Summer’s squeeze-it-in time up North. I’ve covered a lot of ground these last few weeks – 4000 miles, give or take a few. Great adventures in the Yukon, NWT, and of course Alaska. If you get a chance to drive the Dempster, don’t ask – just do it. Incredible wilderness that surpasses the Dalton by […]
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If you’re looking for a great summer read, check out Sherry Simpson’s latest – The Accidental Explorer: Wayfinding in Alaska. I’m a big Simpson fan. In Alaska Magazine, she writes with wit and insight about Alaskan adventures. But the essays in this collection are heavier. More serious. Just the word essay brings that out in
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A few weeks ago I posted on the Kindle and its potential effect on the publishing industry. A New York Times Op-Ed piece by Paul Krugman – Bits, Bands, and Books – has more to say about how the world is changing for authors and publishers. He points to the Grateful Dead, who proclaimed that
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I’ve spent the past couple of weeks, aside from hiking and camping, in the Alaska Room at the Loussac Library, poring through old books about Alaska – specifically, dozens of books in the public domain, published before 1923. The books run quite the gamut. Everyone who’d visited the territory in those days had stories to
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I had a wonderful dinner last night in Girdwood, at Alaska’s famous Double Musky restaurant. Stunning scenery, savory food, great company – a new friend and one I’d known years ago. In the way things happen here, my new friend knew my old friend, and she re-connected us. My “old” friend, who’s very young at
Suspend disbelief and enjoy Cherie Stihler’s new reverse counting book, Polar Polka (Sasquatch,2008). Fanciful arctic animals join a polar bear polka band as pieces of iceberg break away and polar bears rally to save the day. Vibrant art by Erik Brooks brings the story to life, incorporating lots of active details that encourage kids to
Polar bears are big news these days. Are they threatened? Endangered? Alaska’s Governor Sarah Palin is calling for a spendy conference to showcase scientific evidence that they’re doing more or less fine despite the threat of global warming. Politics and science collide. In Jane Davies Okimoto’s new picture book Winston of Churchill, illustrated by Jeremiah
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A friend loaned me her copy of Jennifer Brice’s memoir Unlearning to Fly, published in 2007 by the University of Nebraska Press. My friend couldn’t get past the Preface, for reasons I’ll explain. I pushed on through, and I’m glad I did. There’s no shortage of Alaskan memoirs. It’s hard to find an Alaskan who
My friend just got a Kindle. Like lots of people, she had to wait. The electronic reader from Amazon sold out in 5 1/2 hours. Some caveats: I’m not a techie. I love my independent bookstore. I love my library. I’m not one to chase after the latest gadgets. I’m not an industry analyst. I
Like most everyone in Alaska this time of year, I’m thinking of spring. The other seasons saddle on in as a matter of course. Not spring. No matter where you live, it’s much anticipated and prone to disappoint. Last week we were sure it had arrived in Southcentral Alaska. On Friday we got 20 inches
