As part of The Colorado Sun’s literature section — SunLit — we’re featuring staff picks from book stores across the state. >> Click here for more SunLit
This week’s bookstore: Old Firehouse Books, 232 Walnut St., Fort Collins
oldfirehousebooks.com | @OFirehouseBooks on Twitter, Instagram
From the publisher: Both a page-turner and literary tour de force, the book is a vivid portrayal of working-class life and a deeply moving and highly suspenseful story of the dangerous first love of two young men. Imbuing the everyday world of its characters with rich lyricism and giving full voice to people rarely acknowledged in the literary world, it’s a gripping and revealing story about the bounds of masculinity, the divisions of sectarianism, the violence faced by many queer people, and the dangers of loving someone too much.
From Andrea, bookseller: This was one of the most heartbreaking books I’ve read in a long time. Mungo is a character that is good, he is quiet and introspective and tries so very hard to fit into every face his family wants him to be. It was a heavier kind of sadness to watch that goodness be torn away from him. I found the way this story wove between two time periods, the before and the after of Mungo’s unraveling, really interesting. This is a story that will stick with me, haunting and beautiful and forever in my mind.
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From the publisher: Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen. However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans.
From Nicole, marketing manager: This is quite possibly the most wholesome, heartwarming, sweetest, softest, kindest book I have ever read, and I’ve read some Becky Chambers. If you’re a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, coffee shops, queer ladies, cinnamon rolls (characters and pastries), and soft escapes, please read this book. It’s a book about kindness, found family, and starting over. And it’s a warm, comforting afternoon’s escape to a different world, with incredibly low stakes, which is honestly just refreshing. We need more books like this.
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From the publisher: Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty.
When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She meets Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.
Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first.
From Andrea, bookseller: I read this book in one sitting….what’s not to love?! Delilah Green is relatable, compassionate, funny and kind. Everyone has strong feelings about heading home; especially when home wasn’t the most kind/welcoming the first time around. Her love interest, Claire, is equally relatable. A single mother who is trying to provide for her child, run a business and be there for her BFF that is getting married. Sparks fly between Delilah & Claire instantly and to see their journey that ends in a happily ever after is so damn good. A wonderful romance for anyone (romance lovers and those that are just dipping their toes in the genre) that I will highly recommend all day, every day!
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