Books: The National Book Award Winners, Alexander Chee On His Mentor Kit Reed And More

“Pay Dirt,” by Sara Paretsky (Wiliam Morrow) “Pay Dirt,” by Sara Paretsky (Wiliam Morrow) V. I. Warshawski is in a bad place. Depressed because of a death (one that occurred in a previous mystery) and a separation from her boyfriend, she agrees to attend a ball game in Lawrence, Kan., with a goddaughter and her friends.

Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer?

Several thousand romance readers from across the country descended on the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center two weeks ago for Readers Take Denver, billed as a four-day conference where bibliophiles would have the chance to mingle with their favorite authors, get books signed, and attend panels and other events. But attendees say the April 18-21 conference was so disorganized and chaotic — self-described “RTD survivor” Kelli Meyer referred to it as “the Fyre Festival of books” — that authors soon began pulling out of next year’s event at the Aurora hotel, which already was on sale. This week, Readers Take Denver announced its 2025 edition was canceled. “I’ve been to many conferences and this, by far, was the worst one I’ve ever been to,” said Sarah Slusarczyk, a 32-year-old who traveled from Michigan.

Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer?

This month, several Denver-area histories serve as summer tour guides. “The Scenic History of Denver Cemeteries: From Cheesman Park to Riverside,” by Phil Goodstein (New Social Publications) “The Scenic History of Denver Cemeteries: From Cheesman Park to Riverside,” by Phil Goodstein (New Social Publications) Of the first dozen people buried in Mount Prospect, Denver’s first cemetery, two were hanged for murder, five died from gunshot wounds, and one committed suicide.  No wonder the early city fathers wanted the graveyard to be far from the city center. Mount Prospect was expanded to include a Jewish section.

I’ve completed 17 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles in the past 14 weeks. Mostly by myself. Over that same time, I also cut way back on booze, halved my phone screen time (okay, it’s maybe 30% less), and gone on a dozen hikes. All without losing a single cardboard piece. I never really saw myself as a puzzler, but it’s become a nice way to put aside the problems of the world and focus on something else for five or 10 minutes, or for a couple of hours.