Category Archives: Spotlight on Texas Books

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!

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)

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!

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: 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!

Texas Food Brands and Restaurants

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One of the things Texas is known for is amazing food. For decades, enterprising Texans have been creating food brands and restaurants in order to share their favorite regional foods with the rest of the country. Below are books in the NLS collection featuring some of the famous Texas food brands and restaurants.

Blue Bell Ice Cream

BLUE BELL ICE CREAM: A CENTURY AT THE LITTLE CREAMERY IN BRENHAM, TEXAS, 1907-2007 by Dorothy McLeod MacInerney (DBC 18395)

Dr Pepper

ROAD TO DR PEPPER, TEXAS: THE STORY OF DUBLIN DR PEPPER by Karen Wright (DBC 14360)

Franklin Barbecue

FRANKLIN BARBECUE: A MEAT-SMOKING MANIFESTO by Aaron Franklin (DBC 29048)

Threadgills

THREADGILL’S: THE COOKBOOK by Eddie Wilson (DBC 26954)

Wolf Brand Chili

NEIGHBOR, HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?: THE STORY OF WOLF BRAND CHILI, A TEXAS LEGEND by Wallace O. Chariton (DBC 18521)

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!

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