Read it or Weep

“Yee haw!, Giddy up!, and Howdee cowpoke!” are fun western phrases right? And surprisingly, or maybe not if you’re a die hard fan, the books themselves are pretty fun too. No one read any of the typical Louis L’Amour, Larry McMurtry, Zane Grey, or Elmer Kelton books, all these wild rides are new (to me!) authors. But there were some of the common old school themes in all our books: large animals, dusty trails, death, and the western states. Curious about the books we discussed?

Emma shared:

Shavetail by Thomas Cobb is the story of army recruit Ned Thorne, a 17 year-old runaway from Connecticut. Ned feels responsible for the accidental death of his younger brother. It’s 1871 in Arizona territory. Ned, nicknamed shavetail, is paired with Brickner who brings Ned up to speed. Ned’s training with Brickner includes fighting, drinking, rustling cattle and mule driving. Ned’s unit is assigned to track down a band of Apaches who invaded a nearby ranch killing two men and kidnapping a woman.

Carol shared:

Drifter by Karl Lassiter.
John Allen is the drifter in this novel. After a stint as a gunsmith’s apprentice in Kansas, John heads to Nebraska and works in coal mines there. But he really dreams of becoming a cowboy and hops aboard a train bound for Wyoming to do just that. Unfortunately, without any ranch experience, he’s considered a greenhorn and can only find work as a blacksmith. Soon, he finds himself falling for a rival rancher’s daughter and also gets caught up in a war between ranchers and a deadly band of rustlers. Can he prove himself to the Flying K ranch boss, and gets his chance to discover firsthand that being a cowboy is dangerous work? And, more importantly, will he win the heart of the girl?

This is an old-fashioned formulaic Western that has charm, plenty of atmosphere, and just a tinge of romance. This makes for very clean and quick reading.

Evelyn shared:

Rachel and the Hired Gun by Elaine Levine

Summoned by her father, Rachel Douglas leaves Virginia on a wagon train going west. She pays a family for traveling protection, but half-way there Rachel elects to travel with the hired gun sent by her father because she has been shunned from the wagon train as a loose woman.  What she didn’t realize is that she has been summoned west to be used as a pawn in a ranch war with her father’s neighbor — or that her fierce, undeniable attraction to Sager, her father’s hired gun, would put her heart and her life in jeopardy. This book is as much a historical romance as a western and is an enjoyable read with interesting characters and a gentle romance. Highly recommend for leisure reading.

Janet shared:

Thunder Valley by Lauran Paine

In 1877 in the New Mexico Territory Anna Marie Miller found herself in charge of the large ranch that was founded by her late husband.  With the help of her hired hands and three newcomers Anna Marie was able to prevent the loss of her ranch and cattle when she was led into a lethal trap by cattle rustlers and a corrupt sheriff.

Rosemary shared:

Etta: A Novel by Gerald Kolpan

The author weaves a wild tale of the life of Etta Place, Sundance Kid’s beautiful lover.  This is the story of how Etta went from Philadelphia society girl to outlaw as part of the Hole-in-the-Wall gang in Wyoming.

Julie shared:

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

This story is set in the wide open spaces of Montana, where homesteaders are trying to make a life on the frontier. The Milliron boys lost their mother in 1908 and a year later, their father decides to hire a housekeeper to help with the chores. In the end, she brings more than cleanliness and order to their

Ann shared:

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle

12-year-old Alice Winston lives on a horse ranch in rural Colorado, where she must come to grips with the death of a schoolmate and her older sister Nona running off to marry a cowboy. A contemporary story of the West, of a lifestyle tied closely to the land and to the weather- a lifestyle that is as hard as it is rewarding, a lifestyle that by the 1980’s is slowly dying. A brilliantly written debut novel that won the 2008 Spur Award for Best Novel of the West and also a 2008 Alex Award.

And I shared:

The Journal of Callie Wade by Dawn Miller

Callie younger sister is ill and may benefit from the living out west, so they join a wagon train traveling toward California. Loss is a constant companion to the travelers, from possessions to livestock to family members, but they have to keep moving to survive. Strong-willed women, a personal perspective on the hardships of wagon train life, and familiar family dynamics make this western story approachable and interesting to just about any reader.

What about you? Are you going to try a new, old-time western? Go ahead and man up, you might just find a whole new world to explore…

And our next genre is… Fantasy! Magical worlds, fantastical beasts, and emotionally charged stories about journeys in the mind, in the world, and into a whole new realm of being. I can’t wait!

—Stacey