Colorado became the 38th state on August 1, 1876. Proclamation 230, signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, admitted Colorado to the Union after 15 years as a territory. Statehood came 100 years and four weeks after the Declaration of Independence was signed, giving us the unofficial moniker of the “Centennial State.” Widely known for our high elevation, geographic diversity and emphasis on outdoor recreation, we live in the eighth largest state. So, get outside and explore the 104,185 square miles of Colorado; and take one of these books with you.

 

Plainsong by Kent Haruf is the first book in a trilogy about the complicated links between several families in a small, plains town. All of Haruf’s novels are set in the fictional Colorado town of Holt, which is loosely based on Yuma in the state’s northeast corner. Haruf was born in Pueblo and lived in Salida until his death in 2014.

 

Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire by John N. Maclean documents the calamity of the mislabeled Storm King Mountain fire near Glenwood Springs that killed 14 elite firefighters. Maclean, a volunteer firefighter and prize-winning journalist and writer, spent nearly five years researching and writing this book. Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the tragedy.

 

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan follows Lydia Smith, a bookstore clerk, as she unravels the mystery of a shop patron’s suicide in the store and the link to her own life. Sullivan grew up in Aurora and worked at The Tattered Cover, which is the inspiration for his fictitious Bright Ideas bookstore. The novel is set in Denver and includes a nod to a real crime from the 1980s.

 

The Proving Trail by Louis L’Amour takes readers along with Kearney McRaven as he searches for the truth about his father’s death and the mystery of his life. Kearney’s journey is dangerous, but there is too much at stake to stop looking, despite the shadow that follows Kearney’s every step. The well-known western author, L’Amour, stayed and wrote in The Strater Hotel every August for 10 years. The historic Durango hotel is on the national Literary Landmark list for L’Amour’s visits.

 

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson is book one of the Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery series. Set in fictitious Aspen Meadow, Colorado, Goldy caters a wake where her ex-father-in-law turns up dead. She cannot wait for the police to solve the crime; she needs to clear her name and her catering company before the murderer strikes again and she finds herself in the crosshairs. There are 17 books in this cozy culinary mystery series.

 

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. The King of Horror was a one-time resident of Boulder and has a handful of scary stories set in Colorado; The Shining, The Stand and Misery are the most well-known. Doctor Sleep – the sequel to The Shining – picks up Dan Torrance in adulthood. Restless and running from the terrifying events years before at the Overlook Hotel, Dan finally settles in a small New Hampshire town until he meets a girl with the brightest shining ever seen. The very special Abra Stone throws Dan back toward his own demons but also requires him to save her soul.

 

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson is about Kitty Miller / Katharyn Anderson and the disparity between her real life and the alternate world of her night dreams. Set in 1960s Denver, this novel “explores the butterfly effect – how one small change of circumstance can set off a cascade of different events,” explains Swanson’s website.

 

Colorado 1870-2000 by John Fielder is a pictorial history. Famed landscape photographer Fielder recreated historical frontier photos originally taken by William Henry Jackson. Fielder collaborated with the Colorado Historical Society, who functions as caretaker for thousands of Jackson’s photographs. Fielder narrowed down to 300 photos, retaken over the course of a year in the late 1990s. The finished book included more than 150 photo pairs, taken from the same location, angle and lighting, with a century separating the images. Fielder lived, explored and photographed Colorado for nearly 50 years before his death from cancer in 2023.

 

Cheap Land Colorado: Off-Gridders at America’s Edge by Ted Conover spotlights a rural way of life in the San Luis Valley, where decades-old, failed subdivisions offer five-acre lots for just a few thousand dollars. But this independent lifestyle is difficult for a myriad of social and geographical reasons. Conover, a writer focusing on experience-based narrative nonfiction, started as a volunteer working to help homelessness but eventually bought his own five-acre lot and old trailer. This book highlights the complexities of living on the margin.

 

By Celeste McNeil; courtesy photos