Author to discuss life, times on NM frontier

AT TREASURE HOUSE BOOKS & GIFTS: Donna

Blake Birchell will sign “Frontier Forts and Outposts of New Mexico” from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1.

Life in early New Mexico was often perilous. Geographic isolation attracted outlaws and ruffians, and skirmishes often arose between the indigenous tribes and settlers.

In response, the U.S. government set up military forts and outposts to protect its new citizens. These strongholds include Fort Craig, where logs were made to look like cannons to fool Confederate troops.

Kit Carson, John Pershing and Billy the Kid all called Fort Stanton home, before it became the first federal tuberculosis sanatorium and later a detention center for German prisoners of war.

Joseph Badal will read and sign the third book in his “Curtis Chronicles” thriller series, “Justice,” from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7.

In “Justice,” Matt and Renee Curtis return, along with their maniacal tormentor, Lonnie Jackson. On a trip to Costa Rica with their friends Esteban and Alani Maldonado, Matt and Renee believe they are beyond Jackson’s reach. But Jackson orchestrates the kidnapping of Renee and Alani and transports them to his human trafficking headquarters in Nicaragua.

Treasure House Books & Gifts is at 2012 South Plaza NW in Old Town. Call 242-7204.

AT PAGE ONE: Local historian

and author Ana Pacheco will bring “New Mexico Death Rituals” at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7.

New Mexico’s harsh terrain, countless wars and epidemics were a challenging environment for the many cultures and peoples who settled there. When tragedy struck, their faith and religious rituals allowed them to mourn, celebrate, and commemorate their dead. From pueblo Indians and Spanish colonists to Jewish immigrants and American veterans, many old traditions have endured and blended into modern society.

Page One is at 5850 Eubank NE, Suite B-41, in the Mountain Run Shopping Center. Call 294-2026.

AT BOOKWORKS: New Mexico author Hampton Sides will visit for the paperback release of “On Desperate Ground: The Marines at the Reservoir, The Korean War’s Greatest Battle” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4.

Sides will present a slideshow and research.

Bookworks is at 4022 Rio Grande NW. Call 344-8139.

AT COLLECTED WORKS: Hampton Sides will discuss “On Desperate Ground: The Marines at the Reservoir, The Korean War’s Greatest Battle” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5.

Sherri Burr will sign “Complicated Lives: Free Blacks in Virginia,” presented by the Yale Association of New Mexico, at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6.

Collected Works is at 202 Galisteo St., Santa Fe. Call 505-988-4226.