Fallon O'Reilly and the Ice Queen's Lair

By Debra K. Dunlap (MuseItUp Publishing, $11)

The blurb: A 12-year-old witch growing up in a village deep in the Alaska wilderness is joined by her wheelchair-bound cousin to investigate the evil behind a series of chilling events.

Excerpt: "A large shape cowered on the frozen floor, barely visible in the dark room. Muted whimpers echoed faintly off walls of ice. Standing erect, a hooded figure loomed over the terrified creature. 'Silence, fool. Preparations for your journey are complete. You depart at dawn.'

"The shape shifted slightly, not daring to lift its eyes. 'Please. I cannot do this. I beg of you ...' The creature covered its head with its large hands.

" 'Ah, you forget. Perhaps you require a small reminder.' The vicious voice held a cold, unholy quality.

" 'No, please, no.' Silent sobs shook the shape abasing itself on the floor."

Board Basics: A Primer for Nonprofit Board Members

By Jerry Covey (CreateSpace)

The blurb: A nonprofit consultant based in Anchorage, Jerry Covey covers the personality, internal machinery, politics, liabilities and benefits of any working nonprofit board.

Excerpt: "For new board members, the first communication less is that their words and writing take on whole new meanings when their messages affect the hopes, dreams, and livelihoods of others.

"Seasoned board members have said that the volume and intensity of communications they encountered when they joined their boards initially caught them off guard. Some were confronted with demands, some had to field unsolicited opinions, and some faced exaggerated expectations they had not anticipated and were unprepared to address."

Finding Mars

By Ned Rozell (University of Alaska Press, $22.95)

The blurb: An interwoven tale of science, travel and adventure, science author Ned Rozell accompanies permafrost researcher Kenji Yoshikawa on a 750-mile trek by snowmobile through the Alaska wilderness.

Excerpt: "Beneath us, the broad mouth of the Yukon River is snowy and gray and fuzzy and soft, like a lens I can't twist into focus. In front of us, two thousand feet in the air, visibility is not good, and the cab of this Cessna smells like gas and hot electronics. These conditions make me glad I am not the pilot, and aware that I am trusting my life to a complete stranger wearing a baseball cap and leather jacket. It's a risk we all accept because there's no other way to go from the Kuskokwim River to the Yukon in just a few hours."

-- Compiled by Matt Sullivan, Anchorage Daily News