Booklist – December 2023
Alaska always captures our imagination. Is it the sheer size of the state? Is it Arctic cold and permafrost? Is it the aurora borealis? Is it winter dark and summer sun? It’s probably all those things, and more! Take a trip to Alaska through these exciting books.
Fiction
Murder on the Iditarod Trail by Sue Henry
In the first of this mystery series, an Alaska State Trooper must solve a murder when one of the mushers dies on the second day of the Iditarod. (Contains strong language)
Alaskan Skies, Books 1-3 (1 Touching the Clouds; 2 Wings of Promise; 3 Joy Takes Flight) by Bonnie Leon
Three book series of inspirational fiction featuring a female pilot in 1930s Alaska.
Sitka by Louis L’Amour
Jean LaBarge faces the dangers of Russian-owned Alaska, where the Russian American Company will stop at nothing to protect its interests from the encroaching Americans.
Alaska by James A. Michener
Heroes and villains, both real and fictional, abound in this epic historical novel. Epic indeed—it’s more than 47 hours long!
Nonfiction
Aunt Phil’s Trunk, Vol. 1: An Alaska Historian’s Collection of Treasured Tales by Phyllis Downing Carlson
The first volume of a series of true short stories that offer a window into the that offer a window to the past through hundreds of historic photographs.
The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race against an Epidemic by Gay Salisbury
The true story of a dog sled relay to bring serum to ice-bound Nome during a deadly diphtheria outbreak.
The Last Frontier by Jill Shepherd
Fifty-eight of Alaska magazine’s most compelling tales of survival, exploration, and adventure.
Tip of the iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, the Last Great American Frontier by Mark Adams
The author recounts his recreation of an 1899 voyage organized by Edward Harriman, chairman of the Union Pacific railroad, to survey the Alaskan coast.
Image Description: The green Aurora Borealis floats above a snowy Alaskan mountain range, and a wind swept lake and landscape lighting up the deep blow, star field night sky.