Books
Is it Time to Rethink Texas Suburbia?
Two new books lay out convincing evidence that the suburbs have been unfairly maligned and overlooked.
My opinion of the suburbs changed a few years ago on my first trip to the Katy Mills Mall, a sprawling shopping center just west of Houston. The place didn’t...Read More
What’s a Bookstore for?
Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, booksellers were facing razor-thin margins, an uncertain future, and the threat of Amazon.
The people who work in bookstores are, by and large, very brilliant. My co-workers at BookPeople, a large independent bookstore in Austin, were no exception. I ...Read More
In ‘All I Ever Wanted,’ Kathy Valentine Reclaims Her Narrative
In her new memoir, Valentine strives to show that the Go-Go’s weren’t bubbly ingenues on MTV, but women who helped define a decade of pop and punk.
The Go-Go’s were used to having their story written for them. It’s happened to any band that has weathered a press junket: the same handful of anecdotes, or...Read More
A New Book on the Sutherland Springs Shooting Explores Resilience, Forgiveness, and Grace
Long after other journalists had packed up, Joe Holley stayed in the devastated town, getting to know survivors. He tells their stories with empathy and tact.
On November 5, 2017, “a country church in the middle of nowhere,” in the words of Joe Holley, became the site of the worst mass shooting in Texas history an...Read More
‘Trust Me’ Tackles Politics, Power, and Perception
Austin author Richard Z. Santos’ debut thriller takes readers behind the scenes of corruption and scandal.
Never become the story. This is the cardinal rule for political campaign staffers, at least according to Charles O’Connell, the protagonist in Richard Z. Sant...Read More
In a New West Texas Novel, Women Kick Ass and Take Names
Set in the 1970s Odessa oil boom, Elizabeth Wetmore’s debut novel, Valentine, is a revelation not for what it explores but for how.
Even though Friday Night Lights has been off the air for years, I’m still needled by one particular scene in an otherwise enjoyable show. In it, ice cream spr...Read More
13 Small Texas Presses to Read Right Now
These 13 Texas-based independent presses and publishers have offered diverse, boundary-pushing literature for years, even decades.
There’s no better time for reading than when you’re curled up in your home. Books offer a retreat from the chaos of the world—something we could all use a...Read More
How Christian Nationalism Moved from the Fringe to the White House
Katherine Stewart’s The Power Worshippers exposes the Christian right’s attempts to revise history and create an American theocracy.
After Hurricane Harvey devastated the Texas coast in 2017, three affected churches sued FEMA, claiming the agency’s policy against providing relief funds ...Read More
In ‘Barn 8,’ an Unsparing Look at the Industrial Chicken Industry
Deb Olin Unferth’s darkly comic novel imagines a chicken heist gone wrong—and takes on the factory farming industry.
The average American eats about 279 eggs each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and that’s no surprise. Eggs are cheap and available ever...Read More
Gabriel García Márquez and the (Comforting) Case for Embracing Failure
A new Austin exhibit reveals how much the acclaimed Colombian writer struggled to make a living and find success.
If you’re a writer on Twitter, there’s a fair chance this letter has popped up on your timeline in the past few days. It’s a rejection from the Ne...Read More