Books are my escape. Patrick Taylor takes me to rural Ireland in the 1960’s. The brogue in his books (An Irish Country Doctor, An Irish Country Village, and An Irish Country Christmas) is so strong that I can hear it in my head. It is a world away from my little village on the Tundra and I can bring it right into my living room with the turn of a page.
Right now, I’m reading Ballad of the Northland by Jason Barron. I think it’s a self-published book. I know it just came out this fall and I ordered it straight from the author in Montana. It’s a beautifully heart-wrenching story of a boy growing up in bush Alaska, raised on the brink of starvation. An orphan living with relatives, his only form of transportation is dogsled. It sucks me in with its stunning prose and then slaps me with its horrific reality. It’s just the kind of book that I hope to write one day.
I’m not sure what book will be next, but I know that as we head in to Anchorage tomorrow, Sarah and I are looking forward to spending time in several different bookstores, stocking up for the winter.
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I'm assuming you've read all of James Herriot's stuff, yesyes? I don't think things have ever been so quaint nor so placid as he paints in poor, rural Northern England - it's grim up north - but it's entertaining if I turn my reality blinkers on.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any James Herriot but will have to download some when I get my new Kindle!
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