Select the Livermore Reads Together 2026 Book!

Help choose the featured book for Livermore Reads Together 2026! Vote for one of these Western-themed novels that bring the American frontier to life. The voting ends on Friday, Oct. 31, at 5 p.m.

A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich

A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich tells the moving story of Abbie Deal, a strong-willed woman who gives up her personal dreams of music and art to build a life with her husband on the Nebraska frontier. Through droughts, loss, poverty, and the hardships of pioneer life, Abbie devotes herself to raising her children and shaping a better future for them, carrying the quiet hope that her sacrifices will someday be recognized. Spanning decades, this classic novel is a heartfelt tribute to the resilience, courage, and unacknowledged strength of pioneer women. Rich in historical detail and emotional insight, it captures the challenges and rewards of building a life from the ground up in an unforgiving land.

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My Antonia by Willa Cather

My Antonia by Willa Cather is a richly drawn coming-of-age novel that tells the story of Jim Burden, an orphan from Virginia sent to live with his grandparents on the Nebraska frontier. As he navigates the challenges of pioneer life, Jim forms a deep and lasting bond with Ántonia Shimerda, the strong-willed daughter of a family of Bohemian immigrants. Through Jim’s reflective narration, the novel paints a vivid portrait of frontier hardships, cultural identity, and the resilience of the human spirit, all set against the vast, changing landscape of the American Midwest. Cather’s lyrical prose and nostalgic tone elevate the story into a timeless meditation on memory, friendship, and the passage of time.

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Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey is a fast-paced dystopian Western set in a repressive future America, where society has reverted to frontier-style control and censorship. The story follows Esther, a young woman fleeing persecution after her lover is executed for possessing contraband literature. She stows away with a group of supposed government-sanctioned Librarians, only to discover they are actually queer rebels smuggling resistance materials. Gailey's novella blends action, queerness, and rebellion into a sharp critique of authoritarianism and a celebration of defiance and self-discovery.

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The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James is a sweeping, magical realist Western that spans generations of the Sonoro family. In 1895, Antonio Sonoro becomes the feared outlaw El Tragabalas after a failed train robbery leads to his brother’s death, unleashing a cycle of violence and vengeance across the Mexico–Texas borderlands. Decades later, his grandson Jaime, a famous actor in 1964 Mexico City, is forced to confront the dark legacy of his family when a mysterious book and stranger appear, urging him to reckon with the past. The novel explores themes of inherited guilt, colonialism, and redemption with lyrical prose and haunting symbolism.

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Silver Lies (Silver Rush Mysteries, Book 1) by Ann Parker

Written by Livermore author Ann Parker, Silver Lies is set in the silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, in the late 1870s. The story introduces Inez Stannert, the sharp-minded co-owner of the Silver Queen Saloon, which she runs with her business partner Abe Jackson, a free Black man whose very presence in the frontier town challenges social norms of the time. When a body turns up behind their establishment, the discovery rattles the town’s fragile social order. As Inez and Abe are drawn into a web of secrets, betrayals, and rivalries, she must confront not only dangerous truths about others but also the hidden past she carries herself.

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True Grit by Charles Portis

In True Grit by Charles Portis, 14-year-old Mattie Ross sets out to avenge her father’s murder by tracking down the killer, Tom Chaney. She hires Rooster Cogburn, a tough and grizzled U.S. Marshal with a reputation for getting the job done. Joined by a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf, the unlikely trio ventures into what was then known as Indian Territory—present-day Oklahoma—on a dangerous journey. Told from Mattie’s sharp and determined perspective, the novel is a gritty and often humorous tale of justice, courage, and resilience in the American West.

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