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Spotlight on Texas is a quarterly cassette publication announcing
the latest audio books produced by volunteers at the Talking Book
Program Volunteer Recording Studio in Austin and at the Recording
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Midland. The
audio version of "Spotlight on Texas" is distributed on request
to Texans with disabilities who are registered to receive the Talking
Book Program's free library service.
Since 1978, Talking Book volunteers have recorded thousands of
fiction and nonfiction titles by Texas authors or about the history,
culture, folklore, and people of the Lone Star state. Titles recorded
include biographies, histories, westerns, romances, mysteries, self-help,
travel, and children's books. More than 10 new books are completed
each month, including some in Spanish. In addition, volunteers record
three Texas magazines: Texas Monthly, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and
Texas Highways.
If you would like to receive an audio cassette copy of "Spotlight
on Texas" each quarter, please contact the Talking Book Program
through the phone numbers, e-mail address, postal address, or fax
number listed at the bottom
of this page.
To order any of the books listed below, note the titles and CT
book numbers you would like to request. Then call a Reader Consultant
toll-free in Texas at 1-800-252-9605 or, in Austin, at 512-463-5458.
A voicemail message service is available after hours and on weekends
for you to leave book requests or other messages. Say your full
name and patron number (if known) clearly when leaving messages
and give the CT book number and title for each request. Book orders
may also be sent in an e-mail message to: tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us
Following the list of titles recently recorded by our volunteers,
we also feature in this issue a section on mysteries recorded in
years past. We are pleased to provide this reminder to you that
these mystery books are available.
Note the titles and book numbers you would like to request, then
call us at any time with your order.
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Fiction
Afield With J. Frank Dobie: Tales of Critters, Campfires,
and the Hunting Trail
CT 5603
by J. Frank Dobie, Narrated by Kelli Taylor, 2 cassettes
A collection of 20 stories centering on the creatures of the outdoors,
both animal and human. All the stories have been previously published
in magazines, and demonstrate what a good story the late Dobie used
to tell, in keeping with the great Texas oral tradition of tale-spinning.
Baptized in Dirty Water
CT 6280
by Joe McQuade, Narrated by Ed Corrigan, 2 cassettes
Set in a small shrimping village in 1974, this is the story of a
young man who abandons the promise of a professional career to live
by the sea. This is a narrative of love, tragedy, the elusive quest
for redemption-and a rare glimpse at a hidden way of life on the
Texas coast. This book contains: some sex, violence, profanity.
Biggie and the Mangled Mortician
CT 6324
by Nancy Bell, Narrated by Jeanne Guichard, 2 cassettes
More murder and mayhem in tiny Job's Crossing, Texas. When the town's
new undertaker is found dead in his apartment, apparently electrocuted
while water from the bathtub spills over him, Biggie Weatherford
sets out to solve the messy murder. This book contains: violence.
Bird in a Cage
CT 6004
by Lee Martin, Narrated by Therese East, 2 cassettes
Fort Worth detective Deb Ralston and her husband are celebrating
their anniversary at a fancy restaurant which entertains its customers
with a trapeze show while they dine. When the young woman on the
flying trapeze plummets to her death, Deb once again puts her personal
life on hold in order to solve the murder. This book contains: profanity.
Blood Meridian; Or, The Evening Redness in the West
CT 6327
by Cormac McCarthy, Narrated by Ev Lunning, 3 cassettes
The child is pale and thin with only ragged clothes to wear, his
father lies in drink, and his mother is dead. For the Kid, there
is no reason to stay in Tennessee. And so at fourteen he runs away.
The Kid relates his journey west and the skirmishes with Indians
that took place along the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s. This
book contains: violence, profanity.
Fade the Heat
CT 5125
by Jay Brandon, Narrated by Barbara Ritter, 2 cassettes
The newly elected district attorney of San Antonio, Texas, has a
problem: his son has just been arrested for sexual assault and his
new political career is suddenly on the line. Should he prosecute
his son to protect his career, or should he "fade the heat" from
his son to protect his family? This is a courtroom drama about the
lengths to which a man will go to protect what matters most. This
book contains: profanity.
A Fresh Perspective
CT 6351
by Elisabeth Fairchild, Narrated by Ruth Borinstein, 2 cassettes
Lord Reed Talcott is happy to return from a grand tour of Europe
to the familiarity of Talcott Keep, the castle that will one day
be his, and to Megan Breech, his best friend since childhood. Megan's
beauty and talent have begun to attract men who want to court her
while Reed only wants to share her passion for art. In one brief
summer at a holiday cottage in the Lake District, Reed finds every
aspect of his life and his relationship with Megan turned upside
down before unrealized love-and misplaced priorities-offer both
young people a fresh perspective.
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Hank the Cowdog: The Mopwater Files
CT 6311
by John R. Erickson, Narrated by Harold Steadman, 1 cassette
Hank the Cowdog, head of ranch security, discovers that drinking
a bucket of plant food restores his energy, leading to a series
of embarrassing near-disasters. The twenty-eighth adventure in the
Hank the Cowdog series.
A Horse to Die For
CT 6416
by Carolyn Banks, Narrated by Lisette Schmidli, 1 cassette
Horse aficionado Robin Vaughn suspects her friend's gift horse Noel
isn't quite the horse he seems. For one thing he killed his last
owner. For another he bears an uncanny resemblance to a horse called
Wickie whom Robin knows is dead. Robin uncovers a farfetched scam
and a repellent villain. This book contains: profanity.
Hunting Game
CT 6370
by Nancy Herndon, Narrated by Linda Fox, 2 cassettes
Elena Jarvis is an officer in the Crimes Against Persons department
of the Los Santos, Texas police. But at the moment she's branching
out-into Crimes Against Elephants, to be exact. The alleged victim
is Pansy, a gentle zoo resident who suddenly trampled one of her
trainers. Her keeper suspects that she was given drugs to bring
on the violent behavior. When evidence points to the possibility
that Pansy may be the pawn of a human predator, Elena has to take
a closer look. This book contains: violence, profanity.
The Loop
CT 5522
by Joe Coomer, Narrated by Dani Macfarlane, 2 cassettes
This is the story of Edward Lyman, a Courtesy Patrolman on Loop
820, which encircles Fort Worth. It is also the story of Luke, an
80-year-old parrot who wanders into Lyman's trailer one day and
changes his life. Most of the novel details Lyman's search for Luke's
former owner, as well as Lyman's relationship with Fiona, a librarian
at Tarrant County Junior College. The author requires that the reader
suspend disbelief at the screwball aspects of this story, but rewards
effort with a wonderful vision of the pilgrimage necessary to find
meaning in our world. This book contains: some sex, violence, profanity.
Murder on the Boulevard
CT 6371
by Anne Sloan, Narrated by Carolyn Larson, 2 cassettes
Scandal and murder swirl around the building of the Rice Hotel in
Houston at a cost of two million dollars-an enormous sum in the
year 1912. The sudden mysterious death of Fred Logan leaves his
daughter Flora to fulfill the Logan Marble Works' contract to supply
marble for the hotel. She begins to uncover dangerous greed and
criminal activities surrounding the construction project and another
suspicious death. In the process of revealing the murderer's identity,
Flora also finds the answer to a long-hidden family secret.
Not Between Brothers: An Epic Novel of Texas
CT 6314
by D. Marion Wilkinson, Narrated by Janice Lathin, 5 cassettes
The intertwining stories of Remy Fuqua, a penniless orphan from
Louisiana, and Kills White Bear, a Comanche war chief, told against
the backdrop of the founding of Anglo Texas. Three cultures, Tejano,
Anglo, and Comanche, collide as the Lone Star State struggles to
be born.
The Perfect Murder
CT 6189
by Jack Hitt, Narrated by Carol Esler, 1 cassette
Five well-known mystery writers-Lawrence Block, Sarah Caudwell,
Tony Hillerman, Peter Lovesey, and Donald E. Westlake-offer fiendishly
clever plans for the ideal crime when a fictional character asks
for advice on how to murder his unfaithful wife. This book contains:
some sex, profanity.
Prism
CT 6292
by Austin Bay, Narrated by Tad Tuleja, 2 cassettes
Formerly a covert CIA operative, Wesley Hardin's special skills
in mental telepathy have put him on call to an ultra secret extrasensory-perception
government bureau called "The Shop." His assignment is to infiltrate
Mosley Synoptics, the high-tech empire controlled by Texas billionaire
Coleman Mosley who desperately wants to be President of the United
States. Mosley's wealth gives him access to arms dealers whose illegal
operations have enabled him to amass his own superbly equipped army.
Only Hardin has the lethal ability to counter Mosley's threat to
bring down the government. This book contains: profanity.
Second Voice
CT 6100
by Diane Sherrill, Narrated by Jack Huff, 2 cassettes
In 1879 when barbed wire and railroads are about to end the big
cattle drives, two trailhands drive a herd up the Chisholm Trail
from Central Texas to Kansas and encounter dangers along the way.
This book contains: violence, profanity.
Sweet Lullaby
CT 6031
by Lorraine Heath, Narrated by Andree Rosen, 2 cassettes
When Rebecca becomes pregnant and the father of the child abandons
her, Rebecca's father makes a proposition to Jake, a Texas ranchhand:
marry his daughter and be a father to her child. Jake has always
loved Rebecca from afar, but must convince her to forget the past
and follow him to a new life. This book contains: heavy sex, violence,
profanity.
Nonfiction
Comanche Midnight
CT 5864
by Stephen Harrigan, Narrated by the author, Stephen Harrigan, 2
cassettes
A collection of fifteen timeless essays that originally appeared
in the pages of Texas Monthly, Travel Holiday, and
Audubon magazines. The essays capture vanished worlds and
elusive perceptions, in topics ranging from the past glories and
modern-day travails of America's most legendary Indian tribe to
the poisoning of Austin's beloved Treaty Oak.
Frontier Fever: The Silly, Superstitious-and Sometimes Sensible-Medicine
of the Pioneers
CT 6229
by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, Narrated by Patti Bishop, 1 cassette
Relates various medical practices of the pioneers on the American
frontier, and shows how medical knowledge expanded as the twentieth
century approached.
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In the Grip of Grace
CT 6315
by Max Lucado, Narrated by Emily McDonald, 2 cassettes
Through moving stories and powerful insights, the author explains
the concept of God's grace.
Ishi and Elvis
CT 6202
by Jim Hamm, Narrated by Chris Hunnell, 1 cassette
Hamm tells the story of the gradual recovery of his rocky, overgrazed
Texas ranch and the animals and assorted human characters who experience
the Hideout, as his ranch is called. Most important is Elvis, a
tremendous white-tailed buck who roams the ranch.
Prayer is Good Medicine: How to Reap the Healing Benefits
of Prayer
CT 6329
by Larry Dossey, Narrated by Jim Cronenberg, 1 cassette
After the publication of his book "Healing Words: the Power of Prayer
and the Practice of Medicine" (RC 39215, BR 09761), Dr. Dossey found
that certain questions arose repeatedly in his discussions with
medical practitioners, religious groups, and general readers. In
this book, Dr. Dossey offers his insights into these questions:
what is prayer, how can people pray, what is the scientific evidence
for the benefits of prayer, and what are the controversies associated
with prayer experiments?
Seeking Pleasure in the Old West
CT 6338
by David Dary, Narrated by Jeanne Guichard, 3 cassettes
Life in the Old West in frontier days was not all hard work and
trouble. Journals, diaries, and early newspapers reveal how cowboys,
homesteaders, mountain men, and cavalry troopers spent their leisure
time. As David Dary describes in lively detail, it was a time when
people enjoyed to the hilt what recreation time they could steal
from their labors. Winner of the 1995 Western Writers of America's
Spur Award for Best Western Nonfiction.
Whatever Happened to Jacy Farrow?
CT 6389
by Ceil Cleveland, Narrated by Therese East, 3 cassettes
Daughter of pioneer Texas ranchers, Ceil Cleveland grew up in Larry
McMurtry's home town of Archer City, fictionalized in his novel
"The Last Picture Show." Among the locals, Cleveland has long been
assumed to be the model for the novel's beautiful, bitchy character
Jacy Farrow who was portrayed in the film version by Cybill Shepherd.
In this memoir, Cleveland recalls a girl's life in small-town Texas
during the same era described by McMurtry from a boy's point of
view.
Algunas Nubes
CT 6979
by Paco Ignacio Taibo, Narrated by Leonardo Melo, 1 cassette
On a remote beach in Mexico, a high-ranking police officer contemplates
the murder he has committed, pondering his next move. He is interrupted
by the arrival of his sister who begs him to aid a young widow threatened
by criminals who want her fortune. If he decides to help her, he
will have to return to Mexico City-the site of his own crime. This
book contains: profanity.
El Sueño de América
CT 6359
by Esmeralda Santiago, Narrated by Dr. Juan Lujan, 3 cassettes
America Gonzalez, a Puerto Rican single mother, is struggling to
raise a teenage daughter and cope with an abusive boyfriend. Employed
as a maid at an old hacienda converted into a tourist hotel, she
is finally persuaded to leave for her own safety. She accepts a
job with a wealthy family in New York. Even though the work is hard
and the pay low, America begins to feel at peace until her boyfriend
learns where she is. This book contains: some sex.
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Spanish Nonfiction
El Secreto de Selena: La Reveladora Historia Detras de Su
Trágica Muerte
CT 6339
by María Celeste Arrarás, Narrated by Maria Gonzalez, 2 cassettes
Written by a popular Spanish-language TV personality who is also
an acknowledged expert on Selena, this book reveals new details
about the life and death of the Tejano superstar and includes an
exclusive interview with Yolanda Saldivár, the convicted killer.
This book contains: violence, profanity.
To order any of these titles, call 1-800-252-9605 or, in Austin,
512-463-5458.
Spotlight
on Biographies
Thousands of additional titles recorded in Texas are available
from the Talking Book Program. Ask a Reader Consultant to recommend
other Texas titles and authors or have Texas titles added to your
reading list through our automatic selection program. A world of
Texas books is just a phone call or e-mail message away.
Among the titles available, you may want to consider ordering
these previously recorded biography titles:
Ace Reid: Cowpoke
CT 3972
by John R. Erickson, Narrated by Lloyd Davis, 1 cassette
No Westerner since Will Rogers has made more of an impact on his
times than Ace Reid. His cartoons are known in every city west of
the Mississippi. Who is this man, Ace Reid? Where did he come from?
How did he get started? Ace Reid: Cowpoke tells the fascinating
story of Ace's life; from his humble beginnings and his desire to
be a cartoonist to his life as a celebrity pulling outlandish stunts
and running around on the "mashed potatoes circuit."
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Daddy-O: Iguana Heads and Texas Tales
CT 6042 by Bob Wade, Narrated by David Arnsberger, 2 cassettes
Texas artist Bob "Daddy-O" Wade is known for his outlandish larger-than-life
projects, such as a forty-foot iguana perched on the top of New
York City's Lone Star Cafe, and the Giant Dancing Frogs of Dallas.
Here he tells stories of the people and places of his life, exposing
the madness behind the methodology. This book contains: profanity.
Jake
CT 6404
by J.J. (Jake) Pickle and Peggy Pickle, Narrated by Dick Collins,
2 cassettes
Jake Pickle tells his own story of a lifetime of public service,
most notably his thirty-one years in the U.S. Congress representing
Texas' Tenth District. A born raconteur, he begins with his youth
in Big Spring, Texas, then his lean (in every sense) student years
at the University of Texas during the Depression followed by U.S.
Navy service in World War II. The heart of the book is former Representative
Pickle's stories of political life-in Washington, D.C. and on the
campaign trail back home in Austin, Texas. This book contains: profanity.
John Henry Faulk: The Making of a Liberated Mind
CT 5594
by Michael C. Burton, Narrated by Janice Lathin, 2 cassettes
During his life, Faulk had a "homespun philosopher" image. Underneath
lay a razor sharp wit and keen mind. Through humor, Faulk could
separate the wheat from the chaff and make people see their own
prejudices. His timeless wisdom expressed conviction and compassion.
This book contains: profanity.
Last Cavalier: The Life and Times of John A. Lomax 1867-1948
CT 6408
by Nolan Porterfield, Narrated by Rich Dinda, 4 cassettes
John Avery Lomax considered himself a Texan even though he was born
in Mississippi in 1867. His belief in betterment through education
led him to enroll at the newly established University of Texas in
Austin in 1895. He is best known as a pioneering American folklorist
although his colorful life included stints in academia and in business.
He is credited with collecting and preserving cowboy songs and African
American folk songs that would otherwise have become a lost part
of the rural culture of this nation.
My Mother's Keeper: A Daughter's Memoir of Growing Up in the
Shadow of Schizophrenia
CT 6318
by Tara Elgin Holley, Narrated by Cindy Johnson, 3 cassettes
Dawn Elgin, the author's mother, was suddenly struck down by schizophrenia
in her early twenties at the threshold of a professional music career.
This dramatic memoir of a tormented but unbreakable bond between
mother and daughter traces the ravages of mental illness on both
the sufferer and her family. This book contains: violence.
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No Name on the Bullet: A Biography of Audie Murphy
CT 4500
by Don Graham, Narrated by Bob Schenkkan, 3 cassettes
Over the course of two year's continuous combat in Europe, this
Texas sharecropper's son's heroic achievements earned him the most
medals ever awarded to an American soldier-including the Congressional
Medal of Honor. He became an American national symbol, a movie actor
and finally, surviving into the Vietnam era, a hero badly out of
his time. This book contains: profanity.
Oldtimers: Their Own Stories
CT 5298
by Florence Fenley, Narrated by Terry May, 2 cassettes
Fenley provides fifty-three spellbinding and true pioneer stories,
originally published in 1939. Intended to capture the history of
the development of the frontier in southwestern Texas, these accounts
include rousing tales of Indian fights, rustlers and outlaws, saloons
and gamblers, necktie parties and cattle drives. This book contains:
violence.
Ornette Coleman: A Harmolodic Life
CT 5999
by John Litweiler, Narrated by Paul Kauppila, 2 cassettes
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman became
one of the great architects of jazz with his unique improvisational
style and his "harmolodic" compositions. This biography is a compelling
portrait of a living legend and a lively history of postwar jazz.
This book contains: profanity.
Rave On: The Biography of Buddy Holly
CT 6321
by Philip Norman, Narrated by Jack Gazzale, 3 cassettes
Songs like "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue" made Texan Buddy
Holly a rock-and-roll star; his death at 22 in a 1959 plane crash
made him a legend. His most enduring legacy was the effect that
his 1958 tour had on a generation of British musicians who would
soon incorporate what they heard into a musical phenomenon that
would change the entertainment business. British writer Philip Norman,
author of biographies of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, had
access to previously unavailable sources, including contracts and
other documents owned by Norman Petty, the studio owner and record
producer who brought Holly to prominence. This carefully researched
biography offers new insights into Holly's brief life and his place
in popular culture. This book contains: some sex, profanity.
Stevie Ray Vaughan: Caught in the Crossfire
CT 5518
by Joe Nick Patoski and Bill Crawford, Narrated by Carol Esler,
3 cassettes
Through extensive interviews, the authors provide a penetrating
first biography of guitar virtuoso Vaughan. The reader sees Stevie's
childhood, his initial interest in music, and his career from emergence
to superstardom. This book contains: profanity.
You Meet Such Interesting People
CT 5652
by Bess Whitehead Scott, Narrated by Mary Jane Prall, 2 cassettes
At 25, Bess Whitehead Scott became the first woman reporter for
the Houston Post. That was in 1915, long before women were accepted
in the male bastions of the professional world. This is the story
of her life, and a time when opportunities for women did not exist.
Scott's talent and stamina in fighting rural and urban hardships
exemplify a century of women's progress.
Ordering
More Texas Titles Thousands of additional titles recorded
in Texas are available from the Talking Book Program. Ask a Reader
Consultant to recommend other Texas titles and authors or have Texas
titles added to your reading list through our automatic selection
program. A world of Texas books is just a phone call or e-mail message
away.
As with all of the books in our collection, there is no time limit
for ordering any of these books. Feel free to ask for these titles
at any time-now or in the future.
The Texas volunteers welcome your comments and suggestions. Send
an e-mail message to the Volunteer Recording Studio at tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us
or write to us at Volunteer Recording Studio, Talking Book Program,
PO Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711-2927. If you live in the Austin area
and are interested in volunteering to record books, please call
463-5546 for more information. More information about volunteering
is available on the web page of the Friends
of the Talking Book Program Volunteer Recording Studio.
Talking Book Program, Austin, TX, January 2001.
Talking Book Program
Texas State Library & Archives Commission
PO Box 12927
Austin TX 78711-2927
1-800-252-9605 (in Texas)
512-463-5458 (in Austin)
512-936-0685 (fax)
tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us
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