Colorado Springs Bookstore Staff Recommends Maritime and Nature Reads

Poor Richard’s Books in Colorado Springs is betting that locals want to drift away from the arid foothills of the Rockies. The store’s staff selected three titles focused on maritime disaster, existential nature, and insect mortality.

The recommendations come from Jeffery Payne, assistant retail manager. He offered them as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section. This week, the staff invites readers on a fraught sea voyage. They want customers to feel connected to nature and get intellectually buzzed.

Payne admits he is landlocked. He misses the ponds, creeks, and rivers of the Midwest. He misses the moody yet brilliant Pacific Ocean. That’s why he recommends "The Wreck of the Mentor."

Eric Jay Dolin wrote it. Liveright Publishing released it in June 2026 for $27.99. The book details the American whaleship Mentor. It wrecked in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific.

Eleven crewmen survived. Supplies dwindled fast. They faced shipwreck in unfamiliar territory. Then came the uncertainty of contact with Indigenous people in Palau. The Micronesian archipelago’s residents approached the deserted men within days. They carried axes, clubs, and spears.

Dolin reconstructs the doomed voyage. He covers years of perilous captivity. He details delicate negotiations and a fraught naval rescue mission.

Payne calls it another seafaring, ship-wreck narrative. He says he will gratefully fall into a book about nautical travels and tribulations. He advises grabbing popcorn, a beverage, and diving into maritime politics and survival.

The second pick is "The Zen of the Wild." Francis Sanzaro wrote it. Saraband published it in October 2025 for $14.95.

Sanzaro weaves spirituality, neuroscience, religious philosophy, and art history. He argues that attachments obscure real connections. Anxieties do too. Egos get in the way.

We rarely observe nature without filtering out parts that don’t fit our perfect snapshot. Sanzaro says we must embrace contradictions to protect the wild. He suggests deeper engagement with the environment reveals the wild within ourselves.

Payne has a personal stake in this one. Life took a surreal turn roughly two years ago for him. He spent several days meandering. He tried to find an anchor. He looked for a touchstone. He wanted quiet and comfort.

He found it by stepping into nature.

"The Zen of the Wild" opens the world of nature as a healing place. It offers respite and reprieve. The thought is simple: to find peace within, we must venture out(side).

The final recommendation is "Dead Bees Still Sting." Susan Cormier wrote it. Greystone Books released it in May 2026 for $19.95.

The publisher notes the book takes place on a small acreage teeming with wild...

Payne didn’t elaborate further on the bee book. He stuck to his two primary narratives: survival at sea and healing in the wild.

The prices range from $14.95 to $27.99. That’s not cheap for paperbacks, but it’s standard for new hardcovers from independent presses.

Payne works in Colorado Springs. He is landlocked. The Rockies are dry. The staff at Poor Richard’s knows it. They’re selling escape routes.

One route ends in the western Pacific with spears and dwindling supplies. The other ends in a quiet acreage with bees and philosophy.

Both require leaving the foothills behind, at least in your head.