Hi. How is everybody doing? Gosh we are almost into September now. It’s hard to believe, how time flies. I plan to do my September Preview post next time so stay tuned for that. Meanwhile I had a good time visiting my parents in Southern Cal and got home okay after the tropical storm there. Now I’ve been back home about a week.
This past weekend we had an interesting visitor stop by — a Great Horned Owl sitting in a tree near our tool shed. He stayed all day and now sadly he is gone. We hope he returns. He is known to be a formidable predator and we think he’ll find plenty of mice and gophers in our back fields. It was fun to watch him swivel his head around 180 degrees while keeping an eye on us spying on him. I love to see owls, which are often so elusive to find, so this was a big treat for us. Do you think owls are mostly good or bad omens in literature?
And now I’ll leave you with a couple of reviews of what I finished lately.
Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens / Dial Press / 304 pages / 2023
4+ stars. I didn’t know what to expect going in to this novel, but it is a Western set on the American frontier about a young woman’s coming of age in a Dodge City brothel, her changes and the relations she makes there, and the revenge she seeks on a few who come to betray her.
Bridget with her long red hair is recruited to be a sex worker at the popular Buffalo Queen bar and brothel by two madams. Soon enough she’s making her way turning tricks with the male clientele and becomes good friends with Constance the bookish sporting girl with the room next door. But later a marriage proposal by an important customer and an attraction to an alluring female gunslinger send Bridget’s heart aflutter and she soon discovers what real intimacy is all about.
This page-turning debut has some compelling turns and twists and wonderful touches of life within the Buffalo Queen for a girl like Bridget, who grew up in poverty and whose parents died early on. It’s not an easy life and violence and theft are always a bit close at hand. The independent and spirited Bridget learns some lessons the hard way and you root for her to be strong and turn the tide. In the end the story goes out with guns a blazing on a dangerous mission as Bridget, Constance and one of the brothel madams head into an impending snowstorm after an unforeseen attack at the Buffalo Queen. You’ll want to see what happens. Kudos to author Claudia Cravens on this lively and bold debut. She’s a writer to watch.
Thanks to the publisher the Dial Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy to read and review.
The Outlander by Gil Adamson / House of Anansi / 408 pages / 2007
5 stars. I finally got around to reading this 2007 Canadian classic that had long been on my shelves. Duh, why did I wait so long? And the reason I picked it up now was for my book club, which is discussing it in September. Thank goodness I was pushed to get to it as I think it’s a real gem.
It’s a slow burn read set in 1903 about a woman who has been “widowed by her own hand” and is now fleeing across the western wilderness to escape her twin brothers-in-law who are tracking her to bring her to justice and revenge their loss. Little by little you come to understand why Mary Boulton, age 19, did what she did: the grief over the loss of a child, an unhappy marriage, and a staggering depression. She was half mad (for good reason) and now is on the run in the mountains.
Along the way she has various adventures trying to survive: meeting a wilderness hermit known as the Ridgerunner (William Moreland) who wins her trust and love; being shown the way forward by an Indian named Henry; and moving on to the mining hamlet of Frank, Alberta, where she befriends the winsome Reverend Bonnycastle, and experiences a catastrophic natural disaster. All the while the twins are still trying to find and get her. Run Mary, run.
Some readers might find the novel a bit too slow burn for them, but I seemed to love the story’s details… which adds much richness in its historical setting and the natural world that Mary is escaping through. It’s also revealing in its depiction of Mary’s character and what’s going through her suffering head … and those she meets along her escape route. Adamson writes so well and leverages the gradual suspense to a rousing and agreeable conclusion. I can’t wait to read her follow-up 2020 novel The Ridgerunner sometime this fall. I hear it’s another winner.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read these novels and if so, what did you think?
Hi Susan, a very beautiful owl and I hope he comes back. I would say in literature owls represent bad omens because we usually see them at night if I am correct in a woodsy area.
Wow! two great books that are going on my list, Lucky Red and The Outlander, Both heroines are strong independent women on their own in the 19th century west. I know I will enjoy these novels.
Hi Kathy, yeah these two novels were read back to back and make a good pair … they are similarly westerns with strong female protagonists overcoming the odds against them. I hope you enjoy if you get to them.
I guess you are right about Owls sometimes being portrayed as bad omens … when they fly at night they can be a bit scary but luckily the ones I’ve see have been during the day. They are large though.
Have a great week.
Could you travel on Tuesday as you wanted to? Because I saw the storm’s damage was a lot in some areas and not so much in others. It’s cool having an owl visiting! They’re mostly associated with wisdom, which I think it’s not too far off the mark. Both of your reads sound like winners. I’ll keep Lucky Red in mind in case I find the book on sale.
Hi Carmen, yeah I should have mentioned that my travel went smoothly back and I avoided the flooded roads in the Palm Springs area using a traffic app to get me to the airport. The way I went I saw no flooding whatsoever and it was hot so it was a bit strange to see no probs from the storm.
Good point about owls being associated with wisdom. I think they are.
Lucky Red is pretty good … it’s a bit icky she’s a prostitute for a long while but it’s a different prospective and she comes to learn along the way. See what you think if you get it. Enjoy your week.
Well now, you becomeing my chief book enabler! I am going to add Lucky Red and I think I already added The Outlander last week 🙂
I’m just finishing up The Light Pirate and starting a book whohc is due Monday so, tik tok on that one.
Owls are so cool! We live in a wooded area on a small bit of acreage and when we see them or hear them we are delighted. If you are interested I wrote up a review about a book called Wesley the Owl and loved the book. It’s nonfiction and I learned a great deal. Here’s the link on my old book blog:
https://novelmeals.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/birding-without-borders-and-wesley-the-owl-2020-nonfiction-challenge/
Hi Tina, thanks for the link! Not sure if I knew of your site there. I’m a big owl fan so I will likely get the book. I rarely ever see owls but sometimes hear them at night but it’s always a thrill.
See what you think of Lucky Red. I’m glad to hear you’ve read The Light Pirate — I liked that one … though it’s quite daunting to think about. I’ll stop by to see what you think of it. Enjoy your week.
What a fantastic week of reading for you! I haven’t read either of them and am not totally sure they are my type of book, but you make them sound so good!
Thanks Helen. I don’t think I’ve exactly been a fan of Westerns in the past and not sure I’ve read many, so I was surprised that I liked both of these. They were good adventures to me. Maybe I’m on a western kick these days. Ha.
Have a great week.
Both of those sound really good. Lucky Red does sound maybe to be a little less serious of a western novel, but I enjoy the heck out of well written shoot-em-ups bo I’m going to look for it. The Outlander sounds a good bit more “literary,” and I love when those are set in the North American west during that period. You got me and my TBR twice this time.
Hi Sam, you are right. The Outlander is written more “literary” … and feels a bit deeper. But Lucky Red is a bit swifter. I’m looking forward to a sequel of The Outlander called The Ridgerunner … which people seemed to like even better. I’d be curious to know what you think of these if you get to them. You know westerns more than I do … I took these up at a whim and ended up liking them. Have a great week.
Oooh, cool shot of that owl!
This month has flown by, as has every month these past few years. I’m getting ready to wrap up my summer reading challenge, and while I read quite a few from my list, I gave up on SO many! I guess it was a good way to purge some of the backlist titles that have been on my shelves for many, many years.
I haven’t read either of the two books you reviewed, but they both sound intriguing. I’m slowly making my way through Lonesome Dove (on audio), which is pretty good, but at this point, not as great as I have heard.
Hope the smoke isn’t too bad in your area. We had a terrific lightning and thunder storm the other night, which made me very nervous. We are surrounded by so many tall trees and if one got hit by lightning, it could start a terrible fire. Thankfully, the storm was far enough away, so we were safe.
Have a good week!
Thanks Lesley. It’s a bit smoky here but not as bad as I had feared and we might get a thunderstorm tomorrow. fingers crossed for the plants.
I have not gotten to many on my summer list but I think I will continue to sprinkle them in when I feel like it. Many distractions along the way right?
Lonesome Dove is so so long … I haven’t picked it up in all these years but I’d like to sometime. I hope it gets better for you. It’s crazy it’s just about September now. Happy week to you.
An owl makes any birding trip a good trip! I love to see them. You are so lucky to have that visitor.
As you mention, owls have had a vast number of meanings in various cultures — much about that in this great recent book:
“What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds”
by Jennifer Ackerman.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae. I’m glad you mentioned the Owl book because I know it came out recently and was reviewed in the NYT too. I hope to get a copy. The photos and info in it sound amazing. It’s what every owl fan should get.
I’m not even a real birder but I just like to see Owls. Cheers. Have a great week.
I’m a bird watcher who first began to spend time watching our feeder during the pandemic. I’ve seen a lot of birds, but I’ve never seen an owl. A friend alerted me to the appearance of a Great Horned Owl near her house the other day, but I wasn’t able to get over there, sadly. I’m happy you were able to see this amazing bird.
My favorite sort of characters in books are like Bridget, I think, and I especially like stories set in the past when women, even strong women, had little power. I think I’d enjoy Lucky Red.
Hi Deb, someday you will see an Owl and it will be magical. I think I have only seen three since I’ve lived in Alberta from 2010. But I hope to see more. They are very elusive. You have other really neat birds there near the coast.
Yeah Bridget’s life was probably pretty common in the Old West, sadly working in a brothel. But she does get street-smart as time goes on. And it’s an emboldening coming of age tale. Hope you have a great week.
I love owls! We have tons of them around here, and I never get sick of seeing them. They’re so cool.
Hi AJ: I’m envious that you have a lot of owls where you are; what kind do you have mostly? We might have many here but they are very hard to find. I think I’ve only seen 3 since I’ve lived in Alberta from 2010: 2 were Great Horned Owls which I think are the most common, and I saw one Pygmy Owl once while skiing which was amazing to see! It’s quite a small owl …. I will keep my eye out for more owls this fall.
Love the owl. Love owls. Love hearing them at night in the winter, calling to each other. You were lucky to have such a visitor.
The Outlander sounds amazing. Great premise and setting. I will have to find a copy.
Hi Jane, Yeah we were so excited to see the Owl. He stayed a full afternoon and now we keep looking for him. We never get to see them!
I think you’d love The Outlander … and I want to follow up later with The Ridgerunner … she’s a great writer!
Have a nice Labor Day weekend!
What a gorgeous owl! I sometimes wished I lived somewhere with birdlife (other than the numerous city pigeons). It sounds like you’ve had a good reading week, with two solid books. Haven’t heard of The Outlander, but it really intrigues me. Maybe later on in my classics project, I will take a closer look at US and Canadian classics.
Hi Stargazer. Thanks, the owl was like having a miracle for a day. So rare!
Good to hear from you. The Outlander was good … although I started first with the audio but for whatever reason I changed to the print version … and liked it better. I think it’s a bit literary so maybe for me the print book was easier to get all the details. See what you think. Hope all is well there!
That owl is beautiful! Every once in a while we’ll hear an owl in the evening but haven’t caught sight of him yet. These two books sound so good and I typically don’t read a lot of western/wilderness settings but will have to keep a look out for these. Great reviews!
Thanks Iliana. I typically dont read Westerns but now all of a sudden I like them or I did with these two. Go figure.
We were so lucky to see that Owl … but now I haven’t seen him again. I keep looking. I hope you will see one there — you’re near Austin right? Must be hiding owls there I think. Enjoy your week.
I have had The Outlander on my shelf for years, sitting there unread. Thank you for bringing it to my attention again. I will keep in mind it’s a slow burn. Lucky Red sounds really good too.
Yeah LF, The Outlander was on my shelf for years so I can relate with you. It’s a slow burn read but I really enjoyed it. I started it on audio but then switched to the print book which I think was a good choice. I’m impressed this literary Canadian novel is on your shelves!
Lucky Red is a quicker read from a debut author. Both are Westerns which is different for me. Hmm I’m getting into the outback. LoL.