Mark your calendars for these upcoming events!
Thu Oct 14 10am-11am:
Spooky seasons greetings from the librarians at ONL! Join us in the Community Meeting Room or on
Zoom (email registration required) for a run down on the latest and greatest
October scares along with some favorite creepy movies as well! Registration: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/5473260
Thu Oct 14 6pm-10pm:
An Evening with the Author: Patti Callahan Henry! Registration required here: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/5523114
Please join us on Thursday evening, October 14, to celebrate the launch of
Patti Callahan Henry's new novel “Once Upon a Wardrobe.” This event
will be available to our patrons via Zoom as well as in-person attendance.
Please choose how you would like to attend. If you choose Zoom, please double
check the spelling on your email address!
Sat Oct 16 7pm-9pm:
Join us on the lawn across from the Library for a classic Halloween creature
feature. There will be thrills and chills and gills!
Books & Beyond (BAB) returns on Tue Oct 26th at 6:30pm,
in-person and on Zoom (email registration required at https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/4597974)! Browse the display at the 2nd floor reference
desk or online under the “Adults” tab and “Book Recommendations,” then look for
“World Spiritual Beliefs.”
This week, BAB chatted about westerns of page, screen, and
podcast! Read on to see what popped up
in the discussion. (descriptions from
Amazon and Rotten Tomatoes)
In Upright Women Wanted, award-winning author Sarah Gailey reinvents the pulp Western with an explicitly antifascist, near-future story of queer identity.
American
Hippo by Sarah Gailey
In 2017 Sarah Gailey made her debut with River of Teeth and Taste
of Marrow, two action-packed novellas that introduced readers to an
alternate America in which hippos rule the colossal swamp that was once the
Mississippi River. Now readers have the chance to read both novellas in American
Hippo, a single, beautiful volume.
His
to Claim by Brenda Jackson
When navy SEAL and honorary Westmoreland Mac McRoy returns home, he discovers
his wife has left. Teri has retreated to the Wyoming ranch they’d planned to
visit together and is resentful when he follows. She doesn’t want a second
honeymoon; she wants a marriage Mac doesn’t take for granted. But life-or-death
circumstances are about to put their love to the ultimate test.
The
Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (has film)
With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the
classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force.
Filled with a remarkable cast of characters-losers, cheaters, and
ne’er-do-wells from all stripes of life-and told by a complex and compelling
narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s
frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old
West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.
Trigun
(anime)
Vash the Stampede is a wanted man with a habit of turning entire towns into
rubble. The price on his head is a fortune, and his path of destruction reaches
across the arid wastelands of a desert planet. Unfortunately, most encounters
with the spiky-haired gunslinger don't end well for the bounty hunters who
catch up with him; someone almost always gets hurt - and it's never Vash. Oddly
enough, for such an infamous fugitive, there's no proof that he's ever taken a
life. In fact, he's a pacifist with a doughnut obsession who's more doofus than
desperado. There's a whole lot more to him than his reputation lets on - Vash
the Stampede definitely ain't your typical outlaw.
Cowboys
& Aliens
Gunslinger Daniel Craig and greedy cattle baron Harrison Ford lead a small town
against a hostile alien invasion in this sci-fi/western.
Westworld
(HBO remade into series, Season 1 not in the library system)
The one-hour drama series, WESTWORLD is a dark odyssey about the dawn of
artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of
the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every
human appetite, not matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged. No rules, no
laws, no judgment. Live without limits.
Westworld
(1973)
Westworld is a futuristic theme park where paying guests can pretend to be
gunslingers in an artificial Wild West populated by androids. After paying a
sizable entrance fee, Blane (James Brolin) and Martin (Richard Benjamin) are
determined to unwind by hitting the saloons and shooting off their guns. But
when the system goes haywire and Blane is killed in a duel with a robotic
gunslinger (Yul Brynner), Martin's escapist fantasy suddenly takes on a grim
reality.
Cold
Mountain
In this classic story of love and devotion set against the backdrop of the
American Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman (Jude Law)
deserts his unit and travels across the South, aiming to return to his young
wife, Ada (Nicole Kidman), who he left behind to tend their farm. As Inman
makes his perilous journey home, Ada struggles to keep their home intact with
the assistance of Ruby (Renée Zellweger), a mysterious drifter sent to help her
by a kindly neighbor.
Bad
Girls
Prostitutes Cody (Madeleine Stowe), Anita (Mary Stuart Masterson), Eileen (Andie
MacDowell) and Lily (Drew Barrymore), work a saloon in the Old West. They
decide to flee the bordello for a better life elsewhere, but trouble follows
close behind. They're tailed by Pinkerton detectives, Cody's savings are stolen
by a bandit (James Russo), and Eileen is wrongfully jailed for bank robbery.
Now the remaining three girls must decide whether to liberate their friend or
their funds first.
The
Misfits
While filing for a divorce, beautiful ex-stripper Roslyn Taber (Marilyn Monroe)
ends up meeting aging cowboy-turned-gambler Gay Langland (Clark Gable) and
former World War II aviator Guido Racanelli (Eli Wallach). The two men instantly
become infatuated with Roslyn and, on a whim, the three decide to move into
Guido's half-finished desert home together. When grizzled ex-rodeo rider Perce
Howland (Montgomery Clift) arrives, the unlikely foursome strikes up a business
capturing wild horses.
The
Quick and the Dead
A mysterious woman gunslinger, Ellen (Sharon Stone), saunters into the town of
Redemption looking for revenge. Her father was killed by the town's sadistic
mayor, Herod (Gene Hackman), who is in the midst of organizing a quick-draw
tournament. The lady enters, joining a cast of miscreants and outlaws for a
brutal competition in which the loser dies. Among the competitors is "The
Kid" (Leonardo DiCaprio), an upstart who has his own score to settle with
Herod.
True
Grit
After an outlaw named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) murders her father, feisty
14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) hires Rooster Cogburn
(Jeff Bridges), a boozy, trigger-happy lawman, to help her find Chaney and
avenge her father. The bickering duo are not alone in their quest, for a Texas
Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) is also tracking Chaney for reasons of his
own. Together the unlikely trio ventures into hostile territory to dispense
some Old West justice. Search
for the John Wayne version here.
Unforgiven
When prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald (Anna Thomson) is disfigured by a pair of
cowboys in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, her fellow brothel workers post a reward for
their murder, much to the displeasure of sheriff Little Bill Daggett (Gene
Hackman), who doesn't allow vigilantism in his town. Two groups of gunfighters,
one led by aging former bandit William Munny (Clint Eastwood), the other by the
florid English Bob (Richard Harris), come to collect the reward, clashing with
each other and the sheriff.
City
Slickers
Every year, three friends take a vacation away from their wives. This year,
henpecked Phil (Daniel Stern), newly married Ed (Bruno Kirby), and Mitch (Billy
Crystal) -- terrified of his midlife crisis -- decide to reignite their
masculinity by taking a supervised cattle drive across the Southwest. Under the
supervision of gruff cowboy Curly (Jack Palance), the men set out on a journey
that turns unexpectedly dangerous. The three men bond along the way to
conquering their fear of aging.
The
Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, The Plague of Doves—the first
part of a loose trilogy that includes the National Book Award-winning The
Round House and LaRose—is
a gripping novel about a long-unsolved crime in a small North Dakota town and
how, years later, the consequences are still being felt by the community and a
nearby Native American reservation.
Inland
by Tea Obreht
In the lawless, drought-ridden lands of the Arizona Territory in 1893, two
extraordinary lives unfold. Nora is an unflinching frontierswoman awaiting
the return of the men in her life—biding her time with her youngest son, who is
convinced that a mysterious beast is stalking the land around their home. Meanwhile, Lurie
is a former outlaw and a man haunted by ghosts. He finds reprieve from their
longing in an unexpected relationship that inspires a momentous expedition
across the West. The way in which Lurie’s death-defying trek at last
intersects with Nora’s plight is the surprise and suspense of this
brilliant novel.
Deadwood
(tv series)
"Deadwood" is set in a mining town that was not part of any U.S.
state or territory in the post-Civil War years, and thus was literally lawless.
Deadwood attracts people looking to get rich after a huge gold strike, as well
as those looking to capitalize on the lack of organized law in the town, built
on land stolen from the Sioux.
Deadwood:
The Movie
Saloon owner Al Swearengen clashes with Sheriff Seth Bullock as the residents
of Deadwood celebrate South Dakota's statehood in 1889.
My
Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand et al.
Welcome to 1876 America, a place bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and
garou—better known as werewolves. And where there are garou, there’re hunters:
the one and only Calamity Jane, to be precise, along with her fellow stars of
Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, Annie Oakley and Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler.
After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm,
she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s talk of a garou cure. But rumors can
be deceiving—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day
late and a Jane short.
Last Podcast
on the Left: Billy the Kid
A rootin’ tootin’ series on Billy the Kid—AKA Henry McCarty, AKA Kid Atrim, AKA
William H. Bonney—who is perhaps the most famous gunslinger of America’s Old
West.
Episode
1
Episode
2
Episode 3
Episode
4
Damsel
Samuel Alabaster, an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to
marry the love of his life, Penelope. As his group traverses the West, the
once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain
and damsel.
The
Ridgeline by Michael Punke
In 1866, with the country barely recovered from the Civil War, new war breaks
out on the western frontier – a clash of cultures between a young, ambitious
nation and the Native tribes who have lived on the land for
centuries. Throughout this taut saga – based on real people and events –
Michael Punke brings the same immersive, vivid storytelling and historical
insight that made his breakthrough debut so memorable.
As Ridgeline builds to its epic conclusion, it grapples with
essential questions of conquest and justice that still echo today.
The
Revenant by Michael Punke
The year is 1823, and the trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company live a
brutal frontier life. Hugh Glass is among the company’s finest men, an
experienced frontiersman and an expert tracker. But when a scouting mission
puts him face-to-face with a grizzly bear, he is viciously mauled and not
expected to survive. Two company men are dispatched to stay behind and tend to
Glass before he dies. When the men abandon him instead, Glass is driven to
survive by one desire: revenge. Search
for a copy of the film here.
The
Hunger by Alma Katsu
Whether it's a curse from the beautiful Tamsen Donner (who some think might be
a witch), their ill-advised choice of route through uncharted terrain, or just
plain bad luck, the ninety men, women, and children of the Donner Party are
heading into one of one of the deadliest and most disastrous Western adventures
in American history. As members of the group begin to disappear, the survivors
start to wonder if there really is something disturbing, and hungry, waiting
for them in the mountains...and whether the evil that has unfolded around them
may have in fact been growing within them all along. Effortlessly combining the
supernatural and the historical, The Hunger is an eerie,
thrilling look at the volatility of human nature, pushed to its breaking point.
Caroline:
Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller
In this novel authorized by the Little
House Heritage Trust, Sarah Miller vividly recreates the beauty, hardship,
and joys of the frontier in a dazzling work of historical fiction, a
captivating story that illuminates one courageous, resilient, and loving
pioneer woman as never before—Caroline Ingalls, "Ma" in Laura Ingalls
Wilder’s Little
House books.
The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward John Ford (film)
Infamous and unpredictable, Jesse James (Brad Pitt), nicknamed the fastest gun
in the west, plans his next big heist while he launches pre-emptive strikes
against those looking to collect the reward the law has placed on his head.
Jesse's newest recruits, Robert (Casey Affleck) and Charley Ford (Sam
Rockwell), grow increasingly jealous of the outlaw. When they sense an
opportunity to kill Jesse, they gun him down, but their actions backfire when
Jesse's fame is elevated to near mythical status. Want to read the book? Search
for an available copy here.
GENERAL DISCUSSION:
In
a Valley of Violence
A mysterious drifter (Ethan Hawke) and his dog journey toward Mexico through
the barren desert of the Old West. Hoping to shorten their trip, they cut
through a large valley, landing in the forgotten town of Denton -- a place now
known as a valley of violence. The once-popular mining town is nearly abandoned
and controlled by a group of misfits and nitwits, including the seemingly
untouchable Gilly (James Ransone), the troublemaking son of the town's
difficult marshal.
Godless
(requires Netflix subscription)
Notorious criminal Frank Griffin and his gang of outlaws are on a mission --
get revenge on Roy Goode, a former protege who betrayed the brotherhood. On the
run, Roy seeks refuge in isolated mining town La Belle, N.M., where he lives
with Alice Fletcher, a hardened widower and outcast. When word reaches La
Belle, which is governed mainly by women, that Griffin is headed there, the
residents of the town band together to defend against his murderous gang.
3:10
to Yuma
This remake of a classic Western improves on the original, thanks to fiery
performances from Russell Crowe and Christian Bale as well as sharp direction
from James Mangold.
Elmore
Leonard western stories (I could not find the British film I
mentioned. I believe I’ve gotten the
details mixed up with another author.)
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