Stuck in a reading rut? Want to expand your reading horizons in 2026? You’re in luck! Every month this year, we will be delving deep into popular genres at the library. If you’re already a fan, find readalike suggestions for popular authors and ideas for similar genres to explore. If you’re brand new to the genre in question, you will find a helpful explanation of the hallmarks of the genre, a breakdown of its most common subgenres, and explanations of what readers find so appealing about the most popular authors writing those types of books. For September, saddle up because we’re exploring Westerns!
Our Western readers are very loyal to the genre, with some of them reading nothing but Westerns, and 2 of our top 5 circulating authors for last year were classic Western writers (William W. Johnstone and Louis L’Amour at #2 and #4 respectively). I have also done a couple Western and Western-adjacent reader’s advisory readalike lists over the years. That’s the service we offer that provides tailor-made suggestions for people based on their own personal reading history and preferences.
Westerns are not often discussed within the context of subgenres, but for the purposes of this booklet, I divided it into 4–Early/Golden Age Westerns (writers who started their careers before the 1960s), Modern Classic Westerns (writers who started their careers in the 1970s and later), Literary Westerns, and Arkansas Connection Westerns.
Whether you’re a complete newbie to Westerns or a veteran Western reader, there should be something new for you in the booklet.
We also have a Western recommendation list already uploaded on our Readers’ And Viewers’ Advisory Resources page on the right-hand sidebar under Westerns and a Western film advisory booklet if you would rather watch the Old West than read about it.
You can also use the “Westerns” tags and categories feature on the top left-hand side of this post to search for other Western recommendations on the blog. Just click on them, and you can pore through every single post that highlights a Western.
If you are still not finding anything new and appealing to read (or you are not interested in Westerns), use our Google Form or contact the library in person or by phone or email to request a reader’s advisory consultation. I will write you a personalized list of suggested authors and titles based on your reading preferences.
Also be sure to check out our Romance genre booklet, which includes quite a few Western romance suggestions, and our Historical Fiction booklet, which highlights several Christian historical fiction suggestions with Western settings. And keep your eyes out for a future booklet that includes contemporary Western mystery suggestions.
Happy reading!
What’s your favorite genre? What new-to-you genre are you exploring in 2026? Who’s your favorite Western writer? Tell us in the comments! As always, please follow this link to our online library catalog for more information on any of our items or to place them on hold.
The following resources have been especially helpful in preparing this booklet and post:
NoveListPlus. Ebsco.
Joyce G. Saricks. Reader’s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. ALA: Chicago and London, 2001.
Joyce G. Saricks. Reader’s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. 2nd edition. ALA: Chicago, 2009.
Neal and Wyatt and Joyce G. Saricks. Reader’s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. 3rd edition. ALA: Chicago, 2019.
Syndetics Unbound library catalog enrichment service.
