18 New Texas Titles Now on BARD!

J. Frank Dobie, Kinky Friedman, and Langston Hughes headline these Texas additions to BARD.
Take a comic romp through Blanco County, explore historic towns of Texas, and absorb the inspiring story of Marbridge Ranch!
There are now over 1,900 locally produced Texas titles on BARD! Learn more about the Texas Talking Book Program’s stellar Volunteer Recording Studio.

A SANGRE Y FUEGO CON PANCHO VILLA by Juan Bautista Vargas Arreola
DBC 26910

Spanish
Adult Non-Fiction

ANGELINA AND THE PRINCESS by Katharine Holabird
DBC 26892

Juvenile Fiction (Grades K-3)

ARMADILLOS & OLD LACE by Kinky Friedman
DBC 26894

Adult Fiction

BIG SEA: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Langston Hughes
DBC 24944

Adult Non-Fiction

BUM STEER: A BLANCO COUNTY MYSTERY by Ben Rehder
DBC 18855

Adult Fiction

FAMILY PICTURES = CUADROS DE FAMILIA by Carmen Lomas Garza
DBC 26932

English/Spanish
Juvenile Non-Fiction (Grades 4-7)

HAND ON THEIR SHOULDER: THE SPECIAL LOVE STORY AT MARBRIDGE RANCH by Mary Mae Hartley
DBC 26878

Adult Non-Fiction

HISTORIC TOWNS OF TEXAS. VOLUME II: GONZALES, COLUMBUS, JEFFERSON by Joe Tom Davis
DBC 24938

Adult Non-Fiction

IN SEARCH OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF JOBS by Pat Littledog
DBC 26431

Adult Fiction

LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET: AN OLD TALE OF TEXAS by Tomie DePaola
DBC 26961

Juvenile Non-Fiction (Grades 3-6)

LEGENDS OF TEXAS by J. Frank Dobie
DBC 26887

Adult Non-Fiction

MURDER IN A SMALL TOWN (PERHAPS): A HUMOROUS MURDER MYSTERY by H.B. FOX
DBC 26927

Adult Fiction

OUTBACK STATION: OUTBACK SAGA #2 by Aaron Fletcher
DBC 26901

Adult Fiction

PLEASANTVILLE by Attica Locke
DBC 18656

Adult Fiction

RITES AND WITNESSES: A COMEDY by Rolando Hinojosa
DBC 26963

Adult Fiction

ROBBERS, ROGUES, AND RUFFIANS: TRUE TALES OF THE WILD WEST IN NEW MEXICO by Howard Bryan
DBC 26898

Adult Non-Fiction

SHADOWS OF YESTERDAY by Sandra Brown
DBC 26891

Adult Fiction

THORNY ROSE OF TEXAS: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF GOVERNOR ANN RICHARDS by Mike Shropshire
DBC 26373

Adult Non-Fiction

TBP Book Club Title Announced for July 2023!

TBP Book Club Logo

Please join us on Tuesday, July 18 at 7 pm (Central Time) for our Book Club discussion of DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jessie Q. Sutanto (DB 103081).

We host our Book Club meetings via Zoom, however all you need to participate is a telephone! If you have a land line, we will provide a telephone number for you to dial. If you have a smart phone we will email you an easy “one click” number you can use to join the discussion. We will also email a Zoom invitation to those who prefer to use a computer. This information will be sent to all patrons who RSVP a week prior to the book club meeting.

To register, please call the Talking Book Program at 1-800-252-9605; or email us at tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov.

DIAL A FOR AUNTIES is available by mail as a digital cartridge. It is also available to download on BARD.

We ask that everyone remember the following:

  • Be courteous and respectful of differing opinions.
  • Keep discussion points concise and relevant to the book.
  • Keep external distractions to a minimum.

DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jessie Q. Sutanto: When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her mother calls for her meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, the dead body is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to a wedding being planned by Meddy and her family. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.

We look forward to having you join us on July 18!

Asian Pacific Americans Fiction

In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we have collected a list of 20 books with Asian Pacific American protagonists. We’re including all Americans hailing from across the Asian continent and from the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Whether you’re interested in science fiction, fantasy, westerns, mysteries, or romance, we’ve got something you’ll love in the list below.

ARROW TO THE MOON by Emily X. R. Pan (DB 107822)
ARSENIC AND ADOBO by Mia Manansala (DB 103534)
DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto (DB 103081)
FOUR TREASURES OF THE SKY by Jenny Tinghui Zhang (DB 107528)
FERVOR by Alma Katsu (DB 107806)
GUN ISLAND by Amitav Ghosh (DB 97210)
HANA KHAN CARRIES ON by Uzma Jalaluddin (DB 103094)
HOLD ME by Courtney Milan (DB 93149)
HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar (DB 100802)
ON SUCH A FULL SEA by Chang-Rae Lee (DB 78213)
OUR MISSING HEARTS by Celeste Ng (DB 110518)
PORTRAIT OF A THIEF by Grace D. Li (DB 107563)
PRIDE, PREJUDICE, AND OTHER FLAVORS by Sonali Dev (DB 95480)
SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS by Jessamine Chan (DB 106410)
SIREN QUEEN by Nghi Vo (DB 109310)
SWEET MESS by Jayci Lee (DB 101027)
SWIMMERS by Julie Otsuka (DB 107007)
THINGS WE LOST TO THE WATER by Eric Nguyen (DB 103474)
THOUSAND CRIMES OF MING TSU by Tom Lin (DB 104311)
VANESSA YU’S MAGICAL PARIS TEA SHOP by Roselle Lim (DB 100174)

2023 Pulitzer Prize Winners

The 2023 Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced! The Pulitzer Prize, established in 1917 by provisions in the will of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, is a prestigious award with 21 categories honoring achievements in journalism, literature, and music. For the first time in its 105-year history, two books were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction! Check them out, along with the other literature winners, through the Talking Book Program:

Fiction
DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver
DB 110786, LB 14284

TRUST by Hernán Díaz
DB 107949

History
FREEDOM’S DOMINION: A SAGA OF WHITE RESISTANCE TO FEDERAL POWER by Jefferson Cowie
DB 112071 (IN PROCESS)

Biography
G-MAN: J. EDGAR HOOVER AND THE MAKING OF THE AMERICAN CENTURY by Beverly Gage
DB 111434

Memoir or Autobiography
STAY TRUE: A MEMOIR by Hua Hsu
DB 110669

General Nonfiction
HIS NAME IS GEORGE FLOYD: ONE MAN’S LIFE AND THE STRUGGLE FOR RACIAL JUSTICE by Robert Samuels
DBC 26540, LB 14083

Summer Reading Program and Read Across Texas Book Club Title Announced for June 2023!

Please join us on Thursday June 22 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) for our Book Club discussion of REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt (DB 107924; BR 24204). This book is both a selection for Read Across Texas as well as our Summer Reading Program Adult Book Club pick!

For more information concerning the Read Across Texas Initiative: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/readacrosstexas.

We host our Book Club discussions via Zoom. However, all you need to participate is a telephone!

If you have a land line, we will provide a telephone number for accessing the Book Club.

If you have a smart phone, we will email an easy “one click” number you can use to join the discussion.

We can also send an email Zoom invitation to those who prefer to use a computer.

Patrons who register for the discussion will receive this information a week before the Book Club meeting.

Please contact a Reader’s Advisory Librarian at 1-800-252-9605 or tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov with any questions, or to RSVP.

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES is available by mail as a digital cartridge, available to download via BARD, and available in braille.

We’re looking forward to having you join us on June 22!

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt (DB 107924; BR 24204)

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift cleaning at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors, until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2022.

Contemporary Western Mystery Series

Are you a fan of the Longmire TV show that aired on Netflix? Were you sad when it got cancelled? Here is a list of Modern Western Crime Series that you may enjoy in the TBP collection. We’ve listed the first book in the series to get you started.

Anna Pigeon Mystery Series
TRACK OF THE CAT by Nevada Barr (DB 65648, BR 21546, LB 10965)
Blanco County, Texas Series
BUCK FEVER by Ben Rehder (DBC 14681)
Charlie Moon Series
SHAMAN SINGS by James D. Doss (DB 41500)
Garrett Kohl Series
DOWN RANGE by Taylor Moore (DBC 26465)
Highway 59 Series
BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD by Attica Locke (DB 89420)
Jamaica Wild Series
WILD INDIGO by Sandi Ault (DR 04167)
JOANNA BRADY MYSTERY SERIES [BOOKS 1-3]: DESERT HEAT; TOMBSTONE COURAGE; SHOOT DON’T SHOOT by Judith Jance (DB 81543)
Joe Pickett Series
OPEN SEASON by C. J. Box (DB 53008, BR 21980, LB 04838)
Leaphorn and Chee Mystery Series
BLESSING WAY by Tony Hillerman (DB 49586, BR 01357)
Posadas County Mystery Series
SCAVENGERS by Steven Havill (DB 60574)
Sheriff Bo Tully Series
BLIGHT WAY by Patrick McManus (DB 66502)
Sheriff Dan Rhodes Series
TOO LATE TO DIE by Bill Crider (DB 26149)
Texana Jones Mystery Series
DEATH OF A HEALING WOMAN by Allana Martin (DB 47921)
Walt Longmire Series
COLD DISH by Craig Johnson (DB 69906, LB 07672)

14 New Texas Titles Now on BARD!

Folklore, true crime, and magnificent barbarians highlight these locally produced titles now available on BARD.

J. Frank Dobie, John Graves, Winston Groom, and Carlton Stowers are among the authors that transport readers from the hard scrabble Hill Country through the frigid desolation of Canada to the shattering battlefields of Vietnam.

Be a Hogg and read them all!

BETTER TIMES THAN THESE: A NOVEL by Winston Groom
DBC 26875

Adult Fiction

BY ALL ACCOUNTS: GENERAL STORES AND COMMUNITY LIFE IN TEXAS AND INDIAN TERRITORY by Linda English
DBC 18860

Adult Non-Fiction

BYRON DALRYMPLE ON TROUT FISHING: 50 YEARS OF SUCCESS by Byron W. Dalrymple
DBC 26394

Adult Non-Fiction

COFFEE IN THE GOURD by J. Frank Dobie
DBC 26426

Adult Non-Fiction

CORAZONES DE HIELO by James Oliver Curwood
DBC 26882

Adult Fiction (Spanish)

DEVIL’S BONEYARD by William W. Johnstone
DBC 26440

Adult Fiction

FAMILY PLOT: ANOTHER JOHN PICKETT MYSTERY by Sheri Cobb South
DBC 18415

Adult Fiction

HARD SCRABBLE: OBSERVATIONS ON A PATCH OF LAND by John Graves
DBC 26411

Adult Non-Fiction

I LOVE YOU, DAISY PHEW by Ruby C. Tolliver
DBC 18618

Juvenile Fiction (Grades 4-7)

LAST CAPTIVE by A.C. Greene
DBC 26377

Adult Non-Fiction

MAGNIFICENT BARBARIANS: LITTLE-TOLD TALES OF THE TEXAS REVOLUTION by Bill Walraven
DBC 26874

Adult Non-Fiction

MISS IMA AND THE HOGG FAMILY by Gwendolyn Cone Neeley
DBC 26872

Adult Non-Fiction

OPEN SECRETS: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE, JEALOUSY, AND MURDER by Carlton Stowers
DBC 26862

Adult Non-Fiction

TRAGEDIA DE LA SELVA by James Oliver Curwood
DBC 26885

Adult Fiction (Spanish)

Disability Book Week

Disability Book Week occurs every year during the week of April 23 – 29.

This is a worldwide celebration of books that feature a main character with a disability.

You can participate in Disability Book Week by reading a book that includes a disabled character or theme, and then posting a review on a social media site or talking with friends. You can also ask school or public libraries to host a Disability Book Week event, or request that your city issue a Disability Book Week proclamation.

Visit https://disabilitybookweek.org to learn more.

The site has a list of recommended books for children, young people, and adults.

ANNOUNCING: 2023 Summer Reading Program


Our ALL AGES summer reading program is returning for its second year on June 5, 2023! This year’s theme is All Together Now and focuses on friendship, kindness, and unity.

Sign up will begin on April 1, 2023. The first 100 people who sign up will receive a summer reading goody bag!

Sign up by filling out the following online form:  https://forms.gle/jFirCc8ud3ZtJZ8p9

Or by calling us at 1-800-252-9605.

The webpage for summer reading is here: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/summerreadingprogram

From June 5 to August 11, you’ll get themed book lists and matching activities by age group, and you can win a prize at the end of summer by reviewing books.

This year the National Library Service is also providing several virtual events, including live, virtual author talks!

We can’t wait for you to join us this summer!

Reimagining Pride and Prejudice

Do you love reading PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen (BR 01583, BR 11521, DB 50549, LB 00263, LB 05326)? Are you sad every time you finish re-reading it because it’s over? Others have felt the same way. Here below are nine re-imaginings of the classic regency era novel by modern authors in a variety of genres: from psychological suspense, to paranormal romance, to contemporary romance.

MR. DARCY’S DAUGHTERS by Elizabeth Aston (DB 81252)

The five daughters of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, from Pride and Prejudice (DB 50549), are left in London while their parents perform a diplomatic mission. Eldest Letty deals with the reappearance of her fiance, who was presumed dead; and Camilla discovers love for her cousin’s fiance. Commercial audiobook. 2003.

LONGBOURN by Jo Baker (BR 20385; DB 77776)

Regency England. In this re-imagined tale of the Bennet family, from Pride and Prejudice (DB 50549), the joys and crises of the servants take center stage. The world of orphaned housemaid Sarah changes when a new footman is hired. 2013.

SEDUCING MR. DARCY by Gwyn Cready (DB 71238)

Philippa, a.k.a. Flip, gets transported into Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice by a magical masseuse. Returning, Flip is horrified to learn that her dalliance with Mr. Darcy has changed the novel’s plot. She needs attractive Austen scholar Magnus to fix things. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. 2008.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES: THE CLASSIC REGENCY ROMANCE–NOW WITH ULTRAVIOLENT ZOMBIE MAYHEM! by Seth Grahame-Smith (DB 69090)

Elizabeth captures Mr. Darcy’s attention as she decapitates a throng of the undead during a country ball. Smitten with her warrior abilities, Mr. Darcy verbally spars with Elizabeth and fights his growing attraction and admiration for her as they attempt to eliminate the rotting corpses infesting England. Violence. Bestseller. 2009.

MR. DARCY, VAMPYRE by Amanda Grange (DB 70631)

Newlyweds Darcy and Elizabeth set off on their honeymoon, but Elizabeth doubts Darcy’s love for her when he fails to consummate the marriage. His nightly disappearances and other strange behaviors raise more questions in her mind. Commercial audiobook. 2009.

AYESHA AT LAST by Uzma Jalaluddin (DB 95458)

In this twenty-first-century Muslim retelling of “Pride and Prejudice,” Ayesha is lonely but does not want an arranged marriage. She meets Khalid, who is smart and handsome, but also conservative and judgmental. Ayesha is torn when Khalid becomes engaged to her flighty young cousin.

DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY by P. D. James (BR 19476; DB 74076, LB 07034)

Derbyshire, England; 1803. Fitzwilliam Darcy and his wife Elizabeth (nee Bennet), who have been married six years and have two sons, are relaxing on the night before their annual autumn ball. Elizabeth’s wayward sister Lydia arrives unexpectedly, declaring that her husband Wickham has been murdered on Darcy’s estate. Bestseller. 2011.

INDEPENDENCE OF MISS MARY BENNET by Colleen McCullough (DB 68680)

Colleen McCullough penned this sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Liberated from caretaking duties after her mother’s death, unmarried Bennet sister Mary decides to investigate England’s ills. While Mary finds unexpected danger and romance, Elizabeth, Darcy, and others face their own difficulties. Some descriptions of sex. 2008.

ELIGIBLE by Curtis Sittenfeld (DB 84222)

Contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice (DB 50549) that moves the action to Cincinnati. Sisters Liz and Jane return from New York to help with their ill father. Liz has been having an affair with married man John Wick, when she meets handsome neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2016.