The Watering Hole: 'Listening, Reading, and Western Paperbacks'

The Watering Hole, Issue #4

Table of Contents

• The Editorial
• On the Reading Block
• Fresh Off the Press
• Some Final Thoughts

Sunday Post, what I call The Watering Hole, is hosted weekly by Caffeinated Reviewer. 

The Editorial

It's nearly noon on Sunday, and I'm just now writing my weekly or perhaps bi-weekly wrap-up since my last Watering Hole. The hours and days have flown by in a blur, but I’ve been busy every single day, so I suppose that's how time flies.

On the Reading Block

Currently, I’m listening to the latest James Patterson audiobook via NetGalley. I have a Western novel on my Kindle that I’m reading, and you can expect my review of it on Wednesday. Additionally, I’m finally getting around to the last Jack Reacher novel, and I’ll share my thoughts on that either tomorrow or Tuesday.

Fresh Off the Press

I've received a few ARCs in the mail—like I needed more! LOL! I got a copy of the Western Sing to Me Billy the Kid by Frances Bonney Jenner, which technically isn’t an ARC since it was published in January 2026 by Speaking Volumes. A publicist found my blog and reached out to me about reviewing it. I love Westerns, so I happily agreed. I’ll fit it into my schedule this week and post my review on Saturday. Maybe that will help me get back into the routine of posting Western reviews on the weekend.

Grand Central Publishing sent me the newest Lisa Scottoline thriller, This Changes Everything, which I’ll probably read after the Billy the Kid book. Lastly, HarperCollins sent me an ARC of Wisdom Corner by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. After seeing a press release about the book, I requested a review copy. I’ll move on to it after finishing the Scottoline novel.

I also visited a few thrift stores, flea markets, and antique shops, where I picked up a variety of Western paperbacks by authors including William W. Johnstone, John Sharpe, Tabor Evans, Hal Mitchum, Stephen Overholser, Peter McCurtin, Kit Dalton, Jory Sherman, Jake Logan, and Clay Tanner.

Some Final Thoughts

My new extra-firm mattress is just over a week old, and I’m loving it—I’ve been getting much better sleep. I didn’t pay extra for the delivery service to dispose of my old mattress and box spring because I planned to leave them out for the trash collectors. Unfortunately, they only take one bulk item on the first pickup day of the week unless you call them or the city hall. They were supposed to take both the mattress and the box spring. Did they? Nope. For starters, they were four hours late for their normal trash pickup. The two employees stared at the mattress and box springs, talking about it for nearly ten minutes before deciding to leave it behind for some unknown reason. I have my theories on why they were late. 

For now, I’ve put the old mattress in my shed. I’m going to see if my uncle can help me haul it away. If not, I’ll try putting it out again in August and see what happens. I’m starting to understand why there’s old furniture, mattresses, and other trash sitting on curbs around town.

〜B.J. Burgess