Frea Reads a Western. It Goes...Less than Well.

[frea_o]

One of my Table of Doom challenge panels was to write a western, so I did what any responsible person would do: I picked the fandom least likely to accept a western and came up with a plotline. And then I got actualfax (tm sabra_n) western book on my Kindle by going to the Gutenberg project and comparing their “western bookshelf” against several top ten

Comments

[andersenmom]

There's no such thing as "it's just a book" when it makes you feel that strongly.

I'd have suggested a Louis L'amour book, frankly. He's the only Western writer I can think of.

[frea_o]

Yeah, but I'd have had to pay for that book. :) Or go to the library and pay the exorbitant fines I've racked up by not returning things. So free Kindle books it is!

[andersenmom]

Oh, my dear. *giggles*

[alphaflyer]

Well.

(1) I'd give up on the Wister (btw Westerns were never known for their adherence to narrative conventions -- that means you can let the suckiest ones go without guilt).

(2) I went through a Western phase in my teens (major confession here, hope this site is friends only ...) and did read a few Zane Greys. They seemed okay at the time, but that was before I got two English lit degrees and developed critical judgment. So -- go for it, but no guarantees.

(3) Fun things? Hmm. My adorable kid is turning 15 tomorrow and has bright orange hair? Easter is coming, with eggs of chocolate? Ah, I know. I have to go to The Hague for two meetings right after -- there are two fab Indonesian restaurants walking distance from my hotel and I get to spend the weekend with family in my home town, in between those two meetings. On full expenses, because I'm saving the taxpayers zillions by not flying back to Canada in between meetings. THAT is what I call fun (at least when it comes to having to work for a living).

[frea_o]

My friend who wrote his thesis on Western writing told me to give up Wister as well, so I'm going to do that. He also gave me a copy of Blood Meridian. I read the synopsis and it seems a liiiiiittle bit dark. In my teens, I read the entire Star Wars EU (even the Kevin J. Anderson books!), so I can't judge you for having a western phase at all. I'm reading the Zane Grey now and it's confusing because I feel like he just dropped me in the middle of the story. Also, it's telling me Mormons Are the Worst, which I'm a little worried about.

Happy birthday to your kid!! Does she have the typical redhead temperament or is that a myth? I've always wondered. The redheads I know are all calm and collected, but I worry they might be trolling me. I hope you have a blast in the Hague! I've never had Indonesian food, so I might have to correct that oversight soon. And yay for saving Canada zillions. You're a true Canadian spirit, you are. *sage nod* :)

[alphaflyer]

Well, I wouldn't know from red-headed kid temper, since the orange -- and the maroon before it -- came out of a bottle. (It's less permanent than the dragon tattoo I got last year, so I couldn't see a good reason to say no. I compromised by letting my hair dresser do a decent job of it, rather than leaving things to teenage experimentation.) Her natural colour is a bit like Jeremy Renner's -- dark blonde.

And YAY to Indonesian food. It is wonderful, especially the Rijstafel (rice table) which is like Turkish mezze, 20 little dishes of different stuff, all delectable. Indonesian places are all over The Hague and Amsterdam, thanks to Dutch colonial history. (And it beats the crap out of Dutch food, let me tell you.)