Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Blaine's Top 10 Books - Day 7


Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry

I realize it may mean that I’m a little bigoted, but I just don’t like hot, dusty, dry locales.  I mean no offense by that;  I respect the beauty of desert regions, it’s just that I prefer green, cool, hilly, and wet.  As such, I’m not a big fan of most books or movies dealing with the American Southwest, Northern Africa, or the Middle East.  It all just looks really hot and dusty to me.

But I like Lonesome Dove.  I took a shine to Gus & Call right off the bat, even with their wildly different personalities, and when you throw in the rest of their band of flawed characters – including a horse affectionately called the Hell Bitch – some not entirely law abiding antics, a misplaced beauty, and a dream that you know in your heart will always be more of a journey than a true destination, you’ve got a story to remember.

Why does it work for me?  Again, I don’t know, but my guess is that reading about Gus and Call reminds me of some of the qualities that I wish I had.  Qualities that I do have when I travel along the trail with them to Montana.   Yippee Ki-Yay!

Full disclosure:  The nest of Water Moccasins still give me the willies.

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