The Bookies Bookstore explores the paranormal, superheroes and Ireland

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from book stores across Colorado. This week, the staff from The Bookies Bookstore in Denver recommends books exploring the return of Supergirl, a horror-tinged meditation on aging and a heartfelt Irish tale.

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From the publisher: Jerry Campbell just wants to be left alone. Grief-stricken over the death of his wife Abigail, the elderly widower and recent retiree is desperate for a change of scenery. When his realtor suggests a new home in Fairview Acres, a retirement community in the Poconos, Jerry figures it will be a nice place to spend the rest of his days in solitude. Until he moves in.

Weird neighbors. Nightly block parties. Strange noises across his rooftop at all hours. Worst of all is Arthur Peterson, chairman of the Fairview Acres Community Association, who seems obsessed with coaxing Jerry into participating in these neighborhood activities. At first, Jerry shrugs off the incidents and eccentricities, telling himself he doesn’t want to be the guy who complains about everything — but that all changes one evening when Katherine Dunnally appears on his doorstep with an ominous warning: “You need to leave. The worms…they dance at nightfall…”

His neighbors all say Katherine suffers from a form of dementia called Sundowner’s Syndrome, but as the weeks progress and the strangeness mounts, Jerry begins to suspect there is something else going on in his neighborhood. Heartfelt and unsettling, the book propels readers through a terrifying exploration of grief, dementia, and perhaps the greatest horror of all: growing old.

From Becky, sidelines buyer: A widower moves into a retirement community where the residents are worshipping an ancient entity that keeps them young! Yes, it might sound similar to the Duffer Brothers’ show, “The Boroughs.” Trust me that it’s very different.

This is such a fabulous book on so many levels. The focus on the retirement community and the centering of the book on characters who are older stands out by itself. But the depth of the characters, the internal and external conflicts they face, and the emotion behind this story adds so many layers.

This is horror with heart. I dare you not to feel something!

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From the publisher: A bold new era begins as Supergirl returns to her roots, but an impostor threatens to steal her life before she can reclaim it.

Kara Zor-El is ready for a fresh start, leaving Metropolis behind to rediscover herself in Midvale. But when she arrives, she finds someone else has already taken up the mantle of Supergirl. As she fights to reclaim her identity, she must look for help in unexpected places and finds a dangerous new ally in Lena Luthor. With a stunning new costume and an exhilarating story by writer/artist Sophie Campbell, this collection marks the beginning of a thrilling new chapter for the Maiden of Might.

From Kevin, bookseller: Supergirl goes back to her roots (quite literally, she has a hair colour changing comb) in a loving tribute to her history. Campbell ties in aspects from all eras of Supergirl, like bringing back her original secret identity of Linda Danvers (throwing back to the original silver age stories of the ’50s and the edgy ’90s version); having her adoptive parents mirror their counterparts on the CW series; giving a nod to the space faring adventures from Woman of Tomorrow (the story that inspired the recent film); and noting the fact that Supergirl died tragically (in 1985’s “Crisis”) and was resurrected for nefarious purposes (in 2006).

Campbell balances this somewhat chaotic and tonally varied backstory while moving everything into a modern setting and maintaining a hopeful feel that never takes itself too seriously — there’s an entire issue from the perspective of Krypto the Superdog and Streaky the Supercat where they save a litter of kittens from mutating alien goo — but still touching on subjects like isolation and self worth.  The art is bright and vibrant thanks to the Bonvillian’s coloring, and Campbell’s art is clean, crisp, and fun. This is a delightfully weird and joyful book.

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From the publisher: On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task is not an easy one. Tomás, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster.

The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tomás is unexpectedly sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and the lives of those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tomás, and how is Liam, aged only 10, going to finish the mapping and get them both home?

“Land” is a novel about separation and reunion, tragedy and recovery, colonization and rebellion. It is a story of buried treasure, overlapping lives, ancient woodland, persistent ghosts, a particularly loyal dog, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away. As spellbinding and varied as the landscape that inspired it, it is, above all, a story of survival, for our times and for all time.

From Sharon, bookseller: This is a story of a plot of land in Ireland where families lived , worked, dreamed, and died. The time spans from prehistory through the potato famine and after. I loved the thread of paranormal that ties everything together. There is so much to talk about. Book clubs are going to love it!

Type of Story: Review

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