Summer Reading Program Presents: National Parks

Adventure is the theme for this year’s Summer Reading Program. This week we’re featuring books about our National Parks. In fact, did you know that you can visit our national parks without even leaving your home? Many of our National Parks offer virtual tours. For more information, go to the National Parks website.

Perhaps you’d rather read about our national parks. Our collection contains everything from history to mystery, with romance in between. Check out the titles in our collection. Remember, adventure begins at your library!

Adult Nonfiction

BIG BURN: TEDDY ROOSEVELT AND THE FIRE THAT SAVED AMERICA by Timothy Egan (DB 69976)
HOUR OF LAND: A PERSONAL TOPOGRAPHY OF AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS by Terry Tempest Williams (DB 86575)
LASSOING THE SUN: A YEAR IN AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS by Mark Woods (DBC 12749)
LEAVE IT AS IT IS: A JOURNEY THROUGH THEODORE ROOSEVELT’S AMERICAN WILDERNESS by David Gessner (DB 101435)
LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS: MY ACADIA-TO-ZION JOURNEY THROUGH EVERY NATIONAL PARK by Conor Knighton (DB 99776)
NATURAL RIVALS: JOHN MUIR, GIFFORD PINCHOT, AND THE CREATION OF AMERICA’S PUBLIC LANDS by John Clayton (DB 102008)
PROPHETS AND MOGULS, RANGERS AND ROGUES, BISON AND BEARS: 100 YEARS OF NATIONAL PARK SERVICE by Heather Hansen (DBC 03184)
RIGHTFUL HERITAGE: FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT AND THE LAND OF AMERICA by Douglas Brinkley (DB 85166, LB 08664)
TEN BEST OF EVERYTHING: NATIONAL PARKS; EIGHT HUNDRED TOP PICKS FROM PARKS COAST TO COAST (DB 73663)
THAT WILD COUNTRY: AN EPIC JOURNEY THROUGH THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF AMERICA’S PUBLIC LANDS by Mark Kenyon (DB 103496)

Adult Fiction

SERIES

ANNA PIGEON MYSTERY SERIES by Nevada Barr
Track of the Cat (DB 65648, BR 21546, LB 10965)
DINOSAUR LAKE SERIES by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Dinosaur Lake (DB 81416)
JACK PRESTER MYSTERY SERIES by Sandy Dengler
Model Murder (LB 10601)
RANGER MCINTYRE SERIES by James C. Work
UNMENTIONABLE MURDERS (DBC 13135)
VINTAGE NATIONAL PARKS by Karen Barnett
Road to Paradise (DB 98319)

STAND ALONE NOVELS

CHASING BEARS: A CANOE COUNTRY ADVENTURE by Earl Fleck (DB 51873, BR 13475)
FAMOUS FOR A LIVING by Melissa Ferguson (LB 14666)
FOOL’S PROGRESS: AN HONEST NOVEL by Edward Abbey (DB 29206)
KINGDOMTIDE by Rye Curtis (DB 98412)
LAST RANGER by Peter Heller (DB 118782)
NEST IN ASHES by Christine Goff (DBC 12981)
PUBLIC TRUST by J. M. Mitchell (DBC 03185)
TAKE ME WITH YOU by Catherine Ryan Hyde (DBC 16525)

Juvenile Nonfiction

NATIONAL MONUMENTS, NATIONAL PARKS, NATURAL WONDERS by Cynthia L. Brown (DB 69027)

Juvenile Fiction

SERIES

KATT VS. DOGG SERIES by James Patterson
Katt vs. Dogg (DB106129) Grades 3-6
MYSTERIES IN OUR NATIONAL PARKS SERIES by Gloria Skurzynski
Wolf Stalker (DB 50778) Grades 4-7
NATIONAL PARK MYSTERY SERIES by Mary Morgan
Stolen Treasures at Pictured Rocks (DBC 11122) Grades 3-6

STAND ALONE NOVELS

OUR GREAT BIG BACKYARD by Laura Welch Bush (DB 102072, BR 21094) Grades Kindergarten – 3

Summer Reading Program Presents: Star Trek Books Available in the TBP Collection

Adventure is the theme for this year’s Summer Reading Program. This week we’re featuring books about the Star Trek franchise. Go explore strange new worlds and boldly go where no one has yet to go—through the magic of reading Because, remember: adventure begins at your library!

This is an ever-evolving list. The current iteration was compiled using the source below on April 12, 2024. As the NLS collection grows daily, this is not a complete list of our holdings. This list is organized with the TV shows first, then the movies. Then we’ve also included the books we have about Star Trek Magazine, as well as nonfiction titles about the show and memoirs from the actors.

Source: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Novels

STAR TREK: Television Tie-In Series

Original Series

Novelizations

STAR TREK 5 by James Blish (DB 14291)
STAR TREK 8 by James Blish (DB 13573)

Numbered

1. STAR TREK, THE MOTION PICTURE: A NOVEL by Gene Roddenberry (DB 15108)
7. STAR TREK, THE WRATH OF KHAN: A NOVEL by Vonda N. McIntyre (DB 18556)
11. YESTERDAY’S SON by A. C. Crispin (DB 20151)
12. MUTINY ON THE ENTERPRISE by Robert E. Vardeman (DB 21833)
17. STAR TREK III, THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK by Vonda N. McIntyre (DB 27382)
20. VULCAN ACADEMY MURDERS by Jean Lorrah (DB 30873, BR 08131)
21. UHURA’S SONG by Janet Kagan (DB 25238)
23. ISHMAEL by Barbara Hambly (DBC 16925)
32. CHAIN OF ATTACK by Gene Deweese (DB 26694)
33. DEEP DOMAIN by Howard Weinstein (DB 26697)
35. ROMULAN WAY by Diane Duane (DB 27163)
38. IDIC EPIDEMIC by Jean Lorrah (DB 29038)
39. TIME FOR YESTERDAY by A. C. Crispin (DBC 00160)
40. TIMETRAP by David Dvorkin (DB 29159)
41. THREE-MINUTE UNIVERSE by Barbara Paul (DB 28046)
42. MEMORY PRIME by Garfield Reeves-Stevens (DB 29027)
43. FINAL NEXUS by Gene Deweese (DB 30281)
44. VULCAN’S GLORY by D. C. Fontana (DB 30275)
45. DOUBLE, DOUBLE by Michael Jan Friedman (DB 30991)
46. CRY OF THE ONLIES by Judy Klass (DB 31972, BR 08303)
48. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT by Peter Morwood (DB 31974, BR 08301)
49. PANDORA PRINCIPLE by Carolyn Clowes (DB 31973, BR 08251)
50. DOCTOR’S ORDERS by Diane Duane (DB 32608, BR 08426)
51. ENEMY UNSEEN by V. E. Mitchell (DB 32023, BR 08460)
53. GHOST WALKER by Barbara Hambly (DB 33924, BR 08728)
54.1. LOST YEARS by J. M. Dillard (DB 30643, BR 08056)
54.2. FLAG FULL OF STARS by Brad Ferguson (DB 33015, BR 08526)
56. LEGACY by Michael Jan Friedman (DB 33047, BR 08656)
57. RIFT by Peter David (DB 34029, BR 09096)
59. DISINHERITED by Peter David (DB 34044, BR 09086)
60. ICE TRAP by L. A. Graf (DB 37978, BR 09519)
61. SANCTUARY by John Vornholt (DB 35877, BR 09138)
64. STARSHIP TRAP by Mel Gilden (DB 38336, BR 09523)
65. WINDOWS ON A LOST WORLD by V. E. Mitchell (DB 38373, BR 09580)
67. GREAT STARSHIP RACE by Diane Carey (DB 37623, BR 09424)
74. FEARFUL SUMMONS by Denny Martin Flinn (DB 44180)
80. JOY MACHINE by James E. Gunn (BRC 01610)
93. THIN AIR: NEW EARTH, BOOK 5 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (DBC 17254)

Unnumbered

FATE OF THE PHOENIX by Sondra Marshak (DBC 03030)
PROBE by Margaret Wander Bonanno (DB 35859, BR 09072)
SHADOWS ON THE SUN by Michael Jan Friedman (DB 37988, BR 09497)
SAREK by A. C. Crispin (DB 39107, BR 09662)
ENTERPRISE: THE FIRST ADVENTURE by Vonda N. McIntyre (DB 25383)
STRANGERS FROM THE SKY by Margaret Wander Bonanno (DB 27122)
SPOCK’S WORLD by Diane Duane (DB 28019)
FINAL FRONTIER by Diane Carey (DB 29029)
PRIME DIRECTIVE by Garfield Reeves-Stevens (DB 31975)
FEDERATION by Judith Reeves-Stevens (DB 39662)

Shatnerverse

ASHES OF EDEN: ODYSSEY, BOOK 1 by William Shatner (DB 45690)
RETURN: STAR TREK; ODYSSEY, BOOK 2 by William Shatner (DB 56702)
AVENGER: STAR TREK; ODYSSEY, BOOK 3 by William Shatner (DB 56719)
CAPTAIN’S PERIL: TOTALITY, BOOK 1 by William Shatner (DB 58868)

Children’s Series (Grades 3-6)

TRUTH MACHINE by Christopher Cerf (DB 13451)
PRISONER OF VEGA by Sharon Lerner (DB 14623)

Next Generation

Novelizations

UNIFICATION by Jeri Taylor (DB 35623, BR 09117)
STAR TREK GENERATIONS by J. M. Dillard (DB 40623, BR 09953)

Numbered

8. CAPTAINS’ HONOR by David Dvorkin (DB 31968, BR 08235)
12. DOOMSDAY WORLD by Carmen Carter (DB 31983, BR 08302)
14. EXILES by Howard Weinstein (DB 32016, BR 08417)
15. FORTUNE’S LIGHT by Michael Jan Friedman (DB 32033, BR 08454)
17. BOOGEYMEN by Mel Gilden (DB 33030, BR 08643)
18. Q-IN-LAW by Peter David (DB 33915, BR 08665)
19. PERCHANCE TO DREAM by Howard Weinstein (DB 34025, BR 08852)
21. CHAINS OF COMMAND by W. A. McCay (DB 35624, BR 09101)
22. IMBALANCE by V. E. Mitchell (DB 35625, BR 09090)
23. WAR DRUMS by John Vornholt (DB 44058, BR 11072)
28. HERE THERE BE DRAGONS by John Peel (DB 44946)
30. DEBTORS’ PLANET by W. R. Thompson (DB 39420, BR 09714)
36. INTO THE NEBULA by Gene Deweese (DB 44646)

Unnumbered

METAMORPHOSIS by Jean Lorrah (DB 31427, BR 08250)
VENDETTA by Peter David (DB 33031, BR 08660)
REUNION by Michael Jan Friedman (DB 33941, BR 08757)
IMZADI by Peter David (DB 35626, BR 09119)
DARK MIRROR by Diane Duane (DB 38892, BR 09730)
Q-SQUARED by Peter David (DB 39441, BR 09867)
DEVIL’S HEART by Carmen Carter (DB 41008, BR 10428)

Deep Space Nine

Numbered

2. SIEGE by Peter David (DB 45125)
3. BLOODLETTER by K. W. Jeter (DB 46067)
4. BIG GAME by Sandy Schofield (DB 40814)
5. FALLEN HEROES by Dafydd ab Hugh (DB 41005)
8. ANTIMATTER by John Vornholt (DB 42177)
9. PROUD HELIOS by Melissa Scott (DB 46113)
11. DEVIL IN THE SKY by Greg Cox (DB 44943)
13. STATION RAGE by Diane Carey (DB 45764)
15. OBJECTIVE: BAJOR by John Peel (DB 46114)

Unnumbered

PROPHECY AND CHANGE (DB 60696)
FERENGI RULES OF ACQUISITION by Ira Steven Behr (DB 44033)

Relaunch

Deep Space Nine “relaunch” is an unofficial term used to refer to titles for Deep Space Nine fiction set after the TV series finale “What You Leave Behind”.

UNITY by S. D. Perry (DB 59375)

STAR TREK: Movies

Novelizations

STAR TREK, THE MOTION PICTURE: A NOVEL by Gene Roddenberry (DB 15108)
STAR TREK, THE WRATH OF KHAN: A NOVEL by Vonda N. McIntyre (DB 18556)
STAR TREK III, THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK by Vonda N. McIntyre (DB 27382)
STAR TREK IV, THE VOYAGE HOME by Vonda N. McIntyre (DB 25967)
STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER by J. M. Dillard (DB 54273)
STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY by J. M. Dillard (DB 34031, BR 08890)
STAR TREK GENERATIONS by J. M. Dillard (DB 40623, BR 09953)
STAR TREK by Alan Dean Foster (DB 70035)

STAR TREK: Magazine

1. BEST OF TREK: FROM THE MAGAZINE FOR STAR TREK FANS by Walter Irwin (DB 14618, BR 05966)
2. BEST OF TREK #2: FROM THE MAGAZINE FOR STAR TREK FANS by Walter Irwin (DB 22644)
3. BEST OF TREK #3: FROM THE MAGAZINE FOR STAR TREK FANS by Walter Irwin (BR 06036)
4. BEST OF TREK #4: FROM THE MAGAZINE FOR STAR TREK FANS by Walter Irwin (BR 06157)
5. BEST OF TREK #5: FROM THE MAGAZINE FOR STAR TREK FANS by Walter Irwin (BR 06158)

STAR TREK Nonfiction

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM WATCHING “STAR TREK” by Dave Marinaccio (BR 10920)
BEAMING UP AND GETTING OFF: LIFE BEFORE AND BEYOND STAR TREK by Walter Koenig (DB 106527)
I AM NOT SPOCK by Leonard Nimoy (DB 13399)
I AM SPOCK by Leonard Nimoy (DB 43757)
PHASERS ON STUN!: HOW THE MAKING (AND REMAKING) OF STAR TREK CHANGED THE WORLD by Ryan Britt (DB 108903)
PHYSICS OF STAR TREK by Lawrence Maxwell Krauss (DB 43550)
STAR TREK CREATOR: THE AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF GENE RODDENBERRY by David Alexander (DB 39794)
STAR TREK LIVES! by Jacqueline Lichtenberg (DB 11175)
STAR TREK MEMORIES by William Shatner (DB 37629)
STAR TREK ON THE BRAIN: ALIEN MINDS, HUMAN MINDS by Robert Sekuler (DB 50105)
TO SEEK OUT NEW LIFE: BIOLOGY OF STAR TREK by Athena Andreadis (DB 48584)
TO THE STARS: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF STAR TREK’S MR. SULU by George Takei (DBC 26683)
WORLD OF STAR TREK by David Gerrold (DB 15700)

2024 Summer Reading Sign Up is Open!

Graphic for summer reading featuring a child and a ghost sharing a book by a fire and the slogan "adventure begins at your library"

Our ALL AGES summer reading program is returning on June 3, 2024! This year’s theme is Adventure Begins at Your Library and focuses on exploring, and all kinds of adventures.

Sign up is open now!

You can sign up using the above link, or by calling us at 1-800-252-9605.


From June 3 to August 9, you’ll get themed book lists and matching activities, and you can win a prize at the end of summer by reviewing books. Materials will be available electronically, in large print, in braille, and in Spanish.

This year the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) is also providing several virtual events, including a kickoff party, live author talks, and online games!

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

Many Faces of BARD Program: BARD 2.0: An Introduction and Demonstration

Join the National Library Service (NLS) for the Many Faces of BARD program on Thursday, April 11, at 6:00 p.m. (Central). NLS will provide an introduction and demonstration of the new BARD 2.0.

BARD stands for Braille and Audio Reading Download service and is a registered trademark for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.  

Registration is not required. The session is scheduled for one hour with time for questions. Click on the link to join: https://tinyurl.com/bdcftz98  

May 2024 TBP Book Club Title Announced!

Please join us on Tuesday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) for our Book Club discussion of MERCURY RISING: JOHN GLENN, JOHN KENNEDY, AND THE NEW BATTLEGROUND OF THE COLD WAR by Jeff Shesol.

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 call us at 1-800-252-9605 or email tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov

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

MERCURY RISING: JOHN GLENN, JOHN KENNEDY, AND THE NEW BATTLEGROUND OF THE COLD WAR by Jeff Shesol (DB 110864)

A riveting history of the epic orbital flight that put America back into the space race. If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War–a perilous time when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the United States to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival—and America was losing. On February 20, 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes in what Kennedy called the “hour of maximum danger.” Commercial audiobook.

We’re looking forward to having you join us on Tuesday, May 21!

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Rubén Degollado

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

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!