I just finished this book by a classic Texas writer Elmer Kelton. It's a really great piece of literature and I don't use that term lightly. The main character, Charlie Flagg, a crotchety west Texas rancher just trying to get by in the middle of the worst drought the state's ever seen, is wonderfully drawn. I don't usually read "western" fiction, but I'm glad I picked this one up. It's set in the 60's, a time when the independent or small rancher was going the way of the milk man. And yet, it feels timely and fresh.
Anyway, if you're looking for something outside of your normal genre reading, I'd get a copy of this one.