21 Jun Summertime Stories: Book Readings in the Northern Rockies

Hiking, fishing, backpacking, swimming, camping, kayaking, barbecuing, roadtripping, mowing the lawn, or even weeding the garden, summer is a busy time in the Northern Rockies. But these lazy days can also offer up the opportuinty to sit back with a good book. This time of year, many independent bookstores bring in authors to read from their recent works.

Whether fiction or fact, poetry or prose, author readings provide a chance for you to let your body relax but let your mind go—maybe as you settle into a comfy bookstore couch. Only one thing is required: you just listen.

Here is the six-week lineup for a selection of readings at major independent bookstores in the tri-state area, which includes a hearty balance of local as well as national authors. These readings are a great time to just relax and enjoy some stories, maybe meet a favorite author and have a book signed.

For more information, or to see even more book readings, check out each bookstore’s website.

Montana

Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, Montana
countrybookshelf.com

June 20 – Liz Carlisle will read from Lentil Underground, the story of a group of Montana farmers who have defied corporate agribusiness by launching a unique sustainable food movement under the brand Timeless Natural Food.

June 30 – Wil Gibson is scheduled to read from his latest poetry collection, Harvest the Dirt, which is described by the bookstore as “gritty, vivid, and at times harsh. … a tour-de-force of the American dream-nightmare.”

July 7 – Keith McCafferty, outdoor skills and survival editor of Field & Stream, will treat listeners to an excerpt from Buffalo Jump Blues, the fifth and newly released novel in McCafferty’s Sean Stranahan fly fisherman-detective series set near Montana’s Madison River Valley.

July 11 – Scott Graham, author of seven books, including Canyon Sacrifice and Mountain Rampage, will read from Yellowstone Standoff, a new addition to the National Park Mystery Series.

July 16 – Chad Dundas is a fourth-generation Montanan living in Missoula. He will read from Champion of the World, a historical fiction novel set in rural Montana in the early 1920s wrestling world.

July 21 – Joe Wilkins will read selections of poetry from When We Were Birds, a collection of poems about ordinary life, everyday sadness, the birth of his son, faith, grace, legacy, and luck.

Elk River, Livingston, Montana
elkriverbooks.com

June 28 – Gwen Florio will read from her latest Lola Wicks mystery series, Disgraced. This fictional novel finds former war correspondent Lola Wicks in Yellowstone National Park as she follows a story of soldier suicides, a near-fatal brawl, and a terrorized woman.

July 12 – Tami Haaland, Cara Chamberlain, Dave Casario, Bernard Quetchenbach, and others will read selections of their poetry in this “Invasion of the Billings Poets.”

July 19 – Terry Tempest Williams will read from her latest book, The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America's National Parks, an ode to our national parks timed for the centennial. This event will be held at the Dulcie Theatre in the Shane Lalani Center for the Arts.

July 26 – Sid Gustafson, Bozeman author and veterinarian, will read from his new novel, Swift Dam, which is set against the real-life tragedy of the 1964 Swift Dam collapse in northwest Montana.

Fact and Fiction, Missoula, Montana
factandfictionbooks.com

July 5 – Kenneth Turan will discuss movies and his recent book, Not to Be Missed: Fifty-Four Favorites from a Lifetime of Film. Turan is a movie critic for LA Times and NPR’s Morning Edition, and in Not to Be Missed, he selects his favorite films from across all genres.

July 18 – Steven Faulkner will read from Bitterroot: Echoes of Beauty and Loss, a memoir of his travels with his eighteen-year-old son, following the letters of the 19th-century explorer Pierre Jean De Smet across the High Plains and the Rockies on the Lewis and Clark Trail.

July 19 – Joe Wilkins will read selections of poetry from When We Were Birds, a collection of poems about ordinary life, everyday sadness, the birth of his son, faith, grace, legacy, and luck.

July 21 – Terry Tempest Williams will read from her latest book, The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America's National Parks, an ode to our national parks timed for the centennial.

July 26 – Chad Dundas is a fourth-generation Montanan living in Missoula. He will read from Champion of the World, a historical fiction novel set in rural Montana in the early 1920s wrestling world.

Idaho

Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane, Idaho
auntiesbooks.com

June 23 – Chris Dooley will read and discuss Can’t Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story. Dooley, a retired high school teacher and coach, published this title last year as a biography of former Gonzaga University point guard Kevin Pangos, who is known as one of the best point guards in the university’s history. Pangos will be in attendance and will join Dooley to discuss the readings as well as answer questions.

June 30 – Alexis Smith and Shawn Vestal will join listeners for an evening of reading and conversation. Portland resident Alexis Smith will read from her newly released fiction book, Marrow Island, while local author and Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal will read from his own Daredevils.

July 9 – Brian Triplett of Spokane will present his first book in the Summersgate Chronicles, Crosses and Ruins, an urban fantasy suspense thriller.

July 14 – Steve Oliver, editor and publisher of The Dark City Crime and Mystery Magazine,  will be reading crime and mystery stories from the magazine's most current issue.

July 15 – Sherman Alexie will read from his new children’s book, Thunder Boy Jr. Alexie is the author of several books, including The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. This event will be held at the Bing Crosby Theater.

July 27 – Bill Collier, Idaho writer and Vietnam veteran, will read from The Adventures of a Helicopter Pilot: Flying the H-34 Helicopter in Vietnam for the United States Marine Corps. This is his firsthand account of combat during “The Helicopter War” in Vietnam.

Wyoming

Valley Bookstore, Jackson, Wyoming
valleybookstore.com

July 12 – Scott Graham, author of the acclaimed National Park Mystery Series, will be signing his recent addition to the series, Yellowstone Standoff, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

July 16 – Terry Tempest Williams will be signing her new book, The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks from 6:30 to 8 p.m. While this is not a book reading, it is a great chance to meet Williams!

Wyoming Public Radio
wyomingpublicmedia.org

The Wyoming Public Radio has recordings of a variety of authors’ readings, so if you can’t make it to a live reading and just want to hear a story, check out the Wyoming Public Radio website!