Central Kansas Library System

"Conflating her own childhood experiences with those of a celebrated Wagnerian soprano of her day, Willa Cather here introduces Thea Kronborg, a Scandinavian-American singer who rises from a one-story town in Colorado to the Metropolitan Opera House. Along the way she learns her own capacity for the rigorous demands of artistic excellence, and how few of her colleagues are willing to sacrifice ordinary vanities for exacting professional standards....

"They sing songs about Matthew Johnson. The hero of dime novels, Matt won national fame during a range war in Idaho when he shot and killed an outlaw -- and former saddle pal. But the past seventeen years have been an alcoholic blur rather than a heroic journey. The West has modernized and practically disappeared when Matt arrives in Denver in 1894 as the newly appointed U.S. marshal for the state of Colorado. The cowboy-turned-lawman inherits a state...

Escape the helter-skelter of the modern culture and join software creator Annie Friesen, hiding at the home of an Amishman. With her high-tech career in jeopardy, Annie runs from fast-paced Colorado Springs—and straight into the hospitality of San Luis Valley's Amish community. There she meets cabinetmaker Rufus Beiler, and the more time she spends with him, the more attracted she becomes. When Annie finds she shares a common ancestor with

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In Holt, Colorado, widower Louis Waters is initially thrown when the widowed Addie Moore suggests that they spend time together, in bed, to stave off loneliness. They are soon exchanging the confidences and memories of lives now empty of family, and their hopes for the imminent future.

The New York Times bestselling author of True Sisters and Prayers for Sale is at her best with a novel about a woman's search for information surrounding the death of her estranged sister. It's the spring of 1885 when wealthy New York socialite Beret Osmundsen first sets foot in a Denver police station. Just days before, she received the terrible news of the death of her estranged younger sister, Lillie. The telegram from her aunt and uncle was brief,...

When Colorado carpenter Gary Adams spots two mysterious creatures in the woods near his house, he calls on his friend, veterinarian Cammy Rivers for advice. But like Gary, Cammy has never seen an animal resembling this beautiful species. But when the Department of Homeland Security puts a call out for Gary and Cammy because of these animals, the two risk everything to protect the innocent creatures.

Bob is determined to combine work and pleasure. He rents a recreational motor home to drive his wife and kids on a scenic vacation to the Colorado Rockies. While trying to enjoy some much needed, quality time with his family, Bob is secretly preparing a presentation for a high-stakes corporate merger. Their dysfunctional road trip leads to repeated encounters with the perky Gornicke family. The Gornicke's don't appear to be too bright, but to Bob,...

"America...the golden land of freedom, hope and opportunity held its immigration doors wide open. A multitude of German-Russians were enticed by what the country had to offer. Their ancestors had been lured to the Volga River Region of Russia by Catherine the Great's manifesto of 1763. by the late 1800s many of those promises and privileges no longer held true. Trouble was looming on the horizon for them. Begin the journey in 1911 and visit the German-Russian...

"Raffe Driscoll is a killer and thief who is falsely known as a saintly avenger who aids the poor. An unscrupulous newspaperman has bestowed the title of "Justice Rider" on the vicious hoodlum in a move to accrue power. Josephine Barrett, a British novelist who is touring America, has become fascinated by the stories of the Robin Hood of the Wild West. Barrett arranges for a personal interview with the Justice Rider, and her agent hires Range Detective...

"Tony Darrow lost his job at Wagon Wheel Ranch when owner Mark McCarron learned of his past. The cowboy had done time for horse stealing. With Tony out of the way, it looked like Blaise Amory, the country's most respected citizen, was a sure bet to win the love of redheaded Margie, Mark McCarron's daughter. Then Tony played a dangerous hunch. He suspected that Amory was the leader of a vicious outlaw gang stealing land from the U.S. Government. But...