BEST AUTHOR BEST : SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKI

The Alaska senator admires '' James,'' hasn't finished Robert Caro and wishes more politicians read : '' All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.'' Her new memoir is '' Far From Home.''

.-  Describe your ideal reading experience.

A rainy day and the cabin off the grid in remote Alaska - no phone, no internet, no road access. Chores are done, and the wood stove is crackling, everyone else is napping, and Washington is far away.

.-  Which genres do you especially enjoy?

Historical fiction. I've just picked up '' The First Ladies,'' by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

The story revolves around the unlikely friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune, who was born to formerly enslaved parents.

.-  What's the last great book you read?

'' James,'' by Percival Everett. I found myself both laughing and furious.

.-  What book best captures the complexity of being a politician today?

Robert Fulghum's '' All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten'' is a collection of 50 short essays and personal stories with a few rules that honestly would make life a whole lot easier if we all adhered to them:

Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours.

.-  Why did a write-in election campaign inspire you to write this memoir?

The Senate write-in victory was such a rare occurrence -the only other time it happened was Strom Thurmond's 1954 campaign.

I never planned to write a book, but after we won, it seemed we had been through some thing significant that needed to be captured.

Even with the passage of time, people kept encouraging me to document that extraordinary political event.

A pandemic, two impeachments and insurrection and two more campaigns slowed the process, but here we are.

.-  Who are the best writers out there on Alaska?

I'd hate to leave anyone out. But some of my current favorites are :

Nonfiction : Heather Lende looks at small-town Alaska with a tender and respectful heart.

Tom Kizzia explores complex and sometimes dark issues and relationships between people and the land.

Fiction : Eowyn Ivey creates a magical stories set in rural Alaska. John Straley writes gritty, sometimes laugh-out-loud mysteries.

The Publishing continues to Part [ 2 ]. The World Students Society thanks The New York Times