Brigands & Breadknives
{4.5/5} “A flock of starlings looped and bloomed and contracted as it described graceful patterns above the mist, dipping down sometimes to disappear, before reemerging in a plume of vapor. The rush of the long grass behind them seemed to swell and retreat in time with the movements of the birds… There atop the bluff, surrounded on all sides by a beautiful distance, Fern was consumed by a sense of remoteness that was not at all lonely.”
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree, published in 2025
Fern had been corresponding with her old friend Viv, and now she’s moved to Thune. That’s where Viv has her coffee shop — of course, Fern doesn’t even know what coffee is. But Fern is going to open a new bookshop there. Opening day goes very well, but Fern still feels a sense of dissatisfaction. In a moment of insanity, she hides in legendary adventurer Astryx’s wagon.
This is the sequel to Bookshops & Bonedust.
It’s about wrestling with what you want to do with your life, even if you’ve lived a few decades. It’s about friendship and forgiveness.
The twist near the end is clever.
I’ve read 3 books by Baldree.