Knit Alaska Reading List!

I am getting all kinds of excited for our trip to Alaska this summer... and I wanted to share a few of the books I've been reading! (Ok, one of them I read the preview and couldn't quite get into... but that doesn't mean you won't!)


Reading:
  • Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis- I just found this while googling books about Alaska... and bought it. It is based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River Valley. I started this last night and might have stayed up a little later than I was supposed to reading it!
  • Snow Child by Eowyn Ivy- When I saw the cover of this book it was utterly familiar to me, I never read it, but I think it was on my bookshelf for a few years. I am so glad I stumbled upon it again. It is based on an old Russian Fairy Tale about an elderly husband and wife who didn't have children and one day build a child out of snow that comes to life. It is set in Alaska, and the prose is just stunning! I highly suggest reading (or listening to) it when you have time!
Already Read:
  • The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah- I have read most of Kristin Hannah's other books and enjoyed them immensely, this one might be my favorite. It is set in Alaska and is written from the perspective of a adolescent girl growing up in a violent and dysfunctional family who escapes to Alaska in hopes of finding a solution. Her story is challenging to read and it evokes the rugged nature of the land beautifully.
  • Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer- (from Amazon) In a compelling book that evokes the writings of Thoreau, Muir, and Jack London, Krakauer recounts the haunting and tragic mystery of 22-year-old Chris McCandless who disappeared in April 1992 into the Alaskan wilderness in search of a raw, transcendent experience. His emaciated corpse was discovered four months later. (also a movie)
Tried to Read:
  • Alaska: A Novel by James A. Michener- In true James Michener style this book starts, oh, a billion years ago with Alaska's history and builds from there... I lost interest around the Woolly Mammoths... don't judge me! BUT, I just found out it is on audible and is 57 hours long... just think of all the knitting I'll get done! (Plus, I can fast forward over the manmoths if necessary!)


Any other suggestions? Maybe a movie or two that must be watched? Or more books to read? Our trip is 100 days away so there is time!!!

Suggestions from Facebook and Instagram! Thanks Y'all... this has become a great resource!

p.s. I didn't bring up Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London or the Julie of the Wolves series by ... these are classics, which I know I read when I was MUCH younger. I probably should read them again, I'm sure my perspective on them would be different!

Comments

  1. If you're interested in murder mysteries, Dana Stabenow has a fantastic series about a native Alaskan investigator named Kate Shugak. The first one is called A Cold Day for Murder. The author totally evokes the environment and culture of Alaska which is as much a character as the human ones. There are about 20 books in the series.

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    1. I just bought the first one on another friend's suggestion! Thanks!

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  2. Laura, I'm knitting Hot Flash and have reached the Center Back Panel with no problems. After placing left shoulder and back on the needle and lacing the 23 shoulder sts on scrap yarn, the instructions include several O's. Should those be YO's? If I do all those p2tog tbl without doing YO's, I won't end up with 89 stitches. HELP!

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    1. Hi! Can you e-mail me via the contact link, or post in my Ravelry group? http://www.nelkindesigns.com/ravelry We can totally help you!

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