Books & Music

Children have a lively interest in the natural world. They love vivid pictures, but they are bored if we dumb it down for them. We offer children’s books that are fascinating even for adults, full of in-depth science, but graphic and fun—many with projects and activities that make facts real. Also great story books, beautifully and cleverly told and illustrated.

In addition, we have youth orientated interactive items that put kids in touch with nature and teach about nature and natural history. Come in to see our selection!

Don’t be fooled by the title; a lot of the area covered is in Colorado, including Denver, Boulder and Ft. Collins. This is a very good plant ID book from by Mary O’Brien and Karen Vail with interesting descriptions. In addition, it’s an excellent herbal, giving both medicinal and edible uses. Highlighted in yellow are important “cautions”. It is presented in a respectful way, honoring nature as did the Ute Indians who pioneered the use of these plants. For example, did you know that Gambel Oak “…is a good back country first aid plant to know, using the leaves as a poultice or wash for insect bites and wounds, or chewing a piece of the bark for toothaches….”  Good photos. These local gals really know their stuff and we highly recommend their book! 

Foraging & Feasting celebrates and reclaims the lost art of turning locally gathered wild plants into highly nutritious, delicious meals, a traditional foodway long practiced by our ancestors but neglected in modern times. The stunning, instructive botanical illustrations and delicious, enlightening recipes offer an adventurous and satisfying way to eat locally and seasonally, and present creative ways to bring wild edibles into our lives.

We share this project with you out of our long commitment to connecting with nature through food and art. The effort weaves together acclaimed herbalist Dina Falconi’s 30 years of passionate investigations into wild-plant identification, foraging, and cooking with Wendy Hollender’s masterful botanical illustrations.

Would you like to learn botany while you cook? Garima Fairfax’s unique cookbook joins botany and the pleasure of creative cooking. She combines foods which are closely related to each other in order to help learn who is related to whom. Garima continues to receive great reviews from people who have purchased and used her book. Eating is a very effective (and fun) way to help retain what you learn! 

Cayenne pepper can stop bleeding. Garlic helps alleviate a toothache. Honey soothes a burn. When an emergency situation arises, simple home remedies can play a vital role in easing symptoms and providing immediate help. Become an effective first responder with a combination of best first-aid practices, herbs, and standard homeopathic applications.

This quick-reference handbook by Brigitte Mars spells out hundreds of life-saving techniques, commonsense tips, and time-tested herbal remedies that everyone should know. From how to perform basic CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver to the best immediate response to natural disasters, you’ll find the most practical, effective actions to take to ensure survival.  Compact and easy to bring along in your backpack or camper! 

We are proud to feature Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living by friend and local author Karen Auvinen, an award-winning poet, mountain woman, and teacher. Her memoir is an “outstanding…beautiful story of resilience” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), a luminous, lyric exploration, “a narrative that reads like a captivating novel…a voice not found often enough in literature—a woman who eschews the prescribed role outlined for her by her family and discovers her own path” (Christian Science Monitor) to embrace the unpredictability and grace of living intimately with the forces of nature.

Mark Andreas, a Life-Coach in Boulder, collected these 61 true stories of creative and compassionate ways out of conflict. Each story is unique in the resourceful and often surprising solutions that real people have found to change a fearful or threatening encounter into a humanizing connection. Not moralistic, and genuinely eye-opening, heart-opening and inspiring. It makes a wonderful gift that can be opened again and again. This excellent read has been a big hit at our holiday gift markets every year.

Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree is strongly endorsed by Dan Millman (author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior), William Ury (author of Getting to Yes), and Eve & Mikl Brawner.

Katrina Blair is the author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds, the only book on foraging and edible weeds to focus on the thirteen weeds found all over the world, each of which represents a complete food source and extensive medical pharmacy and first-aid kit. The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is about healing ourselves both in body and in spirit, in an age where technology, commodity agriculture, and processed foods dictate the terms of our intelligence. But if we can become familiar with these thirteen edible survival weeds found all over the world, we will never go hungry, and we will become closer to our own wild human instincts — all the while enjoying the freshest, wildest, and most nutritious food there is.

Over 30 years old, The Boulder Irish Session is a Boulder ‘institution’ and is still going strong. They are an informal, dynamic gathering of top-notch Front Range musicians who, until Covid, came together on Sunday evenings at License No. 1 in the Boulderado Hotel to share tunes and songs of the Celtic tradition.

Over the years, the Session has gained many loyal followers who know they will always hear some of the best, most spirited live traditional Irish and Celtic music in the region on any given Sunday. Harlequin’s Gardens co-owner Eve Brawner is one of the founding members of the Boulder Irish Session and is still a ‘regular’ there, playing English concertina, and singing. We offer both of their excellent CDs, Sunday at Conor’s and the sequel, Next Sunday at Conor’s.

Jonathan Sousa (guitar/banjo) and Adam Agee (fiddle), both members of local Celtic band Take Down the Door, are Colorado’s rising stars in the Celtic music world, with two duet albums plus several other CDs Jon has made.

They have toured extensively in Europe, the UK and North America to enthusiastic reviews. Ceol na gCarad is their latest duo CD, preceded by their Suantrai album. Twilight is Jon Sousa’s solo album, featuring many of his original compositions, and Canyon Sunrise is a duet recording with fabulous fiddler, Andy Reiner.

Margot is one of the region’s finest and most versatile harpists. Her fresh, innovative approach, passion and virtuosity have won her numerous awards. Her most recent CD, ‘Ever the New time Comes’, features Margot’s original compositions on solo harp, impeccably played and perfectly recorded at Cinder Sound Studio.

Krimmel’s sense of creating space ignites imagination and heart. “My goal, to have the instrument (harp) disappear so the listener hears just the music, not bound by preconceived notions about harp music.”

There aren’t many Reshetniks left in the US, and yes – you guessed it – this one is my beloved big brother. And I couldn’t be more proud of him for this exquisite recording, a true labor of love, which I love to listen to, repeatedly. I believe you will, too!

Originally inspired by the singing TV cowboys, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, Michael started guitar lessons at a tender age, and quickly moved on to studying classical guitar. Hearing him practice was actually a pleasure. Later came Folk and Blues, and eventually my bro joined me in playing Irish and other Celtic traditional tunes with the Boulder Irish Session.  The selections on this album are all his original transcriptions and arrangements. 

“This album draws from the last 20 years of listening, arranging, playing and passionate involvement with the guitar. The seeds for Bach transcriptions were sown by the music of Andres Segovia and Julian Bream, both of whom were performing in NYC when I was a kid. The ‘traditional’ tunes are a selection from music heard much later on at music camps and at the Boulder Irish Music Session, played on other instruments. All of these pieces have an elegance, an emotional richness, something beautiful, that I hope speaks to you.”