Author Archives: Laura Jean

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: James Wade

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Thursday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with author, James Wade.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Mr. Wade’s career and his Spur Winning novel ALL THINGS LEFT WILD (DB 101305). Following the talk, there will be a Q&A session.

Our Author Talks are held via Zoom, but you can join using just a telephone!

Participating is easy:

  • Use your landline to dial in via phone.
  • Use the “one-tap” number on your smartphone.
  • Alternatively, join via computer using the Zoom invitation we’ll send a week prior to the event.

To ensure you receive the necessary details, please RSVP in advance.

We invite you to ask James Wade questions about his book. Please submit your questions by December 3. We will select questions based on the responses to this form, and they may be asked during the event! Fill out the form here: Author Questions

To RSVP, you can fill out our online registration form: Register Here.

Or if you prefer, reply to this email, or call the Talking Book Program at 1-800-252-9605.

Please indicate if you would like us to mail you a digital cartridge with his book or if you prefer to download it from BARD. Also, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

ALL THINGS LEFT WILD (DB 101305) by James Wade.

NLS Annotation: Caleb and his older brother Shelby commit a horse theft gone wrong and flee. As they wander the American Southwest, they are being tracked by bookish and inexperienced-despite-his-age Randall. He meets Charlotte who guides him in the ways of vigilante justice. Strong language including racial epithets, violence, some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, December 11!

10 Most Popular Thriller Books downloaded from Libby during September

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Libby is a free app from OverDrive that lets you borrow eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines from your local public library using a library card. You can use the app to browse, borrow, and read or listen to titles on your phone, tablet, or computer.

Libby is much like the BARD app with one crucial difference: In many cases, when using Libby, you will have to place a hold on more popular books. But you don’t need to wait for books on BARD! You can download and listen to them immediately.

Below are the top 10 thriller books downloaded from Libby during September. It’s an interesting mix with settings ranging from suburbia to Los Angeles. So, no matter your favorite setting, you should find something to tingle your spine here.

10. PERFECT MARRIAGE by Jenova Rose (DB 113854)
9. NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly (DB 130298, LB 0005038)
8. TENANT by Frieda McFadden (DB 129492, LB 0005347)
7. DON’T LET HIM IN by Lisa Jewell (DB 131308)
6. PERFECT DIVORCE by Jenova Rose (DB 129724)
5. HERE ONE MOMENT by Liane Moriarty (DB 123831)
4. LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera (DB 119654)
3. HOUSEMAID’S SECRET by Frieda McFadden (DB 117095, LB 0005003)
2. BEAUTIFUL UGLY by Alice Feeney (DB 126338, LB 0002874)
1. HOUSEMAID by Frieda McFadden (DB 114201, BT 0000083, LB 0001198)

10 Most Popular Horror Books downloaded from Libby during September

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Libby is a free app from OverDrive that lets you borrow eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines from your local public library using a library card. You can use the app to browse, borrow, and read or listen to titles on your phone, tablet, or computer.

Libby is much like the BARD app with one crucial difference: in many cases, when using Libby, you will have to place a hold on more popular books. But you don’t need to wait for books on BARD! You can download and listen to them immediately.

Below are the top 10 horror books downloaded from Libby during September. It’s an interesting mix including a couple of Stephen King’s more recent books as well as a horror classic published over a century ago.

10. ONE BY ONE by Frieda McFadden (DB 121242, LB 0001113)
9. HIDDEN PICTURES by Jason Rekulak (DB 108427)
8. HOLLY by Stephen King (DB 116600, BR 25169, en español DB 118128)
7. YOU LIKE IT DARKER: STORIES by Stephen King (DB 121659, BR 25495, LB 0000702)
6. SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES by Grady Hendrix (DB 99550, BR 23373)
5. DRACULA by Bram Stoker (DB 31869, BR 08277, en español DB 40864)
4. WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS by Grady Hendrix (DB 126950, BR 25753 IN PROCESS, LB 0002960)
3. WITH A VENGEANCE by Riley Sager (DB 130305)
2. NEVER FLINCH by Stephen King (DB 130236, BR 26240 IN PROCESS)
1. WE USED TO LIVE HERE by Marcus Kliewer (DB 122928, LB 000312)

2025 Texas Writer Award – Dr. Peniel Joseph

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Austin-based historian, educator, and author, Dr. Peniel Joseph has been named the 2025 Texas Writer Award recipient. The award honors a writer who has made outstanding contributions to Texas literature. Dr. Joseph will be honored with a custom pair of handmade boots from renowned El Paso-based bootmaker, Rocketbuster, during a special Festival Weekend ceremony. Learn more about Dr. Joseph’s work and life in his interview with TBF Literary Director Hannah Gabel. Check out the interview on the Texas Book Festival’s website.

Included are all of Dr. Joseph’s books in the NLS Collection:

DARK DAYS, BRIGHT NIGHTS: FROM BLACK POWER TO BARACK OBAMA (DB 71445)
FREEDOM SEASON: HOW 1963 TRANSFORMED AMERICA’S CIVIL RIGHTS REVOLUTION (DBC 32386)
SWORD AND THE SHIELD: THE REVOLUTIONARY LIVES OF MALCOLM X AND MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. (DB 99933)
THIRD RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA’S STRUGGLE FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY (DB 113669)
WAITING ‘TIL THE MIDNIGHT HOUR: A NARRATIVE HISTORY OF BLACK POWER IN AMERICA (DB 64301)

2025 Longlist for the National Book Awards

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The National Book Awards were established in 1950 to celebrate the best writing in America. Since 1989, they have been overseen by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture. Although other categories have been recognized in the past, the Awards currently honor the best Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature published each year. For more information on the National Book Awards, check out their website.

The longlist for the 2025 National Book Awards was announced on September 10-12. The Finalists in all five categories were announced on Tuesday, October 7 with the New York Times. Winners will be announced live at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.

For more information, check out the National Book Award’s website.

The nominees for this year’s National Book Awards in the TBP Collection (finalists are bolded):

Fiction

FLASHLIGHT by Susan Choi (DB 129795)
ANTIDOTE by Karen Russell (DB 128240, BR 26309 IN PROCESS)

Nonfiction

ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad (DB 127850, LB 0001346)
BLACK MOSES: A SAGA OF AMBITION AND THE FIGHT FOR A BLACK STATE by Caleb Gayle (DB 132241 IN PROCESS)
THINGS IN NATURE MERELY GROW by Yiyun Li (DB 130140)

Nobel Prize Winner 2025 – László Krasznahorkai

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Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai took the prize this year for his “compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art,” said the Swedish Academy. For more information, check out the Nobel Prize website.

Books by László Krasznahorkai in the TBP Collection:

English Titles

BARON WENCKHEIM’S HOMECOMING (DB 97582)
HERSCHT 07769: FLORIAN HERSCHT’SBACH NOVEL (DB 125872)

Títulos Españoles

MELANCOLÍA DE LA RESISTENCIA (DB 129392)

TBP Book Club Title Announced for November 2025!

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Join the Talking Book Program for a book club discussion on Tuesday, November 18 at 7:00 p.m. (Central). We’ll be discussing the book STARTER VILLAIN by John Scalzi (DB 118263).

Our book club discussions are held via Zoom, but you can join using just a telephone!

Participating is easy:

  • Use your landline to dial in via phone.
  • Use the “one-tap” number on your smartphone.
  • Alternatively, join via computer using the Zoom invitation we’ll send a week prior to the event.

To ensure you receive the necessary details, please RSVP in advance.

To RSVP, you can fill out our online registration form: Register Here.

Or if you prefer, reply to this email or call the Talking Book Program at 1-800-252-9605.

Please indicate if you would like us to mail you a digital cartridge of the book, or if you prefer to download it from BARD. Also, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

STARTER VILLAIN by John Scalzi (DB 118263)

NLS Annotation: “Inheriting your uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who’s running the place. Charlie’s life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn’t all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they’re coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital. It’s up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good. In a dog-eat-dog world…be a cat.” — Provided by publisher. Strong langauge. Commercial audiobook. 2023.

We look forward to having you join us on Tuesday, November 18!

2025 Business Book of the Year Longlist Revealed

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The Business Book of the Year Award, inaugurated in 2005 and continuously evolving in prestige and scope, recognizes the most insightful and influential works in the genre. This globally esteemed award was conceived by the Financial Times and is supported by various prestigious partners celebrating excellence in business writing. The longlist was announced on August 18. The shortlist for this year’s prize will be revealed on September 24, with the winner announced on December 3.

For more information check out the Business Book of the Year’s website.

HOUSE OF HUAWEI: THE SECRET HISTORY OF CHINA’S MOST POWERFUL COMPANY by Eva Dou (DB 126340)
CHOKEPOINTS: AMERICAN POWER IN THE AGE OF ECONOMIC WARFARE by Edward Fishman (DB 128110)
ABUNDANCE by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (DB 128624)
GENIUS MYTH: A CURIOUS HISTORY OF A DANGEROUS IDEA by Helen Lewis (IN PROCESS)
EMPIRE OF AI: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES IN SAM ALTMAN’S OPENAI by Karen Hao (DB 129721)
NO MORE TEARS: THE DARK STORY OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON by Gardiner Harris (DB 128599)
THINKING MACHINE: JENSEN HUANG, NVIDIA, AND THE WORLD’S MOST COVETED MICROCHIP by Stephen Witt (DB 128472)

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Mark Pryor

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Thursday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with author, Mark Pryor.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Mr. Pryor’s career and his Hugo Marston Series starting with BOOKSELLER: THE FIRST HUGO MARSTON NOVEL (DBC 04825). Following the talk, there will be a Q&A session.

Our Author Talks are held via Zoom, but you can join using just a telephone!

Participating is easy:

  • Use your landline to dial in via phone.
  • Use the “one-tap” number on your smartphone.
  • Alternatively, join via computer using the Zoom invitation we’ll send a week prior to the event.

To ensure you receive the necessary details, please RSVP in advance.

We invite you to ask Mark Pryor questions about his series. Please submit your questions by October 23. We will select questions based on the responses to this form, and they may be asked during the event! Fill out the form here: Author Questions

To RSVP, you can fill out our online registration form: Register Here.

Or if you prefer, reply to this email, or call the Talking Book Program at 1-800-252-9605.

Please indicate if you would like us to mail you a digital cartridge with his book or if you prefer to download it from BARD. Also, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

BOOKSELLER: THE FIRST HUGO MARSTON NOVEL (DBC 04825) by Mark Pryor.

NLS Annotation: Hugo Marston, head of security at the US embassy in Paris, watches helplessly as his friend, Max–an elderly bookstall owner–is abducted at gunpoint. In a race against time, Hugo enlists a beautiful and mysterious journalist, a semiretired CIA agent, and a reluctant police detective to help him negotiate political intrigue, police corruption, an escalating drug war, and the ghosts of Nazi collaboration that haunt some of Paris’s most prominent citizens. Violence, strong language, and descriptions of sex. 2012.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, October 30!

Kirkus Prize Finalists 2025

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Since 2014, the Kirkus Prize has been given annually by Kirkus Reviews to books of exceptional merit. The finalists were announced on August 27, and the winners will be announced during a ceremony at the TriBeca Rooftop in New York on October 8. It will also be livestreamed on Kirkus’s YouTube channel at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern). Here are some of the finalists for 2025 in the TBP collection.

For more information check out the Kirkus Prize website.

Fiction

ISOLA by Allegra Goodman (DB 127226, LB 0002549)
FLESH by David Szalay (DB 130331)

Nonfiction

MARRIAGE AT SEA: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE, OBSESSION, AND SHIPWRECK by Sophie Elmhirst (DB 131217 IN PROCESS)
KING OF KINGS: THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION: A STORY OF HUBRIS, DELUSION AND CATASTROPHIC MISCALCULATION by Scott Anderson (IN PROCESS)
BALDWIN: A LOVE STORY by Nicholas Boggs (IN PROCESS)
AMERICAN, AMÉRICA: A NEW HISTORY OF THE NEW WORLD by Greg Grandin (DB 129520)
BLACK IN BLUES: HOW A COLOR TELLS THE STORY OF MY PEOPLE by Imani Perry (DB 130763)

Teen and Young Adult

DEATH IN THE JUNGLE by Candace Fleming (DB 129360)