Task #7: A western

[Greta]

I recommend Days without End by Sebastian Barry. Wonderful Irish author if you don't know him. This novel covers the Plains Indian Wars and then continues through the Civil War. The voice of the protagonist (an Irish immigrant) is remarkably well done, and the writing is lyrical. Some of it can be quite grim..the descriptions of attacks against Indian camps are brutal and haunting. But if you want a western combined with brilliant writing, this is a good bet. The description of a wild buffalo hunt still lingers my mind..and there are a number of surprising aspects of life out West that amazed me. If you have any preconceived notions of what a "western" is, this will break them down. At least it did for me.

[Greta]

Monica wrote: "I'm looking at My Ántonia.

I read News of the World in 2017. It's an excellent choice for this task."

I really enjoyed News of the World and second this recommendation. It got me so interested in the topic that I listened to the book The Captured: A True Story of Abduction on the Texas Frontier by Scott Zesch. It's a complex topic, but I think this book gives a fairly even-handed view of it.

[Diane]

what about The Red Pony? Would it be considered a Western?

[Courtney]

I just finished True Grit for this challenge. 1 down, 23 to go.

[Arlene]

Gretavo1 wrote: "I recommend Days without End by Sebastian Barry. Wonderful Irish author if you don't know him. This novel covers the Plains Indian Wars and then continues through the Civil War. The voice of the pr..."
This sounds great, thanks for the recommendation!

[Tanyka]

Thanks. (Un)fortunately, I already read "Angle of Repose."

Bonnie wrote: "Tanyka wrote: "Would "Death Comes for the Archbishop" be considered a Western?

(I want to read this book to satisfy this challenge and the Modern Library Top 100 challenge)"

Not really at all, th..."

[Emily]

I'm planning on Devil's Call for this prompt

[Eva]

I think I'll be reading East of West, Vol. 1: The Promise for this.

[ekr]

I'm halfway through Half an Inch of Water, but I think I want to try something else. Any more suggestions for westerns by writers of color, Native writers, and/or queer writers?

The replacements I'm considering right now are: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (I started it and it's good, but I think a novel might fit the challenge better than a short story collection), The Round House, and Vengeance Road.

I'm not including re-reads for this challenge, but if anyone else is looking for a contemporary queer "western," I loved The Miseducation of Cameron Post.

[Andy]

It certainly relies on the generic conventions of the classic Western. However, I'd say it's up to you whether it's a classic Western in and of itself. If you've been wanting to read the series--I loved the hell out of it myself--then it's a perfect excuse to dig in.

Cara wrote: "Is the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King considered a western?"

[Carolina]

I was worried about this one, but then I saw Daughter of Fortune was on the list. I was going to read it for the Oprah book club book. Can count for a double dip. I read Isabel Allende as my translated South American book last year and want to read more of her books.

[Woollythinker]

Stephen wrote: "I'm wondering if there are any good westerns written by Native American authors? Or really something that challenges the genres assumptions? Does anyone have suggestions?

(FWIW, for my challenge a..."

Oooh for a *different* kind of Western, I really really recommend The Man Who Fell in Love with The Moon. 'Swonderful.

[Woollythinker]

Rachel wrote: "People have literally been begging for years for a Western to make it onto a challenge list (at least in my other challenge group, where we vote on prompts to make the list), and I've been dreading..."

Little House was specifically referenced in the Bookriot post for this task, so yes! Which means I could count Pioneer Girl, which I read for task #1, and call it done? Haven't been tempted by any other Westerns so far...

[Kate]

I just finished Lonesome Dove a few days ago. I would recommend it to anyone dreading this task. It might be one of my favorite reads in recent memory - funny, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and thrilling. It is 850 some-odd pages, but I found it to read incredibly quickly. The characters are so compelling.

My one major criticism of the book is that I do wish there were better and more varied Native American representation in it. One of the few named Native American characters is the primary antagonist of the series.

[Riley]

Cara wrote: "Is the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King considered a western?"

i thought of this too. i think the first one, as well as wizard and glass, could be

[Pamela]

I just finished True Grit as an audio book for this prompt. I highly recommend it.

[Elizabeth]

Would The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie count?

[Marie]

Elizabeth wrote: "Would The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie count?"

I looked through the first few pages of how Goodreads readers tagged it, and no one was tagging it as a western.

Try looking here:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/west...

[Melissa]

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is one of my favorite books ever, but it's not a western. It's very much contemporary coming-of-age YA.

[Marie]

Thought this would be helpful--an article describing westerns, anti-westerns, and neo-westerns:

http://www.slaphappylarry.com/western...

[Kerri]

I just finished News of the World for this prompt and loved it!

[Jennifer]

Topaz by Beverly Jenkins was listed on the website as a Western under the sub-heading “Romance” so I am hoping to count it toward bother of those tasks.

[Edie]

Kerri wrote: "I just finished News of the World for this prompt and loved it!"

News of the World was one of my favorite reads last year. I hope I can find something I like as much to read for this western prompt.

[Kerri]

Edie wrote: "Kerri wrote: "I just finished News of the World for this prompt and loved it!"

News of the World was one of my favorite reads last year. I hope I can find something I like as much to read for this..."

I recommend Robert Parker's Appaloosa. There are actually 4 books, but Appaloosa works as a stand alone. It's different from News of the World, but it is a very good western.

[Kerri]

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt is another book I had on my list to potentially read for this prompt. I went with News, but plan to read this one, too.

[Cendaquenta]

Do John Steinbeck's books count? I have The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and East of Eden on my TBR. Other than that, I'm a bit out of luck with this prompt.

Gretavo1 wrote: "I recommend Days without End by Sebastian Barry. Wonderful Irish author if you don't know him. This novel covers the Plains Indian Wars and then continues through the Civil War. The voice of the pr..."

Oh, that's sitting on my Kindle too! Never even occurred to me that it's kind of a Western - I suppose because the author isn't American.

[Andrea]

I decided upon The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke for this task. I did not realize that it was a rather popular movie!

[Vanessa]

I read True Grit for this and enjoyed it, although if you’ve seen the movies (the Coen one in particular) you may feel too much like you’ve been there.

[Mya]

Diane wrote: "what about The Red Pony? Would it be considered a Western?"

Diane, I don't know if someone else already responded, but I think The Red Pony counts. It's got the whole life-is-hard, kids grow up fast & have to be face reality mentality that goes with the genre.

Be warned that it's fairly dark. I loved it when I read it as a teen, but I know of people who refused to read any other Steinbeck after being scarred by it. (They read it thinking it is A Horse Book, but that's a different genre/trope/mindset.)

[Mya]

Amy, re: feminist westerns, I am thinking of reading either Gunslinger Girl or Six-Gun Snow White. Vengeance Road is another title people have been suggesting. All have female protagonists, though I don't know how they are treated. It looks like Gunslinger Girl is set in a dystopian future & is a bit dark. I'm not sure if I'm up for that right now, & a friend whose taste I trust recommended Six-Gun Snow White, so I'm leaning toward that one.

Amy wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Stina wrote: "Rachel wrote: "People have literally been begging for years for a Western to make it onto a challenge list ..."

[Eleanor]

I read Doc by Mary Doria Russell. It's a historical novel but certainly qualifies as a "Western": a fictionalized account about the meeting and friendships among Doc Holliday and the Earps in Dodge City. Very well researched and entertaining. (There's a follow-up novel, Epitaph, that covers the OK Corral gunfight and aftermath.)

[Vanessa]

Eleanor wrote: I read Doc by Mary Doria Russell.

Oh, that was a great idea Eleanor! I've been fascinated by Doc Holliday ever since Tombstone.

[Christy]

I think I'm going to read Lonesome Dove for this one, but I would like to recommend some atypical Westerns I've read and enjoyed:
Vermilion [alternate history, LGBTQ main character]
The Sisters Brothers
The Cowboy and the Cossack [it's set in Russia, but it's about cowboys and a cattle drive. Really lovely and fun to read.]
Death Comes for the Archbishop [not all would agree, but the focus on landscape description and arduous travel makes it a Western to me. also it's gorgeous]
Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1: The Shrike [graphic novel set in the Old West]
River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West [nonfiction about technology, invention/personal reinvention, and the West. again, not everyone would count it, but it's worth a read]

[Mya]

According to how it's shelved, & some reviews, Karen Memory is steampunk western with a strong female protagonist.

"At this point, Karen Memory looks to be a rather conventional steampunk novel albeit one with a fresh setting and a memorable lead character. That’s when the author throws in a new perspective, one that ties into the book’s late nineteenth-century historical setting. It arrives in the form of a character, Federal Marshal Bass Smith, and from the moment of his arrival, Karen Memory isn’t just steampunk, it’s also a western dime novel thriller and a good one at that."

From this review: http://www.nyrsf.com/2016/09/karen-me...

[Bonnie G.]

Christy wrote: "I think I'm going to read Lonesome Dove for this one, but I would like to recommend some atypical Westerns I've read and enjoyed:
Vermilion [alternate history, LGBTQ m..."

Thank you! The Cowboy and the Cossack sounds amazing. The description made me think of The Yiddish Policeman's Union.

[Christy]

Bonnie wrote: "Christy wrote: "I think I'm going to read Lonesome Dove for this one, but I would like to recommend some atypical Westerns I've read and enjoyed:
Vermilion [alternate ..."

You are very welcome, Bonnie! My mom read The Cowboy and the Cossack based on Nancy Pearl's recommendation (Nancy Pearl was very much admired in my home), and by now basically everyone in my family has read and loved it. I hope you enjoy it, too!

[Renee]

I’m reading Song of the Lion by Anne Hillerman, her dad was Tony Hillerman. Come on , a book set on the Navajo reservation, most of the characters are Native American, deals as much with Native American tradition as much as modern day world. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

[Allie]

I'm working my way through The Sisters Brothers. I'm about 30 percent in, and it's not as good as I thought it'd be. It's like, stream of consciousness with one incident after another (mostly involving people getting shot or the brothers arguing with each other) but little character development.

[ChezJulie]

I'm currently reading News of the World, and I think it's a great choice as Western-for-people-who-don't-like-Westerns. It's definitely a Western, but it's more interested in the relationship between this older man and a young girl who had been kidnapped by Kiowa Indians.

[Lauren]

A bit of a stretch, but I read Like a River Glorious and Into the Bright Unknown, books two and three of Rae Carson's Gold Seer Trilogy.

[Octavia]

Done it! Which I'm quite chuffed about as this is my first ever western, I think. I read Three-Ten to Yuma and Other Stories by Elmore Leonard, which was a short story collection of seven western tales. Lots of horse riding and gunfights and things that I didn't think I'd enjoy at all... but I did.

[Leslie]

Viv wrote: "I didn't think I owned a western until I saw the NYPL list and found that Close Range by Annie Proulx was on the list and realised I have a copy on my shelf. Yay! I wi..."

I also chose Close Range for this task, per the NYPL recommendation. (It includes Brokeback Mountain!) Of the books I've read this year, it is my favorite. Her writing is fantastic and I truly felt like I was out in Wyoming observing the characters.

I wanted to read Lonesome Dove but was turned off by the length. As a Texan, I am ashamed but it's top of my list if I finish the challenge before the end of the year!

[Tony]

I wasn't sure what to do for Westerns. I also was going to read Lonesome Dove, because I couldn't think of what else to read. I wasn't really thrilled about it. I didn't know about Close Range; now I'll read that instead. This is a great suggestion. Thanks.

[Jen]

I read Riders of the Purple Sage—and double counted it for a classic of genre fiction.

[Rayne]

When I was in high school I read the entire 24-book series Wagons West by Dana Fuller Ross. I actually still have all the books in a box in my closet, so I think I might go with book 1, Independence! for this challenge. I remember how much I loved the series as a teen. It’ll be interesting to see if I still enjoy it as much as an adult.

[Stephanie]

Am wrote: "I still have no idea what book I'll read for this task, but I'd like to recommend Six-Gun Snow White. I'm also not into this genre, but I enjoyed reading this book. It's a retelling..."
Oooohhh the fact that this counts pleases me greatly. I don't tend to do Westerns for many reasons (not my cup of tea, not into guns and macho attitudes, also the whole history of racism ingrained in the genre) but Cat Valente is an author I adore. So this genre may have potential, woohoo!

[Loreen ☕️]

I read The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour. Sigh. It wasn't good.

[Elizabeth]

I'm using Serial Reader (which I am officially in love with, addicted to, and recommending to everyone I come into contact with) to complete this task. I am reading Willa Cather's Great Plains Trilogy (O Pioneers!, The Song of the Lark, and My Ántonia) to fulfill this task. Since O Pioneers! is first, it's what I'm reading now, and what will count for this task.

I'm actually enjoying it more than I expected so far.

[Megan]

I read Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry and it was fantastic! I couldn't put it down!

Lonesome Dove

[Melissa]

Am,
What Cat Valente books would you recommend?