With the gift-giving season in full swing, everyone is looking for that perfect present for the people on their lists and in their lives. Denver’s literary scene has a bounty of possibilities for far-flung family and friends, from fans of murder and spirits to down-home cooking, photography, poetry and Old Norse wisdom. Here are your five best bets for the literary week in Denver — and some fine gift options, to boot.

Llewellyn Publishing

Richard Estep, The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm
Tuesday, December 3, 7 p.m.
Tattered Cover LoDo
1628 16th Street
Free
Co-founder of Boulder County Paranormal Research Richard Estep is the author of more than a dozen books. His latest, The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm, follows the supernatural residue of seemingly mild-mannered Herb Baumeister, who it was eventually revealed allegedly murdered at least eleven men on his infamous Indiana property. Estep brings the book to the Tattered Cover LoDo for a presentation and signing.

EXPAND

William Morrow

Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier
Saturday, December 7, 10 a.m.
Tattered Cover
2526 East Colfax Avenue
$30
New York Times best-selling author Ree Drummond brings her glorious full-color Pioneer Woman cookbook to the Tattered Cover for an exclusive signing-only event. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier: 112 Fantastic Favorites for Everyday Eating includes new favorites from Drummond’s life on the ranch, showcasing her home cooking at its most delicious and fun. Tickets include a copy of the book and a spot in the signing line.

John Fielder Publishing

John Fielder, Colorado: Black on White
Sunday, December 8, noon
Barnes & Noble Bookstore
960 South Colorado Boulevard, Glendale
Free
Famed photographer John Fielder brings his newest book, Colorado: Black on White, to Barnes & Noble for a meet-and-greet and signing. Bring along any of Fielder’s iconic books of visual inspiration for him to autograph. Any of his many books would make a classic Colorado gift, perfect for longtime residents and distant admirers of the natural magnificence of the Rocky Mountain West alike.

Finishing Line Press

Carol Guerrero-Murphy, Chained Dog Dreams
Sunday, December 8, 3 p.m.
BookBar
4280 Tennyson Street
Free
Colorado’s own Carol Guerrero-Murphy’s launches her second book of poetry at BookBar. Chained Dog Dreams traverses landscapes both autobiographical and surreal; the poems in this collection move between memory and dream, with boundaries both fluid and tender. Guerrero-Murphy was a professor at Adams State for over two decades, and her previous book, Table Walking at Nighthawk, was nominated for a Pushcart and was a WILLA finalist for poetry. She’s currently working on her third book, Bright Paths, Dark Rivers.

EXPAND

Hackett Publishing

Jackson Crawford, The Wanderer’s Hávamál
Monday, December 9, 7:30 p.m.
Boulder Book Store
1107 Pearl Street, Boulder
$5
The Wanderer’s Hávamál includes University of Colorado Boulder professor Jackson Crawford’s carefully revised English translation of the Old Norse poem Hávamál, newly annotated for this volume, together with facing original Old Norse text. Portable and reader-friendly, the book makes an ideal companion for both lovers of Old Norse myth and those new to the wisdom of the Eddic poem — and makes a pretty impressive stocking stuffer. Tickets, $5, are good for a $5 discount off the purchase of this book or any other the day of the event.

Have a literary event you think should be included on this list? Send details to editorial@westword.com.

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