Category: ReadLocal

Read Local SoCal — November 2026: There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood by Rasheed Newson

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There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood by Rasheed Newson, Read Local SoCal, November 2026

This Month’s Read Local SoCal Pick

A studio fixer whose job is keeping Hollywood’s stars in the closet sets out to expose who was responsible for the death of a closeted Black actor at the height of his fame. Rasheed Newson’s There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood is a journey into the queer history of Los Angeles in the studio era. Meet Rasheed live at WeHo Reads on Wednesday, Nov. 4 and read along with us through Nov. 22.

“An unflinching drama about queer Black history in the guise of a glittering, slow-burn mystery about a closeted actor in Hollywood’s golden age.” — Kirkus

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Read Local SoCal is BookSwell’s monthly feature spotlighting Southern California authors. New book every month. See all features →

Read Local SoCal — October 2026: Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee

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Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee, Read Local SoCal, October 2026

This Month’s Read Local SoCal Pick

This October, Read Local SoCal is reading Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee. A science-minded idealist and a chosen one who refuses her destiny meet in a magical coffeeshop as their two universes collide, in a cozy, sapphic YA fantasy romance that even visits two versions of UCLA and Echo Mountain. Read along with us all month, then meet C.B. live at WeHo Reads on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

“Epic world-saving plotting mixes with intimate star-crossed love and touches of magic and mischief, making for a satisfying and cozy read.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Read Local SoCal is BookSwell’s monthly feature spotlighting Southern California authors. New book every month. See all features →

Read Local SoCal — September 2026: Orbital Bebop by Reuben “Tihi” Hayslett

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Orbital Bebop by Reuben Tihi Hayslett — Read Local SoCal, September 2026

This Month’s Read Local SoCal Pick

This September, Read Local SoCal is reading Orbital Bebop by Reuben “Tihi” Hayslett. Orbital Bebop is a daring collection of speculative stories set from the Moon to the edge of the Year 3000. Black queer lives take center stage amid corporate empires, alien intelligences, and fractured futures. Each tale blends intimacy and rebellion, where romance, memory, and desire collide with power and control. The collection opens in 2067 California, and Tihi is a longtime part of the LA literary community, having read in BookSwell’s Intentional Intersectionality event in 2019. Read along with us all month.

“This isn’t your father’s science fiction, and that’s a good thing.” — Jerry L. Wheeler, Out in Print

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Read Local SoCal is BookSwell’s monthly feature spotlighting Southern California authors. New book every month. See all features →

Read Local SoCal — August 2026: The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe

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Read Local SoCal August 2026: The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe

This Month’s Read Local SoCal Pick

This August, Read Local SoCal is reading The Killing Spell, the debut fantasy from Shay Kauwe. Two centuries after a catastrophic flood drowned the Hawaiian islands, the surviving clans have built a new homeland on the edge of Los Angeles. When LA’s most prominent Filipino activist is killed by a death spell that can only exist in Hawaiian, young clan leader Kea Petrova becomes the prime suspect. It’s a murder mystery built from ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Read along with us all month.

“I tore through this book and loved every second. Shay Kauwe is a talent to watch.” — Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author

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Read Local SoCal is BookSwell’s monthly feature spotlighting Southern California authors. New book every month. See all features →

Read Local SoCal — July 2026: Amarisa’s Cooking Pot by Désirée Zamorano

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Read Local SoCal July 2026: Amarisa's Cooking Pot by Désirée Zamorano

This Month’s Read Local SoCal Pick

This July, Read Local SoCal is reading Amarisa’s Cooking Pot: Tales of Life in All Its Wonders, the debut story collection from Los Angeles native Désirée Zamorano. Across fairy-tale retellings and quietly desperate kitchens, Zamorano renders Latine lives in all their messy glory — sliding between the fantastic and the ordinary, and never far from a shared meal. Written in Altadena, it’s SoCal storytelling down to its bones. Read along with us all month.

“How deft, vibrant, and heartfelt these stories are.” — Holly Goddard Jones, author of Antipodes and Girl Trouble

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Buy the book on Bookshop.org →

Read Local SoCal is BookSwell’s monthly feature spotlighting Southern California authors. New book every month. See all features →