Entertainment
LA Librería, L.A.'s only Spanish-language children's bookstore, celebrates new space
Inside LA Librería’s new West Adams location, a hush falls over the thick crowd of multigenerational families. Angelica Sauceda, a librarian at Anaheim Public Libraries, faces an audience of young readers ready to hear the bilingual story of “La Siesta Perfecta.”
“Es hora,” she calls out. It’s story time.
On Sunday, the only children’s Spanish-language bookstore in Los Angeles invited customers to celebrate the grand opening of their biggest storefront yet. Back in 2012, founders Chiara Arroyo and Celene Navarrete set out with the goal of providing quality, imported Spanish-language titles to local schools and bilingual families. And their newly opened 2,400-square-foot location marks the moment they have been patiently waiting for — the ability to bring their community together in a space that finally fits.
“When we were an appointment-only showroom, people were always knocking on the door trying to get in. When we opened a small storefront, we didn’t have enough space for events. Most of the time, all the kids would have to be inside and all the parents wait outside,” said Arroyo. “We needed more space to move.”
Children listen during story time at LA Librería on Sunday, where customers were invited to celebrate the bookstore’s largest space yet.
(Sarahi Apaez / Los Angeles Times)
Arroyo and Navarrete first crossed paths at their children’s elementary school, Edison Language Academy. Navarrete, a professor of coding and computer information systems at Cal State Dominguez Hills from Mexico, and Arroyo, a former film critic from Spain, both volunteered at the school’s book fair. Given the dual-immersion aspect of the school, they remember how few Spanish titles were being sold.
“We were surprised. We didn’t like the selection very much. Some [books] had mistakes or were full stereotypes,” Arroyo said. “Given how many people in L.A. are interested in learning Spanish or raising children in a multicultural environment, it was shocking that you couldn’t even find books in Spanish in a bilingual program.”
LA Librería co-founders Chiara Arroyo and Celene Navarrete at Sunday’s celebration of their larger space. In the early days, they operated their bookstore out of an old hair salon.
(Sarahi Apaez / Los Angeles Times)
Instead of complaining, they took action. With Navarro’s background in technology and Arroyo’s experience in the publishing industry, the two were able to muster enough books together for the next fair, where they had their own curated Spanish-language literature table. Hand-picking each storybook, the pair says they are able to understand the market and the community’s needs so well because they encounter the same difficulties with their own bilingual families. As the word got around, they began selling at schools all around L.A. until officially becoming La Librería in 2012.
As busy parents, the duo couldn’t commit to being in a store for eight hours a day, so they started off with an appointment-only showroom model. Operating out of an old hair salon in West Adams, the demand for their collection only continued to increase. In 2015, they settled into a small office space on Washington Boulevard in Mid-City where they were able to open up a more typical-looking bookstore. They began to host readings and events, but given how many people would show up, they say the space quickly became unsustainable.
“When we were selling at these fairs, many people didn’t even know these kinds of books existed until they saw them. Let alone know they are available in a city like Los Angeles and in their schools,” said Arroyo. “To have access to these books in your family’s language is a huge thing and can open up a discussion, especially because the language has been so stigmatized in the past.”
Skimming the shelves while carrying her daughter, new mother Crystal Morales recalls her own relationship to Spanish. Because of the language’s marginalization, she was taught to understand her parents’ tongue but never to speak it. Now living in La Verne, she wants to ensure her baby can speak both English and Spanish fluently.
“I don’t remember having any Spanish books in my [childhood] home, and now I would say half of the library at home is in Spanish. I am definitely a ‘no sabo kid’ and I don’t want my daughter to grow up the way I did,” Morales said. “Now Spanish is so embraced and the more bilingual you are, the more of an asset it is.”
Today, LA Librería is housed in a 2,400-square-foot space whose hybrid look is part modern style and part old-fashioned facade. With glass front-facing windows and raw wooden bookshelves, the store is filled with anything from graphic novels and picture books to poetry anthologies and adult novels — a new venture for the duo. With over 250 publishers in their index, the shop prioritizes a selection specifically meant for L.A.’s Spanish speakers up to the age of 15.
“We have learned that the book industry puts Latinos in the same box and we try to do the opposite. We try to represent and diversify the selection,” Navarrete said. “They don’t know about the diversity in Latin America. We wanted to reflect that in the collection.”
Averi Johnson, 3, reads a book from LA Librería.
(Sarahi Apaez / Los Angeles Times)
Sheila Pastor, a Spanish teacher in Santa Monica, had barely started browsing the stacks and was already carrying four books. Having taught Spanish for over a decade, the educator says she’s rarely able to find a resource as diverse and accessible as LA Librería. She plans on bringing her students in the coming weeks to experience the store for themselves and participate in a few workshops.
“In the past, I haven’t been able to find many resources, so I often create them myself through board games and stuff,” she said. “I like to see that there’s something for everyone. There’s these huge books with big pictures for the little ones and stories that the older ones will like too.”
When looking through the vast selection, visitors can find stories from almost every Latin American country and even a few in Indigenous languages like Nahuatl and Zapotec.
“When you go to a bookstore in Mexico, you are not asking if they have a book from a different country. Other stores don’t really import from other places. But that’s what makes Los Angeles unique,” Arroyo said.
Going forward, Arroyo and Navarrete plan to expand LA Librería’s workshop programming, host professional development events and continue bringing more publishers into their selection. As they continue establishing themselves as a community hub, literary representation remains their focus.
“People want books from their own countries,” Navarrete said. “And we are confident to tell them, that’s our commitment.”
Movie Reviews
Bandar Movie Review: Bobby Deol roars in Anurag Kashyap’s unsettling legal thriller that refuses to spoon-feed
Name: Bandar
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Bobby Deol, Sanya Malhotra, Sapna Pabbi, Saba Azad, Jitendra Joshi, Raj B Shetty
Writer: Sudip Sharma, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5/5
Plot:
Bandar follows Sameer Mehra’s character, essayed by Bobby Deol, a fading star who is desperately clinging to his past glory. Just as he attempts to rebuild his life and finds solace in a new relationship, his world comes crashing down. A former girlfriend files a heinous allegation against him, dragging him into a vicious, high-profile legal battle. Written by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, the film moves away from standard Bollywood courtroom setups. Instead, it dives straight into the murky waters of social media trials, public perception, and a sluggish judicial system where the truth gets buried under layers of gray.
What works:
Known for his chaotic energy, Anurag Kashyap takes a remarkably mature and controlled approach here. He avoids sensationalizing a highly sensitive topic, choosing instead to focus on the psychological claustrophobia of the protagonist. The prison sequences are exceptionally well-shot. They create a suffocating, raw atmosphere that makes you feel the weight of the character’s confinement. The script successfully avoids preachy, black-and-white monologues. It bravely forces the audience to confront their own biases regarding modern-day public trials and the digital judge-and-jury culture.
What doesn’t:
Clocking in at nearly two hours and twenty minutes, Bandar feels heavily weighed down in the second half. The narrative stretches thin, and a few subplots demand too much patience, making you wish for a tighter edit. The film stubbornly refuses to take a definitive moral stance or offer a neat resolution. While film enthusiasts might appreciate the complexity, mainstream viewers looking for a clear-cut ending or emotional payoff might walk away feeling detached and frustrated.
Performances:
- Bobby Deol is the beating heart of this film. Stripping away the massive macho swagger and menacing villainy of his recent hits, he delivers a deeply vulnerable, understated performance. He plays Samar with a mix of arrogance, confusion, and raw helplessness, proving his immense range.
- Sanya Malhotra anchors her screen time with her trademark reliability, turning in a grounded and impactful performance.
- Saba Azad and Sapna Pabbi excel in their respective roles, bringing genuine nuance to characters that could have easily been sidelined.
- Jitendra Joshi is an absolute scene-stealer, commanding your attention every single time he steps into the frame.
- Indrajith Sukumaran and Raj B Shetty are absolute show stealers with their raw acting.
Final Verdict:
Bandar is an unsettling, morally complex thriller that refuses to spoon-feed its audience. It isn’t a comfortable watch, nor does it try to be. While the sluggish pacing in the second half prevents it from being an absolute masterpiece, it is worth a watch for Bobby Deol’s spectacular acting reinvention and Anurag Kashyap’s gritty, thought-provoking storytelling.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of Pinkvilla. No statement in this article is intended to defame, harm, or malign any individual or entity.
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Kathy Hilton will no longer be the grand marshal of West Hollywood’s pride parade.
The city and WeHo Pride on Wednesday released a joint statement, announcing that “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star would no longer serve as the Grand Marshal Icon for the 2026 WeHo Pride Parade. The event is scheduled for Sunday.
“After thoughtful discussions, the City of West Hollywood, the WeHo Pride production team, and Kathy Hilton have determined that the 2026 WeHo Pride Parade will not designate a Grand Marshal Icon honoree,” read the statement.
The decision comes less than a week after Hilton was announced. That May 28 announcement was met with swift backlash from the LGBTQ+ community and allies, who called out Hilton’s ties to President Trump and alleged MAGA-leaning politics. Critics also cited accusations that the socialite had used a homophobic slur while on a trip with other cast members of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” an action she has previously denied.
In their joint statement, West Hollywood and the WeHo Pride team expressed their appreciation for “the respectful and sincere dialogue” around both the event and the “role and significance” of Pride honorees.
“The City of West Hollywood has always believed that Pride belongs to the community,” the joint statement said. “Since its earliest days, Pride has served as both a celebration and a platform for activism, visibility, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of equality, dignity, and justice for LGBTQ+ people. … These conversations reflect the passion people have for WeHo Pride and underscore the importance of ensuring that WeHo Pride continues to honor the history, values, and diverse voices of the LGBTQ+ community.”
In a statement, Hilton expressed gratitude for being considered for grand marshal and reaffirmed her commitment to the LGBTQ+ community and causes.
“My reason for wanting to be involved in this year’s WeHo Pride weekend was simple: to celebrate, support, and share in the joy of a community that means a great deal to so many people,” Hilton said. “Pride is, and always will be, about celebrating and uplifting LGBTQ+ voices, experiences, and achievements. … My support for the community and WeHo Pride is unwavering.”
She also mentioned several queer advocacy organizations and events she has supported over the years, including GLAAD, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Dr. Mathilde Krim, God’s Love We Deliver and Project Angel Food.
The latest Pride-related dust-up follows the abrupt cancellation of the Long Beach Pride Festival in May. The city’s Pride Parade took place as planned.
Both snafus have occurred as conservative politicians and advocates continue to attack LGBTQ+ rights and visibility nationwide. Some Republican governors have even pushed for conservative alternatives to Pride month festivities. A recent Gallup poll has found that after years of steady gains, support for marriage equality and same-sex relationships has slipped, particularly among Republicans.
Movie Reviews
Movie Review: Travolta’s “Propeller: One-Way Night Coach” is One for the Ages — All Ages
Back in the good ol’days — the ’90s — John Travolta would love to get off the topic of “Michael,” “Pulp Fiction” or “Get Shorty” in interviews with film journalists like me and regale us with how utterly besotted he had been with his first flying experience, how that drove his passion for piloting and buying planes and airfield-adjacent luxury houses.
He didn’t even seem to mind having to move house when this or that development balked at him flying his Boeing 707 out of there on the way to locations.
Travolta would tell any journalist who asked that he was writing a kid-friendly book, “Propeller: One Way Night Coach,” based on his first flights as a child in old propeller driven airliners — cheap red-eye overnight treks with too many connections for your average jet age traveller to tolerate.
I remember picking up the book when it came out later in the ’90s — at an airport gift shop — and thinking “Well, that’s as cute as I figured.”
And now, decades later and trapped in the B-movie hell of his post “Gotti” career, Travolta’s turned that cute book into the most delightful, fanciful and colorful bon bon of a movie.
“One Way Night Coach” is a child’s fantasy of flight and flying the way it used to be — with pristine, uncrowded, futuristic airports, an early ’60s era of jets and prop planes with over-uniformed stewardesses in white gloves, the days “Back before every Joe Sweatsock could wedge himself behind a lunch tray and jet off to Raleigh-Durham,” as Sideshow Bob memorably sneered on “The Simpsons’.”
It’s a fictionalized account of Travolta’s childhood about an only child (at least two Travolta siblings have bit parts in this movie) of a never-made-it/never-will actress/single-mom (Kelly Eviston-Quinnett) who indulges her aviation-obsessed eight-year-old with a cheap cross-country overnight flight.
Little Jeff (Clark Shotwell) will revel in almost every Idlewild to Pittsburgh to Dayton to Chicago to Kansas City to Denver and Los Angeles minute. He strolls into the cockpit to meet pilots, charms the stewardesses and checks out the sleeping bunks on the TWA Lockheed Super Constellation, loving even the delays if not the Chicken Cordon Bleu he’s offered on legs of the journey that offer a meal.
And as he’s an observant child, he comments (Travolta narrates) on his 50ish mother’s vamping and posing, her choice of cigarettes (Newports) and drinks, the solo traveling men whose attention she pursues and earns.
“I was her best audience,” adult Jeff remembers of the mother who’d read him plays as bedtime stories and delusionally hopes that this trip to Los Angeles might be her “big break” even though she’s pushing 50.
“Hollywood called,” she’d explain about their overnight cheap flight arrangements to ticket agents and crew. “They told me to take the next flight!”
At every turn, Jeff meets or sees kindness — stewardesses who indulge his many questions and bump them up to first class on the mostly-empty planes, a captain who fixes his toy model of a Constellation, a mentally ill flyer who flips out but is calmed by a flight attendant who isn’t overworked and frazzled in jet-powered tin-can jammed with Joe and Jane Sweatsocks who think nothing of traveling in their pajamas.
Normally, I cringe at pictures this reliant on voice-over narration. I recoil from stars who populate their picture with Sandler etc. offspring. But “Propeller” is unfailingly sweet and never cloying.
Sure, it’s fictionalized. But if you’ve followed Travolta’s life and career, a lot of him is in this — his raptoruous engagement with flying, an indulged child who developed a taste for fine food and creature comforts, a mother who was his guiding star as an actor.
I get why there are less adoring reviews than mine floating around “Propeller.” It’s unfailingly sweet. Mom’s man-hunting is seriously dated. This TWA tale is decorated with Gershwin’s majestic “Rhapsody in Blue” — United Airlines’ signature tune. And Travolta’s been around long enough for recent generations to come up and not feel a connection to the “Saturday Night Fever/Get Shorty” star whose career has fallen off and life has been visited by too much tragedy.
But I’d hate to be seated next to anybody who doesn’t appreciate this adorable, pristine and nearly perfect aviation fantasy on any flight, much less an overnight one.
Rating: TV-PG
Cast: Clark Shotwell, Kelly Eviston-Quinnett, Ellen Travolta, Ella Beau Travolta, Olga Hoffmann and John Travolta.
Credits: Scripted and directed by John Travolta, based on his book. An Apple TV+ release.
Running time: 1:01
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