Anchorage Daily News

The Tikaani Tales

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By Andrew and Sara LaForest; illustrated by John Rice (Self-published, $19.99)

The blurb: "After getting Tikaani out of one mishap after another, we decided to write a children's book about his misadventures; we have had a blast. After sitting on a beach in Hawaii during a few weeks of the dark, cold Alaskan winter, we had most of it completed."

Excerpt: "The first week was a real test for me and my new family. First we had to take care of this worm thing. My mom had an old cowboy friend who told her to give me a pinch of snuff, you know, chewing tobacco, with a little bit of raw hamburger. That didn't work, period! I like the fresh hamburger, the rest we will leave unmentioned. "

Golddigger

By Lauretta MacBeth Beaton (Self-published)

The blurb: "On Christmas Day 2008 Alaskans will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Iditarod gold fields and the last great American gold rush. My sisters Pencia Rose Beaton, Judy Beaton Blalock and I are the granddaughters of Alaska mining hall of fame inductee John Beaton, who along with his partner W.A. Dikeman, struck pay dirt on Christmas Day in 1908, which caused the last great American gold rush and helped induce Congress to commission the historic Iditarod Trail."

Excerpt: "Golddigger didn't know it, but she was embarking on an adventure that would change the face of Alaska forever. The two partners went to Ruby and bought the K.P.M., a small stern wheeler. They loaded it with enough supplies to last the winter. Johnny Beaton and W.A. Dikeman didn't know it yet, but they were on their way to a most wonderful Christmas gift, not only for themselves but for the whole land and its people."

Glimpse of Life in Alaska

By Michael A. Carson (Self-published)

The blurb: "Our family came to this valley in 1935 as part of a colonizing project for the Matanuska Valley and Alaska. At that time, Alaska was a territory of the United States, not a state, and there were no counties or boroughs, there were just a few incorporated cities."

Excerpt: "I got married at 40 and had children, went to subdividing land, made $2 million, semi-retired, then watched in 1986, at age 50, as the real estate economy collapsed, and we started over. Needless to say, there were all kinds of opportunities for sex with a large variety of ladies, but my dedication to my family and my large inventory of land reinforced my desire to maintain fidelity."

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