If You Lived Here I Would Know Your Name

 In preparation for a trip to the 49th state I read If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News From Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende. Heather and her husband moved to Alaska after their honeymoon and raised their five children there. Both Heather and her husband had college degrees from pricey east coast colleges. Her husband runs a building supply store while Heather is a part time journalist. Specifically her job is to write the obituaries for the local newspaper but she does free-lance work on the side. Heather also smokes salmon, runs marathons, cans vegetables, cross country skies, and hunts wild game. Even though commercial fishing is a dangerous occupation in Alaska, she allows her daughters to work on a fishing boat during their summer breaks. Even though their extended family all live on the east coast they seem to make living in Alaska work for them. Most of the book is small town gossip which I really wouldn't like if I lived in Haines, Alaska. I found the book to be too self promoting for my taste.