So Long, June on the Range

[@derekgreen7319]

Everyone should read lonesome dove. I also highly recommend butcher's crossing by john williams . Butcher's crossing is a bit like an allegory about the end of the Western. It's fantastic.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I’ll definitely saddle up again next year. Absolutely loved the event. Thanks so much for organising it!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks so much! You were a huge part of it’s success.

[@anotherbibliophilereads]

I’ll be there on the range in 2023 as long as the center holds. The BookTuber Gang will ride again.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I’m so glad you are willing to join back up with the gang.

[@arronjameshook]

With a silhouetted horse rampant and waved stetson, June on the range moseys over the horizon and Michael wipes away a small tear as consoles himself with the words, ‘a year will fly by’. However, his grief is interrupted when he gets the whiff of a scent, which becomes a stench, and Michael turns on his heels to see @CriminOlly bearing down on the Vaughan Homestead with the hordes of Garbaugust behind him!

[@MagusMarquillin]

It takes a real man to mosey and shed a single small tear at the same time.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Yes, the garbage filled fury of CriminOlly is indeed bearing down upon me!

[@DDB168]

It was a great month of reading. I read 6 westerns (Bloody Season, Journal of the Gun Years, The Gunfight, The Ox Bow Incident, Shane, The Searchers) and still reading the 7th (Warlock). Had never read any before, so small sample size but I will nominate The Searchers as the GREATEST western ever ! 🤣 I really liked The Gunfight too. Thanks for organising it and I look forward to JotR 2023. 🤠

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Awesome DDB! The Searchers was great!

[@DebMcDonald]

MKV🐴🤠! I am now a lover of westerns. This event was inspired. I read 7 classic and modern westerns during June and enjoyed each in their own way. Thanks again. I’m continuing to read them because of course I bought more of I could read during the month. Power of the dog Thomas Savage How much of these hills are gold C Pam Zhang No country for old men Cormac McCarthy True Grit Charles Portis The Seventh Man Max Brand That Girl Montana Marah Ellis Ryan Iron Marshal Louis L’Amour

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Excellent! I’m so glad it turned out so well for you!

[@fiberartsyreads]

This was such a fun event. I read three books and will definitely join in again next year! 🤠

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Great! I’m so glad you joined us!

[@jeremyfee]

Your cowboy hat is very well shaped; it's impressive. June on the Range was fun.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

My hat thanks you for the kind words!

[@booknikYT]

Since I joined late, I'm stretching it until Sunday. I had a blast, looking forward to next year!

[@rickcroucher]

A fun month of reading. Thank you for bringing attention to a languishing genre. It's good to hear so many have enjoyed their choices.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I’m really glad you had fun.

[@bjminton2698]

Thank you for bringing attention to westerns. I may even continue to read some in months other than June! It's shocking, I know.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

That is shocking! It’s welcome news though.

[@revenantreads]

It was fun getting to try out some Westerns. I’m looking forward to next year!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks RR! Almost time for BookTrek!

[@ericr8048]

I haven't read any westerns before, although I do enjoy some western films (mainly the Italian ones). There is one that sparked my interest enough to seek it out. After some years of checking used book shops, I just found it today: The Hell Benders by Ken Hodgson. It came to my attention because it is based on the Bender family, who basically killed travelers, although how much of what we hear these days about that family is actually true is a bit blurry, naturally.

[@sgriffin9960]

There’s good news and bad news! First, you talked me into adding Fallon to my TBR! Now the bad news: I lost my job today! After nine years! So I probably won’t be buying books even after I finish my read-50-owned-before-buying-more challenge (I’m at 33/50). That’s ok, I have 2269 unread books! Thanks for June On The Range! It sure was fun!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I’m very sorry to hear that about your job! Contact me through my email and I will send you a care package. I wouldn’t want you running out of books!

[@fefelofolly6019]

is was THE BOOKTUBE EVENT OF 2022! is was a lot of fun to see so many people involved! , let's hope 2023 EVENT would be the same👍.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks so much! It certainly exceeded my expectations!

[@juliealvar4587]

This has become my favorite booktube event, edging out March of the Mammoths. Thanks for coming up with the idea.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks so much Julie!

[@troytradup]

I didn't participate in June on the Range, but you did prompt me to pick up a Western that I read years ago and really liked. I'm fascinated to find, on re-read, that it seems to be about the rise of a certain personality who shall remain nameless and so feels very contemporary to, oh, say 2015 - 2022, even though it was published in 1998. I'll drop it in the mail to you next week; I'd love to hear your thoughts. Happy Fourth!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

You are the best, Troy!

[@veronicagarcia2025]

I really enjoyed June on the Range. Thanks!!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thank you!

[@MrPatrickLong]

I'll likely never read western fiction, but I do appreciate some B-western stars of Hollywood's Golden Age...Buck Jones, William Boyd, George O'Brien and Johnny Mack Brown immediately come to mind.

[@Vangone-bu6vu]

I read The Yellow Wallpaper and it had a forward that was almost as long as the story and gave everything away.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I just don’t get that! Oh well…

[@disshelvedwithadamwhite8731]

Great event! I look forward to next year already.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks Adam! I really appreciate you taking part!

[@bizarrebraincomics7819]

Love the hat and shirt. Liked June on the Range. I made my unofficial JotR contributions on my channel but mine are Western comics. LL fan too. You need to try his Hopalong Cassidy books. Now it's off into the sunset..

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks BBC! I will have to check that out.

[@wburris2007]

I am still riding the range. I am almost half done Lonesome Dove.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I look forward to hearing your review on Lonesome Dove.

[@rickcroucher]

I liked Gene Hackman's book but the same theme was presented in shorter version in the middle of THE CARPETBAGGERS when you started reading the NEVADA SMITH section.

[@AJ_Dunn]

I didn't get to _Lonesome Dove._ Not enough time. I will read it at some point, along with the other three books in the series.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Well, you do have a few things on your plate!

[@AnneEWilliamson]

I can't believe it's over...I feel like June just started, lol. I ended up DNFing Lonesome Dove about 300 pages in. I wasn't a big fan, but it's a pity it was spoiled for you. I hate when that happens!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Wow, that’s interesting! I think you might be the only person I know who didn’t like Lonesome Dove. And now I’m worried about where the book goes by page 300!

[@farhad_s]

I actually read a Bengali translation of Fallon in 1987, called রূপান্তর (Rupantor). I still own that book, and sent you a picture of it to your email. Hoping to read Lonesome Dove soon. I always avoid reading the author's preface, just in case. That sounds so annoying. They should put these at the end of the book. What would you call it though? A postface?

[@vilstef6988]

Why not addressing us from Rancho Vaughn? One of my Grandfathers had big shelves of Zane Grey and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Your grandfather had fine taste in literature.

[@vilstef6988]

He passed literally the day before I was born. My Mother didn't get to attend his funeral. I wish he had lived long enough to read some Burroughs or Grey to me.

[@tonygriego6382]

See you later cowboy.

[@fredflintstone1485]

I've said it before. One of BEST western series is The Last Gunfighter(Frank Morgan) by William Johnstone. Since you guys obviously like westerns, as do I , you owe it to yourself to try this series. Hey, where is Roger ? PS: I just picked up 10 paperbacks for couple of bucks all westerns mostly Louis L'Amour from my library sale. Yahoo :)

[@johncrwarner]

As I joined “June on the range“ late I am still reading (and awaiting delivery of some items) in July. My choices of reading have been steered by my major reading project called the #1962project. So all are connected with 1962. I am awaiting TWO Lucky Luke comic books by Goscinny and Morris - French language western comics - they produced FOUR books that year and I remember them in my French classroom as a child learning French. I am also in the middle of a Karl May pulp western written in Germany in the nineteenth century when the “old west“ was still in existence.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I appreciate you joining us on the range! I’ve heard of Lucky Luke but have never seen a copy.

[@johncrwarner]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 I associate it with the grand tradition of Belgian / French bandes dessinées that flourished after World War II in the Francophone region of Europe. Tintin, Lucky Luke, Asterix etc. So for me - it is deeply associated with learning French and also buying books in French supermarkets as a kid. There was always a spinner of bandes dessinées in the supermarket.

[@darthenclave6946]

Darn shame about the Gene Hackman novel. I recently ordered it and was excited to read it. My top 3 westerns are Blood Meridian, Lonesome Dove and The Sisters Brothers. You definitely need to check out Cormac McCarthy if you haven't yet. Two new McCarthy books are coming out end of this year I'm so excited for!!

[@sgriffin9960]

I read The Sister Brothers for the event and loved it!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Everyone seems to like Blood Meridian.

[@angusmckeogh659]

MKV, the Lonesome Dove series is a bit strange just because publication order does not match the order of the books as it pertains to the story arc. I wonder if that's the source of Larry's "reveal" in the preface. Also you're correct about the length. All the books in the series are enormous. I know it's too late but I would recommend McMurtry's Berrybender Narratives. I found every book in the series phenomenal and they were all of a reasonable length.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks for the recommendation. I’m definitely going to read more of his books.

[@Kikilang60]

Westerns are like the Beach Boys. The Beach Boys are one the best bands in history. Then you move out of Southern California, and the Beach Boys are regional.

[@MagusMarquillin]

I reckon that be ample reading there hombre; quickly drawn, quickly dead, even if ye aint at the top of yer game.

[@ITCamefromthePage]

You got some good reading done, despite the business! Unforgiven is bar none my favourite western film, so it is a bit of a bummer than the Hackman book was only kinda meh.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Yeah, I was hoping it would be better but probably shouldn’t have.

[@nedmerrill5705]

You ought to give Blood Meridian a try.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I know, I really should.

[@jobuckley2999]

You talked down the Dove without reading it. Not sure about that.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

That’s not true. I very clearly said how much I had read and then said what I thought of it so far. I also said, clearly, that I would see what I thought of it once I was done with it. And I said it was good so far! That’s not talking it down.

[@jobuckley2999]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Watch the video.

[@immortallegacy100]

"Lonesome Dove" is an odd case where the author was more of a movie/television writer than an actual book writer. He did write books obviously, but that was more of a hobby due to him making his actual living by writing movie/television scripts. "Lonesome Dove" was originally a movie script that was in production hell forever, and it was about July Johnson instead of Call and McCrae, so the book is essentially two stories in one. In a lot of ways, the author and publishers are assuming the reader has watched the movie or miniseries before, but I'd also argue that "Lonesome Dove" is one of the most spoiled books of all-time in the same way Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones have been. Also, "Lonesome Dove" is based on real events, with Call and McCrae being based off of real life people. Two Texas Rangers becoming ranchers and moving their herd to Montana actually happened, as did what happened to them. In my opinion, you can't really have the book spoiled for you because the story is ABOUT those spoilers. As for the preface, unless I'm misremembering, you should've already pieced together that particular character's fate. "Lonesome Dove" was written to be more realistic than most westerns, and is considered one of if not the BEST portrayal of the old west and the people living at that time. The book isn't perfect, but it is fascinating, and makes the real life events and people that much more "real" in my opinion.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I’m not sure how a reader could be expected to know that particular character’s fate going in. Maybe I missed something. I do sometimes, that’s for sure. Of course it’s extra annoying to me because I really like that character.

[@immortallegacy100]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 It's kinda like knowing that Darth Vader is Luke's father, or Snape kills Dumbledore. I knew the story of "Lonesome Dove" YEARS before I actually read it, and much of the advertisement is about those spoilers. The story is essentially about those spoilers. "Lonesome Dove" isn't a very popular book, at least not comparatively. It's sold around 2.5 million copies in 25 years, but it's the BEST selling western DVD of all-time, and possibly the most watched on television. When it comes to popularity, the book doesn't even come close to comparing to the mini-series. The book may be superior (in my opinion), but it was really only written in order for the author to make money with a movie or mini-series.

[@johannemilsom7503]

About Lonesome Dove. What a *&^* LM was to put a spoiler in the forward! I agree with your opinion on why he did it. Idiot! My copy is from 1985, a first publication run, with no forward. And I also agree about all the backstories, for me, one especially annoyed me. It just takes you out of the main story! A lot of pages wasted imo. I still love the book though,

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Your 1985 copy is obviously the one to have. It’s cover was better also.