woostify domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/latestwordpress/lonestar.a1professionals.net_public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131Over the course of the year, I receive probably 200 or more books to consider for Texas Reads, and I try to get around to as many as possible. So far I\u2019ve been able to write about, or at least mention, 110 titles by Texas authors or about Texas subjects, covering a wide range of interests and genres, and I hope to get around to several more this month before taking off a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n
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By Glenn Dromgoole<\/p>\n
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Over the course of the year, I receive probably 200 or more books to consider for Texas Reads, and I try to get around to as many as possible. So far I\u2019ve been able to write about, or at least mention, 110 titles by Texas authors or about Texas subjects, covering a wide range of interests and genres, and I hope to get around to several more this month before taking off a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n
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As we enter the home stretch, here are a dozen of my favorites from the year. They\u2019re not necessarily the best, or the best-selling, Texas books, just some that I found particularly appealing.<\/p>\n
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Let\u2019s start with two entertaining titles: W. F. Strong\u2019s book of \u201cStories from Texas: Some of Them Are True\u201d<\/strong> ($11.99 paperback) and \u201c100 Things to Do in Texas Before You Die\u201d<\/strong> by E.R. Bills ($18 paperback). Both are fun to read, and I learned something from each one that I didn\u2019t know about Texas.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019ve mentioned several times that this has been a good year for elegant coffee-table books. My three favorites (it was a hard choice) are \u201cA Mile Above Texas\u201d <\/strong>featuring spectacular aerial photographs by Jay B. Sauceda ($45 hardcover); \u201cHorses of the American West: Portrayals by Twenty-Four Artists\u201d<\/strong> by Heidi Brady and Scott White ($40 hardcover); and \u201cAs Far As You Can See: Picturing Texas,\u201d<\/strong> gorgeous nature photos by Kenny Braun ($45 hardcover).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fiction? A lot of good ones, but I\u2019ll go with mega-best-selling author James Patterson\u2019s fast-paced \u201cTexas Ranger\u201d<\/strong> ($28 hardcover, Andrew Bourelle co-author) and Katherine Center\u2019s \u201cHow to Walk Away,\u201d <\/strong>about a young woman\u2019s heroic struggle to survive after a private plane crash ($26.99 hardcover).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another favorite novel, intended for middle grade boys, is S.J. Dalstrom\u2019s \u201cBlack Rock Brothers\u201d<\/strong> ($9.95 paperback), the fifth book in his \u201cThe Adventures of Wilder Good\u201d series, which I highly recommend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Also, I have to include John Erickson\u2019s 71st \u201cHank the Cowdog\u201d novel, \u201cThe Case of the Monster Fire\u201d<\/strong> ($5.99 paperback). The story grew out of the 2017 Panhandle wildfire that destroyed Erickson\u2019s own ranch home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gotta have a couple of football books. My picks this year are \u201cThe 50 Greatest Players in Dallas Cowboys History\u201d<\/strong> by Robert W. Cohen ($24.95 hardcover) and \u201cPlaying for More: Trust Beyond What You Can See,\u201d<\/strong> an inspiring story about faith, family and football by Abilene\u2019s own Case Keenum, now the quarterback for the Denver Broncos ($22.95 hardcover).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Finally, I really enjoyed Don Graham\u2019s book going behind the scenes of one of Texas\u2019s iconic movies, \u201cGiant: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Edna Ferber and the Making of a Legendary American Film\u201d<\/strong> ($27.99 hardcover). After I read it, I checked out the DVD from the library and watched \u201cGiant\u201d again for the first time in several years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n