Best Book of the Month: October 2023
Last month's top read was a sprawling makeshift fictional memoir.
It’s the first Tuesday of the month, meaning it’s time to share the best book I read in October. This one received several nods of approval at the bookstore checkout counter, and it delivered.
Book: “Half Broke Horses” by Jeannette Walls
How I Found It: Call it biblio destiny or happy happenstance, but I unearthed this one all by my lonesome. I visit Parnassus Books (Dame Ann Patchett’s bookstore in Nashville) on a near weekly basis. On the days that the shop isn’t overrun by Ann stans (a loyal following of which I proudly belong), I challenge myself to venture off into the less frequented stacks. Whether the book was cast off by an indecisive shopper or some unfortunate employee tasked with figuring out where the hell to shelve this thing, I found it in the anthology section. The book isn’t a collection, but, with an eager nod and words of encouragement from the always gracious staff, I knew I had a treasure in my possession as soon as I headed out the door.
What It’s About: A fictional account of a real story, author Jeannette Walls imagines what her spitfire of a grandmother, Lily Casey experienced throughout her life. A child of homesteaders, Lily was brought up to be unyielding in her determination. Early in the book we watch a young Lily save her younger brother and sister as a flash flood sweeps through her family’s land. Resourceful and relentless, Lily is sent to a boarding school in distant Arizona for “finishing,” per her mother’s request: Young girls raised on ranches tend to have sharp edges and razor-edged tongues. It’s there that Lily is introduced to a future that isn’t beholden to men: teaching.
Prematurely pulled out of school, Lily figures out a way to serve as a teacher in far-off communities, traveling hundreds of miles by horseback, alone, quite literally in the wild west. It is during one of these teaching stints she encounters her future husband and partner, Jim, who is as patient as Lily is fiery. A badass by trade and character, Lily refuses to allow circumstance to overthrow her grit, whether it be drought, the Great Depression, or the march of time. Lily’s story — and the love Walls infuses into it — is moving and inspiring.
Why You Should Read It: If you’re searching for a reminder that humans can be kind to one another, you’ve come to the right place. As unique as Lily’s story is, I found it to be deeply relatable and written in a punchy style that leaves you forgetting that this isn’t, in fact, a penned memoir by the matriarch herself.
Who It’s Not Right For: Honestly, I find it hard to think of who might not enjoy this story, but perhaps if you (or a loved one) has recently lost a beloved grandparent, this might feel a little much. It’s a wonderful celebration of life, but it just depends on your current grief process if you’re comfortable reading this at the moment.
Who It’s Right For: Yellowstone universe fans; anyone who’s fallen into the many cowboy trends as of late; women undeterred to forge their path, no matter how rocky the terrain.