This year’s Outer Banks books for Christmas giving

November 6, 2015 | Local News

“A book is a present you can open again and again.”

–Garrison Keillor

And this year books about the Outer Banks just seem to be made for gifting. There are several favorite authors with wonderful additions to their writing and new authors with books that fill in spaces we haven’t had published before.

Elvin Hooper’s first book, “Chicamacomico. How it was back then,” was a runaway best seller in the summer of 2014. This year he returns just in time for holiday gifting with “Gull Island and Other Stories.”

Jennette Gray Finnegan hits it out of the park once again with the second adventure in her “Lighthouse Kids” series. The first book, “Croatoan,” informed us of the lives of native Americans on Hatteras Island, and the second visits with Blackbeard the pirate. The main characters are a group of pre-teens, but adults are delighting in the stories as well.

For the very earliest readers, “My Rainy Day Cat” is a real treasure. The story line, by Kevin McCabe, follows the antics of a cat who lives in the shadow of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Kevin is better known for his prowess as a local surfer and fisherman but now surely needs to add “author” to his list of accomplishments. The very charming story is enhanced by the lovely artwork of Kevin’s wife, Kim Mosher. The illustrations took her five years to complete.

Garrett Dennis writes with a Carl Hiaasen-type humor but sets his books locally on the Outer Banks. Book two ventures from Kinnakeet Harbor to Roanoke Island. A really fun romp.

Diann Ducharme returns to the Civil War era with “Return to the Outer Banks House.” Philip Howard haunts us again on Ocracoke with “Howard Street and Other Hauntings.” And the “Lure of Sea Glass” is the current offering from Richard Lamott.

Here are publisher’s synopses of these and other great Outer Banks books to add to your Christmas gifting list or to add to your own Hatteras bookshelf!

“Gull Island,” Elvin Hooper. Chapel Hill Press.

“Gull Island and Other Stories” transports us back to the 1950s on Hatteras Island, before the Bonner Bridge crossed Oregon Inlet. The island folk were a hardy lot. Most of their dwellings were simple, comfortable, and well built to withstand the adverse weather conditions. The homes contained a 60-amp electrical service. They had one wall outlet and a pull-chain light in the center of the ceiling of each room. Some of the older dwellings still had outhouses and lacked running water.

All native islanders had the freedom to wander the beaches, marshes, and sounds. They were hunters, fishermen, and gatherers. They all maintained gardens, raised a few livestock, and lived in harmony with nature. They gave their children a parcel of land to build upon. This was a time long before the building boom when development consumed the area. It was a time when you could take a man at his word, and your neighbor was your friend.

Elvin Hooper’s generation caught the tail end of what was an isolated existence on old Hatteras Island, before a road connected it to a rapidly changing mainland. He does a splendid job painting a picture of life on the island during those more primitive years, when life was physically tough, and the riches of nature gave sustenance.

“My Rainy Day Cat,” Kevin McCabe. Illustrated by Kim Mosher.

There’s an echoing rumble in the distant ocean as the sky darkens. However, our beautiful home is tucked deep within the maritime forest next to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and we are all safe. The first big drops of rain are dancing on the pond and quickly coming towards the house. We hear the welcomed rain hit the leaves of our favorite trees as it taps on the roof above. The rain is here. Suddenly there’s a flash and our cat runs across the lawn like a cheetah on the great African veldt to a waiting open door. His fate has been sealed for the rest of this wet gray day. Look close and you may find hidden animals or designs. Count the leaves on the trees, there are thousands. View each page very slowly to properly understand this magical story. Pretend you are walking the sea-glass beach with the leopard and dream along with “My Rainy Day Cat”.

“Port of Refuge,” Garrett Dennis. TBD Press.

Welcome to “Port of Refuge” — another light and quirky island mystery steeped in Outer Banks culture, from the author who took you to “Port Starbird.”

Storm Ketchum, a damaged émigré to Hatteras Island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, generally prefers to stay close to home and mind his own business — but he unexpectedly finds himself entangled with a cult-like coven of modern-day Roanoke Island witches when a relative of his paramour meets an untimely end on church property. Is the High Priestess of the Croatoan Covenant Church really in contact with the departed spirits of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island? Are the members of her church really from both this world and the next? Or is she just a con artist preying on gullible Wiccan acolytes — and is she a killer? A desire to provide closure for the family drives Ketch to once again call on his amateur sleuthing skills to conjure up answers to these and other questions, in the process risking the physical and spiritual well-being of both himself and the one he loves. Join Ketch, his loyal dog Jack, and his Kinnakeet Boatyard friends as they embark on a bewitching new adventure in the picturesque Outer Banks, where intrigue continues to cast its spell on them all.

“The Lighthouse Kids, Spirits of Hatteras Island. Croatoan,” Jennette Gray Finnegan, Jr. Chapel Hill Press.

Living in the shadow of the mighty Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, miles from the village, Ellie, Luke, and Blake exist in a world of spirits, mystical wolves, and stories told by their grandfather, the keeper of the lighthouse. In this five-volume series, the three children of the Jennette family travel back in time to discover the origin of their ancestors and the events that shaped the civilization of Cape Hatteras Island.

Throughout the series, islanders live as they did when only an occasional mail boat kept them connected to the rest of the world—before a bridge linked the island to the mainland, before tourists flocked to the area during the summer season, and before the government became involved in managing the land. Isolated from others, they created a life of comfort and community, one that is long lost.

In each subsequent volume, the Lighthouse Kids meet the people and experience the events that gradually transformed Cape Hatteras Island to the popular resort area it is today. In Croatoan, with their wolves as protectors, the trio is transported back to the late 1500s to live with Manteo, the son of the chief of the Croatoan Indians. Taking part in the Native American way of life, they learn to hunt for food, participate in tribal ceremonies, and even take an adventurous trip to the mainland. Through Ellie, they learn to tap into their spiritual powers, which they retain in all their future exploits and adventures.

“The Battle of Roanoke Island. Burnside and the Fight for North Carolina,” Michael P. Zatarga. History Press.

In the winter of 1861, Union armies had failed to win any significant victories over their Confederate counterparts. The Northern populace, overwhelmed by the bloodshed, questioned whether the costs of the war were too high. President Lincoln despondently wondered if he was going to lose the Union. As a result, tension was incredibly high when Union hero Ambrose Burnside embarked for coastal North Carolina. With the eyes of the nation and world on little Roanoke Island in the Outer Banks, Burnside began his amphibious assault on the beaches and earned a victory that shifted control of Southern waters.

“The History of Fort Ocracoke in Pamlico Sound,” Robert K. Smith. Edited by Earl ONeal, Jr. History Press.

Pamlico Sound is one of the most storied bodies of water among North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Early colonists to Roanoke Island used it for protection. Blackbeard the pirate was killed there in 1718, and General Washington relied on it for transportation in the Revolutionary War. It wasn’t a surprise then that the Confederate bastion of Fort Ocracoke was built in those same waters. Said to be capable of mounting fifty guns, the fort was part of the coastal defense system of the state. After Union victories on nearby Hatteras Island, the fort was destroyed and its whereabouts lost for generations. Author Robert K Smith led an archeological mission to find the once lost fort and presents the harrowing story of its past and discovery for the first time.

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore,” Douglas Stover. Arcadia Publishing.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore was authorized by Congress on Aug. 17, 1937, and established on Jan. 12, 1953. As the nation’s first national seashore, it encompasses 30,000 acres and crosses three islands, Bodie, Hatteras, and Ocracoke, for approximately 70 miles. Nearby Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, located within the authorized seashore boundary, is 5,880 acres.

Over the centuries, the seashore has witnessed major historic events, including the landing of the first English explorers, the death of Blackbeard the pirate, Civil War battles, German U-boat attacks, hundreds of shipwrecks, and devastating hurricanes. Descended from horses brought over by Spanish explorers, the Ocracoke ponies still roam the landscape.

This National Park Service unit also includes the majestic Bodie Island, Cape Hatteras, and Ocracoke lighthouses. The seashore is a haven for wildlife and recreational beachgoers. Cape Hatteras National Seashore showcases the rich natural and cultural heritage of America’s first national seashore

“The Lure of Sea Glass, “ Richard LaMotte. Photography by Celia Pearson. Sea Glass Publishing.

A much-awaited sequel to the ever-popular “Pure Sea Glass” book released in 2004, this elegant compilation reveals extraordinary stories that will inspire readers to continue their quest for coastal treasures and broaden their understanding of the history within their collections.

The artistry of Celia Pearson is once again featured with over 115 stunning photographs of sea glass from around the country that showcase her ability to capture the true essence and detail of these colorful gems. In addition to stories of healing by the sea, the book includes collections from 14 regions of the United States that are profiled with background on why certain shards are likely to be found in those areas.

“The Wright Brothers,” David McCullough. Simon and Schuster.

Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, David McCullough, tells the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly: Wilbur and Orville Wright. On a winter day in 1903, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, two unknown brothers from Ohio changed history. But it would take the world some time to believe what had happened: the age of flight had begun, with the first heavier-than-air, powered machine carrying a pilot. Who were these men and how was it that they achieved what they did?

“Return to the Outer Banks House,” Diann Ducharme. Kill Devil Publishing.

She was the spirited daughter of a North Carolina plantation owner, and he was a poor fisherman who she tutored on the porch of her family’s Nags Head cottage. When we last saw Abigail Sinclair and Ben Whimble at the close of “The Outer Banks House,” they’d overcome their differences in life stations and defied convention to begin their new life together.

But now it’s seven years later, and “Return to the Outer Banks House” finds the couple married and in hard times-riddled by poverty, miscarriages, and weakened family ties. The strong bonds that once held them together have eroded over time, and their marriage threatens to unravel, particularly when relationships from the past and ambitions for the future find their way into the mismatched couple’s present predicament.

Can their love survive? Or are the challenges they face insurmountable? “Return to the Outer Banks House” carries readers back to 1875 to answer these questions and explore the ebb and flow of a rocky marriage set against the enchanting North Carolina shoreline. Replete with history, intrigue, and plenty of maritime drama, it’s an evocative tale of struggle in the Reconstruction-era South.

“Foreign and Domestic,” A.J.Tata. Pinnacle Books.

This is thrilling fiction set on Roanoke Island but reaching around the world. One year ago, Captain Jake Mahegan led a Delta Force team into Afghanistan to capture an American traitor working for the Taliban. The mission ended in tragedy. The team was infiltrated and decimated by a bomb. An enemy prisoner was killed. Mahegan was dismissed from service–dishonored forever. Now, haunted by the incident, Mahegan is determined to clear his name. The military wants him to stand down. But when the American Taliban returns to domestic soil — headed by the traitor who ruined his life — Mahegan is the only man who knows how to stop him.

“Voices from the Outer Banks. A Collection of Personal Essays.” Edited by Stephen Kirk. John F. Blair, Publisher.

Topics include “the Graveyard of the Atlantic,” in a nod to the rough waters that over the centuries have claimed hundreds of vessels, and “Torpedo Junction,” site of “the Great American Turkey Shoot,” the latter nickname bestowed by German submariners during World War II.

The volume includes first-person accounts of Civil War battles, a freedmen’s colony, hunt clubs that drew the first wealthy tourists, and lifesavers who used horses to pull surfboats to the water and fired lines by cannon to wrecked vessels. Readers will even hear contemporary stories of the Boy Scout troop that rode ponies descended from ancient shipwrecked animals.

“Howard Street Hauntings and Other Ocracoke Stories,” Philip Howard. Black Squall Books.

This is a sequel to “Digging up Uncle Evans,” which was based on the popular “Down Point” Ghost & History Walking Tour. The current volume, “Howard Street Hauntings,” is based on the “Around Creek” Ghost & History Walking Tour on Ocracoke Island. “Howard Street Hauntings” includes the stories of Old Diver (the unfortunate sailor whose ghost prowls graveyards on British Cemetery Road), Mad Mag (a long-dead housewife whose peculiar ways continue to frighten islanders), and Frank Treat Fulcher (a salty old sailor who became a Methodist preacher). You can also read about the woman who kept her casket in her parlor for seven years, the ghost ship of the Outer Banks, the suspended casket, and the phantom freighter, as well as tales from World War II, a recipe for Ocracoke Island meal wine, dramatic accounts of rescues by the United States Life-Saving Service, and more.

(Gee Gee Rosell is the proprietor of Buxton Village Books. Call the store at 252-995-4240 for help with your Christmas list or go to the website, www.buxtonvillagebooks.com.)