The Good Old Boys (Elmer Kelton, Doubleday): Kelton never wrote a novel that’s not worth reading. McPhee is an outstanding writer, no matter his subject.ģ. But it is also a history of a remote ranch and a ranch kid who became a geologist. Rising from the Plains (John McPhee, Farrar, Straus and Giroux): One in a series of books chronicling the geology of North America, this book focuses on Wyoming, where plains rise to mountains. Galvin, primarily a poet, wields exquisite language to make you feel the pains and pleasures of people whose attempts to tame wild country exemplify all of Western settlement.Ģ. The Meadow (James Galvin, Henry Holt): This book is best described as snapshots capturing a century in a remote, remarkable place-then shuffled, and viewed at random. If you love good writing, Miller insists you put these five on your list to read:ġ. In 2015, Miller will debut three books: The Lost Frontier: Momentous Moments in the Old West You May Have Missed (TwoDot), The Death of Delgado and Other Stories (Pen-L Publishing) and Rawhide Robinson Rides the Tabby Trail (Five Star). When Miller is not at work on his latest novel, poem or non-fiction book, he is writing advertising and producing commercials, a vocation he has practiced since 1974. He has also earned Spurs for Western poetry and short fiction. This time he was named Best Western Juvenile Fiction author for Rawhide Robinson Rides the Range. Miller won his third Spur Award from the WWA in 2015. Miller’s favorite authors include John Steinbeck, Wallace Stegner, Cormac McCarthy, John McPhee, Charles Badger Clark and Wendell Berry. When not working, he was reading, seldom without a book in his hand. His father was a working cowboy and ranch manager, and Rod spent many hours on horseback helping to manage the family’s horses and cattle. A fourth-generation Utah native, the former college and PRCA cowboy grew up in Goshen. Reading, writing and riding might be Rod Miller’s life mantra.

The meadow james galvin sparknotes