Local Books

Four Colorado authors to read now

‘THE ADVENTURE FRIENDS SKI DAY,’ BY BRIAN DUHON

THEADVENTUREFRIENDS- BOOK.COM

Louisville-based author Brian Duhon loves to teach his two sons how to create their own adventures. Duhon’s debut children’s book, The Adventure Friends Ski Day, follows four animal friends who ski on a fun-filled powder day: Gnarwhal, Radypus, Pow Cow and Shreddy Bear. “I wanted to read books to my children about adventure and teach them about the amazing outdoor activities we have around us but couldn't find many. So I decided to write one," Duhon said in a press release about the book. Vivid illustrations bring the characters to life in this fun and playful read.

‘THE DOG LADY OF MEXICO,’ BY ALISON SAWYER CURRENT

The Dog Lady of Mexico is based on the true story of Boulder resident Alison Sawyer Current, whose romantic trip to the beaches of Isla Mujeres in 2001 turned into a lifelong pursuit to save neglected cats and dogs in the area. Readers experience through the character Rose, who learns there are endless obstacles to saving stray animals on the island, but never gives up. The Dog Lady of Mexico is a heart-rending journey of love, loss and survival while building an animal rescue on a tiny island in Mexico.

‘AGNES AT THE END OF THE WORLD,’ BY KELLY MCWILLIAMS

Agnes loves her home of Red Creek. But what she doesn’t understand is that it’s a cult, controlled by a mad-man who calls himself a prophet. An "Outsider" named Danny begins to unravel Agnes’ notions of what is and isn't right, and as the Prophet grows more and more dangerous, Agnes realizes she must escape with her younger brother Ezekiel. That won’t be easy, as a viral and the virus emerges, it seems Agnes may have to choose between saving her family and saving the world. Colorado Springs-based author Kelly McWilliams first conceived of 'Agnes' when the image of a woman with a child strapped to her back wandering through the desert visited McWilliams in a dream. What is she running from, McWilliams asked. 'Agnes' is her answer.

‘OTHER PEOPLE’S PETS,’ BY R.L. MAIZES

In Niwot-based R.L. Maizes' debut novel, Other People’s Pets (out July 14 from Celadon Books), Louise "La La" Fine discovers she's an animal empath - she can physically feel what animals are feeling - after her mother abandons a young La La and her father, Zev. A locksmith-turned-thief, Zev is a devoted but misguided parent who homeschools his daughter so she can join him in a life of daytime home burglaries and backroom-fence-operation haggling. As an adult, La La has divorced herself from crime and almost made it through veterinary school when her father gets arrested for burglary. To make enough money to pay for her father's lawyer, La La returns to robbing houses of jewelry and silverware. She justifies her return to crime by only targeting homes where she can feel an animal in distress. Other People’s Pets uses humor, pathos and just a touch of magic to unpack the meaning of family - the family we're born with and the family we create.