{"id":1407,"date":"2018-12-31T17:05:30","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T17:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=1407"},"modified":"2018-12-31T17:05:30","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T17:05:30","slug":"lone-star-reviewsmichelle-newby-nbcc-122","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=1407","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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AUTOBIOGRAPHY<\/span><\/p>\n

Bill Sarpalius,<\/span> with foreword by Bill Hobby<\/span><\/p>\n

The Grand Duke from Boys Ranch<\/span><\/p>\n

Texas A&M University Press<\/p>\n

Hardcover, 978-1-62349-657-9 (ebook also available), 336 pages, $34.95; April 2018<\/p>\n

Under normal circumstances, it\u2019s hard to get elected to the United States Congress.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bill Sarpalius,<\/span> who represented the Texas 13th Congressional District from 1989 to 1995, started out in life well behind almost all others who have served in the U.S. House. The tagline for Sarpalius\u2019s new autobiography states simply: \u201cFrom homeless to Congress….\u201d Yet, as this ably written and informative book makes clear, his journey to Capitol Hill actually was long, convoluted, and tough.\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

Author Colleen Hoover does more than write books<\/h1>\n

In the past six years, Colleen Hoover has published fourteen novels<\/span> in the young adult, new adult and romance genres, consistently ranking high on the New York Times best seller list.<\/p>\n

But she does more than that. She also operates The Bookworm Box, which is both a monthly subscription service offering signed novels and novelty items to subscribers and a brick-and-mortar bookstore in Sulphur Springs. All the books are signed and donated by the authors, and all profits go to charity \u2014 more than $1 million so far. Read more at thebookwormbox.com<\/span><\/a><\/span> or colleenhoover.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Hoover continues producing novels that resonate with her growing legion of fans.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve just read her two latest \u2014 All Your Perfects<\/span><\/a><\/span> and Without Merit<\/span><\/a><\/span> \u2014 and while they\u2019re quite different types of stories, they\u2019re both page-turners. I zipped through each one in a day or so.<\/p>\n

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All Your Perfects<\/span> (Atria, $28 hardcover, $16 paperback) deals with a couple in their thirties struggling to save their marriage.<\/p>\n

Told in Quinn\u2019s voice, the chapters alternate between \u201cthen\u201d and \u201cnow.\u201d \u201cThen\u201d was when she and Graham were falling in love. \u201cNow\u201d is seven years into their marriage. They have not been able to have children, or adopt, and that is affecting their intimacy in every way. And they can\u2019t seem to find ways to communicate what they\u2019re feeling.<\/p>\n

Quinn is distant, unhappy, probably depressed. Graham tries to remain upbeat. Or as Quinn puts it, \u201cHe fills the room with his presence. I fill it with my absence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every twenty-eight days, Quinn is reminded of her inability to get pregnant, and it is devastating. Graham desires her as much as ever, but she\u2019s not reciprocating.<\/p>\n

Promises they made in the past \u2014 \u201cthen\u201d \u2014 may be the only thing keeping them together \u201cnow\u201d \u2013 but is it enough?<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/span><\/span>Without Merit<\/span> (Atria, $25 hardcover, $16 paperback) is more of a young adult novel, I suppose, since the story\u2019s narrator is seventeen. But adults can appreciate it as well.<\/p>\n

The narrator is named Merit, and she has an identical twin sister named Honor. Merit collects trophies she hasn\u2019t won, and she is attracted to Honor\u2019s boyfriend, Sagan, who kisses Merit one day thinking he\u2019s kissing Honor.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s just the beginning of her odd family\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

They live in what used to be a church until their father, an atheist, bought it because the pastor\u2019s dog was barking too loud. Their invalid mother, Victoria, who is divorced from their father, lives in the basement and never comes out. Their father and his current wife, also named Victoria, have a four-year-old son named Moby.<\/p>\n

The family can never finish a meal without at least one member stomping off to their room and slamming the door. It is a house full of secrets, lies and misunderstandings until Merit one day exposes all the secrets, which threatens to tear apart the few remaining threads holding the strange family together.* * * * *<\/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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4th Annual Permian Basin Writers\u2019 Workshop set for Oct. 13-14<\/h1>\n

Now in its fourth year, the Permian Basin Writers\u2019 Workshop<\/span> annual event will feature writing coaches, agents, and publishers from around the country, October 13-14, 2018.<\/p>\n

The two-day workshop event will be held in Midland, at the Marie Hall Academic Building at Midland College.<\/p>\n

The workshop will feature ten speakers, including Margie Lawson, Christie Craig, Manning Wolfe, David Farland, Reavis Z. Wortham, Kristen Marten, Stephen Graham Jones, Donna M. Johnson, B. Alan Bourgeois<\/span> and Arlene Gale<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/a>>>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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

July 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

Claudia Guerra & Char Miller,<\/span>300 Years of San Antonio & Bexar County<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-595348494<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Cirlos<\/span>Humans of San Antonio<\/span><\/a><\/span>978-1-595347930<\/span><\/p>\n

David Sedaris,<\/span>Calypso<\/span> 978-0-316392389<\/span><\/p>\n

HBR\u2019s 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-422157992<\/span><\/p>\n

HBR\u2019s 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1633694361<\/span><\/p>\n

Min Jin Lee,<\/span>Pachinko<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-455563920<\/span><\/p>\n

Amor Towles,<\/span>A Gentleman in Moscow<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-0-670026197<\/span><\/p>\n

Andy Weir,<\/span>Artemis<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-0-553448146<\/span><\/p>\n

Robert Wright,<\/span>Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-439195468<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesmyn Ward,<\/span>Sing, Unburied, Sing<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-501126079<\/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

Don’t miss a reading or a good read! Sign up for our FREE weekly
e-newsletter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Meet our bloggers<\/h1>\n

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

A Page Before Bedtime<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Melyssa Prince<\/p>\n

All the Ups and Downs<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Heather Cranmer<\/p>\n

Bibliotica<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Melissa Bartell
Book Fidelity,<\/span><\/a><\/span> Celia Medrano-Ortiz
#Bookish<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Erin Decker<\/p>\n

Books and Broomsticks<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Belle Whittington<\/p>\n

Books in the Garden<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Julia Byers
Carpe Diem Chronicles<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Maida Malby<\/p>\n

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

The Clueless Gent<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Michael O’Connor<\/p>\n

Forgotten Winds<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Christena Stephens<\/p>\n

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
Max Knight Blog<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Max Knight<\/p>\n

Missus Gonzo<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Lorilei Gonzales<\/p>\n

Momma on the Rocks<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Jenn Belden<\/p>\n

Nerd Narration Blog<\/span>,<\/a> Taylor Sebring<\/p>\n

The Page Unbound<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Becca Cahill & Haley Ringer<\/p>\n

Reading by Moonlight<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Ruthie Jones<\/p>\n

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

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

Syd Savvy<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Sydney Young<\/p>\n

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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THAT ONE MOMENT by Patty Wiseman
Visit with Patty August 14\u201323, 2018<\/span><\/h1>\n

8\/14\/18 Book Trailer Texas Book Lover<\/p>\n

8\/14\/18 Excerpt The Clueless Gent<\/p>\n

8\/15\/18 Review Reading by Moonlight<\/p>\n

8\/16\/18 Character Interview The Page Unbound<\/p>\n

8\/16\/18 Author Interview Margie’s Must Reads<\/p>\n

8\/17\/18 Review StoreyBook Reviews<\/p>\n

8\/18\/18 Review That’s What She’s Reading<\/p>\n

8\/18\/18 Excerpt All the Ups and Downs<\/p>\n

8\/19\/18 Author Interview Books and Broomsticks<\/p>\n

8\/20\/18 Review A Page Before Bedtime<\/p>\n

8\/20\/18 Review Chapter Break Book Blog<\/p>\n

8\/21\/18 Scrapbook Page Story Schmoozing Book Reviews<\/p>\n

8\/22\/18 Review Dressed to Read<\/p>\n

8\/23\/18 Character Interview Carpe Diem Chronicles<\/p>\n

8\/23\/18 Review The Love of a Bibliophile<\/p>\n

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

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JUSTICE BETRAYED by Patricia Bradley
Visit with Patricia August 15\u201324, 2018<\/span><\/h1>\n

8\/15\/18 Excerpt Part 1 Missus Gonzo<\/p>\n

8\/15\/18 BONUS post Hall Ways Blog<\/p>\n

8\/16\/18 Excerpt Part 2 Forgotten Winds<\/p>\n

8\/17\/18 Review Dressed to Read<\/p>\n

8\/18\/18 Author Video Chapter Break Book Blog<\/p>\n

8\/19\/18 Review Reading by Moonlight<\/p>\n

8\/20\/18 Character Interview Books in the Garden<\/p>\n

8\/21\/18 Review The Clueless Gent<\/p>\n

8\/22\/18 Excerpt Part 3 StoreyBook Reviews<\/p>\n

8\/23\/18 Excerpt Part 4 Book Fidelity<\/p>\n

8\/24\/18 Review That’s What She’s Reading<\/p>\n

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

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The Edge of Over There by Shawn Smucker<\/h1>\n

COMING UP IN AUGUST<\/h1>\n

The Grand Duke from Boys Ranch<\/span> by Bill Sarpalius, August 21\u201330<\/p>\n

The Theory of Happily Ever After<\/span> by Kristin Billerbeck, August 22\u201331<\/p>\n

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

\u2022 Editorial policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Review policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Advertising policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Event and resource list policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u2022 Weekly issues<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Lone Star Listens Interviews<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Lone Star Book Reviews<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Texas Reads<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Events<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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

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2018 Kids’ Summer Reading\u00a0 <\/span>NEW BOOKS ADDED!<\/span><\/h1>\n

sponsored by Blue Wilow Books<\/a><\/span>hop<\/h1>\n

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From read-to-me books to early readers,<\/span> chapter books to middle readers to YA, you\u2019ll find these terrific new titles at your neighborhood bookshop or online. >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/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 Lone Star Lit staff<\/span><\/h1>\n

8.12.2018\u00a0\u00a0 Mimi Swartz talks Ticker, Texas women, and Houston\u2019s surfeit of great stories<\/h1>\n

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Mimi Swartz, author of the just-released <\/span>Ticker: The Quest for an Artifical Heart,<\/span> and the author, with Sherron Watkins, of Power Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron<\/span>, is an executive editor of <\/span>Texas Monthly. Previously, she was a staff writer at <\/span>Talk, from April 1999 to April 2001, and a staff writer at the <\/span>New Yorker from 1997 to 2001. Prior to joining the <\/span>New Yorker, she worked at <\/span>Texas Monthly for thirteen years. In 1996 Swartz was a finalist for two National Magazine Awards and won in the public interest category for \u201cNot What the Doctor Ordered.\u201d She was also a National Magazine Award finalist for her November 2005 issue story on tort reform, titled \u201cHurt? Injured? Need a Lawyer? Too Bad!\u201d and won the 2006 John Bartlow Martin Award for Public Interest, Magazine Journalism, for the same story. In 2013 she won her second National Magazine Award (again in the category of public interest), for \u201cMothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives,\u201d a compelling look at the state of women\u2019s health care in Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, Swartz\u2019s work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, Slate, National Geographic, <\/span>and the New York Times\u2019<\/span> op-ed page and Sunday magazine. It has also been collected in Best American Political Writing 2006 and Best American Sportswriting 2007. She has been a member of the Texas Institute of Letters since 1994. Swartz grew up in San Antonio and graduated from Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts. She now lives in Houston with her husband, John Wilburn, and son, Sam.<\/p>\n

LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE:<\/span> Ms. Swartz, how did you begin writing? Is writing something you always knew you wanted to do?<\/span><\/p>\n

MIMI SWARTZ:<\/span> I started writing in high school. I had amazing English teachers in my public school who challenged and inspired me. Sometimes I am amazed at the quality of the education I got back in the day.<\/p>\n

You grew up in San Antonio, attended college in Amherst, Massachusetts, and now call Houston home. Why Houston, and what\u2019s it like to live in the midst of such an outstanding writing community? Does that community influence your choice to make your home in Houston?<\/p>\n

You know, it’s funny. When I moved to Houston in 1976 there wasn\u2019t really much of a writers\u2019 community. That\u2019s grown up along with the city, and, in particular, the University of Houston writing program. Now, yes, it\u2019s great to have so many supportive friends. What really keeps me in Houston, though, are the fascinating people in general from all over the world. And as my husband says, you can\u2019t walk out your front door without stumbling over a great story.<\/p>\n

Your first book, written with former Enron executive turned whistleblower Sherron Watkins, is Power Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron<\/span> (Doubleday, 2003). Is Enron the quintessential Houston story?<\/p>\n

To me, the greatest Houston story is Blood and Money,<\/span> written by Tommy Thompson <\/span>in the 1970s. The book is by a terrific writer who knew exactly what to do with every bit of information he had: oil, wealth, crazy doctors, murder, passion, and more. >>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 8.12.2018<\/span>>> GO this week<\/span><\/a><\/span>Michelle Newby, Contributing Editor<\/span><\/h1>\n

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