HOME	THE AUTHOR	DISCUSSION	1933	INTERVIEW	PAST BOOKS
ABOUT US	THE BOOK	SPONSORS	SUPPORT	ESSAYS	FUTURE IDEAS

2013 Events Calendar

TICKET SALES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 3!

Erik Larson

Fort Collins Reads 2013 author Erik Larson will speak about his book “In the Garden of Beasts” at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at The Hilton in Fort Collins. Tickets are $10 and on sale after Labor Day at locally-owned bookstores. Tickets can be reserved online at oldfirehousebooks.com and will be sold at the door if still available. A reception with the author will be held the evening of Saturday, Nov. 2.

Reception 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at Old Firehouse Books. Tickets $25 on sale beginning Sept. 3 at Old Firehouse.

Meet Eleanor Roosevelt

(as portrayed by Susan Marie Frontczak)

Meet Eleanor Roosevelt at a fundraiser for Fort Collins Reads on the afternoon of Sunday, August 25. When Erik Larson’s book begins in 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt was new to the job of America’s First Lady, but already stirring controversy with her views. Eleanor’s character will be portrayed by Susan Marie Frontczak of Boulder (left). Proceeds go toward bringing more great authors to Fort Collins. Details coming!

Movie Night: "Swing Kids"

“Swing Kids” is about friends who rebel against the conformity of Nazi Germany by listening to banned swing music from America. The young men attempt to be Swing Kids by night and Hitler Youth by day, and face tough choices about right, wrong, and survival.

7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at Old Town Library. Free!

Big Band Concert

Step into the 1930s at a big band concert featuring the Park Hill Brass, a world-class jazz group from Denver.

7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at Harmony Library. Free.

Book Discussion

PRPLD Librarian Sarah Scobey will lead a book discussion of “In the Garden of Beasts.”

7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at Old Town Library. No registration required; free.

"Jack 1939"

Former CIA Agent Francine Mathews will speak about her recently published thriller, "Jack 1939," in which the future president travels Europe to ostensibly research his senior-year thesis at Harvard, while actually spying on the Nazis for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, at The Hilton. Free!

Meet Franklin Delano Roosevelt (as portrayed by Richard Marold)

Journey back in time with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The former president will be portrayed by Richard Marold (left), who will discuss his role during the first half of the 20th century, including his appointment of William E. Dodd as U.S. ambassador to Nazi Germany as featured in Erik Larson’s book.

7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, Old Town Library. Free.

Events sponsored by Fort Collins Reads, Friends of the PRPLD and CSU Libraries; PRPLD; CSU Libraries; and Front Range Community College.

Fort Collins Reads 2013 presents

Erik Larson “In the Garden of Beasts”

Erik Larson’s latest New York Times bestseller, “In the Garden of Beasts,” takes readers to Berlin in 1933 during Hitler’s first year in power.

A real-life father and daughter from Chicago find themselves, and the rest of their family, in the heart of Germany with no conception of the harrowing days that lay ahead. Nothing was certain. Hitler did not yet possess absolute power and few outsiders expected his government to survive.

The family encountered a city suffused with energy and optimism. The streets teemed with well-dressed people; theaters, concert halls and cafes were jammed. But the two protagonists were about to begin an education that would change them forever, with tragic consequences.

Larson has written three other historical non-fiction books: “Thunderstruck,” “The Devil in the White City” and “Isaac’s Storm.”

Fort Collins Reads is an all-volunteer program that encourages the community to read and discuss the same book each year. This year marks our 11th event.