Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share their mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com. – Barbara Ellis
“Blood Ties,” by Jo Nesbo, translated by Robert Ferguson (Knopf, 2025)
"Blood Ties," by Jo Nesbo, translated by Robert Ferguson (Knopf, 2025)Two brothers who have found success in their rural town believe they have cleverly covered up the murders that helped them rise. The sheriff has other (some would say obsessive) ideas. As Nesbo writes, “Sticking together – no matter what – is perhaps the family’s greatest blessing, but it’s also its greatest curse.” Read Nesbo’s latest thriller to discover who are the winners and losers. (No. 2 in the Kongeriket series.) — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“Penitence,” by Kristin Koval (Celadon, 2025)
A terminally ill teen is shot by his sister in the opening pages of “Penitence.” How the family responds and learns to move forward is the crux of this debut novel.
A Colorado resident and former lawyer, Koval sets the action mostly in a small southwestern Colorado ski town. The setting is fictitious, but the characters are quite real, and I found the story compelling. There are not many answers here, but the questions are worth pondering and discussing. — 2 1/2 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
“Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations,” by Admiral William H. McRaven, U.S. Navy Retired (Grand Central Publishing, 2019)
This memoir by four-star Adm. William McRaven about his 37 years serving in the U.S. Navy — from the time he became a SEAL until his retirement as commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command — is filled with accounts of the details and planning required to complete missions at the very highest levels under extreme circumstances. Learn how someone makes it through SEAL training, and the intimate details of the planning and missions to capture Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. McRaven writes each story as if it happened yesterday, and he is a master storyteller of adventure, intrigue and secrets. — 4 stars (out of 4); Donna Brady, Centennial
“You Better Be Lightning,” by Andrea Gibson (Button Publishing Inc., 2021)
Colorado Poet Laureate Gibson’s poetry, written in verbal prose style, provides a piercing look into her head. Each line expresses an insight, not necessarily a pretty turn of words but always phrasing or intuition that brings shafts of
"Making the Best of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered," by Judith Viorst (Simon & Schuster, 2025)perception. Their poems often deal with the most painful situations: love gone wrong or astray, misplaced faith, details or reminders of lost partner souls. Gibson seems to know every nuance of human emotion, from the personal to the universal. Celebrated for performance pieces, Gibson’s books show how wonderfully their poetry translates to the written word. — 4 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune, Denver (bonniemccune.com)
“Making the Best of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered,” by Judith Viorst (Simon & Schuster, 2025)
The author of, among other things, the Alexander and Lulu series of children’s books and age-related humorous poetry, Viorst here comments on what she calls “The Final Fifth” of life in her jaunty, signature conversational prose style, sprinkled with her poems. Based on her own circumstances and also interviews with others, Viorst’s latest work can take your mind off your own troubles for a bit. — 2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
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