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THIRD IN A SERIES Home Forum's series on American Indian art and writing continues with excerpts from two notable books.

The novel ``Love Medicine,'' excerpted on the oppo site page, won the 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award. Tomorrow the series concludes with an interview with its author Louise Erdrich.

In ``Blue Highways'' William Least Heat Moon, of Osage background, recounts travels along the back roads of America, the highways marked in blue on maps, a journey he took after losing his job. The book, a critical and popular success, became the first bestseller by an American Indian.

Sandia Crest Cloudbanks move like turtles, Rainswollen and silver, slitted with sunlight. Mountains, dark with moisture and pine, Jut massively into the soft grey belly. The slow-moving belly of the sky.

Bus A highway runs across the desert, a black, Rulerthin scab. Along it, a bus crawls. The passengers read, or sing, or take pictures As they move along on a dog's back Across the sand and mesquite and silence.