August 20: “TEXAS GREAT READ” BONUS BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION

Please join us on Thursday, August 20 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) for our Texas Great Read book club discussion of SMALL TOWN AUTHOR by John R. Erickson (DBC 25548)

Every year, the Library of Congress asks each state Center for the Book to select a title that represents the state’s literary landscape to highlight at the National Book Festival. The event showcases the importance of books and reading. The festival is sponsored by the Library of Congress and takes place during Labor Day weekend in Washington, D.C.

In honor of this event, the Texas Talking Book Program will host a bonus book club meeting so that our patrons can participate in the Great Texas Read initiative. The Great Texas Read is an event sponsored by Texas Center for the Book.

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).

SMALL TOWN AUTHOR by John R. Erickson (DBC 25548)

NLS Annotation: A memoir spanning more than fifty years by the West Texas author best known for the Hank the Cowdog series– Provided by publisher. 2025.

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

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Dina Gachman

Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Tuesday, August 18, at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with author, Dina Gachman.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Ms. Gachman’s career and her book SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS: HOW I LEANRED TO LIVE WITH GRIEF, AND OTHER GRAVE CONERNS (DB 130517). 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 Dina Gachman questions about her book. Please submit your questions by August 11. 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. Please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS: HOW I LEARNED TO LIVE WITH GRIEF, AND OTHER GRAVE CONERNS by Dina Gachman (DB 130517)

NLS Annotation: “A searching, heartfelt exploration about what it means to process grief, by a bestselling author and journalist whose experience with two devastating losses inspired her to bring comfort and understanding to others. Since losing her mother to cancer in 2018 and her sister to alcoholism less than three years later, author and journalist Dina Gachman has dedicated herself to understanding what it means to grieve, healing after loss, and the ways we stay connected to those we miss. Through a mix of personal storytelling, reporting, and insight from experts and even moments of humor, Gachman gives readers a fresh take on grief and bereavement—whether the loss is a family member, beloved pet, or a romantic relationship. No one wants to join the grief club, since membership comes with zero perks, but So Sorry for Your Loss will make that initiation just a little less painful.” Provided by publisher Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

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

2026 Pulitzer Prize Finalists and Winners Announced

The Pulitzer Prize is a prestigious award recognizing excellence in journalism, literature, and musical composition. Administered annually by Columbia University since 1917, the literature awards honor books written by an American author in seven areas including: Fiction, History, Biography, Memoir or Autobiography, and general nonfiction.

For more information check out the Pulitzer Prize website.

Here are the Pulitzer Prize finalists and winners (in bold) in the TBP collection.

Fiction

ANGEL DOWN by Daniel Kraus (DB 131910, LB 0009116)
AUDITION by Katie Kitamura (DB 128873)
STAG DANCE by Torrey Peters (DB 128449)

History

KING OF KINGS: THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION: A STORY OF HUBRIS, DELUSION, AND CATASTROPHIC MISCALCULATION by Scott Anderson (DB 131982)
WE THE PEOPLE: A HISTORY OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION by Jill Lepore (DB 133309)

Biography

PRIDE AND PLEASURE: THE SCHUYLER SISTERS IN AN AGE OF REVOLUTION by Amanda Vaill (DB 133023)

Memoir or Autobiography

BIBLIOPHOBIA by Sarah Chihaya (DB 128936)
CLAM DOWN by Anelise Chen (DB 130248)
I’LL TELL YOU WHEN I’M HOME by Hala Alyan (DB 132033)
THINGS IN NATURE MERELY GROW by Yiyun Li (DB 130140)

General Nonfiction

FLOWER TRAVELED IN MY BLOOD: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF THE GRANDMOTHERS WHO FOUGHT TO FIND A STOLEN GENERATION OF CHILDREN by Haley Cohen Gilliland (DB 132040)
MOTHER EMANUEL: TWO CENTURIES OF RACE, RESISTANCE, AND FORGIVENESS IN ONE CHARLESTON CHURCH by Kevin Sack (DB 130279)
THERE IS NO PLACE FOR US: WORKING AND HOMELESS IN AMERICA by Brian Goldstone (DB 128877)

2026 British Book Awards Book of the Year Shortlist

The British Book Awards, aka The Nibbies, is a celebration of books: it affirms, connects and energizes the world of reading by showcasing those who create stories and everyone who plays a role in bringing those stories to life.

The Books of the Year spotlight the titles that have stirred imaginations, started conversations, been part of book clubs and bestseller lists. The winners were announced on May 11.

For more information check out the British Book Awards Website

Here are the Book of the Year Shortlisted books for 2026 that are in the TBP collection.

Book of the Year – Overall

NOBODY’S GIRL: A MEMOIR OF SURVIVING ABUSE AND FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (DB 133461, LB 0008608)

Book of the Year – Fiction

BOLEYN TRAITOR by Philippa Gregory (DB 133594, LB 0008610)
DREAM COUNT by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (DB 127672, LB 0001494)
HEART THE LOVER by Lily King (DB 133290)
MY FRIENDS by Fredrik Backman (DB 129483, BR 26313)
ROSE FIELD by Philip Pullman (DB 133524)

Book of the Year – Romantic Fiction

GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Emily Henry (DB 129103, BR 26246, LB 0003604)

Book of the Year – Crime and Thriller

DEATH OF THE WHITE HART by Chris Chibnall (DB 129805)
GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore (DB 122747, LB 0000606, en español DB 128180)
IMPOSSIBLE FORTUNE by Richard Osman (DB 132689, LB 0005785, en español DB 134582)
SECRET OF SECRETS by Dan Brown (DB 132396, LB 0005701)
TENANT by Frieda McFadden (DB 129492, LB 0005347)

Book of the Year – Début Fiction

ARTIST AND THE FEAST by Lucy Steeds (DB 134519)
BOY FROM THE SEA by Garrett Carr (DBC 31721)
FUNDAMENTALLY by Nussaibah Younis (DB 128337)
NAMES by Florence Knapp (DB 129417, BR 26342 IN PROCESS, en español DB 136164)
NESTING by Roisin O’Donnell (DB 133476)

Book of the Year – Non-Fiction: Narrative

CARELESS PEOPLE: A CAUTIONARY TALE OF POWER, GREED, AND LOST IDEALISM by Sarah Wynn-Williams (DB 128587, en español DB 135419 en proceso)
ENTITLED: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE HOUSE OF YORK by Andrew Lownie (DB 134526)
LAST RITES by Ozzy Osbourne (DB 132995)
MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME by Arundhati Roy (DB 132952)
NOBODY’S GIRL: A MEMOIR OF SURVIVING ABUSE AND FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (DB 133461, LB 0008608)

Book of the Year – Science Fiction and Fantasy

ALCHEMISED by SenLinYu (DB 133250)
BRIMSTONE by Callie Hart (DB 135031)
KATABASIS by R. F. Kuang (DB 132323, BR 26579 IN PROCESS, en español DB 134793)
ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros (DB 127035, BR 25749 IN PROCESS, en español DB 127448)
DEVILS by Joe Abercrombie (DB 129814, BR 26297, en español DB 131391)

Book of the Year – Children’s Fiction

FEARLESS by Lauren Roberts (DB 129283, en español DB 130012)
LANGUAGE OF DRAGONS by S. F. Williamson (DB 126979, en español DB 130208)
SKANDAR AND THE SPIRIT WAR by A. F. Steadman (DB 135099)
SUNRISE ON THE REAPING by Suzanne Collins (DB 127954, BR 26205, en español DB 128635)

Book of the Year – Audiobook Non-Fiction

CARELESS PEOPLE: A CAUTIONARY TALE OF POWER, GREED, AND LOST IDEALISM written and narrated by Sarah Wynn-Williams (DB 128587, en español DB 135419 en proceso)
ENTITLED: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE HOUSE OF YORK written and narrated by Andrew Lownie (DB 134526)

Book of the Year – Audiobook Fiction

BEAUTIFUL UGLY written and narrated by Alice Feeney (DB 126338, LB 0002874)
CURSED DAUGHTERS written by Oyinkan Braithwaite and narrated by narrated by Weruche Opia, Diana Yekinni, and Nnei Opia Clark  (DB 133291)
ONE OF US written by Elizabeth Day and narrated by Richard Armitage, Oliver Chris, Emilia Fox, Genevieve Gaunt, Bella Maclean (DB 136468 IN PROCESS)
ROSE FIELD written by Philip Pullman and narrated by Michael Sheen (DB 133524)

TBP Book Club Title Announced for July 2026!

Join the Talking Book Program for a book club discussion on Thursday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m. (Central). We’ll be discussing the book DINOSAURS AT THE DINNER PARTY: HOW AN ECCENTRIC GROUP OF VICTORIANS DISCOVERED PREHISTORIC CREATURES AND ACCIDENTLY UPENDED THE WORLD by Edward Dolnick (DB 123653).

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).

DINOSAURS AT THE DINNER PARTY: HOW AN ECCENTRIC GROUP OF VICTORIANS DISCOVERED PREHISTORIC CREATURES AND ACCIDENTLY UPENDED THE WORLD by Edward Dolnick (DB 123653)

NLS Annotation: “In the early 1800s the world was a safe and cozy place. But then a twelve-year-old farm boy in Massachusetts stumbled on a row of fossilized three-toed footprints the size of dinner plates-the first dinosaur tracks ever found. Soon, in England, Victorians unearthed enormous bones-bones that reached as high as a man’s head. No one had ever seen such things. Outside of myths and fairy tales, no one had even imagined that creatures like three-toed giants had once lumbered across the land. And if anyone had somehow conjured up such a scene, they would never have imagined that all those animals could have vanished, hundreds of millions years ago. The thought of sudden, arbitrary disappearance from life was unnerving and forced the Victorians to rethink everything they knew about the world. Now, in Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party, celebrated storyteller and historian Edward Dolnick leads us through a compelling true adventure as the paleontologists of the first half of the 19th century puzzled their way through the fossil record to create the story of dinosaurs we know today. The tale begins with Mary Anning, a poor, uneducated woman who had a sixth sense for finding fossils buried deep inside cliffs; and moves to a brilliant, eccentric geologist named William Buckland, a kind of Doctor Doolittle on a mission to eat his way through the entire animal kingdom; and then on to Richard Owen, the most respected and the most despised scientist of his generation. Entertaining, erudite, and featuring an unconventional cast of characters, Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party tells the story of how the accidental discovery of prehistoric creatures upended humanity’s understanding of the world and their place in it, and how a group of paleontologists worked to bring it back into focus again”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2024.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, July 23!

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Laurie E. Jasinski

Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Thursday, July 16, at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with author and research editor, Laurie E. Jasinski.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Ms. Jasinski’s career and book, DINOSAUR HIGHWAY: A HISTORY OF DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK (DBC 18560). 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 Laurie E. Jasinski questions about her book. Please submit your questions by July 9. 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. Her book is also available to be mailed in a large print format. And, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

DINOSAUR HIGHWAY: A HISTORY OF DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK by Laurie E. Jasinski (DBC 18560)

NLS Annotation: “Where the Paluxy River now winds through the North Texas Hill Country, the great lizards of prehistory once roamed, leaving their impressive footprints deep in the limy sludge of what would become the earth’s Cretaceous layer. It wouldn’t be until a summer day in 1909, however, when young George Adams went splashing along the creek bed, that chance and shifting sediments would reveal these stony traces of an ancient past. Young Adams’s first discovery of dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River Valley, near the small community of Glen Rose, Texas, came more than one hundred million years after the reign of the dinosaurs. Indeed, nearly a century after their first discovery, the “stony oddities” of Somervell County continue to draw Saturday-afternoon tourists, renowned scholars, and dinosaur enthusiasts from across the nation and around the globe. In her careful, and colorful, history of Dinosaur Valley State Park, Jasinski deftly interweaves millennia of geological time with local legend, old photographs, and quirky anecdotes of the people who have called the valley home. Beginning with the valley’s “first visitors”—the dinosaurs—Jasinski traces the area’s history through to the decades of the twentieth century, when new track sites continued to be discovered, and visitors and locals continued to leave their own material imprint upon the changing landscape. The book reaches its culmination in the account of the hard-won battle fought by Somervell residents and officials during the latter decades of the century to secure Dinosaur Valley’s preservation as a state park.”—publisher marketing. 2008.

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

Dagger Awards Longlist 2026

Since 1955, the Dagger Awards, were established by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA). The longlists were announced on April 16th, the shortlists on May 28th, and the winners will be announced on July 2nd.

For more information check the Awards’ Website.

Here are the longlisted titles for 2026 that are in the TBP collection.

Gold Dagger

DON’T FORGET ME, LITTLE BESSIE by James Lee Burke (DB 130682, LB 05620)
KING OF ASHES by S. A. Cosby (DB 130044)
DEATH OF US by Abigail Dean (DB 128718)
NOT QUITE DEAD YET by Holly Jackson (DB 131109, LB 0005721)
FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon (DB 117781, LB 0000144)
RUSH by Beth Lewis (DB 0013135)
HOTEL UKRAINE by Martin Cruz Smith (DB 131188)
ART OF A LIE by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (DB 131965)

Whodunnit Dagger

ETIQUETTE FOR LOVERS AND KILLERS by Fitzgerald Healy (DB 130574)
MURDER FOR MISS HORTENSE by Mel Pennant (DB 129922)

Twisted Dagger

DEATH OF US by Abigail Dean (DB 128718)
BEAUTIFUL UGLY by Alice Feeney (DB 126338, LB 0002874)
DON’T LET HIM IN by Lisa Jewell (DB 131308, LB 0005870)
WE LIVE HERE NOW by Sarah Pinborough (DB 130293)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger

GHOSTWRITER by Julie Clark (DB 133889)
KING OF ASHES by S. A. Cosby (DB 130044)
BIG EMPTY by Robert Crais (DB 126841, LB 0002605)
DEATH OF US by Abigail Dean (DB 128718)
SUCH QUIET GIRLS by Noelle Ihli (DB 129733)
WE ARE GUILTY HERE by Karin Slaughter (DB 131980, LB 0005717)

ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger

ETIQUETTE FOR LOVERS AND KILLERS by Fitzgerald Healy (DB 130574)
RETIREMENT PLAN by Sue Hincenbergs (DB 131326, LB 0005340)
WOLF TREE by Laura McCluskey (DB 127119)
VANISHING PLACE by Zoë Rankin (DB 132594)
HOLY CITY by Henry Wise (DB 132167)

Historical Dagger

FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon (DB 117781, LB 0000144)
RUSH by Beth Lewis (DB 0013135)
ART OF A LIE by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (DB 131965)

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction

SHADOW OF THE BRIDGE: THE DELPHI MURDERS AND THE DARK SIDE OF THE AMERICAN HEARTLAND by Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee (DB 132637)
SPY IN THE ARCHIVE: HOW ONE MAN TRIED TO KILL THE KGB by Gordon Corera (DB 134875)
CIA BOOK CLUB: THE SECRET MISSION TO WIN THE COLD WAR WITH FORBIDDEN LITERATURE by Charlie English (DB 131492)
MURDERLAND: CRIME AND BLOODLUST IN THE TIME OF THE SERIAL KILLERS by Caroline Fraser (DB 129808)
ILLEGALS: RUSSIA’S MOST AUDACIOUS SPIES AND THEIR CENTURY-LONG MISSION TO INFILTRATE THE WEST by Shaun Walker (DB 129523)

Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation

SEESAW MONSTER written by Kotaro Isaka and translated from the Japanese by Sam Malissa (IN PROCESS)
BIG BAD WOOL written by Leonie Swann and translation from the German by Amy Bojang (DB 130226)

Hugo Award Finalists 2026

The Hugo Awards, Science Fiction’s most prestigious awards, were established by the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) in 1953. The Hugo Awards are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”), which is also responsible for administering them. The finalists were announced on April 21 and the awards will be presented on August 30.

For more information check the Awards’ Website.

Here are the finalists for 2026 that are in the TBP collection.

Best Novel

DROP OF CORRUPTION: AN ANA AND DIN MYSTERY by Robert Jackson Bennett (DB 130146)
DEATH OF THE AUTHOR by Nnedi Okorafor (DB 127592, BR 26389 IN PROCESS)
SHROUD by Adrian Tchaikovsky (DB 133509)
EVERLASTING by Alix E. Harrow (DB 133195, BR 26638 IN PROCESS, LB 0008872)
INCANDESCENT by Emily Tesh (DB 130051)
RAVEN SCHOLAR by Antonia Hodgson (DB 129533)

Best Novella

AUTOMATIC NOODLE by Annalee Newitz (DB 131818)
CINDER HOUSE by Freya Marske (DB 133193)
MURDER BY MEMORY by Olivia Waite (DB 128766, LB 0005762)
RIVER HAS ROOTS by Amal El-Mohtar (DB 128099)
SUMMER WAR by Naomi Novik (DB 132598)
WHAT STALKS THE DEEP by T. Kingfisher (DB 133159)

Lodestar Award for Best YA Book

AMONG GHOSTS by Rachel Harman (DB 130616)
COFFEESHOP IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE by C.B. Lee (DB 131014)
HOLY TERRORS by Margaret Owen (DB 129512)
OATHBOUND by Tracy Deonn (DB 128108, BR 26216 IN PROCESS)
SUNRISE ON THE REAPING by Suzanne Collins (DB 127954, BR 26205, en español DB 128635)
THEY BLOOM AT NIGHT by Trang Thanh Tran (DB 128117)

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Tim Hemlin

Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with author and educator, Tim Hemlin.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Mr. Hemlin’s career and his Neil Marshall Series, starting with the first book, IF WISHES WERE HORSES (DBC 18230). 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 Tim Hemlin questions about his book. Please submit your questions by June 9. 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).

IF WISHES WERE HORSES: NEIL MARSHALL SERIES, BOOK 1 by Tim Hemlin (DBC 18230)

NLS Annotation: Neil Marshall is a creative writing graduate student at the University of Houston, a struggling poet, and a soon-to-be-divorced man. To make ends meet, he moonlights as a chef for a high society caterer. When his oldest friend, racehorse breeder Jason Keys is murdered, Neil finds himself also moonlighting as a private eye just to stay out of jail. The police view him as their prime-suspect but Neil has an even bigger worry–can he find Jason’s killer before becoming the next victim? Violence, strong language, and descriptions of sex. 1996.

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

2026 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction Longlist

Founded in 2009, The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction celebrates quality, innovation, and ambition of writing for books published in the last year in the previous year in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. In order to qualify, the majority of the storyline must have taken place at least 60 years ago. The winner will be announced at the Borders Book Festival on Friday June 12.

For more information check out the Prize’s website.

Longlisted titles in the NLS Collection are:

VENETIAN VESPERS by John Banville (DB 133275)
HELM by Sarah Hall (DB 134025)
PRETENDER by Jo Harkin (DB 129104)
ARTIST AND THE FEAST by Lucy Steeds (DB 134519)
SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood (DB 134024)