Legends & Lattes

An Orc, a Career Change and My Dream of a Cozy Bookshop

Among the books I have come across on the Casa Donatalina journey, Travis Baldree’s «Legends & Lattes» deserves a place because it is the perfect book for a rainy, slightly melancholy September, especially if you are thinking about reconsidering your career or looking for a new job — whether because circumstances have forced you to, or simply because you feel like evolving and have decided that September is the perfect month for such things.

That is exactly what Viv, the orc heroine of this book, does. Having reached a certain age, she finds herself tired of smashing heads and spreading death and destruction all day long. She wants to change her life, open a coffee shop, and bring the aroma of unfamiliar flavours to the city of Thune. Of course, things don’t go entirely smoothly, and there will still be enemies and magic to face, but there will also be new friends and plenty of hope, which, all things considered, isn’t bad at all. And the pastries made by the rattkin baker (my favourite character) are the perfect cosy counterpoint to a battle, an enemy, and a cup of coffee.

Reading this book, I felt very much like Viv — not because my job normally involves smashing heads, but because I too have always nurtured simple dreams, like having a small, satisfying business, surrounded by friendly people, and serving coffee and cakes. Sometimes these little dreams seem more appealing than prestigious, highly specialised jobs. Don’t you ever find yourself dreaming of living a different life? Well, if you have, I think you’ll find something of yourself in Viv.

And if, like me, you love the idea of pairing coffee with a small, warm and cozy bookshop, you will happily follow Viv into Bookshop & Bonedust, also by Baldree, where there are more fights and more wonderfully odd characters, who personally remind me a lot of the people from the village where I grew up. Just a few days ago, I was having coffee with my friend M. when we started talking about these two books. Before long, the conversation had shifted to our shared dream of opening a bookshop-café that could be a meeting place for people who live between languages. A place with an identity that feels almost like a «home», somewhere to come in, read, meet people, have a slice of cake… I can already picture the warm, enveloping colour of the walls and a shop window with an old-fashioned sign announcing books in different languages, and a place where events centred around books could be held… Basically, a CasaDonatalina made of bricks, a happy counterpart to its virtual version.

I don’t know whether M. and I will ever actually open such a place. Dreams sometimes collide with the need for start-up capital, entrepreneurial skills, a business plan and licences. But dreaming is the first step towards making anything happen. And if a warrior orc can decide to open a coffee shop, perhaps a multilingual engineer can start a bookshop.