Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name
If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska | Heather Lende
A writer for the local newspaper for tiny Haines, Alaska, provides a series of colorful portraits of the inhabitants, festivals, and activities of this close-knit but remote village, offering reflections on the life and death of local eccentric Speedy Joe who never took off his hat, the Chilkat Bald Eagle Festival, and neighbors, both human and animal.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
Hooked_on_books
post image
Pickpick

Heather Lende lives in tiny (pop: 2400), remote Haines, Alaska on the inside passage. She is uniquely positioned to know the town‘s inhabitants, as she writes the obituaries and interviews family and friends for each one. This book is a really interesting view into what it is like living in such an unusual place. I really enjoyed it.

48 likes3 stack adds
review
Ephemera
post image
Pickpick

This is nice little book about life in the small town of Haines, Alaska. It‘s full of local characters and local color. Lende is a very reflective writer so we read a lot of life lessons she has learned since she and her husband moved to Haines right after their marriage. Life can be precarious in Alaska but these townspeople are in it all together. Five stars.

blurb
Amiable
post image

It‘s 8:00 on a Saturday and there‘s no place that I‘d rather be ... than on the couch with a book and a mug of camomile tea while listening to Sirius XM‘s countdown of the top 88 Billy Joel songs. 🥰

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled That sounds lovely!! 3y
LiteraryinLawrence Love Billy Joel! 3y
inthegreensandblues Seeing this book just brought back memories of my brief but intense phase of reading only place stories & travelogues and dreaming (having the means to travel was many years away). I've never seen or heard anyone else mention it. 💜 3y
See All 9 Comments
CindiB I loved this book! I found it in a small community house library. Loved the characters, the lifestyle, and the whole book. 3y
Amiable @inthegreensandblues @CindiB The writing is so good. I loved how she juxtaposed the random, ordinary notes from her newspaper column with essay reflections on the meaning of death and life. It just illustrates so perfectly that those random, ordinary moments are what make up our lives. 3y
Amiable @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled My favorite kind of Saturday night! 3y
Amiable @LiteraryinLititz Which song would you put in the top 5 or 10? I don‘t agree with SiriusXM‘s rankings! 3y
LiteraryinLawrence @Amiable Hmm. Some of my favorites are Only the Good Die Young, Piano Man, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Uptown Girl, Downeaster Alexa, Moving Out, and We Didn‘t Start the Fire. What about you? 3y
Amiable @LiteraryinLititz All of the ones you listed, but removing “Uptown Girl” and replacing it with “Goodnight Saigon,” “Shameless” and “You‘re My Home.” Honestly, though, it‘s like trying to pick your favorite child! 😬😀 (edited) 3y
73 likes9 comments
blurb
MallenNC
post image

One thing I like about these Litsy challenges is that I‘m reminded of books I have but haven‘t read yet. This one is set in a small town in #Alaska #LetsTravelAugust

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks That‘s true!!! 🙌🏻📚 5y
Megabooks I enjoyed this one! 5y
OriginalCyn620 Cute moose! 5y
24 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Well-ReadNeck
post image
Mehso-so

Grabbed this image from goodreads. I read a kindle edition.

Should have heeded the 38% Litsy reviews.

Just meh. I did a lot of skimming.

Lcsmcat 😂 5y
Kaye Crud. I just got that for kindle the other day. I believe I‘ll let is FESTER for awhile. 5y
nomadreader Oh no! I remember quite enjoying this one. Life in Alaska is so different in so many ways! 5y
OrangeMooseReads I bought this one from Book Outlet a while ago. It‘s still on my shelf unread lol 5y
112 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
Lea
post image
Pickpick

I picked this up after reading Find the Good by the same author (which I loved). This isn‘t as good but still interesting. More stories of life in Haines, some I skimmed, others had me cracking up. #readwomen

14 likes1 comment
blurb
GripLitGrl
post image
vkois88 ❤❤❤ 6y
47 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
MallenNC
post image

All of these books are set in #Alaska and the other thing they have in common is they are owned by me yet still unread! The closest I've come to Alaska are episodes of Northern Exposure. I don't remember much about the show except John Corbett's character.

#AugustIsATrip @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

vkois88 John Corbett 😍😍😍 Who could ever forget him??? 6y
Eggs Loved that show 💞and 6y
MallenNC @vkois88 He's on my mind because he plays the dad in To All the Boys I've Loved Before. He was great in it! 6y
See All 9 Comments
MallenNC @Eggs I had hoped to read The Great Alone earlier this summer but I haven't made it yet. 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I still have to read ❤️ 6y
vkois88 @MallenNC I KNOW! I made a post about it bc I was so excited 😂😂 6y
MallenNC @vkois88 I loved the movie! He was great, especially in the scene in the dinner when he talked about LJ's mom. 6y
vkois88 Ugh. My heart 😍😍 6y
MallenNC @vkois88 Ditto! 6y
30 likes1 stack add9 comments
review
ReadingEnvy
post image
Mehso-so

A bit too mundane but some interesting bits about life in small town Alaska. The author is the obituary writer in the town, which led to the most interesting bits.

77 likes2 stack adds
review
callielafleur
post image
Panpan

Cold, emotionless, boring, repetitive. Weirdly disconnected. I finished it, but by the end I was skimming. I'm glad I bought this as on sale as an e-book, it did not deserve more of my money. The most emotion I felt reading it was at the end, when I thought I still had 20 pages to get through, and it ended up being a preview for the author's next book. Then: elation.

quote
callielafleur
post image

This is dark, man. The author's fear of flying permeates so many of her anecdotes that it's getting a little repetitive, but this stopped me in my tracks.

quote
callielafleur
post image

I have so many thoughts about this that I am unable to articulate beyond gesturing angrily and making frustrated noises. 😡🤬

Betty Gggrrrrrrr! That's why some doctors and audiologists tell parents of deaf babies NOT to use sign language (ASL). 6y
65 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
OrangeMooseReads
post image

Our Marty is a reader. #literaryelf #dontmakethemcreepy

MrBook 😎👌🏻 7y
28 likes1 comment
blurb
BookInMyHands
post image

#nonfictionnovember

Today I wrote my grandmother's obituary and I was reminded of this book. Heather Lende writes obituaries for her local paper and shares her insights into life and small town living. I found it charming and inviting.

Texreader Sorry to hear about your grandmother. I wrote my grandmothers obituary. It was in a way cathartic. 7y
BookishMarginalia Hug 💜 7y
OrangeMooseReads I'm sorry about your grandmother. I strangely enjoyed writing my grandfather's, a lot of memories. 7y
See All 14 Comments
LindsayReads Sending peace and love and bookish comfort your way. So sorry to hear. 7y
Megabooks Big hug!! Sending you strength. 💙💜 7y
BethFishReads 💔😢 so sorry for your loss 7y
BarbaraTheBibliophage So sorry for your loss. May your memories help bring you peace. 💔 7y
ValerieAndBooks My condolences-- and it's a honor for you to write your grandmother 's obituary. 7y
Laura317 I'm so very sorry for your loss. 😢 7y
megt So sorry for your loss. 7y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa So sorry for your loss. 7y
DebinHawaii Hugs❤️ 7y
Graciouswarriorprincess So sorry for your loss. Hugs and prayers. 7y
BookInMyHands Thanks, Littens. I enjoyed writing it. I process through writing best. I find it a helpful tool to grieve through too. She is missed, and she is loved. What a gift to have been loved by her. 7y
35 likes3 stack adds14 comments
quote
Pinkmeghan
post image

Apparently I can be reading a book about small-town Alaska and find my hometown mentioned. 😂 #southieismyhometown

6 likes1 stack add