It’s the fall season, which means two things: the slow-creep of cold weather and a near-existential dread of the aforementioned.

It also means, for thousands of Yukoners, a frantic dash to enjoy those last, fleeting moments of liveable outdoor weather in the form of fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking or whatever your outdoor poison is. While we Yukoners tend to think of ourselves an outdoor breed, what are you supposed to do with this frenzy of woodsy activity if you’re not so woodsy yourself? This short selection of books is for those who enjoy a good book and a steaming (Irish) coffee in their favourite chair as much as a weekend in the bush.


Nonfiction: Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat (McClelland & Stewart, 1963)

Both lauded as a Governor General Award Winner and maligned as freakish work of sexual and emotional misdemeanors, Bear is a classic of both feminist and Canadian literature. Set on a remote island in Northern Ontario, featuring lonesome librarians, roguish boatmen and one extremely unsettling incident with a black bear, this book is not for children or prudes – nor for the faint of heart.

Best Part: There’s a pet bear on a chain. No one seems weirded out by this.

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