Alaska Books

Last Bridge to Nowhere opens like only a 100 million dollar blockbuster can....with FBI agents in tactical gear and weapons ransacking your house looking for evidence. You then realize, this is not fiction. It is a story of one man's "ordeal" with gun and justice welding government agents combined with seedy powerful political corruption taking place in back rooms....in ALASKA! I thought Alaska was full of polar bears, Eskimos, and oil, not Miami Vice meets the Soprano's. It goes between articulate non-fiction storytelling to gritty, gut wrenching decisions, covert video/wire tapping, and the author fighting to maintain sanity while literally being the catalyst for the largest case of political corruption to hit the news. The book makes a unique differentiation between what a "confidential source" is and what an "informant" is. Modern media and culture assumes they are same, when by definition they are very different. One chooses to help by no measure of pressure while the other is forced to cooperate...or else! One would believe an entire book about political corruption would read like the transcripts of "Watergate" or having Gilbert Godfried read the Old Testament, however, the author is of notable wit I discovered, and you will find yourself not being able to put the book down...or stop laughing! Last Bridge to Nowhere: FBI Confidential Source Account of Alaska's Political Corruption Scandal

Last Bridge to Nowhere: FBI Confidential Source Account of Alaska's Political Corruption Scandal
Humorous and clear, we find ourselves caring about the Rest-of-the-Stories. A well-crafted book of First-Person Reporting with grace notes composed of the thoughts of everybody from the Perpetrators to the FBI Agents. Infused with the values of a seeker, this book openly allows the reader to enjoy the antics of the Good Old Boys and appreciate the mission focus of the serious-minded G-Men alike.

The original yet practical recipes and wonderfully weird illustrations make this cookbook unique. Even those of us in the lower 48 are looking at fish in a whole new way. Randy Bayliss brings his life's experience in Alaska, his oddball humor, and his abundant culinary skills into the kitchen for us to savor.

The only problem is that you might get so interested in the reading that you forget you were planning to cook dinner. No biggie: LIFE'S A FISH is well worth the time spent chuckling.

This cookbook is not only full of wonderful recipes and facts, it is also extremely entertaining. One feels as if they have been welcomed into the colorful Alaskan community by opening this book, as well as learning the uses and history of herbs and the best way to cook fish, among other things. A wonderful addition to any collection!

After moving from Michigan to the livengood area I finally found a book on the history of livengood, with more information than I ever dreamed of getting!!!!
Very well written, and lots of photos.

One of the fondest memories of my childhood is Sunday drives with our Dad. We would pack a lunch and the whole family would pile in the 4 wheel drive Blazer, and off we would go. We often ended up in the Livengood area. We didn't know it as kids, but he was actually doing his own "window seat" prospecting.
Livengood: The Last Stampede is a long overdue, historically correct, wonderful story of the discovery of gold in Livengood. The pictures tell a story all on their own. I especially appreciate the personal accounts and diary entries of the people who lived there.
As a daughter of a gold miner and a property owner in Livengood, this book has a special meaning to me, but it is written so well that it will capture others and give them a "peek into a life that meant so much and is no more."

Jim Dufresne does a great job in outlining excellent hikes to take throughout Alaska. We used this book in a number of areas. He gives the backpacker's view of things, not the typical tourist's. Mr. Dufresne also wrote a great book on Glacier Bay. The only guidebook we used to kayak the area. We would have never done that area had we not come acrossed his book in Michigan where he is from.

3 mos. in Alaska and I used this book extensively! I plotted numerous trips from multi-day trips to long "all day" hikes with the aid of this book. I did about a 3rd of the trails in this book (maybe more) and the trail descriptions are accurate. Additional information regarding lodging was extremely useful....... If you are planning a backpacking trip in Alaska, buy this book! It would have been difficult finding backpacking information without it.

We read book 1 of The Klondike Kid Trilogy aloud in our cabin while on an Alaskan cruise with our grandkids [7,8 yrs]. All four of us got into the story, and want the sequels!

There are so few historical fiction series for young readers that also have good stories. This is one. Both my boys are reluctant readers, and they really enjoyed another series by Hopkinson, Prairie Skies. When we found SAILING FOR GOLD in her new Klondike Kid trilogy, they were so excited. Well, this one is as good as the last. Recommended!

This is a fantastic book for showing grade schoolers what life as a biological field scientist would be like. Webb's journal format really brings the trip to life in a personal way. If you are a birdwatcher, you will enjoy this book as a well written trip report with great information on sea bird ecology and behaviour.

The information is great, but the illustrations are even better. The book is filled with sea bird paintings from the author that help her share the amazing spectacles she has seen while in the field.

Great book, quick read, beautiful illustrations.

Quite simply a joy to read. The paintings are wonderful and truly depict the variety of marine life that Ms Webb writes about.
A book for all ages!

This wonderful book reads as soft and lovely as a poem. It is the perfect book to read as a 'bedtime' story - for readers of any age. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. This book is a real, true delight.

LOON SONG is a beautifully written story for children (and adults). I recently read it to a women in her eighties. She loved the story and talked of the loons she admired in Canada. Marcia Wakeland is a sensitive writer who educates us as she tells her story. The artist is a master. I will give LOON SONG to every child I know.

If you like to read about the wilderness, survival or the epic story of the Mounties early days at Herschel Island this book is for you. Imagine making the trip to Fort McPherson by dog sled or having to possibly sacrifice one of your dogs so that you and the other dogs could survive. Dick North tells it like it really was. I could not put it down.

This is an incredible tale of a Canadian Mountie patrol that disappeared in the northern wilderness under frightful freezing conditions. No one knew what really happened until the author -- many decades too late -- found the wrong turn the patrol took. You'll gain a new appreciation of the Canadian Mounties and all they stand for in North's The Lost Patrol.

Repeat preveiw

I recently found this delightful book in a used book store. The author is a retired Alaska State Trooper, and a lifelong fisherman, hunter, and cook. This cookcook contains many wonderful recipes including Nelson Clam Chowder, Deep-Fried King Crab Legs, Grouse and Noodles, Moose Sauerbraten, Corned Bear, Fancy Pickled Eggs (made with beets), Charlie's Apple Pie, and the Alaska State Fair award-winning Mug-Up Cake. Most of the game recipes can be made with beef or other more common meats instead. I can't wait to try these, although I must admit bear is unlikely to turn up on my menu soon.

In addition his many mouth-watering recipes, Mr. Nelson shares wonderful stories about growing up in Alaska and later working as a state trooper. And in case you're wondering, a "low bush moose" is an artic hare, in contrast to a "high bush moose", which is the big brown deer with the scoop-shaped horns :-)

This book is not just for children but for anyone who enjoys clever poetry combined with fun facts about some furry friends.

I fell in love with this book while vacationing in Alaska. As a speech language pathologist, I work with children who have speech and language delays. They really enjoy the catchy rhymes while learning about wildlife not found in the Northeast region of our country.