{"id":1369,"date":"2018-12-31T16:54:20","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T16:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=1369"},"modified":"2018-12-31T16:54:20","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T16:54:20","slug":"lone-star-reviewsmichelle-newby-nbcc-116","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=1369","title":{"rendered":"Lone Star ReviewsMichelle Newby, NBCC,"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/span><\/span>Lone Star Reviews<\/span>Michelle Newby, NBCC,<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

Contributing Editor<\/span><\/h1>\n
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Joe Holley<\/span><\/p>\n

Hurricane Season: The Unforgettable Story of the 2017 Houston Astros and the Resilience of A City<\/span><\/p>\n

Hachette Books<\/p>\n

Hardcover, 978-0316485241, 272 pages (also available as paperback and ebook), $27.00<\/p>\n

May 1, 2018<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Chris Manno<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a baseball collectible <\/span>enshrining the 2018 World Champion Houston Astros and their hurricane-battered host city, then Joe Holley\u2019s<\/span> Hurricane Season: The Unforgettable Story of the 2017 Houston Astros and the Resilience of A City<\/span> is it. If you\u2019re looking for a focused historical sports narrative, this may be more problematic to read.<\/p>\n

The story loops forward and backward and changes narrative modes like a frenetic Robin Williams anecdote: it\u2019s robust, very colorful, entertaining, but exhausting in the end. Ultimately, the reader has a hard time deciding what this book is, because Holley himself seems confused as to what it should be.<\/p>\n

Like most baseball game commentary, Holley tends to be overly verbose here. That is consistent with the book\u2019s sixteen-word title but tiring for the reader. He opens with compelling if paradoxical (am I reading a radio broadcast transcript?) play-by-play that is laden with the foibles of baseball sportscasting,\u00a0 >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/span>Texas Reads<\/span>Glenn Dromgoole<\/span><\/h1>\n

>> archive<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

Houston author\u2019s novel a good summer read<\/h1>\n

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If you\u2019re looking for a good book to read this summer, <\/span>let me recommend How to Walk Away,<\/span><\/a><\/span> the sixth novel by Houston author Katherine Center<\/span> (St. Martin\u2019s Press, $26.99 hardcover).<\/p>\n

Margaret had earned her MBA and landed a great job. She felt \u2014 she knew \u2014 that her dreamy next-door boyfriend Chip was about to propose \u2014 on Valentine\u2019s night. The future looked bright and happy. Suddenly, she finds her whole world in chaos, fighting for her life, her body and spirit broken, her future \u2014 with Chip, with anyone<\/span> \u2014 bleak.<\/p>\n

When older sister Kitty, who had mysteriously run away three years ago and has had nothing to do with the family since, shows up at the hospital, Margaret doesn\u2019t even want to speak to her. But Kitty\u2019s weirdness and determination eventually begin to have a healing effect, both on Margaret\u2019s health and the family\u2019s brokenness.<\/p>\n

As Margaret \u2014 or \u201cMaggie\u201d to her hard-nosed physical therapist, Ian \u2014 looks ahead, eventually she finds inspiration in this: \u201cWhen you don\u2019t know what to do for yourself, do something for someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to Walk Away has received glowing reviews from advance readers, one of whom predicted it will be \u201cthe summer\u2019s biggest hit.\u201d Another called it \u201ca beautiful and strong survival novel for the soul.\u201d If you read it, you\u2019ll probably find yourself looking up Center\u2019s other novels: The Bright Side of Disaster, Everyone Is Beautiful, Get Lucky, The Lost Husband<\/span>, and Happiness for Beginners.<\/span><\/p>\n

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More on the Astros:<\/span> Brian T. Smith, <\/span>a sports columnist for the Houston Chronicle, <\/span>has produced a book about the Houston Astros winning the World Series last year \u2014 Liftoff! The Tank, the Storm, and the Astros\u2019 Improbable Ascent to Baseball Immortality<\/span><\/a><\/span> (Triumph Books, $25.95 hardcover).<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago I told you about Joe Holley\u2019s<\/span> account, Hurricane Season,<\/span><\/a><\/span> that focused on how the Astros helped lift the city of Houston\u2019s spirits after Hurricane Harvey.<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s book deals mostly with the baseball side of the story \u2014 and what a story it was! Houston lost 111 games in 2013 and won 101 \u2014 and the World Series \u2014 four years later. \u201cThey built a team that won your hearts, honored a recovering city, and will last as long as baseball does,\u201d Smith writes. \u201cThe once horrible, then amazing, Houston Astros.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liftoff!<\/span> includes 27 color photos, with American League MVP Jose Altuve featured on the cover.<\/p>\n

George \u201cMachine Gun\u201d Kelly:<\/span> The Complete Story of His Life, Crimes & Death<\/span> is the result of 35 years of research by Texas author Bart Largent.<\/span> The notorious outlaw died 85 years ago, in 1933. At the back of the 440-page book, Largent lists numerous specific Fort Worth and Texas locations that figure into Kelly\u2019s story, as well as others from around the country. The book is available online for $24.95 paperback ($5.95 Kindle).<\/p>\n

Glenn Dromgoole<\/span> writes about Texas books and authors. Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

>> <\/span>Check out his previous Texas Reads columns in Lone Star Lit<\/a><\/span>erary Life<\/span><\/h1>\n

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<\/span><\/span> Twig\u2019s Top Ten Bestsellers<\/h1>\n

May 2018<\/h1>\n

What are Texans reading these days, you ask? <\/span>Lone Star Lit\u2019s newest regular feature is a monthly list of trending titles at the <\/span>Twig Book Shop,<\/span><\/a><\/span> a leading independent bookseller in San Antonio. Click on any title for the Buy link. And we’ll also include a hotlink to related content in Lone Star Literary Life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthony Doerr,<\/span> All the Light We Cannot See, <\/span>978-1-501173219<\/span><\/p>\n

David Grann,<\/span>Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI\u00a0 <\/span>978-0-307742483<\/span><\/p>\n

Jen Sincero<\/span>You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life <\/span> 978-0762490547<\/span><\/p>\n

Elizabeth Strout,<\/span>Anything Is Possible,<\/span> 978-0-812989410<\/span><\/p>\n

Min Jin Lee,<\/span>Pachinko<\/span> (National Book Award Finalist), 978-1-455563920<\/span><\/p>\n

Paula Hawkins,<\/span>Into the Water, <\/span>978-0-735211223<\/span><\/p>\n

Shari Lapena,<\/span>The Couple Next Door, <\/span>978-0-735221109<\/span><\/p>\n

Celeste Ng,<\/span>Little Fires Everywhere, <\/span>978-0-735224292<\/span><\/p>\n

George Saunders,<\/span>Lincoln in the Bardo,<\/span> 978-0-812985405<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Pollan,<\/span>How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence,<\/span> 978-1-594204227<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Ondaatje,<\/span>Warlight, <\/span>978-0-525521198<\/span><\/p>\n

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LONE STAR CLASSIFIED LISTINGS<\/span><\/h1>\n

FEATURED:\u00a0 PRIZE COMPETITIONS<\/h1>\n

6.3.18<\/span>\u00a0 The 2018 Julia Darling Memorial Poetry Prize<\/span><\/p>\n

A prize of $750.00 and publication in The Ocotillo Review<\/span> Winter 2019 will be awarded for a poem of up to 65 lines. Carrie Fountain<\/span> will judge. Revenue generated will be donated to cancer research. Details: www.kallistogaiapress.org<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

6.3.18\u00a0 The 2018 Chester B. Himes Memorial Short Fiction Prize<\/span><\/p>\n

A prize of $750.00 and publication in The Ocotillo Review<\/span> Winter 2019 will be awarded for a short story up to 4,200 words. Antonio Ruiz-Camacho<\/span> will judge. Revenue generated will be donated to Parkinson\u2019s research. Details: www.kallistogaiapress.org<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

>>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span> CLASSIFIED LISTINGS<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span>WHERE IN TEXAS?<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Meet our bloggers<\/h1>\n

Bookmark them so you can return again and again!<\/p>\n

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Bibliotica<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Melissa Bartell
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Chapter Break Book Blog<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Lynn Poppe & Julia Smeltzer<\/p>\n

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Hall Ways Blog<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Kristine Hall
Kelly Well Read<\/a><\/span>, Kelly Moore<\/p>\n

The Librarian Talks<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Tabatha Pope
The Love of a Bibliophile<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Kristen Mouton<\/p>\n

Margie\u2019s Must Reads<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Margie Longoria
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Missus Gonzo<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Lorilei Gonzales<\/p>\n

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StoreyBook Reviews<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Leslie Storey<\/p>\n

Story Schmoozing Book Reviews<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Marissa Marroquin<\/p>\n

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Tangled in Text<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Kelli Quintos<\/p>\n

Texas Book Lover<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Michelle Newby<\/p>\n

That\u2019s What She\u2019s Reading<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Jenn Zavaglia<\/p>\n

COMING UP ON TOUR: FICTION<\/h1>\n

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To Catch a Texas Star by Linda Broday Visit with Linda July 3\u201312, 2018<\/span><\/h1>\n

7\/3\/18 Excerpt That’s What She’s Reading<\/p>\n

7\/3\/18 Bonus Series Spotlight Hall Ways Blog<\/p>\n

7\/4\/18 Review Chapter Break Book Blog<\/p>\n

7\/5\/18 Guest Post StoreyBook Reviews<\/p>\n

7\/6\/18 Review Carpe Diem Chronicles<\/p>\n

7\/7\/18 Character Interview The Librarian Talks<\/p>\n

7\/8\/18 Review Margie’s Must Reads<\/p>\n

7\/9\/18 Playlist Book Fidelity<\/p>\n

7\/10\/18 Review Books and Broomsticks<\/p>\n

7\/11\/18 Author Interview Dressed to Read<\/p>\n

7\/12\/18 Review Reading by Moonlight<\/p>\n

CONTINUING ON TOUR: FICTION<\/h1>\n

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Tangible Spirits by Becki Willis Visit with Becky through July 6, 2018<\/span><\/h1>\n

7\/1\/18 Review That’s What She’s Reading<\/p>\n

7\/2\/18 Author Video I Momma on the Rocks<\/p>\n

7\/3\/18 Review Forgotten Winds<\/p>\n

7\/4\/18 Author Video II Missus Gonzo<\/p>\n

7\/5\/18 Review The Clueless Gent<\/p>\n

7\/6\/18 Review Kelly Well Read<\/p>\n

CONTINUING ON TOUR: FICTION<\/h1>\n

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Harmon General by Kimberly Fish Visit with Kimberly through July 1, 2018<\/span><\/h1>\n

7\/1\/18 Review Missus Gonzo<\/p>\n

RECENTLY ON TOUR: FICTION<\/h1>\n

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Cinco de Murder by Rebecca Adler<\/h1>\n

RECENTLY ON TOUR: FICTION<\/h1>\n

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The Captive Boy by Julia Robb<\/h1>\n

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Lone Star Literary Life Facts and FAQs<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Lone Star Literary Archives<\/span><\/h1>\n

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\u2022 Announcement: LSLL Launches<\/a><\/p>\n

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WHAT TEXANS ARE READING<\/span><\/h1>\n

LONE STAR LISTENS interviews\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>>> archive<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

Author interviews by Kay Ellington<\/span><\/h1>\n

7.1.2018\u00a0 Author and Dallas Morning News correspondent Alfredo Corchado on friends, family, and freedom \u2014 on both sides of the border<\/h1>\n

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Meet prize-winning journalist and immigration expert Alfredo Corchado<\/span>His latest book, Homelands,<\/span> is the sweeping story of the great Mexican migration from the late 1980s to today.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s told from the perspective of four friends who first meet in a Mexican restaurant in Philadelphia in 1987. One was a radical activist, another a restaurant\/tequila entrepreneur, the third a lawyer\/politician, and the fourth, Alfredo, a hungry young reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Over the course of thirty years, the four friends continued to meet, coming together to share stories of the turning points in their lives-the death of parents, the births of children, professional milestones, stories from their families north and south of the border.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His story has never been timelier, and we appreciated the chance to converse with him via email earlier this week.<\/p>\n

LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE: <\/span>Where were born, Alfredo, and where did you grow up and how would you describe those days?<\/span><\/p>\n

ALFREDO CORCHADO:\u00a0 <\/span>I was born in a small town, San Luis de Cordero, Durango. My first memories are of my tiny hometown, walking dirt and cobblestone streets as though they belonged to me and my younger brother, Juan. We walked everywhere and everyday to pick up food from our grandmother\u2019s house. We waved at our neighbors and we were known as Herlinda\u2019s sons.<\/p>\n

Your family brought you to the U.S. when you were six years old. What were those times like?<\/p>\n

We left San Luis de Cordero when I was five years old and spent nearly a year in Ciudad Juarez as we waited for our green cards to cross the border legally and be reunited with our father, who worked in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley. I cried a lot. I didn\u2019t want to leave Mexico, and the idea of going to another country was like heading for another planet. I missed my hometown. Ciudad Juarez seemed monstrous to us, but my mother was committed to raising as us as a family, together with my father.<\/p>\n

Your family eventually bought a restaurant in El Paso, and now you make El Paso your home at least part of the year. Do you consider El Paso to be your hometown, and how would you describe that city?<\/p>\n

I work as a Mexico Border correspondent for the Dallas Morning News, <\/span>so I crisscross the border a lot. I do consider El Paso my hometown because it\u2019s the only place where I don\u2019t feel like I have to choose between one side or the other. I often say that the border, El Paso, is the epicenter of my homelands. It is our Ellis Island in the Southwest, a place of new opportunities. It\u2019s a welcoming, tolerant and generous city with great history with important lessons during thes4 difficult, divisive, nativist times.<\/p>\n

When you chose a career path, you became a journalist. Did you always enjoy writing and storytelling? What drew you to this profession?<\/p>\n

I actually wanted to be a songwriter, but failed miserably. I was intrigued by the idea of journalism after a reporter asked me when it was like to work in the fields, underage, without clean drinking water, enough toilets. The idea that someone wanted to tell my story was\u00a0 powerful, so much that I decided on journalism and once I got the taste it felt like an incurable disease. It still does. \u00a0 >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Texas’s only statewide, weekly calendar of book events
<\/span><\/a><\/span>Bookish Texas <\/span>event highlights\u00a0 7.1.2018<\/span>>> GO this week<\/span><\/a><\/span>Michelle Newby, Contributing Editor<\/span><\/h1>\n

SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEK<\/span><\/p>\n