The Lone Star State
Is there a book you love and feel does a great job of highlighting its Texas setting? Send your suggestions and please don’t forget to tell me why you think that book is a good choice for this state. It doesn’t need to explicitly be about the state, only clearly set in it and written by someone who actually lived there. I have a bias towards books written by authors who are still living so that we can reflect more on today’s reality but I won’t turn down a classic if you make a good argument for it!
Books are in no order of preference. That they are on this list is not a reflection of my personal taste or even that I’ve read them — I want you to find what works for you.
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, mystery
Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldúa, essay / poetry
The Boy Kings of Texas by Domingo Martinez, memoir
Get Lucky by Katherine Center, women’s fiction
How to Walk Away by Katherine Center, women’s fiction
Just Add Water by Jinx Schwartz (1st in Hetta Coffey series), mystery
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, western / classic
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, literary thriller / classic
Presidio by Randy Kennedy, mystery/thriller/historical fiction
Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale, thriller
Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore, historical fiction
Purchase via Bookshop to support independent bookstores.
Purchase via Amazon? Links coming soon.
Photo credit: Erick Zajac