the year in books [X]

The next gauntlet in my 2021 Reading Queue is a series of western novels. I sure do love American westerns, particularly in the summer and autumn. Whenever I read a western, I make sure to wear my cowboy boots as much as possible (even though they make my aging knees hurt like hell), and I eat a lot of chili, corn mush, and beans to get into that western atmosphere (oh, and I forgot to mention grits: lots and lots of grits). This year's first six westerns are a spattering of authors. Craig Johnson, author of the infamous Longmire Mysteries, takes the lead with three novels. The Longmire novels are great, and every time I read them I can't help but give a nod to the casting department of the Longmire TV show. They really nailed the casting, and I can't read the novels without picturing the actors in their respective roles. Naomi's namesake Loren D. Estleman wrote another great yarn in Wild Justice, and William and J.A. Johnstone's A Good Day for a Massacre was a surprisingly good read. With Johnstone's books you're never guaranteed a good read; some are a sludge, some I can't even finish, and some - like this one - are solid reads. The last western in this group is Larry McMurtry's Boone's Lick. McMurtry is a modern-day Louis La'Amour (sp?), and his westerns always pack a punch.