Fiction
Related: About this forumWhat are you reading the week of Sunday, January 11, 2015?
Good morning, all! Apparently I'm the early bird this week.
Right now I've just started a small book, Bird Girl and the Man who Followed the Sun which is a re-telling of a couple Athabaskan Indian legends from Alaska by Velma Wallis. Something completely different from my usual fare of murder mysteries. Yesterday I read an even smaller book by the same author called, Two Old Women which is another Athabaskan Indian story that only took a few hours to read.
The author herself is a Gwich'in (one of the Athabaskan bands in Alaska) from the Fort Yukon area of interior Alaska and she wrote these two books in the early 90s, based on the traditional stories her mother had passed down to her. She has a lovely, spare writing style which beautifully honors the oral tradition from which these stories are descended, as well as the land and the climate of the far north boreal forests. Having lived in Alaska for 6 years - although not so far north - it's easy for me to relate.
Having run out of Scandinavian books after finishing Burial Rites (about which I've already posted a separate thread) I decided to turn my attention to Alaska - didn't want to stray too far from the Arctic Circle.
Next on deck I have another Alaska book, Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner. It's a raised-in-the-wilderness story about the son of a white family in Alaska living the subsistance lifestyle in the far North.
After that, I'm at the mercy of inter-library loan gods and will have to wait and see which of the dozen or so books I have on order will make it to my library this week.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)I love this Myron Bolitar series. Glad I still have a few in this series to read. I feel like I'm back visiting an old friend.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)He has won or been nominated for a number of awards. Sounds good so I ordered the first one.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)Let us know after you read it.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)That must have been an interesting time, scarletwoman, when you were living in Alaska.
I'm reading Dark Light by Randy Wayne White. I just finished Misery Bay by Steve Hamilton. This might be my favorite by Steve Hamilton so farfast paced and action packed. Earlier in the week I finished Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen. Tomorrow River is a book I think DU fiction readers would enjoy.
Mrs. Enthusiast is reading Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason. Earlier in the week she read Hunter's Moon by Randy Wayne White.
We are still waiting for books from the library.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)He wrote about the natives of the far North. We read the James Houston books years ago. At the time I didn't record the books I read but I remember we enjoyed Ghost Fox and Running West. James was the civil administrator of western Baffin Island. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Archibald_Houston
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Thank you for bringing him to my attention. Some of his titles look very interesting. I already have so many books on order that I probably won't add any Houston books anytime soon, but it's good to know about him and I'll keep him in mind.
pscot
(21,031 posts)and Casanova's Memoirs; mad, bad and dangerous to know.
TexasProgresive
(12,275 posts)I had a problem downloading Raven Blackthe 1st in the series from my library, it seems my card needed renewing after Jan 1. Anyway Red Bones is quite good. And with all these kind of novels set in exotic locals I learn a lot of new things like; bod, the fiscal, croft, the Hanseatic League and trows. The toughest one to find on the internet is fiscal which is short for procurator fiscal, a public prosecutor in Scotland and the Shetland Isles.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)I put it on my list. I'll give "Raven Black", the first in the series, a try but from the reviews I bet I'm going to end up liking it.
TexasProgresive
(12,275 posts)BBC has also done a series 'Shetland" it is not available on dvd that will play in the US. it may be possible to stream it- not an option for me.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)I have had a long time interest in those old rare domesticated animal breeds. We are all familiar with the Shetland Pony and Sheltie Sheepdog. But I was surprised to learn about the Gricean aggressive breed of semi-domesticated pig now extinct on the Shetland Islands. The Grice's behavior was outrageous.
I found this site on old cattle breeds interesting. http://www.grit.com/animals/heritage-cattle-breeds.aspx#axzz3ObyK4gyP
TexasProgresive
(12,275 posts)This link is to a 2006 BBC article on a reconstruction of what the grice looked like.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/6155172.stm
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Their bristles would have made good brushes.
tabbycat31
(6,336 posts)Lena Dunham's book.
I've never watched her show, but I find her a very interesting person. Her book reads like a blog written by someone her age. Not the deepest read, but enjoyable.