“Three Keys,” by Laura Pritchett (Dell)

After her husband Vincent’s death, Ammalie Brinks sets out to find out about him, their unsatisfactory marriage and herself. The basis of her search is three keys.  Each one unlocks a door but also a part of the past.

The first key is to a Colorado cabin, where Ammalie and her husband once stayed. The second unlocks an old trailer in the Arizona desert.  Her husband visited there alone. The final key unlocks a house in New Zealand, where Vincent lived before he and Ammalie were married.

She “promised herself a true adventure, one that pushed her limits,” writes popular Colorado author Laura Pritchett. Ammalie is searching for more than adventure, however. With her husband dead, her son out of high school and her job over, she’s also looking for relevance.  It’s middle-age angst, and many female readers will understand.

Ammalie takes off in an old car, with only a few necessities. She sleeps in the car until she reaches the Colorado cabin. The key doesn’t fit, but she finds one hidden nearby. With her belongings always packed and waiting by the door in case she’s discovered, Ammalie explores the mountains and finds herself soothed by their beauty.

Barely escaping from the cabin before she’s caught, she heads on to a seedy old trailer in the Arizona desert, and eventually to New Zealand.  Each stop gives Ammalie strength.  She hardens physically and grows spiritually as she explores the world. She becomes aware of the environment, discovering love and forgiveness. She finds her artistic soul.

Pritchett is a complicated author who writes in a variety of styles, delving into her characters’ lives spiritually and sexually.  “The Three Keys” is more than a story of a woman’s midlife crisis. It also explores the possibility of a richer vision, as Ammalie discovers the past and comes to terms with the second half of her life.

“Colorado Hiking,” by Joshua Berman (Moon)

What’s better than a Colorado hike? How about a Colorado hike with a beer chaser? With a guide like Joshua Berman, who’s hiked and camped the Colorado mountains and plains for decades?

In the introduction to “Colorado Hiking,” Berman writes he’s hiked all 75 trails in the book in a single year.  That’s 334 miles and 64,000 vertical feet.  Of course, Berman doesn’t expect readers to match his feat. “I’ll help you whittle down your options so you can choose from the best bang-for-your-buck trails, whether you’re looking for lakes, rivers, peaks, wildlife, wildflowers or just a breath of fresh air.”

He rates the trails from strenuous to easy, tells the mileage and duration of each hike, the best season to attempt it, and what you’ll see along the way.  There are maps and directions. And at the end, Berman suggests the best place to stop for a brew or other beverage at a local restaurant or brew pub.

Following completion of the easy Hahn‘s Peak Lake Loop, for instance, hikers can toast each other at the Storm Peak Brewing Co. in Steamboat Springs. Or after a morning on the strenuous hike across the High Dunes Trail, Berman suggests celebrating at the nearby Great Sand Dunes Oasis Restaurant not with beer but with “a big ol’ huevos rancheros plate and perfectly horrible coffee.”

“We Can See Into Another Place,” edited by Andrea Rexilius (Bower House and The Bookies Press)

The diverse works of some 30 Denver writers and faculty of the Mile-High MFA in creative writing program are included in “We Can See Into Another Place.” It’s a thought-provoking anthology of Western voices.  Divided into four sections, the collection includes short stories, poems, plays, essays and even comics.

Under “Voice,” David Heska Wanbli Weiden uses his grandmother’s stated fondness for the Carlisle Indian School to investigate the racism and brutality of the Indian school system. In this perceptive piece about the old woman, who returned to her Indian ways until she died, the author includes it was indoctrination, not love, that caused his grandmother to revere “Old Carlisle.”

In a section called “Body,” Lori Ostlund writes about two best friends whose lives diverge after high school. One goes on to college. The other works at a chicken factory, her life shattered by the sexual abuse of a junior high school coach.

The third section is titled “Landscapes.” Among the offerings is Tarashea Nesbit’s piece about living in flyover country. And there’s an interview with writers of young adult fiction in the final section, “Futures.”

The anthology shows the richness and diversity of the MFA’s writers.  Who knew so much talent was connected with just one program?