History can be romantic. Oregon author Irene Bennett Brown demonstrates it in her latest novel, “Haven” (Five Star, 264 pages, hard cover, $26.95). “Haven” is her 15th book.

It’s set in Hells Canyon during the late 1800s, a time when gold fever was rampant, women were few and men were lonely. See? Combine a beautiful woman, a handsome miner, turbulent times in this rugged country, stir gently, and you have an evening’s pleasant reading.

Brown, who resides in Jefferson, is an accomplished writer. She’s known for a series of historical romances set in Kansas, “The Women of Paragon Springs.” Her 1994 novel, “The Plainswoman,” was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Spur Award.

She’s a founding member of Women Writing the West.

Brown’s husband. Bob, is a retired research chemist. Their four children are grown.

Brown wrote her first book in 1969, “To Rainbow Valley,” about a family moving to Oregon from the Kansas dust bowl. That book has recently been reprinted as an easy reader.

Arctic people

Three brilliant co-authors present an overview of the history of a prominent Western Arctic people, the Inuvialuit, “the real people,” whose lives are circumscribed by winter and a seemingly barren land.

Their book, “Across Time and Tundra” (University of Washington Press, 240 pages, hard cover, $40), proves fascinating reading, especially during our own relatively mild winter. The authors are Ishmael Alunik, Eddie Dean Kolausok, and David Morrison. Each has written other books about Eskimo life.

Alunik was raised on the land, hunting and trapping with his family for most of his early life. He has been a radio announcer for CBC in the Inuvialuit language. Kolausok is a lands claim negotiator with the Canadian government in Yellowknife, Northwest Territory. Morrison is director of archaeology and history at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

“For hundreds of years, the Inuit of the Mackenzie Delta enjoyed a rich and secure lifestyle, augmented by great annual hunts of beluga and bowhead whales,” says the publisher. The 120 illustrations, 60 in color, notes, glossary, bibliography and index make the book a useful tool in learning more about our continent and its peoples.

The Inuit, for example, are the most widespread aboriginal people on earth, living across the roof of North America, from Bering Strait to eastern Greenland – 3,700 miles.

Sky thrills

Hood River writer Susanne Wright has written a series of books about young aviators.

The series is called “Wings of Adventure” and the first story is “Rescue Flight” (Skyview Press, 138 pages, soft cover, $12.95).

The story is set in the rugged mountains of Eastern Oregon and is about the adventures of 10-year-old Will O’Malley, an airplane enthusiast with a burning desire to fly.