Since it looks like we are going to be hunkered down at home over the next weeks, it’s time to update our TBRs. So, let’s get reading!

Who better to support than Texas authors and neighbors, as well as find some really great reads while social distancing. Here are a few of our favorite new books from Texas writers. All are available on Amazon, but also consider supporting your local indie bookstore.

“Far Away Bird” by Douglas A. Burton

Byzantine Empress Theodora is the main character of the novel and one of the greatest women in history. Her experiences as a prostitute gave Theodora insight into problems that the ruling class ignored. Against all precedents, she developed the idea of sweeping reforms to protect women through the legal system. Her journey may be the very source of Women’s Rights in the entire Western legal tradition. 

“The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens” by Chrysta Casteneda

A high stakes courtroom drama told through the eyes of author Castañeda. It’s the story of an American business legend still fighting in the twilight of his life, and the woman determined to help him make one final stand for justice. 

“Beyond the Prototype:
A roadmap for navigating the fuzzy areas between ideas and outcomes”
by Douglas Ferguson

Filled with case studies from organizations both big and small, this book serves as a guide to jumpstarting a project down the path of execution. “Beyond the Prototype” presents a tangible 6-step plan to help teams bridge the gap between idea and execution. 

“Snake Oil: A Patrick Flint Novel” by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

A doctor on a quest to make a difference. A flirty widow with a suspiciously dead husband. When Patrick Flint goes after a killer, he puts everything he cares about on the line.

“Fly, Fly Again” by Katie Jaffe and Jennifer Lawson

This darling picture book introduces young readers to the concepts of flight – lift, gravity, thrust, and drag, along with pitch, roll, and yaw. Jenny and Jude. accompanied by their pets Kitty and Hawk, work together to build a flying machine. It’s a fun story of adventure, teamwork and perseverance that begins to lay a foundation for aerodynamics.

“Advice I Ignored:
Stories and Wisdom from a Formerly Depressed Teen”
by Ruby Walker

When Ruby Walker was 15, she went from a numb, silent, miserable high school dropout to a joyous loudmouth in one year flat. Her book answers the question everyone’s been asking her since: What happened? Full of stories, honest advice, and fierce hope, this book is a self-help book for people who hate help. And themselves.

“Let’s Go On Safari” by Kate Gilman Williams

What happens when Kate, an 8-year-old girl, meets Michelle, a professional guide, while on safari in South Africa? They turn cross-continental emails into a book, packed with amazing photos and conservation facts, encouraging a young generation to advocate for animals! 

“Children of a Good War” by Jack Woodville London

The story of us. Four generations, two families; their friends, their enemies, and their secrets. The third book in the French Letters series has been praised for its meticulous research and ability to capture the language, attitudes, and moral culture of the 1940s setting, written in prose that reviewers describe as beautiful and not pretentious, stories that are riveting and real.

Cover photo Nicole Wolf on Unsplash