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Cool reads for hot summer days

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Contributed by: Ioanna Athanasopoulos on 7/3/2007

by Joyce Deming, information services librarian, Golden Library

Well, the dog days of summer are upon us. I don't know about you, but my favorite way to beat the heat is to read about someplace cold. Here are a few titles to get you started:

Is there anything better than idling away a hot summer afternoon with a good mystery novel? Only if the story takes place in Alaska, perhaps. Dana Stabenow's series of fast-paced mysteries features Aleut native Kate Shugak. Shugak, a former investigator for the Anchorage District Attorney's office, returns to her native homeland after nearly losing her life while apprehending a child abuser. As much as she tries to turn her back on her previous job, however, she cannot resist her former employer's requests for help on various cases. Best read in order, the series starts with "A Cold Day for Murder."

Sue Henry is another mystery writer whose books are set in Alaska. The first in the series, "Murder on the Iditarod Trail," introduces us to the brooding, handsome and conveniently single state trooper Alex Jensen. After three "accidental" deaths occur during the early legs of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race, Jensen steps in to investigate. You'll be reaching for the wool blanket as you read Henry's descriptions of the race and the brutal winter conditions faced by the mushers.

And speaking of brutal weather, Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" will have you shivering with every step of his fateful climb to the summit of Mt. Everest. Krakauer, a veteran journalist and experienced climber, was sent by "Outside" magazine to tackle the mountain. Although Krakauer made it back safely, eight others died on the mountain during that climbing season, including two of the world's best mountaineers. This is nonfiction writing at its best.

Another nonfiction winner is Peter Fromm's "Indian Creek Chronicles." Intrigued by the idea of living like a "mountain man," 19-year-old Fromm took a temporary winter job with Idaho Fish and Game, babysitting 2 million salmon eggs planted in a channel between the Selway River and Indian Creek in the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness. His job, keeping the channel free of ice, took about 15 minutes a day, so Fromm had plenty of time to read, hike, hunt and think. So engaging is his writing that I was often startled to look up from reading and discover it was actually summer, not the brutally cold winter described in his book.

Canadian author Farley Mowat has written more than 35 books dealing with Arctic topics. One of my favorites is "Lost in the Barrens," the story of two boys who must face tremendous hardships in the Canadian wilderness after their canoe capsizes. It's a captivating tale of Arctic survival written for a younger audience, but enjoyable by readers of all ages. If you like this book, you might also enjoy "No Man's River," the true account of a harrowing journey Mowat took in 1947 to northern Manitoba.

You can check out these books and more at any Jefferson County Public Library location. Look for them on our web site at http://jefferson.lib.co.us, or ask your librarian for more reading suggestions.

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Ioanna Athanasopoulos

Lakewood , CO

Ioanna Athanasopoulos has posted 195 stories and 0 comments since joining on 4/20/2006. Ioanna Athanasopoulos 's average story rating is 5.

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