North Denver News

By Wendy Thomas Grab a cup of hot cocoa and curl up with a copy of “With Love, From Cold World” by Alicia Thompson to add some steam to the cold winter nights. “With Love, From Cold World” by Alicia Thompson Lauren Fox is a buttoned-up bookkeeper who likes things orderly and predictable. Asa Williamson is a practical-joking, minimum-wage-earning, tattooed and blue-haired jack-of-all-trades. The only thing they have in common is that... Read more...

By Wendy Thomas Notable historian of Denver’s seamy and sordid is back, this time digging into where the bodies are buried. In Volume 1 of a three-volume series, Dr. Phil Goodstein takes a look at “The Scenic History of Denver Cemeteries: From Cheesman Park to Riverside.” Join him on a stroll through these historic cemeteries to see how they reflect Denver’s cultural and political history. Denver’s first cemetery, Mount Prospect,... Read more...

By Wendy Thomas In “To Shape a Dragon’s Breath” by Moniquill Blackgoose, 15-year-old Anequs sees a dragon on her home island of Masquapaug, where no native dragons – Nampeshiwe – have been seen for many years. The next day, she goes to the temple to make an offering of tobacco and juniper, and discovers that the dragon has left behind an egg. Following tradition, the egg is brought to the meetinghouse where the villagers sing to it and... Read more...

By Wendy Thomas Forty-nine-year-old Ginny Splinter, known as “Advice Angel,” is polished and poised in her life as well as her fashion. Wendy Thomas Her fairytale life and marriage have been the subject of a spread in a glossy magazine, and her inimitable style and gorgeous husband make the listeners of her radio show, “Just Ask Ginny,” take heed. She graces listeners in Greenham, England, with her expert advice to help them... Read more...

By Wendy Thomas Vera Wong wakes daily at 4:30 a.m., takes a power walk that is exactly 3,112 steps and strides purposefully into her day. Each task is met with military precision, and she helpfully advises anyone who will (or won’t) listen on how to live a life of vigor. Especially her son, Tilly, who she thinks should be scanning his office for a girlfriend and waking before the late hour of 4:31 a.m. Wendy Thomas Vera may be 60... Read more...

By Wendy Thomas March is Women’s History Month at Denver Public Library, and to celebrate we are checking out “Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain” by Margaret Willson. Wendy Thomas This narrative nonfiction book follows the life and adventures of Captain Thurídur, a woman remarkable not only for her seafaring skills but her sense of justice and advocacy for those in marginalized... Read more...

By Hannah Evans Spooky season may have come to an end, but that doesn’t mean you can’t curl up with a good book and indulge in some frightening tales as the weather gets colder. Hannah Evans Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes’ “A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America’s Ghosts” (2022, Citadel Press) is a great candidate to do just that with, especially since it has a fun local tiein — Goldspot Brewing Company,... Read more...

By Hannah Evans As schools settle into somewhat of a routine once again, both at the end of this year’s back to school season and in a broader sense after the chaos and disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, local historian and author Phil Goodstein has released his newest title on the Denver Public School system. Hannah Evans “Schools for a New Century: 1995-2020,” (2022, New Social Publications), is the third volume of Goodstein’s... Read more...

By Hannah Evans The phrase “fire season” is increasingly one on the minds of those living in western states— every summer the time it describes seems to last longer and pose more of a threat than the previous year. Leyna Krow’s debut novel of this name (2022, Penguin Random House) focuses on another trope of the west, however—the con artist, schemer, and opportunist with a wide variety of motivations. Krow’s “Fire Season,” set mostly in... Read more...

By Hannah Evans In The Denver North Star’s first issue, I reviewed Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s short story collection “Sabrina & Corina,” a beautiful selection of fiction featuring vibrant female characters and their ties and relationships to Denver and surrounding areas of Colorado. Hannah Evans This month, I thought it was only appropriate to feature Fajardo-Anstine’s new release, her captivating novel “Woman of Light” (2022, One... Read more...