Did the summertime rush leave you spinning? Find a cozy spot and slow down with one of the favorite books enjoyed by the Genre Explorers Book Club during the library’s Unearth a Story summer library program. 

Explore the past

Good reads abound for dinosaur fans! Evolution will engross you in “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” by Stephen Brusatte. In “Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party,” Edward Dolnick explains how people reconciled their religious beliefs when dinosaur fossils were unearthed.

“Dragon Teeth,” by Michael Crichton, weaves a historical novel about the competitive society of bone diggers. Or imagine the life of a Utahraptor from her perspective in “Raptor Red” by Robert Bakker. 

“This was such a good book, a speculative glimpse into the mind of one of the most vicious and intelligent dinosaurs. A fun and enlightening story filled with drama, strife, and tragedy—and a fast read. Loved it!” exclaimed Jen Goertz.

For general archeology enthusiasts, read “Extinction” by Douglas Preston, a fast-paced murder mystery novel set in Colorado, or “Follow Me to Africa” by Penny Haw, about Mary Douglas Leakey, a pioneering British paleoanthropologist.

To celebrate American history, read “The Westerners” by Megan Kate Nelson, about incredible lives in the 19^th-century American West.

Dig into a good book

Place your hold on this must-read – “The Calamity Club” by Kathryn Stockett.

Jeanie Johnson recommends that you “Settle in for a wonderful adventure…!  The plan [they] come up with to solve their depression-era disastrous situations leaves the reader laughing, applauding, and wishing for more.”

Amusing fantasy is in “Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking,” by T. Kingfisher, where baked goods come to life, and in the audiobook “Dungeon Crawler Carl,” by Matt Dinniman, where the sound effects are sure to entertain!

For an edge-of-your-seat forensics thriller set in Colorado, read “Written in Bone” by Simon Beckett.

World War II history fans will appreciate “The Things We Cannot Say” by Kelly Rimmer, in which a woman seeks to unravel her Polish family’s mystery, and “How to Share an Egg” by Bonny Reichert, who describes the pain caused by her father’s shielded past as a holocaust survivor.

Discover a local treasure

Caroline Hesford loved “Go Grand: Seven Tours through Grand County History” by Kristi Butterwick and was inspired to explore some of the tours with her parents.

Unearth an ancient story

Lose yourself in classical epics with “Gilgamesh” by Stephen Mitchell, “Canterbury Tales,” as retold by Peter Ackroyd, or “Paradise Lost” by John Milton.

In honor of this year’s One Grand Book, we are reading Eager or Crossings by Ben Goldfarb and other literary works that examine Nature’s Hidden Connections between humans and the natural world. 

For book suggestions, browse the library catalog reading lists at gcld.marmot.org and follow the Genre Explorers Book Club on Facebook.

Come celebrate with us at a book club party at the Kremmling Library on November 16 or at the Hot Sulphur Springs Library on November 18. Contact these libraries for party details.

Shelly Mathis is a library associate for the Grand County Library District. Contact her at smathis@gcld.org.