The Guardians

I just finished reading The Guardians, John Grisham's latest novel. Grisham is a well-known author who has written 33 novels, but I think this is the first book of his that I have read.  And why is that? Grisham's main characters are always lawyers, and before now books featuring lawyers have never appealed to me.  However, I read a very favorable review of this book and put my name on the waiting list for it at the Denver Public Library.  I received a call that it was on hold for me at the nearby Eugene Field Branch Library, and picked it up right before DPL shut down due to the corona virus. The story involves a minister and lawyer named Cullen Post, who works for a small organization called The Guardians, which fights wrongful convictions.  Post takes on the case of a Florida man convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his lawyer.  However, when Post starts digging into the case, the real killers start to get very nervous.  I enjoyed reading this book, and recommend you pick up a copy.

And why is my local library branch named after Eugene Field, author of the children's poem Winkin, Blinkin, and Nod?  That is because Field was the managing editor of the Denver Tribune from 1881 to 1883, and lived in the house seen in the photograph on the right during that time.  After he moved to Chicago in 1883, the house fell into disrepair, and in 1927, preservationists convinced Margaret Brown (of Unsinkable Molly Brown fame) to purchase the house (built in 1875) and donate it to the City of Denver.  It was then moved to it's current location in Denver's Washington Park and served for many years as a branch of the Denver Public Library.  The current Eugene Field Library is located half a mile to the east, and retains the same name.  And by the way, Field wrote Winkin, Blinkin, and Nod in 1889, long after he left Denver.  And there you have it.  Is this blog not informative, or what?