Category Archives: Authors

In Her Own Words: Paulette Jiles

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Paulette Jiles, American poet and novelist, died July 9 at the age of 82 from gastric issues. She is best known for her National Book Award finalist, News of the World, which was our Texas Center for the Book Texas Great Read in 2017, and later made into a movie starring Tom Hanks.

For a more in-depth obituary, check out this one from Texas Monthly.

Here are the titles by Paulette Jiles in the TBP collection.

ENEMY WOMEN (DB 54327, BR 14191)
STORMY WEATHER (DB 66134)
COLOR OF LIGHTNING (DB 69626)
NEWS OF THE WORLD: A NOVEL (DB 86668, BR 21741)
SIMON THE FIDDLER (DB 102013)
CHENNEVILLE: A NOVEL OF MURDER, LOSS, AND VENGEANCE (DB 119430)

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Larry D. Sweazy

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Thursday, August 21 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with author, Larry D. Sweazy.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Mr. Sweazy’s career and his Josiah Wolfe Series starting with RATTLESNAKE SEASON (DBC 13590). 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 Larry D. Sweazy questions about his series. Please submit your questions by August 14. 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).

RATTLESNAKE SEASON: A JOSIAH WOLFE, TEXAS RANGER NOVEL (DBC 13590) by Larry D. Sweazy.

NLS Annotation: A character-rich western novel about a Texas Ranger, Josiah Wolfe, who is haunted by dark memories, on the hunt for a former friend turned killer. Some descriptions of sex. Some strong language. Violence.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, August 21!

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Georgina Kleege

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Tuesday, July 15 at 6:00 p.m. (Central) with author and educator, Georgina Kleege. Note that this time is a bit earlier than our usual author talks.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Georgina’s career and her latest book, MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: WHAT BLINDNESS BRINGS TO ART. 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 Georgina Kleege questions about her book. Please submit your questions by July 8. 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 her 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).

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: WHAT BLINDNESS BRINGS TO ART (DB 93533, BR 22550) by Georgina Kleege.

NLS Annotation: Author of Sight Unseen (DB 48328, BR 12149) critically examines the ways institutions make art accessible to blind people and the connection of visual arts with language. Uses personal experiences, scientific studies, and historical literary analysis to support her arguments. 2018.

We look forward to having you join us on Tuesday, July 15!

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Lisa Fittipaldi

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Thursday, June 19 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with world recognized artist and Texas author, Lisa Fittipaldi.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean will talk with her about her career as an artist as well as her book, BRUSH WITH DARKNESS: LEARNING TO PAINT AFTER LOSING MY SIGHT (DB 60724, BRG 02047). A Q&A chat will follow.

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 Lisa Fittipaldi questions about her book. Please submit your questions by June 12. We will select questions based on the responses, 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 her 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).

BRUSH WITH DARKNESS: LEARNING TO PAINT AFTER LOSING MY SIGHT (DB 60724, BRG 02047) by Lisa Fittipaldi.

NLS Annotation: Author discusses her life after being diagnosed with vasculitis in her forties. Describes her feelings of despair during her first two years of blindness. Relates that a gift from her husband–a child’s watercolor set–became the catalyst for her new career as a renowned painter, and for her new outlook. 2004.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, June 19!

Mario Vargas Llosa

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Nobel Prize-winning Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa died on April 13 at age 89. Vargas Llosa was widely considered one of the most significant novelists in the Spanish language as well as one of the leading Latin American writers of his generation. Below we have a list of the books he’s written that are in the TBP collection, both in English and Spanish.

English Titles

AUNT JULIA AND THE SCRIPTWRITER (DB 19479)
BAD GIRL (DB 66877)
CALL OF THE TRIBE (DBC 29785)
CONVERSATION IN THE CATHEDRAL (DB 09676, BRG 02736)
DEATH IN THE ANDES (DB 43874, BRG 02749)
DISCREET HERO (DB 81309, BR 20768)
DREAM OF THE CELT (DB 76213)
FEAST OF THE GOAT (BR 14253, DB 56801)
FISH IN THE WATER: A MEMOIR (DB 39638)
HARSH TIMES (DB 106145)
IN PRAISE OF THE STEPMOTHER (DB 32164)
MAKING WAVES (DB 48382)
NEIGHBORHOOD: A NOVEL (DB 90845)
NOTEBOOKS OF DON RIGOBERTO (DB 47771)
PERPETUAL ORGY: FLAUBERT AND MADAME BOVARY (DB 25645)
REAL LIFE OF ALEJANDRO MAYTA (DB 25464)
STORYTELLER (DB 30573)
WAR OF THE END OF THE WORLD (DB 21936)
WAY TO PARADISE (DBC 01329)
WHO KILLED PALOMINO MOLERO? (DB 26947)

Spanish Titles

BARCO DE LOS NIÑOS (DB 114384)
CARTAS A UN JOVEN NOVELISTA (DB 74994)
CASA VERDE (DB 74958)
CINCO ESQUINAS (DB 82981)
CIUDAD Y LOS PERROS (DB 70961)
CIVILIZACION DEL ESPECTACULO (DB 80979)
CONVERSACION EN LA CATEDRAL (DB 61010)
CUADERNOS DE DON RIGOBERTO (DB 48683)
ELOGIO DE LA MADRASTRA (DB 61012)
FIESTA DEL CHIVO (DB 61019)
GARCIA MARQUEZ: HISTORIA DE UN DEICIDIO (DBG 18201)
GUERRA DEL FIN DEL MUNDO (DB 60994)
HABLADOR (DB 72959)
HEROE DISCRETO (DB 76991)
JEFES (DB 29995)
LE DEDICO MI SILENCIO (DB 117576)
LITERATURA ES MI VENGANZA (DB 80970)
LITUMA EN LOS ANDES (DB 60993)
LLAMADA DE LA TRIBU (DB 90770)
PARAISO EN LA OTRA ESQUINA (DB 61017)
PEZ EN EL AGUA: MEMORIAS (DBG 19293)
SABLES Y UTOPIAS: VISIONES DE AMERICA LATINA (DB 68956)
SUENO DEL CELTA (DB 70973)
TIA JULIA Y EL ESCRIBIDOR (DB 60999)
TIEMPOS RECIOS (DB 100253)
TRAVESURAS DE LA NINA MALA (DB 65983)

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Preston Lewis

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Tuesday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with award-winning western author, Preston Lewis.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss his life and his Memoirs of H. H. Lomax series, starting with DEMISE OF BILLY THE KID (DBC 26457). 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 Preston Lewis questions about his book series. Please submit your questions by April 15. We will select questions based on the responses, 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).

DEMISE OF BILLY THE KID (DBC 26457) by Preston Lewis.

NLS Annotation: “H.H. Lomax never claimed to have won the West, but he sure made it fun through his intriguing memoirs of offbeat encounters with many of the frontier’s most enduring heroes and scoundrels. Starting with Billy the Kid, Lomax knocks some of the Old West’s biggest legends out of the saddle with both his wit and his wits, providing a hilarious romp over new trails through familiar territory. After a murky incident involving the killing of a Colorado lawyer, Lomax rides into New Mexico Territory in 1877 astride his mule Flash and soon finds himself roped into a band of rustlers until Billy the Kid drafts Lomax as the first member of his own gang. Though their trails soon part, Lomax and the Kid cross paths time and again as each in his own way navigates the corruption and violence of the Lincoln County War. Each survives until they both take a liking to the same hot-tempered señorita. At least that’s how Lomax tells the story! Whether you believe him or not, Lomax is sure to entertain anyone who takes up his trail of calamity and hilarity as he stumbles across some of the biggest names of the Old West.”–from the publisher. Violence and strong language. 2015.

We look forward to having you join us on Tuesday, April 22!

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Harry Hunsicker

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Thursday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with Texas Thriller author, Henry Hunsicker.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean will talk with him about his career as an author as well as his book, STILL RIVER: A LEE HENRY OSWALD MYSTERY. Following the talk, there will be a Q&A session.A Q&A chat will follow.

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 Harry Hunsicker questions about his book. Please submit your questions by February. We will select questions based on the responses to this form, and they may be asked during the event!

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ShareFormPage.aspx?id=_3tZpDifRUGgM0ohaDmaXpEw_c_Y9elOm8rvPNh2aWFUMTRTVU1VNTYzRTdRVjROOExSMjVDSjQ5US4u&sharetoken=m1dMlXIuF8rxFHdeo4fK

To RSVP, you can fill out our online registration form: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpcuigqTsiHdyEnNJPeodfE9FxQeIlb2pF

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).

STILL RIVER: A LEE HENRY OSWALD MYSTERY by Harry Hunsicker (DBC 18169)

NLS Annotation: An appeal from a high school acquaintance to find her missing brother, whom the unfortunately named Dallas private detective, Lee Henry Oswald protected from bullies’ decades earlier, leads to a maze of real estate deals somehow involving a violent drug gang. Strong language, violence, and some descriptions of sex. 2005.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, February 20!

In His Own Words: Quincy Jones

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Quincy Delight Jones Jr. was an American record producer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and producer. His career spanned 70 years, with 28 Grammy Awards won out of 80 nominations, and a Grammy Legend Award in 1992. Below we have his autobiography as well as a collection of his musings on creativity and life. We hope these give you a chance to learn about his experiences in his own words.

Q: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF QUINCY JONES (DB 53304)
12 NOTES: ON LIFE AND CREATIVITY (DB 115128)

2024 Texas Writer Award – Naomi Shihab Nye

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San Antonio-based poet, educator, and editor Naomi Shihab Nye has been named the 2024 Texas Writer Award recipient. The award honors a writer who has made outstanding contributions to Texas literature. Nye will be honored with a custom pair of handmade boots from renowned El Paso-based bootmaker, Rocketbuster, during a special Texas Book Festival Weekend ceremony. Learn more about Nye’s work and life in her interview with TBF Literary Director Hannah Gabel. Check out the interview on the Texas Book Festival’s website.

Included are all of Nye’s books in the NLS Collection:

Adult

HUGGING THE JUKEBOX (DBC 26934)

Juvenile

A MAZE ME: POEMS FOR GIRLS (DB 95437) Grades 6-9
CAST AWAY: POEMS FOR OUR TIME (DB 98613, BR 23778) Grades 6-9
EVERYTHING COMES NEXT: COLLECTED & NEW POEMS (DB 101676) Grades 3-6
HONEYBEE: POEMS & SHORT PROSE (DB 109497) Grades 4-7
SPACE BETWEEN OUR FOOTSTEPS: POEMS AND PAINTINGS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST (DB 50238) Grades 6-9
THIS SAME SKY: COLLECTION OF POEMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD (DB 48296) Grades 5-8
TURTLE OF MICHIGAN: A NOVEL (DB 108881) Grades 3-6
TURTLE OF OMAN (DB 109496) Grades 3-6
VOICES IN THE AIR: POEMS FOR LISTENERS (DB 90690) Grades 6-9
WHAT HAVE YOU LOST? POEMS (DB 50773) Grades 6-9

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Ken Roberts

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Tuesday, December 10 at 6:00 p.m. (Central) with Texas author Ken Roberts. Note that this time is a bit earlier than our usual author talks.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean will talk with him about his career as an academic as well as his book, CEDAR CHOPPERS: LIFE ON THE EDGE OF NOTHING. A Q&A chat will follow.

Promo image of stage with red curtain and old fashioned chrome microphone, photo of smiling Ken Roberts, with TBP and TSLAC logos and text mirroring post caption.

Our Author Talks meet via Zoom, however all you need to participate is a telephone! If you have a land line, you will use the telephone number. If you have a smart phone, you will use the “one-tap” number 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 author talk.

We would also like to offer you the opportunity to ask Dr. Roberts questions about his book. Please submit questions by December 3. We will choose questions based on the responses to this form and they may be asked during the event!

Submit Questions Here

To RSVP, please email us at tbpRAL@tsl.texas.gov, or call the Talking Book Program at 1-800-252-9605.

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

CEDAR CHOPPERS: LIFE ON THE EDGE OF NOTHING by Ken Roberts (DBC 18531)

During his pre-teen years, Ken Roberts had his first encounter with cedar choppers west of Austin, which provoked the question, “Who are these people?”. THE CEDAR CHOPPERS: LIFE ON THE EDGE OF NOTHING is his entertaining, and informative answer. Based on interviews with several generations of cedar choppers and others, Roberts weaves together the lively, gritty story of these largely Scots-Irish migrants with roots in Appalachia who settled on the west side of the Balcones Fault during the mid-19th century, subsisting on hunting, trapping, moonshining, and, by the early 20th century, cutting, transporting, and selling cedar fence posts and charcoal. Strong language and some violence. 2018.

We look forward to having you join us on Tuesday, December 10!