Staff Picks: Books
Ski Town Media's staff members select their winter reads.
From Steamboat Magazine Mountain Edition 2023.
Sophie Dingle - Editor
“The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan
Sitting on my desk, the book is on most ‘Best Books of 2022’ lists and I’ve yet to read it…but, better late than never!
Casey Hopkins - Office Manager
“Fairy Tale” by Stephen King
Like I mentioned in the ‘Staff Picks’ for the Ski Edition, I fell deep into the Stephen King rabbit hole during COVID. While I tend to read more non-fiction, King has a way of reeling me in and keeping me buckled for the entire ride. This novel comes in at 608 pages (for the hardcover edition), making it the longest writing by King I’ll have in my repertoire (though I’m currently part of the way through Under the Dome, a daunting 1074 pages). Here’s to waiting in hopeful anticipation!
Suzy Magill - Staff Writer
“Powder Days” by Heather Hansman
The book covers the history of skiing and ski bums across the country, looking at the past, present and future of skiing. I’m excited to read it and learn about how ski bums keep all of us on the mountain.
Trey Mullen - Digital Director
“Being Ram Dass” - Autobiography by Ram Dass (formerly Richard Alpert)
If you’ve ever embraced the phrase “be here now,” practiced meditation or yoga, tried psychedelics, or supported anyone in a hospice, prison, or homeless center, then the story of Ram Dass is also part of your story.
Deborah Olsen - Publisher
“Everything The Light Touches” by Janice Pariat
I’m known for having said “to be without art is to be without heart.” I’m anxious to read a book about a character who says “to be still is to be without life.” I can’t wait to see how the two ideas intersect. Plus, the Ski Town Media staff gave me this book for Christmas, and I’m honored they chose a book in which the prose reads like poetry.
Melissa VanArsdale - Art Director
“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver
I met Barbara Kingsolver at a book signing in Boulder in the early 90s. Kingsolver wasn’t very engaging when I gave her my book to sign. Let’s just say, I swore I’d never read one of her books again. Jump forward 30 plus years: I scroll through the New York Times top 10 books of 2022 and I run across “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver. The description of a contemporary Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” intrigues me. Time to let bygones be bygones and pick up a Kingsolver book once again.
From Steamboat Magazine Mountain Edition 2023.
Sophie Dingle - Editor
“The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan
Sitting on my desk, the book is on most ‘Best Books of 2022’ lists and I’ve yet to read it…but, better late than never!
Casey Hopkins - Office Manager
“Fairy Tale” by Stephen King
Like I mentioned in the ‘Staff Picks’ for the Ski Edition, I fell deep into the Stephen King rabbit hole during COVID. While I tend to read more non-fiction, King has a way of reeling me in and keeping me buckled for the entire ride. This novel comes in at 608 pages (for the hardcover edition), making it the longest writing by King I’ll have in my repertoire (though I’m currently part of the way through Under the Dome, a daunting 1074 pages). Here’s to waiting in hopeful anticipation!
Suzy Magill - Staff Writer
“Powder Days” by Heather Hansman
The book covers the history of skiing and ski bums across the country, looking at the past, present and future of skiing. I’m excited to read it and learn about how ski bums keep all of us on the mountain.
Trey Mullen - Digital Director
“Being Ram Dass” - Autobiography by Ram Dass (formerly Richard Alpert)
If you’ve ever embraced the phrase “be here now,” practiced meditation or yoga, tried psychedelics, or supported anyone in a hospice, prison, or homeless center, then the story of Ram Dass is also part of your story.
I was fortunate enough to stumble upon Ram Dass early during my continued path to spirituality. Growing up in a conservative Christian household and then later earning a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from CU Boulder, the lines between religion and spirituality, science and faith, all began to blur as I began to shape my own perceptions of the world and varying cultures around me.
Deborah Olsen - Publisher
“Everything The Light Touches” by Janice Pariat
I’m known for having said “to be without art is to be without heart.” I’m anxious to read a book about a character who says “to be still is to be without life.” I can’t wait to see how the two ideas intersect. Plus, the Ski Town Media staff gave me this book for Christmas, and I’m honored they chose a book in which the prose reads like poetry.
Melissa VanArsdale - Art Director
“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver
I met Barbara Kingsolver at a book signing in Boulder in the early 90s. Kingsolver wasn’t very engaging when I gave her my book to sign. Let’s just say, I swore I’d never read one of her books again. Jump forward 30 plus years: I scroll through the New York Times top 10 books of 2022 and I run across “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver. The description of a contemporary Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” intrigues me. Time to let bygones be bygones and pick up a Kingsolver book once again.