Kathleen Macknicki

The history and hauntings of Alaska's Panhandle are assembled in a new book.

One book explores the very real shores of Cook Inlet; the other delves into the fictional mystery of an empty plane that lands at the Anchorage international airport.

Books offer a look back on some Alaska history in the 1700s and 1800s.

"Life with Forty Dogs" plumbs the devotion needed to pursue life with a big kennel of animals.

Two new books explore very different ways of living frugally.

Poetic essays about Alaska by an author who came of age on one of the last homesteads in America.

All for the Greed of Gold: Will Woodin’s Klondike Adventure Edited by Catherine Holder Spude; Washington State University Press; 2016; $27.95 What it’s about: Will Woodin left Seattle March 1, 1898, for the Yukon Gold Rush, returning 18 months later. Woodin’s diaries and a 1910 memoir detail the difficulties he encountered taking a less-well-known route … Continue reading Reading the North: ‘All for the Greed of Gold’

Gold Rush in the Klondike By Josephine Knowles; Quill Driver Books; $16.95 What it’s about: When Josephine Knowles left for the Klondike gold fields in 1898 with her husband, she didn’t know she would be facing a constant battle with cold, disease, malnutrition, and the ever-present possibility of death. With quiet determination, she resolved to … Continue reading Reading the north: Klondike gold and ‘Women in the Locker Room’

Sojo: Memoirs of a Reluctant Sled Dog By Pam Flowers; Graphic Arts Books; $10.15 What it’s about: Sojo the sled dog is born into a hard-working, talented family and starts life as a happy, trusting and confident dog. But her confidence rapidly wanes as she begins to understand how complicated and challenging it is to be … Continue reading Reading the North: A reluctant sled dog and an Alaska life

Alaska’s Bears: Grizzlies, Black Bears and Polar Bears By Bill Sherwonit and Tom Walker; Graphic Arts Books; 2016; 104 pages; $13.99. What it’s about: Alaskans’ endless fascination with bears of any hue is well documented, and this pocket-sized guide is handy for both visitors and residents who want to back up their opinions with facts. … Continue reading Reading the North: ‘Alaska’s Bears’ and ‘Finding Carla’

The Alaska State Fair will open every day until Labor Day, Sept. 5. Here’s how to get there. Driving from Anchorage Take the Glenn Highway north and watch for the Palmer exit just before the junction of the Parks and Glenn highways. The fair is located in Palmer at 2075 Glenn Highway. Getting there by … Continue reading How to get to the Alaska State Fair by car, train or bus

Royal Blood By Bruce Woods; Knox Robinson Publishing; $27.99. What it’s about: Meet Paulette Monot, whose European adventure goes awry after she’s recruited by Sherlock Holmes, financier Cecil Rhodes and actress Lady Ellen Terry (what better disguise for London’s vampiric ruler than that of an ageless theatrical beauty?). This meeting sends Paulette to Africa. Over the … Continue reading Reading the North: A fantastical journey to Africa and a Bering Sea upbringing

The Alaskan Retreater’s Notebook: One Man’s Journey into the Alaskan Wilderness By Ray Ordorica; Skyhorse Publishing; $14.99. Description: In the fall of 1978, Ray Ordorica packed everything he thought he would need into his Toyota Land Cruiser and drove north to Alaska. He came to a land he had never seen, to find something he wasn’t … Continue reading Reading the North: Retreating to the Alaska wilderness

Beluga Whales, Grizzly Tales and More Alaska Kidsnacks: Fun Recipes for Cooking With Kids By Alice Bugni with illustrations by Erik Brooks; Little Bigfoot; $10.99. Description: This collection of easy, kid-pleasing snack recipes is inspired by nature as well as Alaska’s geography and culture. Grown-ups and kids will enjoy cooking together and making treats like Gold Nuggets, Hot Lava and … Continue reading Reading the North: A wolf named Toklat, cooking with kids, flying in Alaska and Christian missions

'Our Perfect Wild' documents efforts of Ray, Barbara Bane to preserve wildlands in Alaska.