Straight Outta Deadwood

Straight Outta Deadwood edited by David Boop

Pages: 288 

Stars: 3 out of 5 stars

Short story collection from paranormal writers with all of the stories set in the Wild West. They were also required to document any facts given about real people in their stories, such as when and where Doc Holliday died. The authors clearly had fun with this task, some included characters from their regular series while others wrote a stand-alone paranormal western. Those are two words I never imagined putting together in a book review, but this was fun to read. 

An Easy Death (Gunnie Rose #1) by Charlaine Harris

 

An Easy Death (Gunnie Rose #1)

by 

Charlaine Harris 

Pages: 336

5 out of 5 stars

This book is the first in a new series by Charlaine Harris, best known for the True Blood series, but her mystery series are very good as well. This tale combines several of my favorite genres, urban fantasy, thriller, paranormal and western. For those of you who go, Western? Trust me. This is an alternative history and it works well. If you saw and enjoyed the tv series, Wynonna Earp, this is definitely for you. The story is led by a strong female heroine, which Charlaine Harris is always good at writing. Can't wait for the next title in the series!

Historical Fiction Reads

It's been a while since I posted anything, so I'll try to catch up on what I've read the past several weeks!


Flight of the Hawk: The Plains by W. Michael Gear

The second book in the series, Where Tylor leaves the Missouri River to set off into the plains, still running from the bounty on his head. I didn't like this one as much. It was a lot of descriptions of grass, and not the actual story didn't pick up until the very end. The introduction of Native American characters made it feel more like the Gears' People books, which is not what I was looking for in this one. Still, I enjoyed the return of McKeever.

281 pages




People of the Fire by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear

I've been enjoying these books. They are a bit predictable, but I enjoy reading about the way Native Americans lived. I love the fact that this series is written by an archaeologist couple, and you can definitely tell they've done the research and been on the digs. The final scene with the wildfire is excellent! This is a fun escapist read to America's distant past.

480 pages




The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

More of an alternative history novel, as the main characters use magic conduction, but still a solid depiction of the bigotry of southern aristocracy and injustice of slavery. Definitely check out the audiobook of this one, because the reader is amazing! He even sings the work songs, which saves me the trouble of looking them up on Youtube. I love historical fiction, because it leads me to look up and learn about history I didn't know about.

403 pages

Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener

I remember reading this one in middle school, but I did NOT pick up on half the history or the adult references as I did this time around. This book is so good, I felt like I was actually touring around the Pacific Islands alongside these men. Michener does a great job at depicting the boredom of officers, the interactions with islanders, and of course, the horrors of war-which makes sense, I suppose, since he lived it. I feel like too many novels about WWII focus on the European theater, so it's nice to get the other perspective. A true masterpiece!

384 pages



P.S. Did you know atabrine (the yellow malaria tablets passed out by Atabrine Benny) is closely related to chloroquine?

Landry’s Back in Town (Rocky Ridge Romance #1). By Marjery Scott.

Landry’s Back in Town (Rocky Ridge Romance #1). By Marjery Scott. 2016. Margery Scott. ASIN: B01BNNFEXA (Kindle).

The story of Landry Mitchell and Olivia Harding begins when Landry steps in to thwart an attack on Olivia in a dusty alley of Rocky Ridge, a frontier town in Colorado. The two are instantly drawn to each other, but Landry, who has not been warmly welcomed back by the town’s residents after a three-year stint in prison, is hesitant to approach her. Olivia however, who spends her days taking care of children at the orphanage, sees a man who deserves a second chance. As Landry begins to open up to Olivia and the young orphan Daniel, his bank-robbing brother Tobias re-enters his life….and Tobias does not come to Rocky Ridge alone.

Margery Scott tells a hopeful story about three lonely people building a family and a brother’s love and loyalty bringing redemption. This historical western romance is a short, sweet read.

164 pages

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Everyone loves this, so what is wrong with me? This is my first Cormac McCarthy book, and I’m completely underwhelmed.

At first, I thought this was interesting and maybe even strangely charming. I liked the simple/sparse style. Then it shifted to boring and confusing with a lot of description. I never could get a handle on any of the characters. They are introduced rapidly and make no real impression before disappearing again. Everyone and everything just blended together.

There is literally no character growth or development. Also, 75% of the time, I couldn’t even figure out who was speaking, and there is a lot of telling through the dialog. The story jumps around constantly, so good luck trying to follow along and make sense of it. You are just along for a weird, confusing, less than satisfying ride.

There’s blood and violence, which should have caught my attention, but somehow even that manages to be boring or feel unnecessary.

A lot of reviewers who liked this book seem to have watched the movie first. Maybe you have to do that to be able to understand the book? If that’s the case, then Cormac McCarthy is a hard pass for me.

2nd star for interesting stylistic choices, even though they aren’t that effective. Let’s consider it a “good effort” star, rather than a good end result star.

Pages: 309

Nancy MacIntyre A Tale of the Prairies

 Nancy MacIntyre A Tale of the Prairies
by Lester Shepard Parker
Pages: 140
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This novel in verse tells the story of a love-lorn cowboy as he searches the West for his true love, Nancy MacIntyre. Nancy and her family have left the small farming community where our hero meets and falls in love with her. The family disappeared in the middle of the night, but he is determined to find Nancy even though it means abandoning his own farm. Written in 1908 by Jefferson City native Lester S. Parker. During his lifetime he was an entrepreneur, painter, poet, author, composer, actor and adviser to city officials. He and his family moved to Jefferson City after losing their home in Chicago in 1871 during the Great Fire. He was also appointed by the governor to be the first superintendent of prison workers. by Gov. Frederick Gardner to the Capitol Decoration Commission in 1917. His historic home is listed in the National Register of Histroic Places and is located at 624 Capitol Avenue.