Monday, December 22, 2008

Wild West Monday

Head on over to The Tainted Archive to check out Wild West Monday, a new effort to increase the demand for Westerns in bookstores and libraries. Although of course mine is not an unbiased opinion, I think it would be great if the Western could make a real comeback. People are really missing out on some great reading just because it's not out there as readily available as it once was. And for a field that's not nearly as big as it used to be, there's still a wide variety of material available in current Westerns, from historical epics to literary novels to Spaghetti Western-influenced action novels to noirish Western crime novels. It may take a little more looking these days, but no matter what your reading taste, I think the odds are good you can find a Western or two you'll enjoy.

5 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

A great idea. I started reading "Cavalry Man: Killing Machine" today in honor of the day.

James Reasoner said...

You can't go wrong with Ed Gorman. The man's never written a bad book.

August West said...

I'm with Charles, and I need to read more Westerns. (I usually read them during the summer months)

Today I'm starting "Two Funerals For Tombstone" by Mel Marshall. Never read anything by the author, but its starting good. (a Ballantine Western from 1973)

David Cranmer said...

Gary Dobbs has a great idea and I'm reading TEXAS SHERIFF by Eugene Cunningham. In two weeks we will have one of Gary's westerns featured on Beat to a Pulp.

Gary Dobbs/Jack Martin said...

Wild West Monday was decided on the spur of the moment but it's worked in that it's got many of us talking about it and visiting bookshops, libraries or simply wallowing in a good read. Next time - first Monday in Feb will be far better organised. Both Wild West magazine and True West Magazine will give it a mention. Also I've now spoken to the editor of the Bookseller and they like the angle of fans using the net to bring a beloved genre back into vogue. There'll be an interview feature in that. I'm going to approach my local radio station too. Anyone else want to do something then let me know so we can publicise it and be co-ordinated.

Someone in the Western Writers of America will hopefully get that organisation behind us also. Anyone who is a member then maybe they can approach them.

I've got a good feeling about this.


It's for all of us - so saddle up, we can do this.