"The books I recommend are all serious and sometimes dark. I can't help it; I like it that way. This summer I'll be reading Snow, Ashes, by Alyson Hagy; Spring Tides, by Jacques Poulin; The Folded World, by Amity Gaige. Then, for the children in us, The Surprise, a wonderfully amusing, warm, wordless children's picture book. I'd seriously consider stashing it in my luggage if I were going away, to "read" every night. My guilty pleasure will be Michael Connelly's The Overlook."
— Janis Frame, owner of Book Buffs, 1519 South Pearl Street, 303-722-3630.
Lighter Fare
Voyage around the world with your summer beach reads. You can start in Denver, courtesy of Jack Kerouac's now-fifty-year-old On the Road, then venture off to Iran in A Mirror Garden and a Tokyo Denny's in After Dark. Next, road-trip through Mexico City, Barcelona, Israel and Liberia in The Savage Detectives, and make a final stop in Alaska with Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel.
Escape Hatch
Desperately need to decompress, but can only eke out an afternoon? Shut off your cell phone, power down your laptop, and head to the Gold Lake Mountain Resort and Spa (3371 Gold Lake Road, 303-459-3544). Only an hour and a half away (it's just north of Boulder, near Ward), Gold Lake is the ultimate day escape. Indulge in an afternoon lounging lakeside, steaming in the open-air hot pools, getting a massage and partaking of the delicious organic brunch buffet. If you have any energy left, take a hike in the lushly forested grounds — all 100 acres' worth. It's $149 for the day (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), including the massage, but if you just can't drag yourself away, there are plenty of cabins with downy beds to rent for the night. — Amy Haimerl
Love Story
Get road-trip ready with any of these perfectly packable — but high on style — dresses from Eve, Sarah, Frolik and Grae. — Amy Haimerl
Bottom photo above, from left to right:
· Mint & Brace "Transcend" dress ($242), Frolik on 32nd, 3715 West 32nd Avenue, 303-458-5575, and Amy Kahn "Big O" necklace, www.peakuniques.com and other purveyors of fine women's clothing and jewelry.
· Nanushka grey goddess dress ($325) and Lee Alexander ageate-and-onyx necklace ($184), Sarah, 1067 South Gaylord Street, 303-482-2299.
· Paramita dress ($225), Eve, 1415 Larimer Square, 720-932-9382, and Amy Kahn "Big O" necklace.
· Grae wrap dress with back skull detail ($115), Skye, 1499 Blake Street, 303-623-0444, and Love Las Muertas "Vertebrae" necklace ($75), the Fabric Lab.
