Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, & technology book reviews, plus social, political, & economic commentary
Back in October, 2020, I mentioned Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey’s memoir that celebrates his 50 years on Planet Earth, his quests for Hollywood success, his family, and the life lessons he has learned along the way. I wondered then if I would be able to get a review copy and write about it here … Continue reading Review Update: ‘Greenlights’ by Matthew McConaughey
A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge Terry Shames (Seventh Street – paperback, Kindle) The title may be a bit too folksy and over the top for a few hard-core mystery lovers. But the Samuel Craddock investigative series by Terry Shames does an excellent job of capturing the sights, sounds, speech patterns, customs, mannerisms and values … Continue reading A new mystery from Terry Shames: ‘A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge’ – #bookreview #mystery
Klail City / Klail City y sus alrededores Rolando Hinojosa (Arte Público – paperback) Problems involving race relations and immigration never go away in the United States. Sometimes, they boil over in big, violent ways that bring them back to the headlines, spotlights and TV screens — until something else happens that shifts … Continue reading KLAIL CITY / KLAIL CITY y sus alrededores – 1st bilingual edition of the 2nd novel in the famed ‘Klail City Death Trip’ series – #bookreview
Deadly Ruse E. Michael Helms (Seventh Street – paperback, Kindle) Fans of E. Michael Helms’s debut “Mac McClellan Mystery” novel, Deadly Catch, will be pleased with this fine new addition to the series. In Deadly Ruse, Mac’s girlfriend, Kate Bell, thinks she has seen a ghost–specifically, a previous boyfriend who supposedly was … Continue reading DEADLY RUSE – In this 2nd Mac McClellan Mystery, Mac investigates a weird case while becoming a Florida P.I. – #bookreview
The Valley / Estampas del valle Rolando Hinojosa (Arte Público Press – paperback) The long-turbulent Texas-Mexico border is in the news once again. So this is a timely moment to introduce or reintroduce readers to the famed Klail City Death Trip Series, fifteen books written by Rolando Hinojosa. The series is in a mythical Texas county on … Continue reading The Valley – Estampas del valle: Now in bilingual paperback for the first time – #bookreview
The Last Camel Charge: The Untold Story of America’s Desert Military Experiment Forrest Bryant Johnson (Berkley Caliber, hardback – Kindle) The U.S. Army employed camels as transportation and pack animals in the American West during the mid-19th century and tried to create “a U.S. camel cavalry, a true camel corps,” the author of this fascinating … Continue reading The Last Camel Charge – An intriguing look at America’s pre-Civil War desert military experiment – #bookreview
Dance All Night: Those Other Southwestern Swing Bands, Past and Present Jean A. Boyd (Texas Tech University Press, hardback, list price $65.00; paperback, list price $39.95) Fans of 1930s and 1940s western swing will find plenty to enjoy in this entertaining book by Jean A. Boyd, a Baylor University music history professor and native of Fort … Continue reading Dance All Night: Those Other Southwestern Swing Bands, Past and Present – #bookreview #in #music
My Boys and Girls Are in There: The 1937 New London School Explosion By Ron Rozelle (Texas A&M, hardback, list price $24.95; Kindle edition, list price $24.95) Gone at 3:17: The Untold Story of the Worst School Disaster in American History By David M. Brown and Michael Wereschagin (Potomac Books, hardback, $29.95; Kindle edition, list … Continue reading The New London explosion – Two views of America’s worst school disaster – #bookreview #texas #history
The Trials of Eroy Brown: The Murder Case That Shook the Texas Prison System By Michael Berryhill (University of Texas, hardback, list price $29.95; paperback, list price $25.00) A prizewinning journalist has dug deeply and impressively into a double killing that still haunts the Texas Department of Criminal Justice more than 30 years after it … Continue reading The Trials of Eroy Brown: The Murder Case That Shook the Texas Prison System – #bookreview #in
To the People of Texas An Appeal: In Vindication of His Conduct of the Navy By Commodore Edwin W. Moore, T.N., edited with an introduction by Jonathan W. Jordan (DeGolyer Library, hardback, list price $60.00 plus applicable sales tax and $5.00 shipping) A friend who knows that I enjoy naval histories recently sent me a copy of this … Continue reading Looking anew at the intense feud between leaders of the Texas Republic’s Navy & Army – #bookreview
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