Wanna Read a Really Good Book About Albuquerque?

I believe the current parlance for the following statement seems to be “saying the quiet part out loud.”

Statement: Why aren’t there any really good books about Albuquerque?

Up to now, pretty much every book about Burque or New Mexico is either one of treacly, rose-colored “history” non-investigations into “colorful” (that word is very popular in this genre) folks/cultures like Elfego Baca, Clyde Tingley, Billy the Kid, or “The Wild West,” or a sober analysis, either fictional or not, that reads like a phone book or instructional manual and has the analytical depth of the Rio Grande in August 2025.

Well, that’s about to change.

A really good book about Albuquerque is arriving next June and I say that having actually read precisely zero words in said book. Let’s just say I’m extremely confident. It’s co-authored by occasional BB contributor and pretty much weekly cycling riding buddy John Fleck, and I’ve heard about this book for years now over many, many enjoyable ~9 mph bike rides (we’re very slow).

And it has sounded really damn good while we’ve both sat waiting to cross San Mateo at Trumbull on bikes, moseying along the North Diversion Channel, patiently waiting out a herd of cows to pass a sandy trail on Black Ranch, and all kinds of other places around this town that has never had a really good book written about it.

Until now. Well “now” if you consider June 2, 2026 now. So close enough.

Here are the details on how you can pre-order this book, the first really good book ever written about Albuquerque. I hope I haven’t hyped it too much with that “said the quiet part out loud,” so to temper your possible disbelief/disagreement, I’ll just say it’s gonna be really good and you won’t be sorry for hitting that pre-order button. We can get to the “first really good” debate next June or so when we both finish reading it.

3 thoughts on “Wanna Read a Really Good Book About Albuquerque?”

  1. There actually IS another great book about ABQ, or at least partially/effectively about our town and how it came to be: American Oasis by Kyle Paoletta. My fave book of the year about to end. I will read your friend’s book, too.

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  2. First, thanks Scot! Second, I second Anonymous’ recommendation of American Oasis, it’s a terrific book. And the synergy is marvelous – I (John Fleck) was the one who got do the book tour interview/lead the Q&A with Kyle at Bookworks earlier this year on his book tour.

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  3. Anon: Happy New Year to you and all! As for American Oasis, I haven’t read it yet, although the co-author of Ribbons of Green told me quite a bit about it (it sounds really good). To have two really good books about this town after 30+ years living here with zero such books has me giddy. – Scot

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