Hearthside Books & Toys

Alaska Books

Hearthside has built an extensive collection of in print Alaskana over the last 32 years.

Please email or call us for recommendations or special assistance.

Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters
by Tabor, James M.
Winner of the 2007 Banff Mountain Festival Book Awards Grand Prize (The Phyllis &Don Munday Award): "A riveting account of a long-ago mountaineering disaster."--"Time"
In 1967, seven young men, members of a twelve-man expedition led by twenty-four-year-old Joe Wilcox, were stranded on Alaska's Mount McKinley in a vicious arctic storm. All seven perished on what remains the most tragic expedition in American climbing history. Revisiting the event in the tradition of Norman Maclean's "Young Men and Fire," James M. Tabor uncovers elements of controversy, finger-pointing, and cover-up that combine to make this disaster unlike any other. Maps, 8 pages of photographs.

Indie Next List

Unique and provocative selections from a great diversity of voices...all personally recommended by the independent booksellers of America.

Diamond Willow
by Frost, Helen
"Twelve-year-old Willow longs to take the family's beloved sled dogs on her first solo run to her grandparents' cabin. Inspired by gifts created from diamond willow, Helen Frost has composed unique diamond-shaped poems that reveal the touching story of Willow, her immediate family, and her ancestors, whose spirits reside in many of the animals of the Alaskan wilderness she encounters." --Tish Gayle, The Blue Marble Bookstore, Fort Thomas, KY

Local Authors and Artists

Juneau and the surrounding areas have a wealth of local talent.
Please click on the author or artist's name to learn more.

The Accidental Explorer: Wayfinding in Alaska
by Simpson, Sherry
In these acclaimed essays, Sherry Simpson recounts her experiences as an ordinary woman confronting the vast expanses of water and wilderness of her home state. Her adventures include a harrowing bear encounter and a near-death experience falling into a glacial river, but she also finds an Alaska of surpassing, almost supernatural beauty and power. These lyrical essays thoughtfully explore one woman's effort to map both a sense of place and a sense of self in a world at once comforting and unforgiving.

Staff Picks

Curious to know what the Hearthside staff is reading? Check out their booklists here!

Clementine
by Pennypacker, Sara, Frazee, Marla
Clementine is having not so good a week.
- On Monday she's sent to the principal's office for cutting off Margaret's hair.
- Tuesday, Margaret's mother is mad at her.
- Wednesday, she's sent to the principal. . . again.
- Thursday, Margaret stops speaking to her.
- Friday starts with yucky eggs and gets worse.
- And by Saturday, even her mother is mad at her.
Okay, fine. Clementine is having a Disastrous week.

Book Groups / Reader Links

Save 20% on your book group selections!

Kafka on the Shore
by Murakami, Haruki
"Kafka on the Shore "is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom.
As their paths converge, and the reasons for that convergence become clear, Haruki Murakami enfolds readers in a world where cats talk, fish fall from the sky, and spirits slip out of their bodies to make love or commit murder. "Kafka on the Shore" displays one of the world's great storytellers at the peak of his powers.

Battle of the Books 2008-2009

Tentative List

The Trap
by Smelcer, John
Seventeen-year-old Johnny Least-Weasel knows that his grandfather Albert is a stubborn old man and won't stop checking his own traplines even though other men his age stopped doing so years ago. But Albert Least-Weasel has been running traplines in the Alaskan wilderness alone for the past sixty years. Nothing has ever gone wrong on the trail he knows so well. When Albert doesn't come back from checking his traps, with the temperature steadily plummeting, Johnny must decide quickly whether to trust his grandfather or his own instincts. Written in alternating chapters that relate the parallel stories of Johnny and his grandfather, this novel poignantly addresses the hardships of life in the far north, suggesting that the most dangerous traps need not be made of steel.

Alaska Children's Books

Here you will find everything from beautifully illustrated storybooks to teen readers. Email us for assistance with age appropriateness and recommended titles.

Stickeen: John Muir and the Brave Little Dog
by Muir, John, Rubay, Donnell, Canyon, Christopher
Meet the great explorer and environmentalist John Muir, and his little dog Stickeen while they explore Alaska's wilderness.

This is the true story of their adventures climbing the glaciers of the north country, as re-told by Donnell Rubay, and illustrated by award-winning artist Christopher Canyon.

Store Events

Hearthside Books is proud to host and sponsor book-related events in our community. We look forward to seeing you.
If for some reason you are unable to attend an event, you may place a prepaid order with us and we'll be happy to reserve an autographed copy for you.

Title of Event: Mike Doogan - Reading & Signing
When: Thursday, August 14, 2008 7:00 PM
Location: Hearthside Books & Toys
Description: Join us as Mike Doogan reads from his new Nik Kane mystery, Skeleton Lake!