Fiction: The Chosen Ones In This Novel’s Title Were Selected For Death

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?

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?

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.

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?