Me, an Old Pilot and a Three-Legged Dog
By Rocky Morrisette (iUniverse, $19.95)
The blurb: In this young adult novel, Summer Rose Watson is a 15-year-old Army brat whose father is on his third deployment to Afghanistan. After sinking into depression, she stops attending church and is even caught sneaking out of the house. The only think that keeps Summer Rose's rebellion in check is her flying lessons. But even that is taken away when her plane crashes.
Excerpt: "Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is Cessna three-three-one X-ray Papa. I'm declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday!" There was panic in my voice.
"Cessna three-three-one X-ray Papa, this is Salt Lake Approach; state the nature of your emergency."
The plane was shaking so hard I could barely hold the yoke steady...
"One X-ray Papa and Salt Lake approach, this is Dennis Air." Denny! I was so happy to hear his voice.
"I am this student pilot's flight instructor. Salt Lake, will you stand by?"
"Salt Lake standing by, Dennis Air."
"Summer Rose, can you talk?"
"Yes, but I have almost full left rudder in, and the aircraft isn't responding well."
"Okay, Summer Rose, talk directly to me, and only when you have time."
"Denny, I'm bleeding." My voice was shaking.
"How bad are you hurt?"
"I don't know; there's blood everywhere."
"Try to stay calm, Summer. You've got to keep flying the plane no matter what else."
Art of Pollination
Chugach Arts Council (MagCloud, $14.95, proceeds benefit the council)
The blurb: To bring awareness to the plight of our pollinators and to inspire creativity, Chugach Arts Council invited artists from all over the country to submit work to this beautiful book, "Art of Pollination." 36 pages of full color photographs of expressions in a wide variety of mediums including stained glass, ceramic, jewelry, painted bee hives as well as paintings and photographs that show the connection pollinators have to our daily life. The book can be viewed in its entirety online at magcloud.com/browse/issue/555950.
Click on the gray "preview" button below the image to view the wide variety of artistic expression of the wonderful world of pollinators.
Excerpt: JoAnne Noyles of Eagle River, Alaska, is a naturalist at heart. She communicates the beauty and mysterious nuances of nature on lustrous silk with dyes, wax and imagination. Silk painting and batik, an ancient yet uncommon medium, is how she interprets the inspiration she encounters. Imagination plus dye, silk and wax = Beautiful! You can see more of her work online at naturesveilstudios.com or in several galleries around Alaska.
miAlaska
Joel Loosli (Claimjumper AK, $15.99)
The blurb: This 40-page photo collection is composed entirely of photographs taken in Alaska using an Apple iPhone. The photos represent a wide variety of scenic settings. Loosli's striking photos have diverse subject matter that capture the interest of locals and tourists alike. He visited locations such as Valdez, Whittier, Kennecott Mine in McCarthy, Girdwood, Anchorage, Homer, Kenai Fjords National Park and the Chugach National Forest to collect his photographs. Even Loosli is impressed at the quality of the photos. "Ultimately, it's not about the camera; it's about the photographer," said Loosli. "The best camera is the one you have with you and I just happen to have my iPhone with me most often at the moment when something... catches my eye."
Compiled by Kathleen Macknicki, Anchorage Daily News