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Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Colorado", sorted by average review score:

Rock Climbing Colorado (FalconGuide)
Published in Paperback by Falcon Publishing Company (November, 1995)
Author: Stewart M. Green
Average review score:

Wide Range of Areas, but Somewhat Brief Overviews
Where Green's guide excels is in the wide range of rock climbing areas included in the guide. He includes many locations that even Colorado locals, like myself, did not know about. This feature will prove useful for anyone road-tripping in CO. or anyone wanting to discover new rock in the state. This book has a major drawback though, it fails to give extensive topo for any one area. The book will only cover about half of an area's climbs in order to save the book from being any thicker than it already is. To the climber looking for thorough beta on a local crag, this book won't cut it, and one will find a specialized guidebook much more beneficial.

Breadth good, depth lacking
In Rock Climbing Colorado, Mr. Green takes on the ambitious task of cataloguing the major climbing areas in the state of Colorado. While this guide book is an excellent introduction to the routes extant in Colorado, it suffers from its ambition; too many times, I have been at the base of the climb wondering what it was and what it was rated. Rock Climbing Colorado does an admirable job of describing select climbs at certain crags; however, local guidebooks will typically be far superior. To his credit, Mr. Green cites the corresponding local guidebooks in each area's overview.

Rock Climbing Colorado is an excellent resource for planning a climbing trip; however, once at the crag, the intrepid climber will quickly realize how much he needs the local guidebook.

This is a must have book for your travel in Colorado
I have spent my last two summer vacations traveling through Colorado with my family. This book has been our guide for our travels on back roads. The information has been correct and well laid out. If you enjoy travel on two lane roads versus freeways, where you can see the country around you, this book is for you. I have used the authors book for New Mexico as well. enjoy your trip!


White Shell Woman : A Charlie Moon Mystery
Published in Hardcover by William Morrow (08 January, 2002)
Author: James D. Doss
Average review score:

Not as good as Carl Hiaasen, but...
I bought this book because I read the reviews saying he was part Carl Hiaasen, part Tony Hillerman -- well, I find Mr. Doss a LOT closer to Hillerman than to Hiaasen. I laugh my way through Hiaasen's books, and that didn't happen here, although there were a few moments when I laughed out loud.

The first 100 pages were slow going, and I almost gave up, until the book started to get into stride. The second hundred pages have been pretty quick and the third hundred pages are racing by. So, the book is worth it if you can make it past the first 100 pages.

Daisy Perika, the Ute elder shamaness who is Charlie Moon's aunt (Charlie Moon is the central character in this series of books) is the best character in the book and worth the read altogether. I'd like to read more about her, so I'm probably going to buy more of this series.

Doss has an annoying habit of using half sentences that should be employed rarely for effect rather than all the time. Things like "Which was the idea." or "And that was the idea."

So, he's not Carl Hiaasen by any stretch of the imagination, but he's good and I'm glad I picked up the book. Entertaining, even if you have to go on the web and look up some Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico geographic locations. Doss assumes we know where or what the Columbine is (other than a flower or a high school).

A Poor Man's Tony Hillerman
The dust jacket quotes the Denver Post: "Doss does for the Utes what Tony Hillerman has done for the Navajo [sic]." Well, not quite. I enjoyed reading "White Shell Woman," and look forward to reading other Charlie Moon Mysteries, but not quite as eagerly as I look forward to the next Tony Hillerman book. But who knows? Maybe some day Doss will equal or even surpass Hillerman. I hope he does. After all, there are never too many excellent writers, and James Doss shows promise of better things to come.

Enjoyable mix of Indian shamanism and police procedure
Charlie Moon is retired from the Reservation Police but when murder strikes a beautiful Ute woman, he can't help being interested--especially when the tribal leaders ask him to return to work part time as a private investigator. Without the politics of the local police, he has an ideal situation--at least as far as work goes. As far as his ranch, his psychic aunt, and his love life go, things are not so great.

Legends of an ancient Anasazi treasure have haunted the Utes for years. Now someone is digging, disturbing the remains of buried Indians and the work of the archeologists trying to uncover the history of this region. Simply disturbing archeological sites is bad enough, but when one of the students is murdered, rumors start to spread about the ghosts of the Anasasi protecting their treasures and of a shape-shifter walking the ruins. Moon doesn't believe in shape-shifters--although his aunt certainly does. But when the uncle of the victim disappears leaving nothing but his clothes, his dentures, and a pile of ashes and bone chips, Moon is certain that the mystic forces his aunt can't leave alone are somehow involved.

Author James D. Doss (click here to see booksforabuck.com reviews of other novels by this author) combines a fine touch for characters (especially Moon's aunt), respect for the Native American heritage that makes up so critical an element in his stories, and pure adventure to deliver a fine light read. Charlie Moon is a sympathetic character now blessed with a ranch that can't make a nickle, a dog that steals anything he tries to eat, an aunt who can't help being cranky, and a girlfriend who seems to show up only at the worst possible moment.

Fans of the Charlie Moon series will definitely want to read this one. Tony Hillerman fans who haven't discovered Doss will be overjoyed by this addition to the short list of excellent authors writing Native American mystery.


Wild Kat
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (February, 1994)
Author: Karen Kijewski
Average review score:

Series improving with each book....
This series gets better with each book. I love how tough Kat is, and how she kicks some rear. So uncommon in many "women in jeopardy" books.

Kijewski gets better with every book
Ever try to do something you feel is the right thing to do, only to have the entire world jump up and grab for your throat in thanks? Amanda Hudson receives worse treatment after discovering her company has been producing a faulty medical device, thus resulting in deaths nationwide. Sacramento PI Kat Colorado becomes involved when Amanda's husband Jude hires her as protection.

The plan works, for a while anyway. Just when it seems the harrassment of the Hudsons is over with the arrests of a few hired goons caught trashing their house, Amanda is found dead. The death is ruled an accident, but Kat, having become close to the Hudsons and itching with suspicion, thinks differently, and embarks on her own investigation which uncovers more than just a late do-gooder's crusade for justice.

Kijewski does it again
Colorado is sharp, funny, and sensitive. She makes a great serial heroine. As the tough as nails PI she delivers time and time again.


Buildings of Colorado (Buildings of the United States)
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (June, 1997)
Author: Thomas J. Noel
Average review score:

Buildings of Colorado
The fifth in an ongoing series of field guides to the buildings of the United States, commissioned from experts by the Society of Architectural Historians. Companion volumes are available on Alaska, DC, Iowa, Michigan, and Nevada, with another dozen in preparation. It's an invaluable project, the most ambitious of its kind since the WPA State guides of the 1930s, and it maps the terra incognita between the few major cities that have been professionally surveyed.

Colorado is more notable for natural wonders than architecture, and had little more to show than Mesa Verde 150 years ago. Noel provides an encyclopedic 600 pages of plans, photos, and commentary on boom towns-from those that have faded to those, like Denver, that have exploded. He is equally sympathetic to the best new work, but stumbles in his appraisal of an Ed Niles house-a controversial cluster of glass cubes in Vail-as he observes: "This eyecatcher revives the International Style in the Postmodern tradition of Richard Meier."

a competent anthology of Colorado's public buildings
There is much architecture to see in Colorado and Mr. Noel has eloquently documented the variety of buildings one might make a special trip to visit. I especially enjoyed the small town examples. For information on the bigger cities in Colorado, there are more complete guides to Architecture and history... read those too! Keep in mind, that the point of this book was to document those buildings which you could visit or experience; there aren't many examples of private residences or secure buildings. Buy this book and start to plan your road trips through Colorado!


Canyonlands Country: Geology of Canyonlands and Arches National Park
Published in Paperback by Univ of Utah Pr (Trd) (January, 1994)
Author: Donald L. Baars
Average review score:

An excellent field guide
As one who has traveled, and will continue to travel and explore, the Colorado Plateau extensively, I find all of Mr. Baars' works both useful and entertaining. This one is no different. Mr. Baars has an excellent grasp of the geological complexities of this wonderful area and shares his enthusiasm and keen insights well. I would like to see more photography, especially color, because I believe it is important to visualize an area before seeing it in real life, if for no other reason than to enhance photographic opportunities. Even in this minor absence, the book is a great read,and heartily recommended for any student of the Plateau.

Excellent introduction to the geology of SE Utah
This book is definately worth the money. I bought it while at Arches N.P. because I was amazed by the rock formations of the area. It was so varying that I wanted to learn more. This book definately helped me to understand in laymans terms. This book is definately for the novice. It will make you want to study the subject even more.


The Civil War in the Western Territories: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah
Published in Paperback by Univ of Oklahoma Pr (Trd) (August, 1985)
Author: Ray C. Colton
Average review score:

very good general description
Colton gives a good account over the Far West, but fails to add proper maps for the better understanding of the single engagements. I'm still searching for the ultimate book 'bout the Transmississippi theatre.

The Civil War in the Western Territories
This book was a very interesting one. I liked the fact that Colton covered several different conflict that happened during the Civil War. In the first chapter he gives some background on eac of the territories. In chapet two he talkes about the Confederat action in each of these states. Chapter three gives some background on the troops fron Colorado. The chapter that really impressed me was chapter seven, this chapter was about the effect the indians had on the War.In the last chapter he puts some closure to what the states did after the War. There was one thing that I did not like about the book and that was the way he used names in this book. Everytime he used a name he would use the full name for example Lieutnant colonel Edward R. Eyrethe first time and after that he could have said Lieutenant Colonel Eyre. This made me very frustrated having to read the long name every time. Overall this book worked for me. I liked the structure of this book. He used some good maps and photos of some of the individuals that were talked about in the book. I would reccommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Civil War in the West.


Colorado on My Mind
Published in Hardcover by Falcon Publishing Company (May, 1994)
Author: collective
Average review score:

Somewhat Bland
This book is more of a "tourist" type book than a good fine-art photography book. With the exception of a few nice photographs, most of the images are rather bland. This book might appeal to someone who's looking for pictures, not just of nature, but of buildings, sporting events, skiers, fishermen, etc. But if you're looking for a book with good photos of the Rocky Mountains and the scenic areas of Colorado, I'd recommend that you look elsewhere. To see the books I recommend, check out my list of "Best Colorado Picture Books" (by clicking on my name and then on "listmania lists").

Brought to Life
My wife and I just returned from Colorado two weeks ago. This book has captured the breath-taking beauty of this state. Its informative and can take you from desert to pristine mountain streams.


The Colorado River in Grand Canyon : a comprehensive guide to its natural and human history
Published in Unknown Binding by Red Lake Books ()
Author: Larry Stevens
Average review score:

Time to revise this!
I just returned from an 18-day private trip and found the "Blue Bible" worth packing in my day box for the whole trip. However, some storms have come through and many of the rapids are now misclassified. Anyone with a moderate interest in life around them should tote the latest version of this book along with them down the canyon; I was able to ID snakes, bugs and landmarks. But find a companion who has run the river more recently than Larry to tell you whether to scout the next rapid.

P.S. Hey Larry, if you need some help...

Grand Canyon Private River Trip Guide Book
This is THE book to have for anyone taking a private river trip through the Grand Canyon. It's the only guide book that shows all of the camp sites and their relative size. It also rates the difficulty of all of the rapids. There should be one on every raft.

For those quiet moments in camp the book contains a lot of information about the history and geology of the Grand Canyon as well as a lot of other information.


Colorado Rockhounding: A Guide to Minerals, Gemstones, and Fossils
Published in Paperback by Mountain Press Publishing Company (June, 2003)
Author: Stephen M. Voynick
Average review score:

2003 review
I am giving this book a three star rating, I believe that it was a five star rating when first published. My copy shows a copyright of 1994 and a fifth printing in 2000. I enjoyed the historic and background geology information provided by the author. It was good evening reading. I did have problems in locating the sites listed. Colorado has grown a bit since 1994. I prefer the detailed format in the falcon guides. They do not have the background Voynick's book does but they get you to most of the sites. In all cases I would like to see the authors show the dates they visited recommended sites.

Rocky Mountain HIGH!
Several years ago, I made a swing through Colorado and, as always, collected rocks and minerals [mainly for my class that I teach at a California high school]. This book was at my side and served me well, leading to many beautiful specimens [and two blown tires-it was an excellent trip]. I never failed to find a site and all sites were better than average quality. Warning: many of these sites are at high elevation and may involve a little hiking [I'm out of shape and stayed to the sites close to the roads and still had quite a haul]. As always, please collect respectfully and only in places where it is legal to collect.


Colorado's Best Wildflower Hikes: The Front Range
Published in Paperback by Westcliffe Pub (May, 1998)
Authors: Pamela D. Irwin and David Harlan Irwin
Average review score:

Great book for Wildflower Hikes
I've taken a number of the hikes in this book and been very pleased. Very useful for wildflower photogs or anyone who enjoys nature. Directions and descriptions are easy to follow and accurate.

Great summary of good hikes just outside of Denver
Quick, easy reference for day hikes. I have bought this book as a gift for many people.


Related Vacation Book Subjects: Texas
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