SPC Gabriel David Conde was killed in action in Afghanistan three years ago at the young age of 22, and now his father is sharing his son’s voice with the world to provide inspiration and insight into the life of an American hero taken too soon ~ DENVER. – When SCP Gabriel David Conde was less than a year […]

By Kathleen Duhamel and Bonne McCune ~ “They call us survivors…I don’t think I survived.” Set in the 1970s, Cree novelist Michelle Good’s engrossing Five Little Indians follows five indigenous youths taken from their parents as small children and placed in a church-run residential school in British Columbia. Once they are released (or escape from […]

By Bonnie McCune ~ The Underground Railroad (Colson Whitehead) Pursued by a merciless slave catcher, Cora is a young runaway in pre-Civil War Georgia who makes a perilous journey north toward freedom. The author seamlessly mixes historical fiction with a touch of magical realism to bring the Underground Railroad to life. In this story, he […]

By Kathleen Duhamel and Bonne McCune ~ Nothing to See Here (Kevin Wilson) is a falsehood. There IS something to see in the luxurious house where Lillian becomes a full-time caretaker for step-twins of old friend Madison, now married to a rich politician. One small flaw—the children spontaneously combust when upset. Page by page the reader is […]

“Dancing with Granddad – An Alzheimer’s Story for Children and Their Families”/ “Bailando con Abuelito – Un Cuento Sobre el Alzheimer para Niños y Sus Familias” Available in English and Spanish ~ NEW YORK (March 26, 2021)—  To help adults discuss Alzheimer’s disease with young children in an age-appropriate way, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) has […]

Adulting (Liz Talley). Following several unsuccessful rehab stints for alcohol and drug abuse, former child actress Chase London’s career is in meltdown. After she violates her parole, she faces therapy or risk becoming uninsurable in Hollywood. Olivia Han, a therapist and life coach, is called in to get Chase clean and sober in a last-ditch […]

National Let’s Laugh Day, March 19. Sample these books for a chuckle. The Commitments (Roddy Doyle) follows talented, unemployed, working class Irish as they create a soul band to make a living. Friend/manager Jimmy Rabbit says, “The Irish are the blacks of Europe; Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland; the Northside Dubliners are the blacks […]

Crazy Rich Asians (Kevin Kwan) confirms a book is always better than its movie. Parading hilarious yet thoughtful observations and characters, the novel challenges stereotypes about the super-rich while following a young couple with their typical misunderstandings before the final, required, happy ending. Asian settings more desirable than film versions enhance every scene, and the […]

Colorado Women in World War II, Gail M. Beaton. While the war itself was no cause for celebration, it did bring massive changes to American society and a kick in the seat of the pants to the American labor force, with barriers slowly pried open by females. Colorado’s a good example of how women filled […]

Neglecting reading? Start small with a short story for Short Story Day, 12/21. The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford features the Pulitzer-Prize winner’s short works that appeared for decades in The New Yorker. Unabashedly “literary,” she spotlights the human experience in touching and enlightening looks at people in Europe, Boston, the West, and Manhattan. Called […]

By Bonnie McCune and Kathleen Duhamel ~ Welcome to the United States of Anxiety: Observations from a Reforming Neurotic. The stressors of everyday life—24/7 news about the environment, crime, and divisive politics, not to mention the uncertainty of living through a pandemic—have taken their toll on the American psyche. Author Jen Lancaster takes on the topic of […]

Indulge yourself and share a poem, or read one ~ By Bonnie McCune and Kathleen Duhamel ~ Dog Songs. Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Oliver’s straightforward style and accessible themes have won her a legion of fans worldwide. Dog Songs is a small collection of short poems expressing her unabashed admiration of dogs, including her own, […]

Our Souls at Night, native son Kent Haruf’s final masterpiece, features a paean to older love in fictional Holt, Colorado. Both Addie and Louis lost their partners years before and finally work up the courage to offer one another the second chance they each deserve. Unexpected obstacles, their own histories as well as adult children, […]

The Lucky Hat Mine. The Civil War is raging when young New Orleans resident Millie, in search of a better life, answers a “wife wanted” ad in the local newspaper. She survives a perilous journey to Idaho Springs in Colorado Territory, only to find her fiancé dead and awaiting a proper burial.   When her betrothed’s brother […]

Research has found positive correlations between being married and enjoying better health and greater longevity—as much as a ten-year extension in lifespan. Unfortunately, the baby boomer generation divorces more than any generation before or since. For many couples, the empty nest is a rude awakening. After years of close cooperation with raising children and juggling family […]