As daylight fades and people start to spend more time inside, it’s time to get started on your fall reading list. From short story collections, novels and poetry collections, local authors continue to showcase range with sharp storytelling and familiar landscapes.
Check out eight recent releases written by these Colorado authors.
Hot Comb, Ebony Flowers
For Fans of: Short stories, comic strips, WOC perspectives
Similar Books: The Hard Tomorrow, Grass, BTTM FDRS
With gorgeous prose set in a vibrant comic strip format, Hot Comb shares the experiences of several Black women reckoning with barriers to thriving at the intersection of race, class and gender. Using hair-styling as a focal point, Denver-based author Ebony Flowers crafts poignant narratives and relatable characters. It is Flower’s debut collection of graphic short stories.
Mulled To Death, Kate Lansing
For Fans of: Whimsy, suspense, murder-mystery
Similar Books: Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off, Here Comes the Fudge, Partners in Lime
Mulled to Death is the third installment of Kate Lansing’s Colorado Wine Mystery series. It’s a somewhat silly and riveting murder mystery set in a mountain ski resort. With suspenseful turns set against gorgeous descriptions of mountain scenery, Lansing takes the reader on quite the ride. This novel is perfect for anyone who loves to devour books in one or two sittings— just don’t forget your glass of wine.
Edge of The Map, Johanna Garton
For Fans of: Biography, mountaineering, expedition stories
Similar Books: White Tiger, Journey’s North: The Pacific Crest Trail, The Third Pole
Johanna Garton’s latest release tells the story of Christine Boskoff, a woman mountaineer and high altitude climber who led all-male expeditions in the late 20th century. Boskoff set several mountaineering records among American climbers and women athletes. She and her partner Charlie Fowler went missing during a climbing expedition in Sichuan China in 2006; the search for them garnered international attention. Garton captures the experiences of a generation-defining woman climber who paved the way for increased equity in outdoor recreation.
Sabrina and Corina, Kali Fajardo-Anstine
For Fans of: Indigenous storytelling, short stories, western backdrops
Similar Books: Milk Blood Heat, The Undocumented Americans, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
Traversing through the lives of Latina women with Indigenous roots, Sabrina and Corina shines a powerful lens on womanhood, friendship and ties to land with ferocity. Denver-based author Kali Fajardo-Anstine mastered the form of short storytelling to leave readers with a deep imprint of each character and relationship.
Other People’s Pets, R.L. Maizes
For Fans of: Underdog protagonists, animal fiction, complicated families
Similar Books: A Long Petal of the Sea, You Are Not Alone, Little Gods
2021 Colorado Book Award Winner Other People’s Pets follows La La, a girl abandoned by her mother and accomplice to her father who survives through home robberies. An animal empath, La La feels drawn to veterinary school but is forced to drop out in order to help with her father’s legal fees once he’s finally caught.
To afford the full cost of her father’s trial, La La returns to home robberies herself. In order to cope with her actions, she chooses homes with sick animals and treats them before stealing. R.L. Maizes deftly shows the nuance of survival through a young woman with a quirky superpower.
Lord of the Butterflies, Andrea Gibson
For Fans of: Poetry, LGBTQ+ perspectives, romance
Similar Books: Nothing Is Okay, If My Body Could Speak, Swallowtail
Lord of the Butterflies is Boulder-based Andrea Gibson’s latest collection of poetry. With vivid language, they explore gender norms, identity and disparities. Within its pages, readers can feel seen or seek to understand the world around them. Gibson is also a four-time Denver Grand Slam champion.
The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones
For Fans of: Horror, Indigenous perspectives, drama
Similar Books: Mr. Nobody, My Dark Vanessa, The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida
A History of Kindness, Linda Hogan
For Fans of: Poetry, Indigenous storytelling, exploration of colonialism
Similar Books: Postcolonial Love Poem, A Burning, Good Talk
In her latest collection of poetry, Chickasaw poet Linda Hogan faces colonialism and offers peace and calls for accountability in return. Hogan deftly weaves plain language into powerful verse for any reader willing to open themselves to her stories. She carries on generations of Indigenous storytelling traditions, filled with spirituality.
You can check out any of the selected books at Denver Public Library or buy them from local bookstores, including Tattered Cover, Fahrenheit’s Books and The Bookies Bookstore.
Your magazine is a superb window for me into everything of interest in Denver and Colorado. Highlighting local authors is appreciated. Last year I purchased two holiday gifts from your list of charitable organizations. Thank you.