Westerns (literary genre)
For when I just want to read for entertainment and not have to worry about thinking too much, I like genre fiction, sci-fi and fantasy, mostly. But I've always wanted to read Westerns, too. I've always liked the old west--horses, guns, Indians, etc. I love the genre in film, but haven't gotten into it in literature.
So, does anyone have some suggestions for a few books? I have read McCarthy's Blood Meridian, but that's not exactly what I'm looking for--it's not exactly a book one doesn't have to think about while reading. I always like asking here rather than other places because I know that, even though it's genre fiction, whatever is recommended here will most likely be well-written and a cut above the usual junk.
Why not read the Leather Stocking Tales of ....
James Fenimore Cooper. These novels, while not about the far west, have a lot of action and indians: Last of the Mohicans, The Deerslayer, The Pathfinder, the Prarie, and The Pioneers. Not only will you not be wasting your eyes on inferior genre novels, you'll be reading acknowledged classics.
The movie adaptations for the Lonesome Dove series: Dead Man's Walk, Comanche Moon, and Lonesome Dove, are excellent also. Again, movies are not as hard on your eyes as reading.
Audio books for genre novels are good also. I have listened to hundreds of books while driving, both classics and genre. Right now I am listenening to Hardy's Far from the Madding crowd, but I have also listened to mysteries by Agatha Christie, P. D. James, Michael Connolly, and many others Try the novels of Zane Grey for westerns.