches gained from the violence she's trying to reject? How do you feel about her handling of the situation with the Madrigal?

3. How much inspiration does this book take from D&D? Do you think your personal knowledge or lack of knowledge about the game influenced your impressions of the book? Can you imagine a D&D campaign along the lines of this story with no battles?

4. Durias is a somewhat mysterious character who is never explained at all. What do you think is going on with him?

5. How much suspension of disbelief does this novel require? Do ceiling fans, espresso machines, and biscotti make sense here? How about discussions of work/life balance and sexual harassment in a world that still uses horses for transportation? Or are these things just as realistic as orcs and goblins?

6. Is it possible to have a book without conflict? Could you have removed the Madrigal and Fennus subplots and still had an enjoyable story? What's the most conflict-free novel you've encountered? Would this book have been more enjoyable if there had been *more* conflict?

7. This book is often categorized as a "cozy fantasy." What makes a story a "cozy" read? Does every genre have a cozy subgenre? Are there any types of books that are simply incompatible with coziness?

8. Baldree wrote this book in November 2021 and self published it in February 2022. He's said thathe wrote it in a reaction to all the violent fantasy he was narrating, writing the type of fiction he wanted to read coming out of the pandemic. Do you think it would have become as popular if it had been published pre-COVID?

9. Baldree was a professional audiobook narrator before he was an author, and he narrates his own book. How do you feel in general about authors as narrators? If you listened to the audiobook, did you enjoy it? Do you see any influences of Baldree's audiobook background in this novel?

10. Last book club of the year! What was the best book you read in 2025?