Staff Recommendations
Danica Ramgoolam
Part owner of Townie Books and Rumors, Danica is a native of Crested Butte and enjoys books with a lot of heart and spirit. She searches for stories about real life and often is drawn to books with sad endings.
Currently Reading
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
PRE-ORDER to get it by Sept. 22nd release date!
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light comes a riveting novel about the choices that change the course of our lives.
Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband, but a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.
Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, her beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, where she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.
But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a job she once studied for, but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.
After the crash landing, the airline ensures the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife.
As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried beside them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well-lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices…or do our choices make us? And who would you be, if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?
Favorites
Arvin Ramgoolam
Part owner of Townie Books and Rumors, Arvin enjoys the classics as well as books of poetry and coming-of-age stories involving music and pop culture.
Part owner of Townie Books and Rumors, Arvin enjoys the classics as well as books of poetry and coming-of-age stories involving music and pop culture.
Currently Reading
Dear Edward: a novel by Ann Napolitano
After losing everything, a young boy discovers there are still reasons for hope in this luminous, life-affirming novel, perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Ann Patchett.
What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. And then, tragically, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.
Edward’s story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place for himself in a world without his family. When you’ve lost everything, how do find yourself? How do you discover your purpose?
Dear Edward is at once a transcendent coming-of-age story, a multidimensional portrait of an unforgettable cast of characters, and a breathtaking illustration of all the ways a broken heart learns to love again.
Favorites
Kelly Jo Clark
Kelly Jo is thrilled to be a bookseller at Townie Books! She relishes that part of her job description is "read books and talk to people about them"! Her favorites are usually in the historical fiction genre, often with a strong female protagonist. She also values fresh, intelligent writing.
Currently Reading
Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein
A BOOK FOR THE TRUMP ERA THAT'S NOT ABOUT TRUMP: One Nation Under Politics is not another book about the Trump election or presidency. It's a book of greater breadth and depth that examines the state of politics in America over the past half-century, forming a fully comprehensive picture of the ways in which our political system has shifted over time to create the gridlock and antagonism that characterize our current polarized politics.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
SIGNED COPIES SOLD OUT
In her most personal and inspiring book yet, the beloved speaker, philanthropist, activist, and author explores the wild joy we discover when we stop trying to be good for others and start living true to ourselves.
This is how you find yourself.
Untamed shows us how to be brave. As Glennon insists: The braver we are, the luckier we get.
SIGNED COPIES ARE SOLD OUT!
Favorites
Britton Pietz
Britton is a native of the Gunnison Valley who likes hiking with a book to enjoy at the top. She loves YA, amazing children’s picture books, and usually prefers non-fiction, since real-life and history are often more incredible than the stories from our imaginations.
Britton is a native of the Gunnison Valley who likes hiking with a book to enjoy at the top. She loves YA, amazing children’s picture books, and usually prefers non-fiction, since real-life and history are often more incredible than the stories from our imaginations.
Currently Reading
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Favorites
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
$16.99
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
Starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews * Publishers Weekly * Library Journal
Named a “Must-Read” by TODAY, Us Weekly, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Goodreads, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, Southern Living, Book Riot, Woman’s Day, The Toronto Star, and more!
For two sworn enemies, anything can happen during the Hawaiian trip of a lifetime—maybe even love—in this romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling authors of Roomies.
Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . . . she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas.
Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo.
Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is . . . Olive doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.
The Falcon Thief : A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird by Joshua Hammer
$26.00
A rollicking true-crime adventure about a rogue who trades in rare birds and their eggs—and the wildlife detective determined to stop him.
This book contains everything I personally love in a good nonfiction story: people who are obsessively passionate about one thing, a little history, some criminology, and the bizarre ways that human and other animals' lives intersect. I did a fair amount of both spontaneously exclaiming "Seriously!?!" and also looking up associated tidbits on the internet (gyrfalcons truly are beautiful birds!), which is how I know a nonfiction book has got me hooked.
-Britton
Talking to Strangers : What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell
$30.00
Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Outliers, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers -- and why they often go wrong.
This book is Malcom Gladwell at his best! Using the tragic case of Sandra Bland as a touchstone, he explores various infamous crimes and tragedies to help explain how we try to "read" strangers, often with disastrous consequences. It's been over 6 months since I read this book, and I still regularly think about its lessons.
-Britton
Mama's Last Hug : Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves by Frans de Waal
$16.95
Mama’s Last Hug is a fascinating exploration of the rich emotional lives of animals, beginning with Mama, a chimpanzee matriarch who formed a deep bond with biologist Jan van Hooff. Her story and others like it—from dogs “adopting” the injuries of their companions, to rats helping fellow rats in distress, to elephants revisiting the bones of their loved ones—show that humans are not the only species with the capacity for love, hate, fear, shame, guilt, joy, disgust, and empathy. Frans de Waal opens our hearts and minds to the many ways in which humans and other animals are connected.
The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
$18.00
Love birds? Love Amazing facts? This book is chock-full of incredible information and research studies about the remarkable abilities of various species of birds -- tool making, problem solving, communication skills, you'll never think about your feathered neighbors the same way again!
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
$14.99
I know there are lots of other adults out there who, like me, love reading YA books. Laini Taylor has a great imagination, and her writing just keeps getting better with each story she gifts us. This book is the first in a duology, and I'm always a sucker for stories about intriguing people who also love books. “He wasn't an alchemist, or a hero. He was a librarian, and a dreamer. He was a reader, and the unsung expert on a long-lost city no one cared a thing about.”
The Deep by Rivers Soloman
$19.00
The most unique book you may ever read! The Deep is based on a hip hop song and is the story of mer-people who are descended from slaves thrown overboard who have evolved to become beautiful, complex creatures of The Deep. One memory keeper must carry all the history of her people but can she bare the weight? I loved this concept and it was really well done. The author does an amazing job of communicating the importance of a shared history especially when it is horrific.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
$16.00
What would you do if your spouse was unjustly incarcerated after only a year of being married?What if he was sentenced to 12 years in prison? Here is a story of An American Marriage that is true to the times and wrought with real emotion and thought provoking prose. Dealing with the issue of mass incarceration of African Americans on a more personal level. I loved this book!
The Giver of Stars : A Novel by Jojo Moyes
$28.00
Ooooh - this book is go-od! Reading it during isolation brought me so much happiness. The story is perfectly balanced on so many levels: a page turner, but not too simple. Historical truths embellished with intriguing fiction. Characters and circumstances you can’t help but love as they stand up against those you really hate. This book is a gem from start to finish! [Note: Some might say this book is chick lit-adjacent, but don't let that scare you away.]
-Britton
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
$27.00
An extraordinary new novel of art, love, and ambition from Lily King, the New York Times bestselling author of Euphoria
If the story line is something that can happen in regular life, then that is typically the last type of book I'll choose to read. But I had heard that Lily King is an excellent writer, so I decided to give Writers & Lovers a chance. And I have to say that it is a testament to King's skill that, despite how much I thought I would be bored reading this book, I instead found myself invested in her character's lives. This one turned out to be a surprising page turner for me. - Britton
Mountains Sing by Que Mai Phan Nguyen
$27.95
Like me, most people probably have a narrow image of Việt Nam and very little understanding about the area's history. And like a great historical fiction should, this book makes you realize just how limited your knowledge is. The Mountains Sing can be added to the list of sweeping generational/family novels (think Homegoing, Pachinko, etc.) that have captivated so many readers. Written by a poet who was born during the war, this story is heartbreaking but still hopeful.
Jen Hillebrandt
Jen loves almost any genre, as long as it's written well! She does have a special affinity for science fiction, historical fiction, and nonfiction that reads like fiction. Jen has been in Crested Butte for 18 years, and has spent much of that time working with local youth as a tutor, early childhood educator, or children's librarian. Ask her about her favorite picture books!
Jen loves almost any genre, as long as it's written well! She does have a special affinity for science fiction, historical fiction, and nonfiction that reads like fiction. Jen has been in Crested Butte for 18 years, and has spent much of that time working with local youth as a tutor, early childhood educator, or children's librarian. Ask her about her favorite picture books!
Currently Reading
A Sharp Solitude
In the darkening days of autumn, in a remote region near the Canadian border, a journalist has been murdered. Anne Marie Johnson was last seen with Reeve Landon, whose chocolate Labrador was part of an article she had been writing about a scientific canine research program. Now Landon is the prime suspect. Intensely private and paranoid, in a panic that he'll be wrongfully arrested, he ventures deep into in the woods. Even as he evades the detective, Landon secretly feels the whole thing is somehow deserved, a karmic punishment for a horrifying crime he committed as a young boy.
While Montana FBI investigator Ali Paige is not officially assigned to the case, Landon—an ex-boyfriend and the father of her child—needs help. Ali has only one objective for snooping around the edges of an investigation she’s not authorized to pursue: to save her daughter the shame of having a father in jail and the pain of abandonment she endured as a child. As the clock ticks and the noose tightens around Landon's neck, Ali isn’t sure how far she will go to find out the truth. And what if the truth is not something she wants to know?
A Sharp Solitude is a study of two flawed characters, bonded by a child, trying to make their way in an extraordinary place where escape seems possible. But no one can ever really outrun their demons, even in the vast terrain of Glacier, the ultimate backdrop for a journey of the soul.
