Books for Alaska
 

I'm going on an Alaskan cruise this summer (yea!) and I would love to read some fiction set in the southeastern part of the state. The only books I can think of are &quot;Call of the Wild&quot; and &quot;White Fang.&quot;<BR><BR>Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

There are several mystery series set in Alaska. One that comes to mind is by Dana Stabenow. Another is by Sue Henry. I've read both and would recommend them.

What about Alaska by James Michner?

I second the vote for &quot;Alaska&quot; by James Michener - I read it and found it very enjoyable and informative.<BR><BR>&quot;The Last New Land - Stories of Alaska Past and Present&quot; is a very good selection of Alaska stories compiled by Wayne Mergler. I recommend this highly as well.<BR><BR>It's not fiction, but &quot;Going to Extremes&quot; by Joe McGinnis is a very fun read about his experiences in Alaska.<BR><BR>I've not read this one, but &quot;Looking for Alaska&quot; by Peter Jenkins gets good reviews. Non-fiction about his experience picking up his family in 1999 and moving to Alaska.<BR><BR>(I do the same thing - I really love to read about a place - both fiction &amp; non-fiction - before I go there.)

Thanks for all the book suggestions. Since I only have a couple of months before the cruise, I don't think I have the time for a Mitchner work ;)!<BR><BR>I love mysteries and will look for the orangetravelcat's suggestions. And The last new land sounds interesting. <BR><BR>Thanks everyone

The Sue Henry mysteries are fun and light reading. The very best book I ever read about Alaska was Tisha, the biography of a school teacher in the early 1900s. You will have to find a used copy but this is a view of Alaska's history that is not usually talked about. It's also an adventure story of a brave young girl caught in the middle of culture conflict and racism. You will probably be able to find books about the women of the Yukon, short stories that will give you a better appreciation for the Chilkhoot Trail if Skagway is on your itinerary. The biography of Joe Reddington, Father of the Iditarod is fairly new. Although there is a major focus on dog mushing, it also tells about what life in Alaska was like in the 50s and 60s. Whoops, these are non-fiction books but great stories that make fiction sort of pale in comparision. I like Sue Henry's heroine but I like the true stories of people like Susan Butcher in Joe's biography much better.