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#western
blurb
Fortifiedbybooks
A Texas Hill Country Christmas | William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone
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Since I have the whole week off from work, I'll have plenty of time to read! So why not sign up for a holiday readathon?! #CozyChristmas

peanutnine Yay! Glad to have you join 🤗 5h
11 likes1 comment
review
Suet624
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Pickpick

I see this only received a 33% rating on Litsy. I completely understand that people may not like it but upon finishing this book I immediately fell into a deep dive into all it had/still has raised within me. A love story, an escape into the deep woods of Montana, the writing, I was hearing the cadence of long lost relatives, the story-quick & to the point-has all the makings of a Western but it's completely Irish. Tom and Polly. The 10,000 (cont)

Suet624 Irish who left Ireland to work in the mines in Butte, the mystical connection Tom has access to.. something about this book and its lyrical writing has opened a portal to the past for me. Just shows that just because folks don't like a book doesn't mean you won't like it. :). A 5 star for me. (edited) 1d
Suet624 If you'd like to hear him read some of the book, I enjoyed this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5agriAsyYo 1d
Tamra I‘ll see if I can check out the audio. 😄 1d
LeahBergen I‘m happy to read this good review as I bought it as a Xmas gift for a “literary western” loving friend! 23h
Suet624 @LeahBergen I hope they appreciate it as much as I did. It was the Irish aspect of it that I really enjoyed. 20h
45 likes2 stack adds5 comments
review
Hooked_on_books
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Bailedbailed

This is my second attempt with Barry and I have to conclude that he‘s not for me. I read 30 pages and it‘s choppy and nonsensical and I have no desire to continue.

#TOBlonglist

Anna40 I bailed on this one too 3w
BkClubCare Oh. I am now realizing that I was thinking this was Kevin Wilson. Ooops 3w
BarbaraBB @BkClubCare I prefer Wilson to Barry too 😀 3w
See All 9 Comments
squirrelbrain I finished it but that‘s only because it was short and I struggle to bail. 🙄 I really disliked it. 3w
Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain I actually find that validating. I‘m even happier now that I bailed! I used to be how you‘re describing (and can still be), but I‘ve gotten better about admitting to myself when a book isn‘t working for me. It‘s hard! 3w
squirrelbrain Thank you Holly. ☺️ I found it choppy too but also rather distasteful and unpleasant. I was reading it with a face like I could smell something bad. 😬 3w
Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain 😂 That‘s hilarious! I‘ve learned to try to read my facial expressions to help me bail. If I have the face you describe or if I‘m rolling my eyes a lot I tell myself it‘s time. It doesn‘t always work, but it often does. 3w
Megabooks Good to know!! 2w
38 likes9 comments
review
steffen1223
Lonesome Dove: A Novel | Larry McMurtry
Pickpick

This is an exceptional novel that explores themes of friendship and loss. McMurtry masterfully portrays the Old West and the challenges faced by its inhabitants. It is a beautifully character-driven story.

review
Robotswithpersonality
The Sisters Brothers | Patrick DeWitt
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Mehso-so

Mixed feelings on this one. I continue to enjoy Patrick Dewitt's writing talent; this book has a particular style, different from The Librarianist, but seamless in matching the tone of the book: at once snappy and brutal, occasionally meandering and contemplative. It feels like DeWitt set out to write something that echoes the first generation of westerns/adventure books, 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? but wanted to make it a little more honest, or just dark, in confronting the lonely, hardscrabble existence and prevalent greed of gray morality/amoral gunmen amidst gold rush prospectors. I had a rough time with the level of animal cruelty casually discussed, even as the narrator seemed to fluctuate in his levels of apathy and shame regarding the treatment of his horse. 1mo
Robotswithpersonality 3/? Suffice to say there's a not particularly enlightened view of sex workers demonstrated. Less a moral tale of bad people coming to bad endings, than a tale of equity, everybody's struggling, likely to do wrong, grasp what they can, and moments of tenderness between brothers, friends or potential lovers are short-lived. 1mo
Robotswithpersonality 4/4 I can't see recommending it because a key element to my overall rating of a book is how I feel throughout, but I can't fault it on a narrative or technical level. It told a story in a unique way with a specific ending that feels purposeful. 🤷🏼‍♂️

⚠️animal death, animal cruelty, fatphobia, racism, slur, alcoholism, gore
1mo
13 likes3 comments
quote
Robotswithpersonality
The Sisters Brothers | Patrick DeWitt
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“Her laughter and this cold, fresh air...“
A good combination.

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Robotswithpersonality
The Sisters Brothers | Patrick DeWitt
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“We take turns.“ 😬🤦🏼‍♂️

11 likes1 stack add
review
Booksbymybed
The country beyond | James Oliver Curwood
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Pickpick

I‘ve loved this book when I was a kid. And bought it in English a while ago, but reread it for the first time only now. And it was amazing. Very vivid depiction of the Canadian wilderness (I even looked up the places), gripping adventure, gorgeous romance. The dog‘s POV was masterfully woven into the narrative. I am immensely thankful for that ray of literary light in a truly horrible week that just passed.

review
Chars
Lonesome Dove: A Novel | Larry McMurtry
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Pickpick

None of McMurtry‘s characters feel typical or cliche. They‘re too real, glinting faulted. Call is a leader, rugged and resolute. To others, he is a coward. Gus with all his charm and bravery fills the role of a gentleman, yet forever remains a rambler without much direction.

I started to say that McMurtry writes women well but really, he writes people well. He treats the women characters the same as the men, full and human.

review
Hooked_on_books
West: A Novel | Carys Davies
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Pickpick

Like others here, I wanted to read more from Davies after Clear. I liked this one, a novel of obsession, the expansiveness of men‘s lives and the rapid narrowing of girls‘s as they become women. The ending is a tad preposterous but I liked it.

squirrelbrain Yes, I agree, the ending didn‘t quite fit… 2mo
BarbaraBB I agree too. It‘s not as good as Clear 2mo
BkClubCare I just found this in our FriendsOftheLibrary bookstore, shelved in Westerns alongside Louis Lamour and Larry McMurtry 😊 1mo
Hooked_on_books @BkClubCare I think it could legitimately be called a western. And it‘s my kind of western! 1mo
52 likes4 comments