According to my Goodreads, I read westerns and western style books more than any other genre, except maybe histories so here is a list of some of my favorite.
Paradise Sky by Joe R. Lansdale- If you are looking for a badass fictionalized life of a true American cowboy, take a gander at this book! Nat Love was one of the west's toughest hombres in the history of the west.. Guns, guts and glory fill the pages. Try the audiobook too, if you can!
One Ranger by H. Joaquin Jackson- I listened to the (author read) audiobook checked out from my local library at the time and this memoir has dust caked on it. Jackson served as a Texas Ranger in the late 1970's through the early 1990's and was at the center of some hair raising tales. The best part was his highlighting of Ranger traditions while adapting to the modern times. He talks at length about his feelings towards the people he worked with, against, his gear, and interestingly enough his homelife. I highly recommend it!
Rough Rider: Bucky O'Neil of Arizona by Dale L. Walker- At the close of the 19th century, America found itself in a little dust up down in Cuba thanks in part to a bullish Under Secretary of the Navy named Theodore Roosevelt. Of course he created, and ran into the history books a group of gruff cowboys, aristocrates, and outlaws etched in the history books as the Rough Riders. Bucky O'Neil had already made a name for himself as an Arizona lawman before he ever joined the Rough Riders, and this story covers his trails.
The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy- Western Gothic, some would say Neo American Gothic starts with McCarthy. These books are equal parts sagebrush stories, noir, and high literature. Within each you have elements of the lone cowboy riding for the brand, love, loss, crime, and dirty outlaw living. You won't have to read these in order, but to get a good idea of McCarthy's writing, start with All The Pretty Horse.
The Open Range Men by Lauren Paine- This is one of my favorite book to movie adaptations. Paine somehow incorporates so many modern themes into a western story without effort. This book starts slow and easy, and blows up in the last few pages with lighting fast speed. I would stack this book up against anything in the running as the most understated western of all time.
The Walt Longmire Series by Craig Johnson- I make no bones about my fandom for this series. I would credit it for my awakening to popular fiction as a whole, especially serial fiction. To this day it is the only long standing series I have read completely. As I have talked about before, having watched the TV series helped me jump into Absaroka County with both boots and I haven't entirely returned since. Walt Longmire is the essential modern cowboy. Smart, quick on his feet, slow to act and forceful when he does. Surrounded by a cast of characters that keep him in check Walt cleans house in Durrant, Wyoming.
The Lonesome Dove Series by Larry McMurtry- Repeatedly, I have been told by multiple people from all walks of life that you can learn everything you need to know about life from reading Lonesome Dove. Having read all four books, I can agree. Somehow, McMurtry is able to wrap the true essence of friendships, hardships, unrequited love, confusion, and serendipity in a West Texas town. It will take every bit of reading stamina you have to get through all these books, but so much is your reward for doing so.
Shane by Jack Schaefer- Shane is a great story that fits such an interesting niche in the western cannon. It has all the trappings of a western story, with deep, impactful plots, but is written in a way that you could had it to just about any reader, of any age and they would enjoy it. Not particularly long, this book could be read in a day or so, but packs a hard punch as a true cowboy tale.
The Kinky Friedman Stories by Kinky Friedman- What happens if you run Tom Robbins, Dashiell Hammett, and Louis L'Amour through an espresso machine and add a ten cigar a day habit? You get a Kinky Friedman novel. These books are typically not set in the west but there is always a western tie in. From his ten-gallon hat, to his investigating Willie Nelson's kidnapping, the connections are there. I love these books full of catchy lines and quick plot twists. Anytime someone is looking for a new and different mystery series, I throw them to the Kinkster.
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