Colorado is home to beautiful mountains and open spaces, amazing cities and towns, and a vibrant collage of people and cultures. To capture all of what Colorado has to offer is nearly impossible. But this month we want to at least highlight a few of the authors who call Colorado home.
These books, eBooks, and audiobooks are just a few examples of what is available in our collection – visit PoudreLibraries.org to find many more!
Backroads & Byways of Colorado: Dries, Day Trips, & Weekend Excursions
By Dreak Knufken, John Daters
In this updated and revised edition, the intrepid local writers and travelers are once again your guides to the pinnacles of the Rockies, the sandstone valleys of the Western Slope, and the windswept prairies of the eastern state. … This practical guidebook includes the authors’ expert insights into the state’s must-see sites, memorable meals, and cozy lodgings.
Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue
By Adrian Miller
Why is it, asks Adrian Miller–admitted ‘cuehead and longtime certified barbecue judge–that in today’s barbecue culture African Americans don’t get much love? In Black Smoke, Miller chronicles how Black barbecuers, pitmasters, and restauranteurs helped develop this cornerstone of American foodways and how they are coming into their own today.
by Derek Everett
This-day-in-history approach to key figures and events that shaped Colorado from the 1690s to the present. A relevant vignette for each day of the calendar year, exploring Colorado’s many facets through distilled tales of people, places, events, and trends that shaped, and continue to shape, the region
by Andrew Altschul
Leonora Gelb came to Peru to make a difference. She left a life of privilege to fight poverty and oppression, but her beliefs are tested when she falls in with violent revolutionaries. Leonora plans a decisive act of protest—until her capture in a bloody government raid, and a sham trial that sends her to prison for life. Ten years later, Andres—a failed novelist turned expat—is asked to write a magazine profile of “La Leo.” As his personal life unravels, he struggles to understand Leonora, to reconstruct her involvement with the militants, and to chronicle Peru’s tragic history.
by Andrea Gibson
Gibson’s latest collection is a masterful showcase from the poet whose writing and performances have captured the hearts of millions. With artful and nuanced looks at gender, romance, loss, and family, Lord of the Butterflies is a new peak in Gibson’s career. Each emotion here is deft and delicate, resting inside of imagery heavy enough to sink the heart, while giving the body wings to soar.
by Scott Graham
Hounded by false accusations of murder, archaeologist Chuck Bender and his family risk their lives to track down an unknown killer on the loose in a rugged canyon on the remote western edge of Mesa Verde National Park, where ancient stone villages and secret burial sites, abandoned centuries ago by the Ancestral Puebloan people, harbor artifacts so rare and precious they’re worth killing over.
by Manuel Ramos
Ex-con Gus Corral is fresh out of jail and intent on keeping his nose clean. He’s living in his sister’s basement, which he shares with a cat or two, Corrine’s CDs and their father’s record collection. The blues music in particular strikes a chord, matching the way he feels about his current state. Things start to look up when Gus gets a job working as an investigator for his attorney, Luis Móntez.
By Carla Laureano
In a kingdom where the Old Ways hold fast and a man’s worth lies entirely in his skill with the sword, Conor Mac Nir is a scholar, a musician, and a follower of the forbidden Balian faith: problematic for any man, but disastrous for the son of the king. When Conor is sent as a hostage to a neighboring kingdom, he never expects to fall in love with the rival king’s sister, Aine. Nor does he suspect his gift with the harp (and Aine’s ability to heal) touches on the realm of magic.
by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s magnetic story collection breathes life into her Latina characters of indigenous ancestry and the land they inhabit in the American West. Against the remarkable backdrop of Denver, Colorado—a place that is as fierce as it is exquisite—these women navigate the land the way they navigate their lives: with caution, grace, and quiet force. Fajardo-Anstine will be the headlining author for Fort Collins Reads and the 2021 Fort Collins Book Fest in October. Visit www.FoCoBookFest.org for event details.
by Peter McGraw
Dr. Peter McGraw–a business school professor, professional speaker, and founder of the Humor Research Lab (aka HuRL) — translates the genius and madness of the world’s funniest people into powerful prescriptions for professional success. Drawing on cutting-edge research, case studies, and his own comedy successes (and failures), McGraw reveals surprising business lessons from the masters of comedy.
by Sandra Dallas
It’s February, 1852, and all around Chicago, Maggie sees the postings soliciting “eligible women” to travel to the gold mines of Goosetown. A young seamstress with a small daughter, she has nothing to lose. She joins forty-three other women and two pious reverends on the dangerous 2,000-mile journey west. None of them are prepared for the hardships they face on the trek or for the strengths they did not know they possessed. Maggie discovers she’s not the only one looking to leave dark secrets behind.
A few picks for Kids by Colorado authors:
By Steve Jenkins
Animals smooth and spiky, fast and slow, hop and waddle through the two hundred plus pages of the Caldecott Honor artist Steve Jenkins’s impressive nonfiction book.
By Natasha Wing
Bagel wants to compete in a dance contest, but everyone from Pretzel to Croissant turns him down until, at last, shy and lovely Cupcake agrees to be his partner.
Colorado Fun: Activities for on the Road and at Home
By Phyllis J. Perry
Learn about Colorado in this activity book for kids.
By Dow Phumiruk
In this story, featuring facts about Thailand, Mela ends up in trouble when her little boat is swept into the dense jungle. She offers each animal she meets a prize for helping her find her way home, but the animals take their rewards without helping–then an elephant shows Mela that kindness is its own reward.
And a few for Tweens and Teens:
By Todd Mitchell
An eleven-year-old girl discovers a family of panthers that were thought to be extinct. But when others find out they are alive, too, she must risk everything to save the species
By Jim and Stephanie Kroepfl
Seven of our country’s most gifted teens will become Nobels, hosts for the implantation of brilliant Mentor minds, in an effort to accelerate human progress. But as the line between what’s possible and what’s right, draws ever blurrier, the teens discover everything has a cost.
By Lauren Myracle
Three sisters in the town of Willow Hill participate in a fabled tradition of making three wishes and find out what they really want only after their wishes come true.
Looking for more recommendations? Need help downloading digital materials? Visit the Poudre River Public Libraries in person or online at www.PoudreLibraries.org.