Out West Books suggests three titles that conjure the West
Out West Books in Grand Junction recommends nonfiction on Western landowners in conflict, a Colorado-centered tale of relationships and forgiveness and a witchy romantic mystery.
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Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from book stores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Out West Books in Grand Junction recommends an book on Western ranchlands, a Colorado-centered tale of relationships and forgiveness and a witchy romantic mystery.
The Crazies
By Amy Gamerman
Simon and Schuster
$29.99
January 2025
Purchase
From the publisher: Most locals in Big Timber, Montana, learn to live with the wind. Rick Jarrett sought his fortune in it. Like his pioneer ancestors who staked their claims in the Treasure State, he believed in his right to make a living off the land—and its newest precious resource, million-dollar wind.
Trouble was, Jarrett’s neighbors were some of the wealthiest and most influential men in America, trophy ranchers who’d come West to enjoy magnificent mountain views, not stare at 500-foot wind turbines.
From Marya Johnston, owner: If you didn’t have an opinion about billionaires in this country right now, you surely will after reading this book. I just can’t shake this one, it gives me the shivers to think about. Which I do. Every day. When billionaires (and I do mean billionaires, not millionaires), who spend maybe two weeks out of the year at their “trophy ranches,” want to stop a man from doing what he wants with his own land because it might disrupt their view of the mountains from some portion of their zillion acres, every westerner should sit up and pay attention.
To add some local interest to the story, one of these wealthy landowners trying to stop the wind farm is none other than Russell Gordy, a Texas oilman who is the G in SG Interests, the company that filed to drill on leases in the Thompson Divide area here in western Colorado. This man has so many ranches, he can’t keep track of them, but wants to stop a heritage rancher from trying to earn enough to keep the ranch in his family. Beautifully reported, this tale of greed and grit has, as Rinker Buck says, ” the sweep of The Grapes of Wrath and the storytelling power of Wallace Stegner’s Big Rock Candy Mountain.“
Penitence
By Kristin Koval
Celadon Books
$28.99
January 2025
Purchase
From the publisher: When a shocking murder occurs in the home of Angie and David Sheehan, their lives are shattered. Desperate to defend their family, they turn to small-town lawyer Martine Dumont for help, but Martine isn’t just legal counsel—she’s also the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian, a now-successful New York City criminal defense attorney. As Julian and Angie confront their shared past and long-buried guilt from a tragic accident years ago, they must navigate their own culpability and the unresolved feelings between them.
From Marya Johnston, owner: This is a gorgeously written story about relationships and the power of forgiveness. Koval’s debut concerning a fratricide in a small western Colorado mountain town will leave you thinking about tragedy, loss, mercy, our juvenile justice system, and redemption, long after you’ve closed the book.
Her depictions of life in a small Western Colorado ski town are dead on, but readers who live in or grew up in any small town will recognize the characters desire to keep quiet and avoid the snubs and gossip mills.
Colorado readers will recognize the many spots mentioned in Western Colorado, some with real names. I visualized this taking place in my own Colorado mountain home town.
The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells
By Rachel Greenlaw
Avon Books
$18.99
October 2024
Purchase
From the publisher: There is an old tale woven through the mountain town of Woodsmoke about a stranger who appears as the first snow falls in winter, who will disappear without a trace as the frost thaws in spring, leaving a broken heart behind.
Carrie Morgan ran from Woodsmoke 10 years ago, and the decision has haunted her ever since. Spending a decade painting and drifting around Europe, she tries to forget her family’s legacy and the friends she left behind. But the Morgan women have always been able to harness the power of the mountains surrounding the town, and their spells—and curses—are sewn into the soil. The mountains, they say, never forget.
Sure enough, when Carrie’s grandmother dies and leaves behind her dilapidated cottage, she returns to renovate—certain she will only be there for one winter. She meets Matthieu as the temperature dips, a newcomer who offers to help refurbish the cottage. Before long, and despite warnings from her great-aunt Cora of the old stories, Carrie finds herself falling for the charming stranger. But when the frost thaws in spring, Matthieu goes missing.
From Didi Herald, bookseller: I was surprised this contemporary witchy novel, set in Cornwall, was so relatable to rural mountain life in Colorado where the outdoors and wild lands are the third space of many. Carrie seems like a real person with a good dose of self reliance, one you could run into at the hardware store while picking up materials to fix things around the house.
I love a book that keeps me guessing but never makes me feel manipulated or fooled. The magic is subtle, mythic, and may or may not be real. I enjoyed the suspense of slowly uncovering why Carrie had fled in the first place, of where her relationships with family and friends had gone wrong, and discovering if Matthieu was real or not. This is a perfect blend of family mythology and quiet romance, with a thrilling search through winter wilderness and a daring rescue. It’s the kind of book without glitter and flash that ends up being remembered long after the last page has been turned.
As part of The Colorado Sun’s literature section — SunLit — we’re featuring staff picks from book stores across the state. Read more.
