Photos by Joe Mahoney
Pops of hot pink add cheer to winter dressing. Common Era one-of-a-kind cardigan, $50, Piko 1988 black mini dress with pockets, $50, and tan knit beret, $8. All at Common Era. HUE pink cotton leggings, $25. At Hue.com.
Now that the holidays are past, we’re definitely keeping an eye out for spring. But seeing as the weather remains quite chilly and there’s sure to be lots of snow in our future (hello, March and April!), when it comes to fashion, we’re still digging styles that will keep us warm cozy.
And, while some of us may choose to spend the days shrouded in our Snuggies watching a “Jersey Shore” marathon, others prefer to curl up in a favorite chair, fireplace lit, with a great book. Since we’d never admit to the former, we headed to LoDo’s Tattered Cover to show off some hot cold-weather looks from Common Era, 1543 Platte St.
Patti Thorn
For a little literary guidance, we asked Denver journalist Patti Thorn to offer seven suggestions of riveting reads guaranteed to warm up your day. While dramatically different, they share three things in common: hefty themes worthy of pondering (no breezy summer reads here!), settings that take you away from our winter landscape and stories so hot they positively sizzle.
Did we mention none of these fashion items cost more than $60? Feel free to toss those Snuggies aside.
– Lesley Kennedy
No Country for Old Men
No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage, $15):
Set on the dry and dusty Texas-Mexico border, the novel follows protagonist Llewellyn Moss as he happens across a group of dead bodies littered around a pickup truck. In the back of the truck: two million dollars in cash and a stash of heroin. When Moss decides to take off with the loot, he sets in motion a chain of events that will eventually heat his life to the temperature of hell.
The action in the story never quits – and the only cold you’ll find here is the ice in the villain’s heart, an unforgettable character guaranteed to raise goose bumps, even if you’re lounging by the fire.
Click here to buy it at TatteredCover.com
The Poisonwood Bible
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper Perennial, $15):
Kingsolver’s ambitious novel tracks a missionary family over the course of 30 years, beginning with the father’s decision to take his brood deep into the heart of the Belgian Congo. The effect of that decision on his wife – who narrates the story – and their four daughters is the meat of the story, which becomes a fascinating study of what happens when cultures collide. Kingsolver writes so well, you’ll feel yourself sweat as you inhabit this fascinating, far-off setting.
Click here to buy it at TatteredCover.com
Winter fashion doesn't have to leave you feeling cold. A bold print and funky accessories will brighten a gloomy day. Holly G brown and white printed blouse, $46, Lush mini with zipper pockets, $30, and Common Era one-of-a-kind necklace, $38. All at Common Era. HUE pink cotton leggings, $25, at Hue.com.
Drop City
Drop City, by TC Boyle (Viking, $25.95):
OK, we admit we’re cheating a little on this one: The latter half of the novel takes place in Alaska – not exactly famous for its toasty climate. But you’ll find plenty of heat in the first part of the story.
Boyle’s tale begins in California, where hippies filled with high ideals and enough sexual heat to stoke a forest fire, have established a commune. Boyle’s depiction of ’70s counterculture, with its mix of innocence and a healthy heaping of hypocrisy, feels dead on – and only gets better as the group relocates to Alaska, where its steady disillusionment becomes as constant as the cold. While the setting turns frigid, rest assured that Boyle’s amazing prose is never less than sizzling.
Click here to buy it at TatteredCover.com
The Past is Never Dead
The Past is Never Dead: The Trial of James Ford Seale and Mississippi’s Struggle for Redemption, by Harry N. MacLean (Basic Books, $25.95):
Denver author MacLean is best known for his bestselling true crime story about a murder in a small Missouri town, titled In Broad Daylight. This time, his true crime subject arises from a steamy Mississippi summer in 1964, when two black boys were kidnapped by white men, driven to a secluded location and then, one at a time, thrown into the Mississippi River to drown.
MacLean positions the crime in the racial context of the time and examines the realities of race relations in the state today. His intelligent treatment of the aftershocks of this horrible crime – and his refusal to offer pat portrayals of then and now — is hot indeed.
Stay warm on a hot evening out with a chic jacket. Esley blue ruffle tiered dress, $56, Flying Tomato faux fur jacket, $58, Ebisu purple clutch, $34, and Common Era one-of-a-kind earrings, $22. At Common Era.
Looking the part of a best-selling author requires a sleek jacket and blue ruffled dress — and don’t forget the autograph-signing Sharpie!
Heart of the Sea
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick (Viking, $24.95):
This is the true story that inspired Herman Melville in the writing of Moby Dick. It’s the tale of what happened after an 1819 whaling expedition went awry when a whale battered and sunk a ship, forcing sailors to evacuate the well-stocked vessel for three tiny lifeboats. A desperate bid for survival ensued.
If you feel any chill from the weather outside when you start the book, trust us, you’ll be begging for a fan and a tall glass of ice water as you read the passage that describes what it’s like to die of thirst under an unforgiving sun. Click here to buy it at TatteredCover.com
The Forever War
The Forever War, by Dexter Filkins (Knopf, $25):
It doesn’t get much hotter than being in a war zone, and Filkins puts you on the dusty, dangerous streets of Iraq and Afghanistan in this fascinating nonfiction book. The New York Times journalist who spent years reporting from the two countries, recreates the surreal worlds he encounters there as he meets people straight out of Mad Max and faces the everyday absurdity of places where there’s only one real rule left: survival of the fittest. You can count on the you-are-there action to raise your temperature – and your heartbeat.
Click here to buy it at TatteredCover.com
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, $12.95):
No need to go into detail here. Suffice to say that this famous drama about racial tension in Depression-era Alabama culminates in a courtroom so sweltering, you’ll be tempted to trade that sweater for a tank top by book’s end.
Click here to buy it at TatteredCover.com
A casual-cool uniform doesn't have to be blah. This look works for nights in -- or out. Piko 1988 fuzzy vest, $54, Solemio gray T-shirt, $34, Just U.S.A. tie-dyed jeans, $44, Karma electric blue messenger bag, $45. All at Common Era.
Thanks to the following contributors:
- Tattered Cover Bookstore, 1628 16th St. at Wynkoop, Denver. (Map)
- Common Era at 1543 Platte S, Denver. (Map)
- Sarah Clarke of Donna Baldwin Talent, Denver.
- Patti Thorn, the former books editor of the Rocky Mountain News, is now offering editing services for authors working on full-length manuscripts, as well as for students writing essays for college applications. She can be reached at patti.thorn@gmail.com or 303-290-0811.
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[...] would come to Common Era and ask us to put together some stunning outfits for their newest feature “Four hot looks and seven hot books to warm up winter.” From our one-of-a-kind embellished cardigans to our cozy knit berets, mini dresses and vibrant hued [...]