Arctic Son keeps the reader "involved" and teaches you about surviving the Arctic North. I learned it is not something I would like to do, with months upon months of frozen everything and darkness. This book helps you to appreciate what you have and the warmth of your own home! It is nice for this authro to write about her adventures in the Arctic and share this true life tale with us, the readers.

I recommend reading this if you are interested in exploring the world around you, especially the wild and frigid Arctic North.

I first heard of Jean Aspen when a condensed version of her first book, Arctic Daughter, appeared in a Reader's Digest. I have since acquired, with difficulty, my own copy of that book. I later located Arctic Son in a used bookstore. I felt the point of both books was not to elevate the art of literature, but rather to convey the life-shaping experiences of her years in the arctic, using literature as the medium. I understand Jean and Tom filmed portions of their time in Alaska during the "Arctic Son" period, and I would love to locate a copy of that, if possible. Any help out there???? At any rate, both books are great to curl up with and dream about during a long winter.

I couldn't wait to read this book after having enjoyed Arctic Daughter. The two adventure stories stand alone as exceptional works -- not of literature -- but of true adventure stories. I found Arctic Son to be true to Jean Aspen, the woman and adventurer. It was real in content, description of events, feelings and thoughts, and it allowed me to live out my own dream of building a cabin in Alaska without leaving home. Additionally, Arctic Son proved that even after a family comes along, adventure is still attainable and very rewarding to the soul of all. At the same time, the mental and physical risks and costs of such high adventure are made quite clear. This book was just as good, if not sweeter, than the first book. Also, it isn't necessary to read both books sequentially to understand events or motivation.

Hank McCloskey is a man torn between his love of the sea and fishing with the love of his family. His wife Jody fished the seas with him until they started their family. Three children later, Hank feels a distance growing between them and his desire to be at sea. Trouble comes in patches, Hank over extends their finances by buying a new boat and building a new house. Suddenly their baby boy becomes ill on the heels of a devasting season of crabbing. Faced with mounting debts and pressures, Hank must decide whether to join forces with the Japanese knowing this will strain friendships with other skippers or facing the possible loss of his boat. He is put to the test business wise and personal wise. This book did a great job of getting you to feel and experience the love of the sea fisherman have. I liked the depth and exploration into Hank and Jody's relationship. I'm a land locked Midwesterner who fell in love with this book. Enjoy!

An excellent story, well written and done in a manner that allows the reader to 'experience' the moment. Accurately describes the Asian attitude and gives good insight as to how and why the Japanese in particular do business in a way that is certainly foreign to most Americans. The Japanese 'method' is not right or wrong, just different from the American 'method'.

Read 'Highliners' first, then 'Breakers'.

I would just like to point out, concerning the review below, that Webster's dictionary definition lists "pollack or pollock" as the correct spelling. Here's what it reads: "Pollack or pollock: 1 -- a commercially important north Atlantic food fish (Pollachius virens) related to and resembling the cods but darker. 2 -- a commercially important northern Pacific food fish (Theragra chalcogramma) of the cod family that closely resembles the pollack -- called also walleye pollack."

In my many treks to Denali, I have never Had to search for places and things that I had not explored- until I purchased this guide. The author brings to life the Park, as well as a reason to take the 'trail less traveled', as if there was a passion and connection with with the land that he so describes.

Very informative guide to one of the nation's largest national parks. Especially enjoyed the small chapter on the men, women and dogs of Denali. Also learned about the Moose Dropping Festival thanks to this book. The book also contains a calendar of events in and near the park.

Besides having information on the 43 sections of the park which no other book has, Discovering Denali also provides useful information on summer and winter activites in and around the park. Thanks to this book, My family discovered the delightful town of Talkeetna which is located just south of the park. My family and I also hiked around Denali State Park which we did not know about until we found it in this book. If you are visiting Alaska, I would also recommend the following books, The Milepost and Alaska's Best Places.

The title drew me in and the subject sounded great. But to be honest it is still on the shelf as I just couldn't get motivated with this one.

I will have another look but after half the book is read I am still not very interested. Sorry.

This book is full of detailed and entrancing descriptions of the natural world. The author is apparently driven to seek out atypical encounters with nature such as luring hummingbirds to perch on his finger, sinking his fingers into steaming bear dung, kayaking among whales, or placing his person in front of dangerous surf. He takes you on those trips and more. Many passages have an abstract, poetic or you could say even acid-trip quality, for example, as the author describes his body merging with the island or an eagle. Great writing skill displayed in these flowing sequences as well as with the grounded descriptions of flora and fauna, the author's family and their life in Alaska.

Here is a book that you may have to digest in small bits. Nelson's prose is dense, descriptive and charged with an intensity that occasionally makes you wonder how he can stand to inhabit his own skin. His description of the day he spent deer hunting for example - the physical strain of stalking, questioning the "rightenss" of his mental and spiritual state, worrying about having enough meat to tide himself and his family over for the winter, trying to read the signs he perceives in the woods, remembering the teaching of the elders of the Indian tribe he studied with - is exhausting for the reader as well as Nelson. This doesn't mean it wasn't worth the work; just that you may need a break every so often to catch your breath.

The Island Within is about a special relationship Nelson has built with an island in the Pacific Northwest. When he is not there, studying the animals, hunting with his dog and exploring on his own or with his family, he is wishing he was and planning his next visit. The reader is treated not only to graphic physical descriptions of the island and its inhabitants, but to Nelson's ongoing internal dialog with himself, in which he seeks to balance three very different ways of life - the loner, the family man and the student of Indian ways.

Perhaps the greatest gift offered by this book is a fresh look at how a human being can relate to his world. As much as I came to appreciate the island, I also enjoyed Nelson's tales of his time spent away from it. His fishing trip with his son, the days he spends working in his garden picking berries, the long runs he takes with his dog, his playful attempt to sneak up on a family of seals and his description of the day he decided to open all his windows and let the winds of a large storm blow through his home are equally fun and revealing. Here is someone who has recognized that he is part and parcel of the physical world, and has dared to tear down preconceived notions in order to interact with it in new and playful ways.

The one thing you should not expect from The Island Within is a clear cut plot and story line. This book is all about sharing at an elemental level.

I've never read any of Bonnie Leon's books before this, and I wasn't disappointed. I thought for sure it was going to be a "survival story" like I read in school, you know, unbearably dull. I was pleasantly surprised!

Anna, a young Aleutian girl, watches in horror as everything and everyone dear to her is swept away in a terrible natural disaster. Only she and her small sister Iya are left, and they must struggle on alone. A white-skinned, blue-eyed outsider seems to want to help, but Anna mistrusts Erik and his God. He is her only hope, though, and so the two Alaskan girls and the Norwegian form an unlikely bond. They face a long winter, hungry grizzlies, starvation, and rejection. Erik seems to believe in the white man's God, the God that crushed Anna's hopes and dreams. Can she accept Erik and his God, or will she be alone forever?

Again, it was great. I highly recommend it. Like the person below said, it's one of those books where you think you're going to read just one mroe chapter, just one more chapter, then you'll go to sleep...until you're finished with the book! I stayed up past midnight reading it. Bonnie Leon is excellent!

Excellent book. Counldn't wait for the next book to arrive. I have read almost all of Bonnie Leon's books and just love them. She keeps the reader interested and makes it hard for the reader to go to sleep because "just one more chapter and I'll turn out the light" turns out to be I'll just finish the book and THEN sleep. Thanks Bonnie for your great Northern Lights Series. .......

this is a great book i recomend it to all experinced reader

This is apparently the second novel in a series. The novels should be read in order as substantial references are made to prior interactions between characters.

I had expected this to be a mystery. It is more a romance novel as an Alaska trooper woofs after his ex-mistress, both on-duty and off-duty. The story is compounded by various people, both single and married, who are sleeping around. There is also the appearance on the scene of Trooper Liam Campbell's father, an Air Force colonel whom Liam thought was in Florida. Mixed into the story are the Yupik shaman Moses Alakuyak; the ex-mistress, Wy, who runs an air service into the Alaska Bush; an obsessed scientist investigating an old native site; and native Alaskans who dislike the white invaders. There is also a mysterious raven that seems to follow Liam.

There are numerous sub-plots. A family is murdered aboard their fishing boat. The graduate assistant helping to excavate the native site is murdered. There are questions about what the graduate assistant found, about why Liam's father is in Alaska, and about who has been sleeping with whom. Wy's newspaper reporter friend shows up to investigate a tip she won't reveal.

Liam gets some assistance from a computer guru friend who has information on everyone in the state as the investigation continues. There are some twists and turns with revelations that are sometimes surprising and sometimes not. The trooper, of course, gets his man and also, in this case, his woman. He seems to have a somewhat casual attitude about turning over two men to a killer who murdered them (someone that would get a police officer suspended or fired in any other state). There are a few interesting sidelights as when one character goes into a long tirage against cell phones before throwing another man's cell phone out the front door of a bar, avoiding the probable urge to stuff it where the sun doesn't shine.

Overall, the novel is too fragmented into sub-plots, many unrelated. The novel has strong sexual content, language, and some violence. Parental discretion is advised.

Another book to keep you entranced in trying to figure out the ending.

I've read the Shugak mysteries, and think I like them a little better than this group. Stabenow is a good writer, not a great one. The plot is interesting but confusing, especially with two separate murders to solve. What Stabenow is good at is characterization. She does a wonderful job of making the people in the book tangible and real.

Since I have Deaf friends in Alaska and family, I am well aware of the hardships of the fishing life up there. The regular trips they make out in storms and big seas make "The Perfect Storm" look minor. This is part of their everyday life, and I admire anyone who has the stamina for it.

The people...well, they are odd. Not all of them, but enough to convince me that Alaska may be a nice place to visit, but you don't want to live there. Besides the winter darkness would drive me bonkers! Stabenow is also good at explaining the history of the state and its native people, and I thoroughly enjoy that in a mystery. Liam and Wy could use a little more rounding out...maybe I need to go back and read the first one. Some authors have a more difficult time then others writing from the viewpoint of the opposite sex. This may be the problem here since she is not merely writing from the woman's viewpoint as with the Shugalak mysteries.

The cracks about the looney and moody scientist (archeologist) and his protecting his discoveries to support his theory are right on target. I've read and met enough of these guys to realize too many of them will go to any lengths to protect their theories, even if they are wrong (which is distinctly unscientific!) Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

For anyone who has ever been to Alaska, this is a must read. I discovered it in a small bookstore in Ketchikan. Good fun. Has the author written anything else?

I loved this book. Wonderful sub plots. Rich characters. A good mix of dark humor and drama. There's not much I can put into words.Want to know anthing more?If so,read it yourself.

As parents of children we begin to learn of the desperate need for time. As grandparents we try to rationalize our use of time. Then when it is to late we learn, as Rob West points out through Richard O'Leary, time lost to any foolishness the human mind can create is just exactly that "LOST" . Make the most of time with your family and there will be no guilt.

This book is a describes a man's struggle to break from the "creature comforts" world to live and fish in Bristol Bay, Alaska. It told a story that was captivating because when reading, you always wanting to know what was going to happen next. The story tells of a man who achieves having the best of both worlds ands puts the utimate dream to the test. I would highly recommend this book to all adventurists and those who would like to "escape" to the alaska frontier; if not in reality, then through this book.

This is a great little book and a fun read. It takes a lot of guts to do what Bob Durr did. His descriptions of the Alaskan bush and the people who live and work there are wonderful. Everyone should meet a person like Pope at least once in their lives. The philosophical discussions on board the fishing boat were sometimes tedious and less than believable, but somehow it all works. I hope Durr will write another book about the rest of his life in Alaska.

Bob Durr has done what many of us blue blooded males mearly dream of. He actualy takes you on his fishing trips, you feel cold, you feel wet and you feel the emotions that only come with his experiences. Bob Durr is telling his reader "follow your dreams" and have a ball doing it. A great read.

I was so excited to get this book! I thought: at last, new adventures with my favorite characters! What a disappointment. Not only is the premise ridiculous, but the characters are written as caricatures of themselves. Joel is only barely recognizable; do you really think he would close a letter with "Yours in Chutzpah!"??? Would Chris end a note with "Supremely Conscious"??? Please. Don't hit us over the head with it! Another irritant is the fact that whenever Joel, Maurice, or Holling sends a letter to a place of business, the personal address reads "Gentlemen." The Northern Exposure series was always exploring issues of gender with thoughtfulness and insight, but this book simply reiterates the cultural undertones of sexism. If you're a real Northern Exposure fan, don't waste your time on this book.

A must read for any Northern Exposure Fan! I thoroughly enjoyed every page. It is a shame it wasn't a script for a two hour movie.

I actually enjoyed reading this than I do watching the series. I don't have much else to say but thought I'd post this just to get my 5 stars in.
All I can say is I enjoyed it.

Reads like a research paper for a masters degreee

This is a hard job for anyone. Why do these women whine about how difficult the situations were (are).

This is a well written book about fascinating women. I know many of the women Leslie writes about and all are perfectly illustrated by the rich text within the book. Good job!