Staff Picks
#BroaderBookshelf 2018 - Read a Fiction or Non-Fiction Book Set in Alaska or Hawaii
- Richland Library
- Friday, January 12, 2018
Collection
Escape to the farthest reaches of our nation with this #BroaderBookshelf 2018 challenge. Whether you're in the mood for a steamy romance, a wilderness adventure, or funny short stories, Richland Library has you covered. Check out these recommendations from our collection.
It Never Happened Again
Two Stories
Published in 2014
Two exquisite stories drawn in Sam Alden's signature, flowing, and lush pencil style. In "Hawaii 1997," few words are spoken, but Alden's imagery evokes the magic of a night-time encounter at a Hawaiian resort. In "Anime" he explores the complicated dynamics of pop culture obsession.
Frostbitten
Published in 2009
Being the world's only female werewolf has its advantages, such as having her pick of the Otherworld's most desirable males. And Elena Michaels couldn't have picked a more dangerously sexy and undyingly loyal mate than Clayton Danvers. Now their bond will be put to the ultimate test as they follow a bloody trail of gruesome slayings deep into Alaska's frozen wilderness--a trail left by a werewolf more wolf than human and more unnatural than supernatural.
The Islands at the End of the World
Published in 2014
Stranded in Honolulu when a strange cloud causes a worldwide electronics failure, sixteen-year-old Leilani and her father must make their way home to Hilo amid escalating perils, including her severe epilepsy.
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube
Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North
Published in 2016
Field of Fire
Published in 2017
The first target is Dallas, Texas. A deadly nerve gas called New Archangel is unleashed upon the City of Angels, claiming innocent lives, spreading nationwide panic, and fueling global fears of another attack. In the icy reaches of rural Alaska, special agent Jericho Quinn is enlisted to hunt down the man who created the bioweapon--a brilliant Russian scientist who is trying to defect and hiding in the Alaskan wilderness. But time is running out. The scientist is beginning to lose his mind to dementia. If Quinn doesn't find him before the Russians do, the entire western seaboard and beyond will feel the wrath of New Archangel--and darkness will fall upon the earth.
The Aloha Quilt
An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
Published in 2010
Jennifer Chiaverini's bestselling Elm Creek Quilts series continues at a quilter's retreat in scenic Hawaii.
Micro
A Novel
Published in 2011
Three men are found dead in the locked second-floor office of a Honolulu building, with no sign of struggle except for the ultrafine, razor-sharp cuts covering their bodies. The only clue left behind is a tiny bladed robot, nearly invisible to the human eye. In the lush forests of Oahu, groundbreaking technology has ushered in a revolutionary era of biological prospecting. Trillions of microorganisms, tens of thousands of bacteria species, are being discovered; they are feeding a search for priceless drugs and applications on a scale beyond anything previously imagined. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, seven graduate students at the forefront of their fields are recruited by a pioneering microbiology start-up. Nanigen MicroTechnologies dispatches the group to a mysterious lab in Hawaii, where they are promised access to tools that will open a whole new scientific frontier. But once in the Oahu rain forest, the scientists are thrust into a hostile wilderness that reveals profound and surprising dangers at every turn. Armed only with their knowledge of the natural world, they find themselves prey to a technology of radical and unbridled power. To survive, they must harness the inherent forces of nature itself.
This is Your Life, Harriet Chance!
A Novel
Published in 2015
Embarking on an ill-conceived Alaskan cruise, septuagenarian Harriet reunites with her estranged daughter and confronts pivotal events from her life surrounding the true character of her husband, who died two years earlier.
The Great Quake
How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet
Published in 2017
"In the tradition of Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm, a riveting narrative about the biggest earthquake in recorded history in North America--the 1964 Alaskan earthquake that demolished the city of Valdez and obliterated the coastal village of Chenega--and the scientist sent to look for geological clues to explain the dynamics of earthquakes, who helped to confirm the then controversial theory of plate tectonics. On March 27, 1964, at 5:36 p.m., the biggest earthquake ever recorded in North America--and the second biggest ever in the world, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale--struck Alaska, devastating coastal towns and villages and killing more than 130 people in what was then a relatively sparsely populated region. In a riveting tale about the almost unimaginable brute force of nature, New York Times science journalist Henry Fountain, in his first trade book, re-creates the lives of the villagers and townspeople living in Chenega, Anchorage, and Valdez; describes the sheer beauty of the geology of the region, with its towering peaks and 20-mile-long glaciers; and reveals the impact of the quake on the towns, the buildings, and the lives of the inhabitants. George Plafker, a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey with years of experience scouring the Alaskan wilderness, is asked to investigate the Prince William Sound region in the aftermath of the quake, to better understand its origins. His work confirmed the then controversial theory of plate tectonics that explained how and why such deadly quakes occur, and how we can plan for the next one"-- Provided by publisher.
The Burning Island
A Journey Through Myth and History in the Volcano Country, Hawai'i
Published in 1991
Love Finds You in Sunset Beach, Hawaii
Published in 2011
When a wealthy friend offers Sierra Jensen a vacation at an oceanfront beach house, she envisions a quiet retreat where she can plan her next move. Instead, she arrives at the start of the noisy surfing competitions and is surprised to learn that her friend had an ulterior motive--namely, introducing Sierra to Jordan Bryce, the tenant staying below them. Jordan is a photographer whose lens and attention are focused on the surfers, and he is not willing to let anyone get in his way of landing the next cover shot for Surf Days magazine. Sierra and Jordan came to Sunset Beach looking for different things. But as the surf pounds the North Shore, will they discover something better than either of them had imagined?
Captive Paradise
A History of Hawaiʻi
Published in 2014
The most recent state to join the union, Hawaii is the only one to have once been a royal kingdom. After its "discovery" by Captain Cook in the late 18th Century, Hawaii was fought over by European powers determined to take advantage of its position as the crossroads of the Pacific. The arrival of the first missionaries marked the beginning of the struggle between a native culture with its ancient gods, sexual libertinism and rites of human sacrifice, and the rigid values of the Calvinists. While Hawaii's royal rulers adopted Christianity, they also fought to preserve their ancient ways. But the success of the ruthless American sugar barons sealed their fate and in 1893, the American Marines overthrew Lili'uokalani, the last queen of Hawaii. James L. Haley's Captive Paradise is the story of King Kamehameha I, The Conqueror, who unified the islands through terror and bloodshed, but whose dynasty succumbed to inbreeding; of Gilded Age tycoons like Claus Spreckels, who brilliantly outmaneuvered his competitors; of firebrand Lorrin Thurston, who was determined that Hawaii be ruled by whites; and of President McKinley, who presided over the eventual annexation of the islands. Not since James Michener's classic novel Hawaii has there been such a vibrant and compelling portrait of an extraordinary place and its people.--From publisher description.
Denali's Howl
The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America's Wildest Peak
Published in 2014
"Denali's Howl is the white-knuckle account of one of the most deadly climbing disasters of all time. In 1967, twelve young men attempted to climb Alaska's Mount McKinley-known to the locals as Denali-one of the most popular and deadly mountaineering destinations in the world. Only five survived. Journalist Andy Hall, son of the park superintendent at the time, investigates the tragedy. He spent years tracking down survivors, lost documents, and recordings of radio communications. In Denali's Howl, Hall reveals the full story of an expedition facing conditions conclusively established here for the first time: At an elevation of nearly 20,000 feet, these young men endured an "arctic super blizzard," with howling winds of up to 300 miles an hour and wind chill that freezes flesh solid in minutes. All this without the high-tech gear and equipment climbers use today. As well as the story of the men caught inside the storm, Denali's Howl is the story of those caught outside it trying to save them-Hall's father among them. The book gives readers a detailed look at the culture of climbing then and now and raises uncomfortable questions about each player in this tragedy. Was enough done to rescue the climbers, or were their fates sealed when they ascended into the path of this unprecedented storm?"-- Provided by publisher.
John Muir and the Ice That Started a Fire
How a Visionary and the Glaciers of Alaska Changed America
Published in 2014
"John Muir and the Ice That Started a Fire takes two of the most compelling elements in the narrative of wild America, John Muir and Alaska, and combines them into a brisk and engaging biography.John Muir was a fascinating man who was many things: inventor, scientist, revolutionary, druid (a modern day Celtic priest), husband, son, father and friend, and a shining son of the Scottish Enlightenment -- both in temperament and intellect. Kim Heacox, author of The Only Kayak, bring us a story that evolves as Muir's life did, from one of outdoor adventure into one of ecological guardianship. Muir went from impassioned author to leading activist. He would popularize glaciers unlike anybody else, and be to glaciers what Jacques Cousteau would be to the oceans and Carl Sagan to the stars The book also offers an environmental caveat on global climate change and the glaciers' retreat alongside a beacon of hope: Muir shows us how one person changed America, helped it embrace its wilderness, and in turn, gave us a better world.In 2005, Californians had to choose a design for its commemorative quarter. Hundreds of submissions - the iconic Hollywood sign above Hollywood Hills, the 1849 Gold Rush, the Golden Gate Bridge, etc. - fell away until one remained: an image of John Muir. 2014 will mark the 100th anniversary of Muir's death. Muir's legacy is that he reordered our priorities and contributed to a new scientific revolution that was picked up a generation later by Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson, and is championed today by influential writers like E.O. Wilson and Jared Diamond. Heacox takes us into how Muir changed our world, advanced the science of glaciology and popularized geology. How he got people out there. How he gave America a new vision of Alaska, and of itself. "-- Provided by publisher.
Murder on the Iditarod Trail
Published in 1993
Sergeant Alex Jensen has his work cut out for him when he is called in to investigate the deaths of leading competitors in Alaska's famous dogsled race
The Smell of Other People's Houses
Published in 2016
"Growing up in Alaska in the 1970s isn't like growing up anywhere else: Don't think life is going to be easy. Know your place. And never talk about yourself. Four vivid voices tell intertwining stories of hardship, tragedy, wild luck, and salvation"-- Provided by publisher.
The Goddesses
Published in 2017
"When Nancy and her family arrive in Kona, Hawaii, they are desperate for a fresh start. Nancy's husband has cheated on her; they sleep in separate bedrooms and their twin sons have been acting out, setting off illegal fireworks. But Hawaii is paradise: they plant an orange tree in the yard; they share a bed once again and Nancy resolves to make a happy life for herself. She starts taking a yoga class and there she meets Ana, the charismatic teacher. Ana has short, black hair, a warm smile, and a hard-won wisdom that resonates deeply within Nancy. They are soon spending all their time together, sharing dinners, relaxing in Ana's hot tub, driving around Kona in the cute little car Ana helps Nancy buy. As Nancy grows closer and closer to Ana--skipping family dinners and leaving the twins to their own devices she feels a happiness and understanding unlike anything she's ever experienced, and she knows that she will do anything Ana asks of her."--Amazon.com
The Alaskan Laundry
Published in 2016
"A fresh debut novel about a lost, fierce young woman who finds her way to Alaska and finds herself through the hard work of fishing, as far as the icy Bering Sea Tara Marconi has made her way to "The Rock," a remote island in Alaska governed by the seasons and the demands of the world of commercial fishing. She hasn't felt at home in a long while -- her mother's death left her unmoored and created a seemingly insurmountable rift between her and her father. But in the majestic, mysterious, and tough boundary-lands of Alaska she begins to work her way up the fishing ladder -- from hatchery assistant all the way to King crabber. She learned discipline from years as a young boxer in Philly, but here she learns anew what it means to work, to connect, and -- in buying and fixing up an old tugboat -- how to make a home she knows is her own. A beautiful evocation of a place that can't help but change us and a testament to the unshakable lure of home, The Alaskan Laundry also offers an unforgettable story of one woman's journey from isolation back to the possibility of love."-- Provided by publisher.
This is Paradise
Stories
Published in 2013
"A visceral, poignant, and elegantly gritty work of debut fiction set in Hawaii, in the vein of Junot Diaz's Drown and Danielle Evans's Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self This is the real Hawai'i: life is not the paradisical adventure that honeymooners or movie-goers see. Danger lurks on beautiful beaches, violence bubbles under the smooth surf, and characters come face to face with the inevitability of change and the need to define who they are against the forces of tradition and expectation. In these stories, a young woman decides to take revenge on the man who had her father murdered - only to find that her father wasn't who she thought he was. Three different groups of Hawaiian women observe and comment on the progress of an American tourist through one day and one night in Honolulu. And a young couple have an encounter with a stray dog that shakes their relationship to the core. Intimately tied to the Hawaiian Islands, This is Paradise explores the relationships among native Hawaiians, local citizens, and emigrants from (and to) the contiguous forty-eight states. There is tension between locals and tourists, between locals and the military men that populate their communities, between local Hawaiian girls who never leave, and those who do so for higher education and then return. Kahakauwila is a careful observer of her protagonists' actions - and, sometimes, their inaction. Her portrayal of people whose lives have lost their centre of gravity is acute, often heartbreaking, and suffused with a deeply felt empathy. With a contemporary edginess, a mature style, and a sense of history reverberating into the present, This is Paradise is an incredible debut"-- Provided by publisher.
The Secret of the Golden Pavilion
Published in 1959
Nancy Drew travels to Hawaii to uncover the mystery surrounding the Kaluakua estate.
Strange Relations
Published in 2007
Fifteen-year-old Marne is excited to be able to spend her summer vacation in Hawaii, not realizing the change in her lifestyle it would bring staying with her aunt, seven cousins, and uncle who is a Chasidic rabbi.
The Call of the Wild ; And, White Fang
Published in 2004
Two classic tales of dogs, one part wolf and one a Saint Bernard/Scotch shepherd mix that becomes leader of a wolf pack, as they have adventures in the Yukon wilderness with both humans and other animals.
Touching Spirit Bear
Published in 2002
After his anger erupts into violence, Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life. This gripping, graphic survival story from an award-winning writer paints an unsparing picture of one violent teen and offers a poignant testimony to the power of pain that can destroy and may also heal.
Fast into the Night
A Woman, Her Dogs, and Their Journey North on the Iditarod Trail
Published in 2016
Describes the author's experiences as a middle-aged mom whose initial resolve to train for and complete the Iditarod failed when her dogs refused to finish the race, detailing how she overcame daunting challenges to succeed during a second attempt. --Publisher's description.
Fluke, Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings
Published in 2003
Marine behavioral biologist Nate Quinn has spent his entire career trying to decipher the songs of the humpback whales, and one day Nate and his team are shocked by a message they see on a whale's tail and wonder if they have finally unlocked the secret of the whales' language.
Paradise of the Pacific
Approaching Hawaii
Published in 2015
"The dramatic history of America's tropical paradise. The history of Hawaii may be said to be the story of arrivals--from the eruption of volcanoes on the ocean floor 18,000 feet below, the first hardy seeds that over millennia found their way to the islands, and the confused birds blown from their migratory routes, to the early Polynesian adventurers who sailed across the Pacific in double canoes, the Spanish galleons en route to the Philippines, and the British navigators in search of a Northwest Passage, soon followed by pious Protestant missionaries, shipwrecked sailors, and rowdy Irish poachers escaped from Botany Bay--all wanderers washed ashore, sometimes by accident. This is true of many cultures, but in Hawaii, no one seems to have left. And in Hawaii, a set of myths accompanied each of these migrants--legends that shape our understanding of this mysterious place. In Paradise of the Pacific, Susanna Moore, the award-winning author of In the Cut and The Life of Objects, pieces together the elusive, dramatic story of late-eighteenth-century Hawaii--its kings and queens, gods and goddesses, missionaries, migrants, and explorers--a not-so-distant time of abrupt transition, in which an isolated pagan world of human sacrifice and strict taboo, without a currency or a written language, was confronted with the equally ritualized world of capitalism, Western education, and Christian values"-- Provided by publisher.
81 Days Below Zero
The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness
Published in 2015
"Shortly before Christmas in 1943, five Army aviators left Alaska's Ladd Field on a test flight. Only one ever returned: Leon Crane, a city kid from Philadelphia with little more than a parachute on his back when he bailed from his B-24 Liberator before it crashed into the Arctic. Alone in subzero temperatures, Crane managed to stay alive in the dead of the Yukon winter for nearly twelve weeks and, amazingly, walked out of the ordeal intact."-- Provided by publisher.
Jaya and Rasa Fall in Love
Published in 2017
"In Hawaii, seventeen-year-old Jaya Mehta is a transgender outsider with depressive tendencies and the stunningly beautiful Rasa Santos thinks sex is her only power. Will their love transcend and pull them forward or will they remain stuck, separate, in the chaos of their pasts?"-- Provided by publisher.
Max
A Maximum Ride Novel
Published in 2009
When millions of fish start dying off the coast of Hawaii and something is destroying hundreds of ships, the government enlists the Flock--a band of genetically modified children who can fly--to help get to the bottom of the disaster before it is too late.
Swimsuit
A Novel
Published in 2009
Syd, a breathtakingly beautiful supermodel on a photo shoot in Hawaii, disappears and LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins, hoping to help the victim and get an idea for his next bestseller, gets a shocking visit that pushes him into an impossible-to-resist deal with the devil in this heart-pounding story of beauty and murder.
Winterdance
The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod
Published in 1995
The author's account of his most ambitious quest, to know a world beyond his knowing, to train for and run the Iditarod.
Death in the Orchid Garden
A Gardening Mystery
Published in 2006
Louise Eldridge, host of a PBS show, Gardening with Nature, is on location to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, the lush setting for an elite botanical conference. Louise has scheduled a panel featuring an explosive mix of egos and agenda from plant explorer and entrepreneur Dr. Bruce Bouting, pharmaceutical company consultant Dr. Matthew Flynn, environmentalist Dr. Charles Reuter and Pacific Island plant expert Dr. Tom Schoonover. But on a sunset walk along the beach, Louise discovers one of these men dead, the deep wound gouged at the base of his skull definitely not sustained from a fall off a cliff. As another botanist perishes, Louise once again turns amateur detective to solve the murders.
Northern Lights
Published in 2004
Former Baltimore cop Nate Burke accepts the unlikely post of police chief of Lunacy, Alaska (pop. 506), to stave off the depression caused by divorce and the traumatic death of his partner, for which he holds himself partly responsible. His early days in the close-knit town are quiet except for minor disturbances and a dalliance with a feisty bush pilot, Meg Galloway. Then Meg's father, who disappeared 16 years before, is found frozen in a remote mountain cave, an ice ax in his chest.
House of the Red Fish
Published in 2006
Over a year after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and the arrest of Tomi's father and grandfather, Tomi and his friends, battling anti-Japanese-American sentiment in Hawaii, try to find a way to salvage his father's sunken fishing boat. 1943, one year after the end of Under the Blood-Red Sun, Tomi's Papa and Grandpa are still under arrest, and the paradise of Hawaii now lives in fear-waiting for another attack, while trying to recover from Pearl Harbor. As a Japanese American, Tomi and his family have new enemies everywhere, vigilantes who suspect all Japanese. Tomi finds hope in his goal of raising Papa's fishing boat, sunk in the canal by the Army on the day of the attack. To Tomi, raising Papa's boat is a sign of faith that Papa and Grandpa will return. It's an impossible task, but Tomi is determined. For just as he now has new enemies, his struggle to raise the boat brings unexpected allies and friends.
Jungle Dogs
Published in 1998
While worrying about the wild dogs that supposedly lurk in the jungle along his paper route, Hawaiian sixth grader Boy Regis also seeks to stop his older brother Damon from fighting all his battles for him.
Night of the Howling Dogs
Published in 2007
In 1975, eleven Boy Scouts, their leaders, and some new friends camping at Halape, Hawaii, find their survival skills put to the test when a massive earthquake strikes, followed by a tsunami.
A Whisper of Peace
A Novel
Published in 2011
Clay Selby works as missionary to the Indians of Alaska in 1898, but after meeting Lizzie Dawson, a beautiful girl who has been ostacized from her tribe becuase of her white father, Clay worries that befriending her will ruin his mission.
Summer of Sloane
Published in 2016
Seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre spends a summer in Hawaii as she deals with being betrayed by both her boyfriend and her best friend, and she and her twin brother, Penn, begin new, complicated, romances.
Never Quit
From Alaskan Wilderness Rescues to Afghanistan Firefights As an ELITE SPECIAL OPS PJ
Published in 2017
Unfamiliar Fishes
Published in 2011
From the bestselling author of "The Wordy Shipmates" comes an examination of Hawaii's emblematic and exceptional history, retracing the impact of New England missionaries who began arriving in the early 1800s to remake the island paradise into a version of New England.
Winds of Skilak
A Tale of True Grit, True Love and Survival in the Alaskan Wilderness
Published in 2013
The Odyssey of KP2
An Orphan Seal, a Marine Biologist, and the Fight to Save a Species
Published in 2012
Bringing the contemporary environmental landscape to life, "The Odyssey of KP2" is also the heartwarming portrait of a Hawaiian monk seal whose unforgettable personality never falters, even as his fate hangs in the balance.
Rainbows on the Moon
[a Novel]
Published in 2014
Newlywed Emily Stone and her husband, Isaac, are young missionaries who have traveled from New England to Honolulu to share the Gospel with the Hawaiian natives. Gentle, adventurous, well-bred, and beautiful, Emily soon finds herself struggling with intense homesickness but remains determined to share her faith, and ignore her growing feelings for handsome Captain MacKenzie Farrow. Just as she begins to bond with the influential High Chiefess Pua and her daughter, Mahina, unexpected tragedy threatens to force her off the island. In a state of confusion, Emily makes a decision that could destroy everything she knows and loves. Three decades later, Sister Theresa comes to the islands as a missionary nurse and becomes acquainted with Captain Farrow's charming son, a powerful man who is instrumental in Hawaii's alliance with America. Theresa discovers that a dark curse is plaguing his family and the island's inhabitants, a curse that only Emily and Mahina can help her reverse.
The Winds of War
A Novel
Published in 2002
These two classic works capture the tide of world events even as they unfold the compelling tale of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom. The multimillion-copy bestsellers that capture all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of the Second World War -- and that constitute Wouk's crowning achievement -- are available for the first time in trade paperback.