{"id":4,"date":"2018-12-31T10:21:33","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T10:21:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=4"},"modified":"2018-12-31T10:21:33","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T10:21:33","slug":"lone-star-reviewsmichelle-newby-nbcc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=4","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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CHILDREN\u2019S FICTION<\/p>\n

Mary Pope Osborne <\/span>(author), AG Ford<\/span> (illustrator)<\/p>\n

Hurricane Heroes in Texas <\/span><\/a><\/span>(Magic Tree House #30)<\/p>\n

Random House Books for Young Readers<\/p>\n

Hardcover, 978-1-5247-1312-6 (also available as an e-book and an audio-book), 112 pgs., $13.99; August 7, 2018<\/p>\n

Mary Pope Osborne\u2019s beloved Jack and Annie return to Texas, <\/span>landing in a backyard oak tree in Galveston on September 8, 1900, just in time for the Great Galveston Hurricane, the deadliest natural disaster in the history of the country.\u00a0 >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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LONE STAR INDIE REVIEWS<\/span><\/p>\n

12.30.2018<\/h1>\n

FICTION<\/p>\n

Bennett Donovan<\/span><\/p>\n

Devil\u2019s Sinkhole<\/span><\/p>\n

Independently published<\/p>\n

Paperback, 978-1-981-
08909-3, 141 pages, $8.99; October 2018<\/p>\n

Bennett Donovan\u2019s first book,<\/span> Devil\u2019s Sinkhole, <\/span>is an intelligent, entertaining short novel with two key settings, Austin\u2019s famed hipster-slacker scene and, 170 miles to the southwest, the Devil\u2019s Sinkhole State Natural Area near Rocksprings, Texas.<\/p>\n

Without giving away how Devil\u2019s Sinkhole<\/span> unfolds or ends, there are pointed debates over what is real and what isn\u2019t. There is a death under suspicious circumstances, plus some drugs, a gun and a sheriff\u2019s investigation that could bring big trouble. And love tries to bloom.<\/p>\n

The book\u2019s two main characters, Conor Kemp and Emma Vega, are young creatives attempting to find their artistic voices, as well as sort out their beliefs and bearings within the fragile cocoon of contemporary \u201cAustin cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conor, Donovan writes, is a struggling poet who sometimes felt certain \u201cthat life was the cruelest of practical jokes, and, in these moments, he wished he could exist outside of consciousness, like moss hanging from a limestone ledge, drenched by rain and dried by sunlight.\u201d >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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LONE STAR INDIE REVIEWS<\/span><\/p>\n

FICTION<\/p>\n

Sylvia S\u00e1nchez Garza<\/p>\n

Cascarones<\/p>\n

Floricanto Press<\/p>\n

Paperback, <\/span>978-1-724-62288-4,<\/span> 162 pages, $20.95<\/span><\/p>\n

July 2018<\/p>\n

Cascarones are colorfully decorated chicken eggs<\/span> whose contents have been replaced with confetti or even small toys. In Mexican-American culture, cascarones<\/span> are used in Easter egg hunts, and they symbolize not only the resurrection of Jesus but also spring, family togetherness, and good luck.<\/p>\n

Edinburg, Texas, writer Sylvia S\u00e1nchez Garza\u2019s<\/span> Cascarones<\/span> is an entertaining, informative short novel best classified as a bildungsroman,<\/span> a coming-of-age story focused mostly on one character\u2019s formative years.<\/p>\n

Set in South Texas in the 1960s, 1970s, and present, Cascarones<\/span> is written for young-adult readers. However, older readers also can enjoy it and learn more about Mexican-American Easter traditions and family life, plus some of the impacts of racial discrimination.<\/p>\n

In the book\u2019s flashback portions, Garza\u2019s main character, Suzy, is growing up within the protective shell of being among many relatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing part of a close-knit Mexican American, Rio Grande Valley family,\u201d Suzy recalls, \u201cmy brothers, sisters, and I grew up with the privilege of always being surrounded by loved ones regardless of where we were. Our fifty-plus first cousins on Mommy\u2019s side, and almost thirty first cousins on Daddy\u2019s side, were like brothers and sisters to us. All of the family celebrations included them.\u201d\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

Texas Reads columnist Glenn Dromgoole<\/span> is taking a break during the past two weeks of December. We\u2019re leaving his Dec. 16 column posted here in case you missed it.<\/span><\/p>\n

First Ladies featured in new children\u2019s book<\/h1>\n

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Three former First Ladies from Texas<\/span> are included in the new children\u2019s book, Have You Heard About Lady Bird? Poems About Our First Ladies<\/span><\/a><\/span> by Marilyn Singer<\/span> and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter<\/span> (Disney\/Hyperion, $17.99 hardcover).<\/p>\n

The poem about Lady Bird Johnson, who is featured on the cover, deals with beautification: \u201cShe loved things that flew. She loved things that grew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barbara Pierce Bush, Singer writes, \u201cMade fun of her weight, her age, her looks. Strongly believed in the power of books.\u201d<\/p>\n

The verse about Laura Lane Welch Bush notes that she loved libraries and books and promoted family literacy while in office, as did her mother-in-law.<\/p>\n

Every First Lady, from Martha Dandridge Curtis Washington to Melania Knauss Trump is portrayed in verse as well as in a biographical summary at the end of the book.<\/p>\n

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Barbara Jordan: <\/span>Acclaimed Austin children\u2019s author Chris Barton<\/span> reflects on the life of the late Barbara Jordan in his new picture book, What Do You Do With a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan<\/span> (Beach Lane Books, $17.99 hardcover, illustrated by Ekua Holmes<\/span>).<\/p>\n

He begins with her growing up in Houston\u2019s Fifth Ward, reciting poetry and memorizing speeches, and follows her as she becomes a lawyer,\u00a0 runs unsuccessfully for political office, gets elected to the Texas State Senate, then to the U.S. Congress where she makes a name for herself during the Nixon impeachment hearings, and finally becomes a college professor.<\/p>\n

Barton \u2014 who writes that he sometimes asks himself, \u201cWhat would Barbara Jordan do?\u201d when dealing with contemporary issues \u2014 concludes the book with a biographical time line from her birth in 1936 to her death in 1996.<\/p>\n

He recommends several other books about her, especially the adult biography by Mary Beth Rogers, Barbara Jordan: American Hero.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nutcracker: <\/span>A Texas writer and a Texas artist \u2013 Jennifer Coleman<\/span> and Wade Dillon<\/span> — teamed up to produce The Texas Nutcracker<\/span> (Pelican, $16.99 hardcover), a tale set in Fort Davis in the late 1800s.<\/p>\n

The Texas version of the popular holiday story includes rattlesnakes, a Bluebonnet Fairy, chili con carne, horned toads, and dancing the \u201cCotton Eyed Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holiday break:<\/span> I\u2019m taking a short break from the Texas Reads column but will be back in January with more Texas books.<\/p>\n

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Glenn Dromgoole<\/span>\u2019s most recent book is <\/span>The Book Guy: One Author\u2019s Adventures in Publishing.<\/span> Contact him at<\/span>g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

November 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

Hugh Fitzsimons, III,<\/span>A Rock Between Two Rivers: The Fracturing of a Texas Family Ranch,<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-0-524763138<\/span><\/p>\n

Michelle Obama,<\/span>Becoming,<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-0-524763138<\/span><\/p>\n

Paulo Coelho,<\/span>The Alchemist<\/span><\/a><\/span> (Harper Perennial), 978-0-062315007<\/span><\/p>\n

Neil DeGrasse Tyson,<\/span>Astrophysics for People in a Hurry,<\/span><\/a><\/span>978-0-393609394<\/span><\/p>\n

Heather Morris<\/span>The Tattooist of Auschwitz,<\/span> 978-0-062797155<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Harvard Business Review,<\/span>HBR\u2019s 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness,<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-633694364<\/span><\/p>\n

Yuval Noah Harari,<\/span>Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow,<\/span><\/a><\/span>978-0-062464347<\/span><\/p>\n

Liane Moriarty,<\/span>Nine Perfect Strangers,<\/span><\/a><\/span>978-1-250069825<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah Pekkanen,<\/span>The Wife Between Us,<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-250130945<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Meet our bloggers<\/h1>\n

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

The Book Review<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Julie Whiteley
#Bookish<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Erin Decker<\/p>\n

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

Rainy Days with Amanda<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Amanda Borroel<\/p>\n

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

Rebecca R. Cahill<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Rebecca Cahill<\/p>\n

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

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

Sybrina’s Book Blog<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Sybrina Durant<\/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: YA FICTION<\/h1>\n

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Einstein\u2019s Compass: A YA Time Traveler Adventure by Grace Blair & Laren Bright<\/h1>\n

Visit with Grace January 2\u201311, 2019<\/h1>\n

1\/2\/19 Guest Post All the Ups and Downs<\/p>\n

1\/2\/19 Theme Song Hall Ways Blog<\/p>\n

1\/3\/19 Review That’s What She’s Reading<\/p>\n

1\/4\/19 Book Trailer Story Schmoozing Book Reviews<\/p>\n

1\/4\/19 Author Spotlight Chapter Break Book Blog<\/p>\n

1\/5\/19 Review Reading by Moonlight<\/p>\n

1\/6\/19 Review Forgotten Winds<\/p>\n

1\/7\/19 Excerpt Max Knight<\/p>\n

1\/8\/19 Review StoreyBook Reviews<\/p>\n

1\/8\/19 Author Interview Book Fidelity<\/p>\n

1\/9\/19 Character Spotlight The Book Review<\/p>\n

1\/9\/19 Character Spotlight Rainy Days with Amanda<\/p>\n

1\/10\/19 Review The Clueless Gent<\/p>\n

1\/11\/19 Author Interview Sybrina’s Book Blog<\/p>\n

1\/11\/19 Review Missus Gonzo<\/p>\n

COMING UP ON TOUR: PICTURE BOOK<\/h1>\n

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HEART OF THE OAK by J. L Novinsky<\/h1>\n

Visit with the author January 3\u201312, 2019<\/h1>\n

1\/3\/19 Book Trailer Reading by Moonlight<\/p>\n

1\/4\/19 Review All the Ups and Downs<\/p>\n

1\/5\/19 Review Missus Gonzo<\/p>\n

1\/6\/19 Guest Post Rainy Days with Amanda<\/p>\n

1\/7\/19 Review That’s What She’s Reading<\/p>\n

1\/8\/19 Sneak Peek The Clueless Gent<\/p>\n

1\/9\/19 Character Interview Forgotten Winds<\/p>\n

1\/10\/19 Review StoreyBook Reviews<\/p>\n

1\/11\/19 Notable Quotable Story Schmoozing Book Reviews<\/p>\n

1\/12\/19 Review The Page Unbound<\/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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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

12.30.2018\u00a0 All-around Texas bookwoman Kristine T. Hall on the bookish habits of blogging, reading, and brushing teeth<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

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Kristine T. Hall has criss-crossed the state pursuing her love of books.<\/span> From attending the TLA conference in Houston, to volunteering at the Fort Worth Book Festival, to meeting up with authors in events in Dallas and Austin, she has pursued her love of Texas literature in person and online \u2014 as the blog tour coordinator of Lone Star Book Blog tours. Starting in January 2019 she takes this literary appreciation to a new level as owner and publisher of Lone Star Literary Life. She talked with us via email during this holiday week about her thoughts and plans for Lone Star Lit.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

I am a Fort Worth girl and have lived more than forty of my fifty-one years there and around Tarrant County. I was (am?) the much-spoiled youngest of three children and have wonderful memories of those days. My parents were big on cultural experiences, so we never missed going to Oktoberfest, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, and Mayfest, visiting museums (my favorite was the FW Museum of Science and History), or seeing live theater at Casa Manana or the Hip Pocket Theater. My siblings are a bit older than me, but I was always included and was singing along with them to \u201cThe Age of Aquarius\u201d as a two-year-old and learning how to do the Hustle at age seven. It was a wonderfully rich childhood.<\/p>\n

Have you always been an avid reader, and what books influenced you as you were coming of age?<\/p>\n

I have! Our house was full of books, as were my grandparents\u2019 houses. When I was a child, someone was always sharing a favorite story with me and often, I was gifted those hand-me-down copies. Dad shared his Old Mother West Wind<\/span> and Bobbsey Twins books, and my first Nancy Drew books were my mom\u2019s or sister\u2019s copies (In them, Nancy wore a frock, and her \u201cspecial friend,\u201d Ned Nickerson, drove a Roadster!). We had all the Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia volumes, so I often plopped down on the floor and read those, too. I was lucky enough to be able to order most any book that I wanted from the Scholastic Book Club order forms at school, but I had to use my own money for posters or activity kits. Harsh!<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t recall ever being restricted with what content I wanted to read, but I do recall that there was a certain Harold Robbins<\/span> book that I found on someone\u2019s shelf (not naming names), and I read it in secret at much too young an age. YOWSA. As a teen, I jumped on the V.C. Andrews<\/span> bandwagon, and there were other titles that were passed between friends that I gobbled up. I am sure those books influenced me, but I\u2019d like to think that the influence was that books can be an escape and a (guilty?) pleasure and that any reading is better than no reading. >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Texas’s only statewide, wee<\/span>kly calendar of book events
<\/span><\/a>Bookish Texas <\/span>event highlights\u00a0 12.30.2018<\/span>>> GO this week<\/span><\/a><\/span>Michelle Newby, Contributing Editor<\/span><\/h1>\n

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