Best Western Fiction (in my opinion) – These days, I am really reading more Contemporary Westerns BECAUSE I am searching for something new, or a new lens. Therefore, I am reversing the order to place more emphasis on the “new.”
Contemporary
Perma Red – Debra Magpie Ealing – 1940’s on the Flathead Reservation. Probably Historical BUT it feels more modern
The Flicker of Old Dreams – Susan Henderson
There There – Tommy Orange
Historical
All of the following are well known – that’s no secret. And they are for a reason.
Slogum House – Mari Sandoz
The Homesman – Glendon Swarthout
Lonesome Dove – Larry McMurry
All the Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy
Death Comes to the Archbishop – Willa Cather
News of the World – Paulette Jiles
The Wind – Dorothy Scarborough
Books that have wide critical acclaim, and I’m not so sure of:
The Shootist – Glendon Swarthout. Great premise – I mean, who isn’t interested in a dying gunslinger? I actually liked the end – although John Wayne didn’t…but beyond that, I’m not sold.
