The Meadow by James Galvin
This book should be on anyone's "Required Reading of the West" list. It captures both the tangible and intangible qualities of rural life through poetic descriptions of the landscape and its hardscrabble inhabitants. If Northern Colorado has lodged itself in your heart, this book will follow suit. - Beau Baker, Newscast Editor and Producer |
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When the NBA Was War by Rich Cohen
As a kid following Boston sports in the 1980s and 1990s, I experienced jaw-dropping highs and lows as a Celtics fan. Most of the time, Larry Bird and his Celts were indestructible. But too many times the pesky LA Lakers spoiled things. It often felt personal. That’s why Rich Cohen’s When the Game Was War just feels right. Cohen brings us back to 1987-88, what he calls the “NBA’s greatest season,” with all its drama and passion. Bird, Magic, Isaiah and Kareem are all in there. It’s a page turner, even when you know how the season ends. - Sean Corcoran, Executive News Director |
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The Women by Kristin Hannah
I have just finished reading The Women by Kristin Hannah and couldn't put it down. I was grateful to learn about the women who served as nurses in Vietnam during the war. They too suffered greatly from their service and need to be recognized for their service and sacrifices. – Mary Dravis-Parrish |
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Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
With 800 pages, it’s a worthy investment. Beautifully written and so descriptive that it allows you to travel to India and depict the tropical environment, resilient characters, and smell and taste banana-leafed food packets and curries. – Jane R. Shaw, DVM, PhD |
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The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
This book was such a fun read! In an unexpected way it shows the power of women when they come together to work toward a common goal even if that goal is somewhat questionable. It’s funny and touching and the storyline is easily cross-cultural. – Yolanda McCarthy, Aurora |
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The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Another fave! This book gave me so much to think and talk about. I read it a while ago and still, from time to time, wonder if I would do anything differently knowing how long I have to live. Such a good read. – Yolanda McCarthy, Aurora |
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Oye by Melissa Mogollon
Hands down the best book I have read this year. It is written in a very unique style … it’s one side of a series of phone calls between sisters; however, you still get the entire story. I cannot remember the last time I laughed out loud so much in a book as well as shed some tears. Oye was one of those books that make you pause for a minute before picking up the next one because you want to savor what you just experienced. – Yolanda McCarthy, Aurora |
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Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
I'm a big fan of Taffy Brodesser-Akner. I love her distinctly East Coast voice: a little bit brash, a little bit wry, deeply personal and always funny. In Long Island Compromise, she uses it to update the great Jewish American Novel for 2024, poking at the Jewish American relationship with trauma and America's uncritical obsession with wealth. – Rae Solomon, Rural and Small Communities Reporter |
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The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
A young man recognizes a strange awakening of his physical connection to his hometown of Manhattan. The five New York City boroughs become personified and meet in a battle both symbolic and literal for the soul of the city. The writing is absorbing and Jemisin brings trademark relatability and humor to her magical realism. Her love of NYC is palpable, as is her recognition of the city's endless cultural evolution. – Jessica Castellano, Relationship Manager |
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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The focus of the story is friendship and the characters are just regular people who enjoy each other and are kind. – Polly Gallagher, Tabernash |
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Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This story takes you deep inside the world of two main characters who have a complicated relationship and happen to be video game designers. The characters are complex and compelling on their own, and their development is really the main arc of the story. It was extra fascinating for me (as a non-gamer) to get a deep dive into the world of game playing and design. – Kurt Wolff, Digital Director at The Colorado Sound |
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Dust Bowl Girls by Lydia Reeder
The book told a story about both a team and a time in the Southern Plains when women's basketball was the glue holding communities together. It became personal for me when I learned that team was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 when I was at my first military duty station in the same location, Oklahoma City. Coincidentally, I finished the book during the high winds power outage of April 2024 with only flashlights and candles to provide light, but a story of endurance and the power of the human spirit to provide warmth. – Justin Rufa, Boulder |
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Endurance: Shackelton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
This is the story of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton and the 1910 voyage over the last uncharted continent at the time, Antarctica. Their maritime journey cut short by ice, he and a small team had to leave everyone else behind to find help — 850 miles away. It's a story of leadership, survival, the draw to adventure and determination to succeed. – Tammy Terwelp, CEO of Community Radio for Northern Colorado |
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Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
It’s a poignant story of lonely people finding meaningful connections, all with the help of an octopus you will come to love with all your heart. – Angie Hodapp, Denver |
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Medgar & Myrlie by Joy-Ann Reid
Very well written recent history about a Civil Rights icon. It's a story that reminds me that some of us have been resisting oppression with love for 450 years. – Barbara Dunn, Fort Collins |
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Murder on the Ile Sordou by M.L. Longworthy
It takes place on an island just off Marseilles — my best idea of an idyllic vacation, except for the murder, of course. – Karen Horn, Membership Associate |
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Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
Two elements of this tale continue to resonate with me: First, the setting imagines a version of a post-apocalypse society that is not dystopian. The robot revolt is a painful memory but since then people have innovated to craft a civilization that is both sustainable and sensible. This highly unusual twist on the post-apocalypse genre offers an unusual, hopeful vision of a future for our own species. Second, I was completely captivated by the notion of a “tea monk,” someone who trains to travel the region, listening to people and crafting teas for them. It’s sort of therapist-meets-apothecary in the calm of a traditional, but roaming, tea house. I love tea and have found that the ritual of sharing tea with someone is a way to make meaningful connections and build relationships in a time when loneliness and disconnect are epidemic. – R. Norman, Wheatridge |
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Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
Women work together to help each other reach goals and to take over a book store run by men. – Margie Caswell, Red Feather Lakes |
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Severance by Ling Ma
It speaks to the liminal space we’re all in now. Between worrying about the state of our country and suffering through extreme heat, we all have to live our lives. This book feels like a reflection of our deepest fears, or maybe just my own. – Dawn Paepke, Fort Collins |
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In This Economy? by Kyla Scanlon
I've never taken an economics class, but having picked up an interest in the topic In This Economy? provided a great, level-headed, and simple introduction. Her writing is approachable and entertaining. –Holland Andringa, Membership Coordinator for KUNC and The Colorado Sound |
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James by Percival Everett
Told from the perspective of James, or Jim, this book turns the original classic novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain on its side as it explores the adventure from Jim's perspective. Everett manages to bring humor and love to the story while also reminding us that this is a story of self-ownership. I devoured this short page-turner. – Jennifer Coombes, Managing Digital Editor |
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