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Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Colorado", sorted by average review score:
Water, Earth, and Sky: The Colorado River Basin
Published in Hardcover by Univ of Utah Pr (Trd) (May, 1999)
Authors: Michael Collier, John C. Schmidt, and David L. Wegner
Average review score:

A drop-dead gorgeous book
This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever seen. I wish they would have given details on the printing process for this book. I've never seen such vibrant, sharp, photographs in a book. They look almost as good as professionally done prints on photographic paper. As for the artistic merit of the photographs themselves, they are wonderful, something to get lost in.

Wild Colorado
Published in Paperback by Falcon Publishing Company (01 June, 2002)
Author: Donna Lynn Ikenberry
Average review score:

Wild Colorado is great!
Not only is this book an indispensable must-have reference handbook with information on Colorado's Wildness and Wilderness Study Areas for the government professional and the wilderness advocate, it is also a guidebook for the outdoor enthusiast too. A guide to some of Colorado's most remote and pristine areas, this book describes ninety-seven hikes that can be done as either day hikes, backpacking trips, snowshoeing excursions, or on backcountry skis. That adds up to eight hundred miles of trails and every mile was personally hiked by the author. A lot of the suggested hikes in the book are not the most popular ones done by people, but little known sleeper hikes that will give you the best sampling of what each wilderness has to offer. Some of the Wilderness Study Areas covered in the book are so remote and untracked that no trail system exits. In that case the author has plotted a route based on landmarks. Whether your interest is looking at petroglyphs in Vermillion Canyon, visiting ancient Anasazi ruins in Cross Canyon, marveling at dinosaurs tracks in the Dolores River Canyon, viewing the many arches in Black Ridge Canyon, climbing a fourteener in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, fishing a remote lake or stream in the Never Summer Wilderness, or seeing the wildflowers in the Handies - Redcloud Peaks area, this book is for you. If you are wanting to get away from the crowds and you're looking for more of an adventure, I highly recommend this book.

In all fairness to the reader, I am the author's husband. I visited every one of these areas mentioned in the book and hiked every mile with my wife. As much time as that took to experience the areas first hand, my wife spent much more time researching and insuring that the facts in her book are as accurate as possible. The book was truly a labor of love and I don't think you will be disappointed in your purchase of this book.

Women of Consequence: The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame
Published in Hardcover by Johnson Books (October, 1999)
Authors: Jeanne Varnell and M. L. Hanson
Average review score:

Superb From Cover to Cover
This book introduces the reader to fifty-nine extraordinary women whose significant contributions to civilization have been made in an incredible variety of fields including science, the arts, social activism, politics, humanitarianism, and commerce, to name a few. Some of the women are famous, and some are not. Famous or not, each woman's story is fascinating and engrossing. If you love good biographies, buy a copy of this book.

The Wyoming/Colorado Railroad
Published in Paperback by J. V. Publications (June, 1992)
Author: Kenneth Jessen
Average review score:

The Wyoming / Colorado Railroad
This book contains more information on the Laramie North Park and Western Railroad Line including photographs back into the 1910 area. History is the main subject and extremely well written showing and telling of my old Railroad and all the problems associated with building a line climbing nearly 10,000 feet in the dead of winter with snow five feet deep and 40 below zero. I lived at the summit (Foxpark) where a lot of the pictures were taken and can honestly say it's my best source

information on these train lines. If you are into Trains and Locomotives in Colorado or Wyoming you must read this book.

Perfect
Published in Hardcover by Pocket Star (May, 1993)
Authors: Judith McNaught and Linda Marrow
Average review score:

You can't never get enough of it
Perfect is the second JM's book I've read. The character is just fabulous. Call me a freak if you want to, but I can't had enough of Zack and Julie. Zack is the best hero EVER created. He is charming, sweet,witty and very,very lovable. Although I don't really like the part where Julie had to betray Zack for " his own good" but I think that's what make this book somehow different. It increases the suspense and makes me really eager to find out what happened next. I guess I could say this not the typical romance novel. The character, the plot and the writing is so real that you don't have a hard time imagining what it's like. The letter that Zack wrote to Julie is really touching, so does the last part where Zack recalls the poem Debby Sue Casdidy wrote for Julie. I would say this book is a terrific catch and after you finish reading it... you will close your eyes and let your imagination takes you to what is it to be like to be loved by a guy as terrific as Zachary Benedict.

You'll want to read it more than once.
I am not normally a reader of Ms McNaught's work. However after reading a couple of her short stories in "Holiday for Love and Gift of Love", I gave her a try. I found her to an accomplished writer. Her ability to get to the heart of a modern day romance was truly refreshing. I found her heroine of Julie to be funny, naive, daring and a true joy to follow. The hero, Zach, is one most women will want to swoon over. You can honestly tell that Ms McNaught had a great time creating him and his challenging relationship with Julie. For anyone not greatly familar with Ms McNaught's work, I recommend that you try this book if you like modern day romances and a book that is very difficult to put down.

A Perfect Read
I've never read anything by Judith McNaught before but this book was highly recommended so I decided to check it out of the library. The story grabbed me from the first chapter and I found myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning desperate to see what the characters would do next and yet dreading the end of the story.

Zack is a former movie star and convicted criminal who kidnaps small-town teacher Julie when his escape from prison goes awry. The two seemingly have nothing in common but you know it's just a matter of time before passion gets the best of them. They get together about a quarter of the way into the book and I wondered what could possibly be of interest to fill up the remaining three quarters. Boy, was I wrong! McNaught takes her time in unfolding the story, indulging the reader with fulfilling dialogue and detailed character exploration. This book has some of the most touching, romantic, heart wrenching scenes I've ever read. Zack and Julie are unforgettable characters that are sure to linger in my memory for a long time.

By the way, after finishing the book I promptly purchased my own copy (a first edition hard copy - it's THAT good!) so that I can read it again and again!

Running With the Buffaloes : A Season Inside With Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and the University of Colorado Mens Cross Country Team
Published in Hardcover by The Lyons Press (01 April, 2000)
Author: Chris Lear
Average review score:

Great read for cross country afficionados!
If you love distance running or cross country, this book is a fascinating look at a great team and a dynamic coach. Adam Goucher is the most well known, and best depicted, of all runners in this book. Many other top notch American distance runners also are mentioned. Chris Lear does a first rate job of making the joys and agonies of a cross country season real. Never sloppy or sentimental, the author does a fine job of describing the sport, the team, training sessions, and the personal dynamics of runners and coaches. Of course, it helps that he was a first person observer of the CU team during one of its most demanding seasons. I plan on recommending this book to every high school distance runner that I know as well as all my coaching acquaintances. It's a gem.

Glad I'm not Div I...
As a Division III cross country and track runner, I found this in-depth look at one of the nation's premier programs both enlightening and distancing. Chris Lear does an excellent job of getting access to every aspect of life at Colorado, but the overall effect of the book is to describe life in truly rarefied air. Very few runners have the facilities, talent, or wherewithal to devote so much of their lives to training. In fact, only the elites (that occasionally show up for CU sunday runs) and the soon-to-be elite collegians have made such a decision to devote their lives (and souls) to the sport. Lear gives a tough-minded portrait of Adam Goucher, the CU star who finally wins the national cross title he's been lusting after since the begining of his career, as well as a dynamic look into the team psychology and training. Perhaps the most ellusive character of all is Mark Wetmore, CU's Ahab-like coach, who admits in an afterword interview with Lear that his training might have been a touch too intense. With 'Running With the Buffaloes,' the average reader is given a front row seat in the trenches of Colorado's season, which insists on remaining delicately balanced a stress fracture from failure.

a real great inspirational read, for any runner. Even if you'll never train like this, you can always dream...

a fascinating look into a top cross country team
Running With the Buffaloes chronicles the 1998 season of the University of Colorado Men's Cross Country team. As a former collegiate cross country runner (NAIA Division II), I am very interested in any book that focuses on cross country, and the fact that this is of an elite squad filled with interesting men makes the reading all the more entertaining. While the subject of the book is the entire team, Chris Lear focuses the most on Coach Mark Wetmore and Senior Adam Goucher. Chris Lear follows the team from their arrival on campus for preseason practice all the way through injuries and tragedy up through the NCAA National Championship meet.

Adam Goucher is the elite runner of the men's squad. He placed second at nationals as a freshman and has spent the next two years trying unsuccessfully to win the race. This season is his last chance at winning the National Meet and is one of his last chances to ensure financial security through running (winning the National Championship will all but ensure major sponsorship so that he can be paid to continue running at the elite level). While Goucher trains with the team, he also trains at a higher level than the cross country team, so much of his training is by himself because of the intensity of training. We see Goucher progress through the season, tested by Wetmore's high mileage training and by the high cost this training is taking on his body as the season wears on.

Mark Wetmore is the coach of the Colorado Cross Country team, and ever since he first started coaching at Colorado, he has preached a high intensity, high mileage regimen for his men. He trains them hard so that when it comes time to race he knows that their bodies are capable of what they will have to do. He is tough, but effective. He demands discipline as there are many who want to be in contention for the National title, but they must be willing to put in the work.

While Goucher and Wetmore are given extra attention, Chris Lear gives sufficient time to the other runners on the squad. We get to get a glimpse of who these men are and their personalities start to shine through. The season starts with so much promise, but injuries start getting in the way, and late in the season one of the runners dies in a biking accident. Lear shows how everything affects the team and how they deal with the season and the loss of a friend.

I don't know if Running With the Buffaloes would be interesting to everyone, but I found this book to be fascinating. It gives a very good look into an elite collegiate squad, and for anyone interested in running or just reading a very interesting story that happens to deal with sport in general and cross country in specific, this is the book to read.

Fire on the Mountain : The True Story of the South Canyon Fire
Published in Paperback by Washington Square Press (29 August, 2000)
Author: John Maclean
Average review score:

Fire on the Mountain
This is a detailed, accurate and captivating narrative. Fire on the Mountain is truly a service to the fire fighting community because it dispels many of the inevitable myths and rumors about the South Canyon Fire. In 1996, I jumped a fire with Eric Hipke who was one of the most fortunate survivors on South Canyon. He said he was impressed by the efforts John Maclean was making to write this book. In April of 1995, Maclean quit a long-time career at the Chicago Tribune where he had been an editor, correspondent and reporter. He spent the next 4 1/2 years researching and editing material for Fire On the Mountain. The bookÕs thoroughness and accuracy reflect his professional experience and talent. John tirelessly researched every aspect of the story. Of the 49 firefighters at South Canyon, 35 lived. John interviewed 30 survivors. He gathered photos, dispatch logs and copies of anything that was written during or after the fire. Firefighters on the fire reviewed every chapter. This is the most authoritative work done on the fire. Much more detailed than the official report which took 45 days to complete. Maclean's account is very readable.

fire on the mountain
Comparing this work to that of his father's in unfair. Norman Maclean wrote with the introspective style of a novelist while John Maclean writes with the who, what, when,where,& why of a seasoned journalist. FIRE ON THE MOUNTIAN is a well researched, straight forward, and hard hitting which reflects John Maclean's life as a highly regarded newspaper reporter. This book is a great read and should appeal to a wide spectrum of readers. It should also be required reading for every wildlands firefighter in the country.

A truly remarkable book...
This is such a remarkable book. It satisfies on several fronts, creating a visual world that stays with the reader long after the last sentence is finished.

Maclean's research was complete and meticulous. He compiles his work into an astounding, captivating narrative that draws the reader along as the tragic events unfold on Storm King.

I felt as if I were there on the west flank line with the Prineville hotshots and the smoke jumpers. As I read this compelling book, I felt as if I'd known each of the victims for many, many years. I could actually feel the superheated air and smell the toxic gases coming off the blowup.

Along with a gripping narrative, Maclean incorporates analysis of events and decisions made prior to, during, and after the tragedy. This, again, is based on hours of interviews and meticulous research.

His reconstruction of the final moments of each of the victims was very benifical as well.

I've never been to Storm King Mountain, but after reading this truly exceptional book, I plan to go. I didn't know any of the victims or people involved either, but after reading John Maclean's exceptional book I feel as if I were there.

Buy this book, read it, cherish it, be moved by it.

It is a lasting memorial to those who died on the mountain.

JonBenet : Inside the Murder Investigation
Published in Hardcover by St. Martin's Press (11 April, 2000)
Authors: Steve Thomas and Don Davis
Average review score:

I've read them both now...
Last month, I bought & read the Ramsey's book while my sister bought Steve Thomas'. We traded over Easter and I just finished Steve Thomas' last night. Both sides believed the other side had the upper hand and that they were uninformed underddogs. I'm glad I read this account, though, because it really put light on the unbelievable behavior of the DA's office, and how politics played such a part. Neither Koby nor Beckner wanted to incur the wrath of Alex Hunter; understandably so as Thomas guides you through his investigation and you see what happens when he is crossed. Before reading this story,I pretty much held the Boulder PD responsible for botching the investigation. Thomas is upfront about how badly the investigation was conducted by the BPD during the first few days. However, I was unaware of how the DA was totally uncooperative once the detectives' murder investigation was under way. He really made you feel his frustration when their hard work was leaked to the press & tabloids or worse-just handed over to the defense. Steve Thomas is no angel by any means. He can be petty in his descriptions of the Ramsey's home and life style and also in his description of people for whom he doesn't particularly care. I wasn't prepared to like Steve Thomas after reading the Ramsey book. But by the end of his book, I began to see how the pieces pointing towards Patsy Ramsey fit together and how Lou Smit's theory just included too many "what if's?" I still have a problem with the garrot. The pictures of it look too complicated for a panicked parent to bother with. I do think the author did a great deal to repair the image of the BPD detectives. However, I am glad to be done with the two books. It's difficult to imagine anyone harming that beautiful child. If you're a true crime buff, I recommend them both. The Ramsey book was a little easier to get through, while Steve Thomas' book was a harder read.

A Must-Read for Boulder Residents!
As a resident of Boulder, Colorado I want to thank Steve Thomas and Don Davis for this riveting book on the Ramsey case. I want to thank Steve Thomas specifically for having the integrity to give up a career he loved in order to side with justice and help this community find the truth.

Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. It seemed like every time I turned the page some startling new piece of information was revealed to me. Before reading this book I gave the Ramseys the benefit of the doubt. No more. Thomas leaves little doubt that the Ramseys are involved in the death of their daughter.

The insights this book gives into the workings of the Boulder Police are revealing. The insights into the actions of the Boulder District Attorney's office are absolutely shocking! Boulder residents who care about this community need to arm themselves with the information in this book. We need not only to find justice for JonBenet, we need to investigate the actions of our DA which, to me, suggest that something far worse than incompetence is happening here.

It changed my mind - - forever!

The murder of six year old JonBenet Ramsey will probably never be officially solved and no one will ever stand trial for the brutal death of the child with the angelic face.

The world watched in horror as the family suffered through intense media scrutiny and publicity. Our hearts were wrenched as we watched Patsy cling to her pastor and her friends after the child's memorial service. We sympathized with the family when they moved from Boulder to Atlanta to free themselves from constant reminders of their tragedy.

What we didn't know, or at least I didn't know, was that from the very day the child's body was discovered in a hidden room in the family's basement, the Ramsey's were being coached, guided, and directed by a dream team of lawyers, publicists and media-savvy handlers who probably did more to obscure justice than OJ Simpson ever thought of. In the least, they built a wall of protection around themselves so strong that no small police department like Boulder's could have ever challenged it.

If only 1/2 of the details that former Boulder Police officer Steve Thomas sets forth in his book are true, then I must re-examine my sympathy for the child's parents, Tom and Patsy Ramsey and look at the facts.

The family has always maintained that 'an intruder' killed the child. However, in painstaking detail, Thomas destroys that theory with the following questions.

Would an intruder:

have taken the time to close JonBenet's bedroom door, which Patsy said had been found closed;

have taken the time to relatch the obscure cellar door peg that police and Fleet White (friend of the family) found in the locked position;

have placed JonBenet beneath a blanket and taken care to place her favorite pink nightgown with her;

have tied the wrists so loosely that a live child would have hardly been restrained;

have wiped and/or re-dressed JonBenet after the assault and murder;

have fed her pineapple;

have known the dog was not home that night;

have been able to navigate through a dark, confusing, and occupied house without a sound in the quiet of Christmas night;

have been so careless as to forget some of the materials requires to commit the kidnapping but remembered to wear gloves to foil fingerprint impressions on the ransom note...

and many more....

Thomas resigned in protest over the police department's mishandling of the case and the incompetent District Attorney's unwillingness to prosecute someone as prominent as the Ramseys. Even if you don't believe everything you read in this book, it's worth the time it takes to sift through the intricate details and maze of frustration the police officers faced from the first frantic 911 call from Patsy until the day the Grand Jury adjourned without comment.

I had an opinion of what happened to the child before I read this book. I've changed my mind. I agree with Steve Thomas' theory and I'm sorry he's left law enforcement. He was one of the good guys.

She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall
Published in Hardcover by Plough Publishing House (10 September, 1999)
Authors: Misty Bernall and Madeleine L'Engle
Average review score:

Impactful book, which causes powerful reactions
I purchased this book at an airport, looking for a way to spend my time between Boston and Denver after the laptop battery fails. I live in Denver, and like most people here experienced the horrible event of Columbine High School personally. The events of that day will be a defining moment for many of our young people.

In this book, a mother writes honestly about her daughter, Cassie Bernall, who was a teen-ager killed at Columbine High School. It seems there is some controversy over whether or not Cassie was actually killed because she stated her belief in God, but it is indisputable that she had turned her life and heart to following Jesus Christ, after some years of dabbling in witchcraft. The book tells of a mother's concern, and the lengths she went to provide a stable environment for her daughter. Like most teen-agers (how did any of us make it through those years without scars?), Cassie was searching for a sense of belonging, and ended up with a crowd of equally dis-enfranchised youths searching for meaning in dead end self destructive lifestyles. Her parents went to considerable lengths to try to help her daughter through this period without causing too much damage to herself or family.

I was impressed with the honesty of this book, in terms of her parents. The mother speaks of how hard it was to know what to do, and the risks all parents must take in further alienating their children by setting strong boundaries.

The book is well written, and flows smoothly. With a little embarrassment I let tears run down my cheeks on the airplane while reading. The story is very powerful. Ignore the reviews posted here by bitter cynical people looking for conspiracy, and read this book. The book is honest, emotionally powerful, and touching.

She Said Yes
" She Said Yes," a book about Cassie Brunell. This book is about a 17 year old girl in the 11th grade at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado named Cassie Brunell. The author begins by taking the reader to the Columbine High School campus on that infamous day April 20, 1999. That morning at 11:20 am two crazed student gun men walked into the school library and opened fire. While they were shooting they picked out people they did not like and one of them was Cassie. They held their guns to her head and asked if she believed in God and she answered "yes". Because of Cassie's courage to say "yes" she was shot in the head. Then the book talked about her life as she was a little girl up to that terrible day. It tells about how she was leading the same life style as the gun men until two years before the shooting. That's when her parents enrolled her in a different school, Columbine High. Cassie got involved in church and later even began to lead bible studies and youth groups. This book made me wonder, what if I were in her position? What would I say? What would I do? I pray that my faith would be as strong as Cassie's. This book is a very heart warming book. I encourage everyone to read this great book.

She Said Yes -- Will You?
She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall, written by Cassie's mother, Misty Bernell gives a eye opening account of the true of story of her daughters life, not just the "Yes" that spread through papers across the nation in a flash, there is more to the story. Cassie had a gloomy background containing satanic worship, drugs, alcohol, and obsessing with killing her parents. Later in her life she made a complete turnaround, renewing herself in Christ. It is at this stage in her life that she was murdered by the hand of one who, ironically, had a lot in common with Cassie's "old self." This book is Cassie's mother's account of her life, the good and the bad, the fear and the courage.
In the review of this book in Publishers Weekly on September 13, 1999, the reviewer shares many of my opinions of this book in that it is a powerful read. He explains how ironic it is that Cassie was murdered by someone who had many of the same feelings and thoughts that she had had earlier in her own life. He also addresses that thorough Family help, love, and example, any troubled teen can be helped. The reviewer then states that this is a book that reveals courage and honesty.
In the review from Publishers Weekly, the writer stresses and idea that is also heavily focused on in the book, the idea that any teen or any person, no matter how far from the word, can be brought back; whether it be through tough love, comfort and peace, or stricter rules and guidelines that are completely necessary for parents or guardians to succeed at the job which the Lord meant for them to have. I also agree with the reviewer's point that Cassie may not have been a Martyr, but she certainly died in the confidence of the Lord.
I would recommend this book to all teenagers, and to all parents of teens. This book caused me to reevaluate myself and the way that I look at life, and I believe it will do the same for any other reader. Through Misty Bernall's honest and heart felt writing about her daughters inspirational faith, I came to realize many things about my own personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and how I too, need to be ready to leave this earth at any moment. This book is a very interesting and heart-wrenching read.

The Diary of Mattie Spenser
Published in Hardcover by St. Martin's Press (June, 1997)
Author: Sandra Dallas
Average review score:

I want more!
I got this book [for very little money] and didn't expect much from it, but I was in for a surprise! This book had all of the elements that make it hard to put down while giving the reader a good look at what it was like to be a homesteader. Give yourself a few hours and read it all in one sitting - it was intense. Unlike many reviewers, I loved the ending, but its not what you expect!

The Diary of Mattie Spenser
Mattie, a newlywed, goes west to settle in Colorado. She soon discovers the hardships of the frontier and of marriage. She chronicles the first few years, as the diary is her only friend. It is a great story of self realization, sacrifice, and growing to maturity. My favorite parts of the story are when she realizes things about herself, her surroundings or people in her life that are much different than she first thought. A great book, which I will no doubt re-read.

Like peeking into an actual personal jounal...
I have now read three of Sandra Dallas' four books and have loved all three. This book is about a young woman who heads west to Colorado, married to a man she hardly knows. I kept forgetting at times that it was not a true story. The book details the hard life on the Colorado plains, her husband's wandering eye and heart and her heartbreaks and triumphs. This is NOT a romance novel but more like a history of one pioneer woman, her friends and her life. After reading Ms. Dallas' first two books, I e-mailed the author to tell her how much I have enjoyed her novels and she actually answered the e-mail back herself! I was really surprised at that. She is currently working on another book to be out sometime next spring and I am anxiously awaiting its publication. This is just a good solid read, hard to put down...

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