Christoffer Petersen blog

It’s possible I may have mentioned how I rarely read crime books, but love, absolutely love, fantasy and science fiction. Once again, there’s a reason Maratse likes sci-fi. There’s also a reason I like to put a bit of magic into my stories – Luui, I’m looking at you!

So, the photo above is taken from Alderley Edge in Cheshire, England. I grew up close to Alderley Edge. My mum would take me on adventures to The Edge when I was little. There is a lot of magic rooted in the trees and deep beneath the rocks of The Edge with all kinds of wonderful myths and legends seeping out of them. If you haven’t read anything by Alan Garner, then I thoroughly recommend The Weirdstone of Brisingamen for a fantastic mythopoeic read. Even better, listen to the audiobook read by Philip Madoc.

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is a children’s book, but Alan Garner’s writing is criminally good. If you want a more adult read then I would suggest Strandloper. Garner packs so much into every sentence of his writing. Amazing.

Also amazing, in my opinion, are my folks, who put up with me “knowing the way” all the way around The Edge.

Suffice it to say, I didn’t.

Personally, I blame Merlin and the Svartálfar!

Chris

I mention this a lot in my books, so I thought I’d better write a quick post about it. There are streams in the mountains in Greenland, but kayaking around the coast, the water is often quite silty, and we can’t drink the sea water.

However, the best and freshest water in Greenland is conveniently available everywhere. When kayaking and camping, Jane and I collected lumps of brash ice from calving icebergs and used it for cooking, coffee, hot chocolate, and drinking water. It comes straight from the glaciers, and is (guessing here) millions(ish) of years old.

When thirsty at sea, instead of taking a drink of water, you can scoop up a small lump of ice and pop it on your mouth. Once you get past the outer layer of salt, you “experience” the best water in the world.

Fabulous.

Chris

Recently, I selected five books for a list of “The best books to read if you want to get to know Greenland”. These five books are, in my opinion, a good introduction to Greenland’s history, culture, and wildlife. Sure, there are many books about Greenland, but if was visiting, especially if I was on an adventure cruise, I would hope the ship’s library had these books. Click the link above to get a personal twist on why I chose these books.

Of course, as a reward for compiling the list, I was allowed to include one of my own. 😉

The missing cover on the page is for this book: Benny Génsbøl’s “A Nature and Wildlife Guide to Greenland”. If you’re visiting Greenland you need this book! The illustrations are amazing, and make identifying just about anything, that much easier. Seriously good book!

Chris