Summer Reading List

Death Comes for the Archbishop

by Willa Cather

1927

The novel's protagonist, Bishop Jean Latour, is based on Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy, who built Bishop's Lodge as his personal retreat in the 1860s. Yes, the same Bishop's Lodge where we're getting married! Cather visited Santa Fe in 1925 to research the book, drawing inspiration from the landscape and history that surrounds our wedding venue.

Lonesome Dove

by Larry McMurtry

1985

The voice and cadence of this Pulitzer Prize-winning Western epic might sound familiar. It's the same storytelling style that inspired the AI chatbot on the Home Page.

Dance Hall of the Dead

by Tony Hillerman

1973

Tony Hillerman was so beloved by the Navajo people for his respectful and authentic portrayals of their culture that he was adopted into the Navajo Nation and received the Special Friends of the Dineh Award. This Edgar Award-winning mystery is a perfect introduction to his Leaphorn-Chee series, set across the Four Corners region where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado meet.

Crazy Brave

by Joy Harjo

2012

A memoir from the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, tracing her journey from Oklahoma to New Mexico.

Strata

by Laura Poppick

2025

A science journalist's exploration of the geology and deep history hidden in New Mexico's landscapes.