Hearthside Books & Toys

Local Authors and Illustrators

Juneau and the surrounding areas have a wealth of local talent.
Please click on the author or illustrator's name to learn more.

Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip
by Johnson, Kirk, Troll, Ray

Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway follows the zany travels of a paleontologist and an artist as they drive across the American West in search of fossils. Throughout their journey, they encounter "paleonerds" like themselves, men and women dedicated to finding everything from suburban T. rexes to killer Eocene pigs to ancient fossilized forests. Much of their travels are spent in remote places few people visit, where they discover small-town museums packed with paleontological treasures, rock quarries that have yielded hundreds of fossilized bones, and the remains of ancient seashores tracked with the footprints of dinosaurs. What soon becomes evident is that fossils are everywhere; it only takes knowing what to look for to find them—even at 65 miles per hour.

Meet RAY TROLL! Paleo Talk and Slideshow
Mon May 5th - 7PM Hearthside Books, Nugget Mall

Alaska Books

Hearthside has built an extensive collection of in print Alaskana over the last 32 years.

Please email or call us for recommendations or special assistance.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union
by Chabon, Michael
Now in softcover!
For sixty years Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a "temporary" safe haven created in the wake of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. The Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish. But now the District is set to revert to Alaskan control, and their dream is coming to an end. Homicide detective Meyer Landsman of the District Police has enough problems without worrying about the upcoming Reversion. His life is a shambles, his marriage a wreck, his career a disaster. And in the cheap hotel where Landsman has washed up, someone has just committed a murder--right under his nose. When he begins to investigate the killing of his neighbor, a former chess prodigy, word comes down from on high that the case is to be dropped immediately, and Landsman finds himself contending with all the powerful forces of faith, obsession, evil, and salvation that are his heritage. At once a gripping whodunit, a love story, and an exploration of the mysteries of exile and redemption, "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" is a novel only Michael Chabon could have written.

Staff Picks

Find out what the Hearthside staff is reading!

Johnny's Girl: A Daughter's Memoir of Growing Up in Alaska's Underworld
by Rich, Kim
Kim Rich's parents came to Alaska to get rich, and ended up working the gambling and B-joints of Anchorage. In probing the mysteries of their lives, Rich comes to terms with her own.

Alaska Children's Books

Here you will find everything from beautifully illustrated storybooks to teen readers. Email us for assistance with age appropriateness and recommended titles.

Backyard Bear
by Rockwell, Anne F., Halsey, Megan
Bears belong in the woods--they can find everything they need to survive there. But what happens when people start knocking down trees and building houses where the woods used to be? This young black bear is about to find out. He wakes one spring to find his territory completely changed. When the curious bear dares to come closer and closer to the houses, he discovers backyards and trashcans are an easy place to find food. But it's dangerous for people and bears to live so close together. What will happen when the bear is discovered right in someone's backyard?

Store Events

Hearthside Books is proud to host and sponsor book-related events in our community. We look forward to seeing you.
If for some reason you are unable to attend an event, you may place a prepaid order with us and we'll be happy to reserve an autographed copy for you.

Title of Event: Alton BrownEVENT CANCELLED BY THE PUBLISHER
When: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 12:00 PM
Location: Hearthside Books, Downtown
Description: This event has been cancelled by the publisher. We are so sorry for any inconvenience.

Book Groups / Reader Links

Save 20% on your book group selections!

Kafka on the Shore
by Murakami, Haruki
"Kafka on the Shore "is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom.
As their paths converge, and the reasons for that convergence become clear, Haruki Murakami enfolds readers in a world where cats talk, fish fall from the sky, and spirits slip out of their bodies to make love or commit murder. "Kafka on the Shore" displays one of the world's great storytellers at the peak of his powers.

Battle of the Books 2008-2009

Tentative List

10 Minutes Till Bedtime
by Rathmann, Peggy
Itas almost bedtime At 1 Hoppin Place the fun begins when a family of hamstersawith ten offspring wearing jerseys numbered from one to tenaarrives at the door. There are only ten minutes left, and thereas still so much to do But with the help of the Hamstersa 10-Minute Bedtime Tour (guided by his own pet hamster), the little boy is able to get his toys put away, his pajamas on, his teeth brushed, and his bedtime story readaall in the nick of time. This lively introduction to bedtime rituals and the concept of counting backwards will have young readers eagerly awaiting their own countdown to bedtime.

Book Sense Picks

Unique and provocative selections from a great diversity of voices...all personally recommended by the independent booksellers of America.

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle: The Story of an African Childhood
by Scott, Robyn
An astonishingly written story of growing up in modern-day Africa with loving, eccentric, and adventure-loving parents. Every character in this book could fill a novel.--Lillian Kinsey, Bohannons' Books With a Past (Georgetown, KY)