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A copy of Olga Ravn’s “The Employees” sits on a desk in the Peninsula Clarion building on Thursday, May 4, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: Surreal, subversive, succinct

“The Employees” explores more than space in science fiction novella

Charlie Stephens sits with a copy of his book, "Passion Over Pain" on Monday, May 1, 2023, in the Peninsula Clarion offices in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

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Telling his story

Local author looks back at cancer and recovery

A copy of Daniel Sherrell’s “Warmth: Coming of Age at the End of our World” sits on a desk in the Peninsula Clarion building on Thursday March 30, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: Climate crisis looms large at ‘the end of our world’

The book doesn’t offer a lot of room for hope

A copy of Samanta Schweblin’s “Fever Dream” sits on a desk in the Peninsula Clarion building on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: Horror novella rethinks presentation of environmental disasters

“Fever Dream” begs the question of what is the most effective way to communicate the implications of environmental…

John Messick’s “Compass Lines” is displayed at the Kenai Peninsula College Bookstore in Soldotna, Alaska on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Messick reflects on path forward in ‘Compass Lines’

“Compass Lines,” a new book by John Messick, a local writer and Assistant Professor of Writing at Kenai…

The author holds a copy of Greta Thunberg’s, “No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference,” inside the Peninsula Clarion building on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: Thunberg speeches pack a punch

“No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference” is a compilation of 16 essays given by the…

Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion A copy of Marie Aubert’s “Grown Ups” sits on a desk in The Peninsula Clarion building on Wednesday in Kenai.

Life

Off the Shelf: Good for her

Marie Aubert’s “Grown Ups” caught my attention with a flashy cover and a review from Independent Ireland on…

Soldotna Elementary students check out with their books on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at River City Books in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

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Building ‘personal libraries’

Soldotna Elementary students take home reading from River City Books

Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion The column author holds a copy of “The Truths We Carry” on Wednesday near Soldotna.

Life

Off the Shelf: Harris memoir rings hollow

As Black History Month prepares to give way to Women’s History Month, last week felt like a perfect…

Luke Karpic and Oscar Marcou smile as they write their response to a question posed during Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Middle School Battle of the Books competition on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, at Kenai Middle School in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

News

Reading and competing

Academic contest champions literacy

A copy of “The Race Beat: the Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation” sits on a desk in the Peninsula Clarion office on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: The civil rights movement as told by journalists

The book is an extensive look at how coverage of the American civil rights movement changed public opinion

The Kenai Community Library children’s section is seen on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

News

Literary competition returns to local schools

Battle of the Books aims to instill in kids a love of reading

A copy of Prince Harry’s “Spare” sits on a desk in the Peninsula Clarion office on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: Prince Harry gets candid about ‘gilded cage’ in new memoir

“Spare” undoubtedly succeeds in humanizing Harry

Image via amazon.com

Life

Off the Shelf: ‘Nature First’ and the simple life

The book is a collection of 25 essays about friluftsliv

A copy of “The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family,” is photographed on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: Slapstick comedy meets academic survey in novel ‘The Netanyahus’

While the work is presented as — largely — a work of fiction, there are elements of truth

A copy of Emily St. John Mandel's "Sea of Tranquility" rests in snow on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022 near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: ‘Sea of Tranquility’: An underwhelming and too soon look at the pandemic

I first added “Sea of Tranquility” to my to-read list after I saw Barack Obama post about it…

Tom Kizzia poses with a stack of his book, “Cold Mountain Path,” on Sept. 1, 2021. (Photo provided)

News

Homer author named historian of the year

Kizzia has a long history in the state

Examples of contemporary books that have been banned or challenged in recent years are displayed on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at the Soldotna Public Library in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

News

Soldotna library hosts Banned Book Club

Books have been challenged or banned for their content nationwide.

A copy of “Once Upon the Kenai: Stories from the People” rests against a desk inside the Peninsula Clarion’s offices on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: Hidden history

‘Once Upon the Kenai’ tells the story behind the peninsula’s landmarks and people

“Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement” was published in 2018 by Razorbill and Dutton, imprints of Penguin Random House LLC. (Image via amazon.com)

Life

Off the Shelf: The power of personal voice

“A Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement” provides first-person accounts of the school shooting in Parkland,…