Category Archives: Literary Events

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Char Miller

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Tuesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with author, Char Miller.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Dr. Miller’s career and his book SAN ANTONIO: A TRICENTENNIAL HISTORY (DBC 18818). 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 Char Miller questions about his book. Please submit your questions by February 12. 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).

SAN ANTONIO: A TRICENTENNIAL HISTORY by Char Miller (DBC 18818)

NLS Annotation: This is the first general history of San Antonio, Texas, the seventh largest city in the nation. Its past is complex and ranges across 300 years, from the community’s origins as a tiny Spanish frontier town to its contemporary status as a vital American mega-city. Site of some of the most violent struggles between warring empires and people–historians believe San Antonio may be the most fought-over city in U.S. history–it is perhaps most celebrated for the iconic 1836 Battle of the Alamo. The city is also home to four beautifully restored Spanish missions, which in 2015 UNESCO designated a World Heritage Site and have become integral to San Antonio’s robust tourist economy along with the fabled River Walk.. Some violence. 2018.

We look forward to having you join us on Tuesday, February 24!

Literary Cookbooks

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Below are a collection of cookbooks inspired by book series or movies and television shows— sometimes BOTH! There are recipes for both children and adults, and they cover all sorts of genres: fantasy, mystery, religious fiction, and romance.

Adult

BOOK CLUB COOKBOOK: RECIPES AND FOOD FOR THOUGHT FROM YOUR BOOK CLUB’S FAVORITE BOOKS AND AUTHORS by Judy Gelman (DB 58177)
BOOK LOVER’S COOKBOOK: RECIPES INSPIRED BY CELEBRATED WORKS OF LITERATURE AND THE PASSAGES THAT FEATURE THEM by Shaunda Kennedy Wenger (BR 15954)
CAT WHO … COOKBOOK by Julie Murphy (DB 56166)
DEBBIE MACOMBER’S CEDAR COVE COOKBOOK by Debbie Macomber (DB 71541)
FEAST OF ICE AND FIRE: THE OFFICIAL COMPANION COOKBOOK by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel (DB 109218)
FOOD TO DIE FOR: SECRETS FROM KAY SCARPETTA’S KITCHEN by Patricia Daniels Cornwell (DB 55620)
GEEK’S COOKBOOK: EASY RECIPES INSPIRED BY POKEMON, HARRY POTTER, STAR WARS, AND MORE! by Liguori Lecomte (DB 109421, BR 24352)
JAN KARON’S MITFORD COOKBOOK AND KITCHEN READER: THE MITFORD YEARS by Jan Karon (DB 63064)
NERO WOLFE COOKBOOK by Rex Stout (DB 108592)
NIGHTMARE BEFORE DINNER: RECIPES TO DIE FOR by Zach Neil (BR 24347)
OUTLANDER KITCHEN: TO THE NEW WORLD AND BACK AGAIN: THE SECOND OFFICIAL OUTLANDER COMPANION COOKBOOK by Theresa Carle-Sanders (BR 24339)
SWEET MAGNOLIAS COOKBOOK by Sherryl Woods (DB 77632)
UNOFFICIAL HOCUS POCUS COOKBOOK: BEWITCHINGLY DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR FANS OF THE HALLOWEEN CLASSIC by Bridget Thoreson (DB 109740, BR 24423)

Juvenile

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES COOKBOOK by Kate Macdonald (BR 17982) Grades 3-6
BOXCAR CHILDREN COOKBOOK by Diane Blain (BR 17984, BT 03814) Grades 4-7
GREEN EGGS AND HAM COOKBOOK: RECIPES INSPIRED BY DR. SEUSS! by Georgeanne Brennan (BR 17979) Grades 3-6
MARY POPPINS IN THE KITCHEN: A COOKERY BOOK WITH A STORY by P. L. Travers (DB 10454, BT 03816, BR 17980) Grades 4-7
NANCY DREW COOKBOOK: CLUES TO GOOD COOKING by Carolyn Keene (BRC 00466) Grades 4-7
OFFICIAL FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S COOKBOOK by Rob Morris (DB 117916) Grades 6-9
OFFICIAL HARRY POTTER BAKING BOOK by Joanna Farrow (DB 104382, BR 23815) Grades 4-7
PETER RABBIT’S NATURAL FOODS COOKBOOK by Arnold Dobrin (DB 12576) Grades 4-7
ROALD DAHL’S REVOLTING RECIPES by Roald Dahl (DB 58687, BR 17981) Grades 3-6
WINNIE-THE-POOH’S TEATIME COOKBOOK (BR 17983) Grades 2-4

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!

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!

TBP Book Club Title Announced for November 2024!

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Please join us on Thursday, November 21 at 7 pm (Central) for our Book Club discussion of UNRAVELING: WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT LIFE WHILE SHEARING SHEEP, DYEING WOOL, AND MAKING THE WORLD’S UGLIEST SWEATER by Peggy Orenstein.

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 will also email a 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.

To RSVP please call 1-800-252-09605 or email us at tbpRAL@tsl.texas.gov

UNRAVELING is available by mail as a digital cartridge and is also available to download on BARD.

UNRAVELING: WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT LIFE WHILE SHEARING SHEEP, DYEING WOOL, AND MAKING THE WORLD’S UGLIEST SWEATER by Peggy Orenstein

DB 113482

The COVID pandemic propelled many people to change their lives in ways large and small. Some adopted puppies. Others stress-baked. Peggy Orenstein, a lifelong knitter, went just a little further. To keep herself engaged and cope with a series of seismic shifts in family life, she set out to make a garment from the ground up: learning to shear sheep, spin and dye yarn, then knitting herself a sweater. Orenstein hoped the project would help her process not just wool but her grief over the recent death of her mother and the decline of her dad, the impending departure of her college-bound daughter, and other thorny issues of aging as a woman in a culture that by turns ignores and disdains them. What she didn’t expect was a journey into some of the major issues of our time: climate anxiety, racial justice, women’s rights, the impact of technology, sustainability, and, ultimately, the meaning of home. With her wry voice, sharp intelligence, and exuberant honesty, Orenstein shares her year-long journey as daughter, wife, mother, writer, and maker–and teaches us all something about creativity and connection. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

We look forward to having you join us on November 21.

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Donna Marie Miller

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Thursday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with Texas author Donna Marie Miller.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean will talk with her about her career as an author as well as her book, BROKEN SPOKE: AUSTIN’S LEGENDARY HONKY-TONK. A Q&A chat will follow.

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 Donna Marie Miller questions about her book. Please submit questions by October 10. 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 her book from BARD. Also, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

BROKEN SPOKE: AUSTIN’S LEGENDARY HONKY-TONK by Donna Marie Miller DBC 18774

James and Annetta White opened the Broken Spoke in 1964, then a mile south of the Austin city limits, under a massive live oak, and beside what would eventually become South Lamar Boulevard. White built the place himself, beginning construction on the day he received his honorable discharge from the US Army. And for more than fifty years, the Broken Spoke has served up, in the words of White’s well-worn opening speech, “cold beer, good whiskey, the best chicken fried steak in town … and good country music.” White paid thirty-two dollars to his first opening act, D. G. Burrow and the Western Melodies, back in 1964. Since then, the stage at the Spoke has hosted the likes of Bob Wills, Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, Marcia Ball, Pauline Reese, Roy Acuff, Kris Kristofferson, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Asleep at the Wheel, and the late, great Kitty Wells. But it hasn’t always been easy; through the years, the Whites and the Spoke have withstood their share of hardship–a breast cancer diagnosis, heart trouble, the building’s leaky roof, and a tour bus driven through its back wall. Today the original rustic, barn-style building, surrounded by sleek, high-rise apartment buildings, still sits on South Lamar, a tribute and remembrance to an Austin that has almost vanished. Housing fifty years of country music memorabilia and about a thousand lifetimes of memories at the Broken Spoke, the Whites still honor a promise made to Ernest Tubb years ago: they’re ‘keepin’ it country’.– Provided by publisher. Some strong language. 2017.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, October 17!

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Taylor Moore

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The Talking Book Program’s theme for our Summer Reading Program this year is Adventure begins at your Library, so join us for an author talk on Tuesday, July 16 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with action-packed thriller author, Taylor Moore.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean will talk with him about his career as an author as well as his books, from his GARRETT KOHL Series. A Q&A chat will follow.

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 Taylor Moore questions about his books. Please submit questions by July 9. We will choose questions based on the responses to this form and they may be asked during the event!

Question Submission Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnJUBaiGh0MUQEMUtqldrlqjQFj5vIXotqLsp1WqghSNwPLg/viewform?usp=sharing

To RSVP, please 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 series or if you prefer to download them from BARD. Also, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

Start with the first book in his series: DOWN RANGE

DOWN RANGE (DBC 26465) by Taylor Moore

NLS Annotation: “As a decorated undercover DEA special agent, Garrett Kohl has traveled the world–and fought in most of it–but it’s the High Plains of northwest Texas he calls home and dreams of returning to one day. When he is ordered back to Texas on a short mission expected to take a week at most, Kohl is unsettled to discover that the once-peaceful ranching community he loves is under attack. A band of criminals who have infiltrated law enforcement, corrupted local businesses, and is now terrorizing Kohl’s own family.”– adapted from jacket. Commercial audiobook. Violence and strong language. 2021.

We look forward to having you join us on Tuesday, July 16!

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Rubén Degollado

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with award winning author Rubén Degollado.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian Laura Jean will talk with him about his career as an educator and author as well as his book, THE FAMILY IZQUIERDO: A NOVEL (DBC 28906).  A Q&A chat will follow.

Promo image of stage with red curtain and old fashioned chrome microphone with TBP and TSLAC logos and text mirroring post body with author name, date, etc.

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 link 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 Rubén Degollado questions about his book. Please submit questions by April 16. We will choose questions based on the responses to this form and they may be asked during the event!

Submit your questions at: https://forms.gle/Xagif6CpPgKgvuNj8

To RSVP, please 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 the digital cartridge 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).

FAMILY IZQUIERDO: A NOVEL (DBC 28906) by Rubén Degollado

NLS Annotation: “A masterful debut that weaves together the lives of three generations of a Mexican American family bound by love, and a curse. The tight-knit Izquierdo family is grappling with misfortunes none of them can explain. Their beloved patriarch has suffered from an emotional collapse and is dying; eldest son Gonzalo’s marriage is falling apart; daughter Dina, beleaguered by the fear that her nightmares are real, is a shut-in. When Gonzalo digs up a strange object in the backyard of the family home, the Izquierdos take it as proof that a jealous neighbor has cursed them-could this be the reason for all their troubles? As the Izquierdos face a distressing present and an uncertain future, they are sustained by the blood that binds them, a divine presence, and an abiding love for one another. Told in a series of soulful voices brimming with warmth and humor, The Family Izquierdo is a tender narrative of a family at a turning point”– Provided by publisher. Commercial audiobook. Unrated. 2022.

We look forward to having you join us on Tuesday, April 23!

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: The Texanist, David Courtney

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Thursday, February 22, at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with esteemed Texas journalist and author, David Courtney.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean will talk with the Temple, Texas native about his career working as a columnist and editor for Texas Monthly as well as his book, The Texanist: Fine Advice on Living in Texas (DBC 18771). A Q&A chat will follow.

No registration is needed! Simply join the meeting on February 22 via one of the following methods.



Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84839719639

One-Tap phone number (use with smartphones): http://+13462487799,,84839719639#

Dial In phone number (use with landlines and non-smartphones):

(346) 248-7799
Meeting ID: 848 3971 9639

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 conversation.

If you’d like to read THE TEXANIST book, contact us to order it by replying to this email or calling us at 1-800-252-9605.

THE TEXANIST: FINE ADVICE ON LIVING IN TEXAS (DBC 18771) by David Courtney NLS Annotation: “The Texanist, Texas Monthly’s perennially popular back-page column, has become the magazine’s most-read feature. With an inimitable style and an unassailable wholesomeness, columnist David Courtney has counseled many a well-intentioned Texan, native or wannabe, on how to properly conduct him—or herself.” Publisher’s website. 2017.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, February 22!