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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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Texas Produced Titles in NLS Collection
Footnotes: A Memoir
RCN 8
by Tommy Tune, Narrated by Ev Lunning, 2 cassettes Born and raised
in Texas, Tommy Tune (yes, that is his real name) has delighted
audiences with his energetic and graceful dancing. He has been equally
successful as a choreographer, actor, and director. This memoir
is Tune's collection of short vignettes from his life, written in
a folksy style with no particular chronology. This book contains:
Some Sex and Profanity
Trespasses: Portrait of a Serial Rapist
RCN 9
by Howard Swindle, Narrated by Ev Lunning, 2 cassettes
No one is comfortable discussing rape, a violent crime still shrouded
in shame and misinformation. Writers are often accused of exploiting
or sensationalizing the individuals involved. Journalist Howard
Swindle takes on the difficult task of chronicling the so-called
Ski Mask Rapes that occurred in Dallas from 1985 through 1990, including
the police investigation that finally resulted in the conviction
of Gilbert Escobedo. Escobedo allowed the author to visit and correspond
with him in prison for two years. While gathering material for his
book Swindle also interviewed several of the rapist's victims whose
identities are shielded by pseudonyms. The result is a thoroughly
researched account of a chain of crimes that traumatized possibly
as many as one hundred women. This book contains: Some Sex, Violence,
and Profanity
Fiction
Ask a Policeman
CT 6461
by Rolando Hinojosa, Narrated by Ev Lunning, 2 cassettes When
Lee Gomez, a former Mexican government official convicted of murder,
is sprung from a south Texas jail, the lawmen of Klail City have
their hands full. No one is more concerned than Chief Inspector
Rafe Buenrostro of the Belken County Homicide Squad, because criminals
don't come much nastier than Lee and his drug-running brother. Buenrostro
struggles to keep his cool as gunfire, explosions, and seamy sex
heat up the already scorching Texas-Mexico borderlands. This book
contains: Some Sex and Violence
Biggie and The Meddlesome Mailman
CT 6454
by Nancy Bell, Narrated by Jeanne Guichard, 2 cassettes
Luther Abernathy is a mailman with a dangerous habit. He makes it
his business to know everyone else's-and then broadcasts it all
over town. But it becomes clear that someone doesn't want him--or
anyone else-to know one of the many secrets that lie within Luther's
veritable treasure chest of knowledge. When Luther meets an untimely
death, Biggie and young J.R. are the ones to find his body. It is
seemingly an accidental death, but inconsistencies in the police
report suggest foul play, and Biggie once again puts on her detecting
hat. Twelve-year-old J.R. again narrates the sidesplitting adventures
of his irrepressible grandmother Biggie Weatherford, set in a small
town of Job's Crossing. #4 in the series.
Chocolate Lizards
CT 6476
by Cole Thompson, Narrated by Dick Collins, 2 cassettes
When a Harvard-educated aspiring actor loses all of his cash during
a bus-ride poker game, he finds himself stranded in Abilene, Texas.
Enter Merle Luskey, a hard-drinkin', tough-talkin', oil-drillin',
wild catter who just happens to have a job opening. About to lose
his oil rigs and his ranch to the bank, Merle has a proposition
for his new friend: he needs a "rat killer," someone smart enough
to help him outwit the bank, the sheriff, and a rival drilling company
in a frantic race to hit pay dirt before the foreclosure goes through.
This book contains: Some Sex, Violence, and Profanity
Crazy For Trying: A Novel
CT 6460
by Joni Rodgers, Narrated by Janice Lathin, 2 cassettes
Tulsa Bitters, 19 years old and Rubenesque, is blessed with a rich
melodious voice and a wicked sense of humor. She's also broken-hearted
and has no place big enough to call home. Having lost her mother
to cancer and her East Coast lover to pride (his), she runs to Montana,
where she becomes the first female disc jockey in Helena. It's 1970,
and Tulsa's midnight rock-n-roll voice attracts every loner in town
but most powerfully a battling misfit of a man who can't sleep,
works hard at destroying every memory his father has left him, and
turns the dial late at night just to find her voice. This book contains:
Heavy Sex and Profanity
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Dangerous Virtues: Honesty
CT 6348
by Elaine Barbieri, Narrated by Therese East, 3 cassettes
When the covered wagon that was taking her family west capsized
in a flood-swollen river, Honesty Buchanan's life was changed forever.
Raised in an Abilene saloon by its flamboyant mistress, Honesty
learned to earn her keep as a crooked cardsharp. Continually searching
for her missing sisters, Honesty found instead Texas Ranger Sinclair
Archer who was sworn to put thieves like herself behind bars. In
him, Honesty found the love she had been seeking ever since she
had lost her family. This book contains: some Sex, Violence and
Profanity
Death at Bishop's Keep
CT 6463
by Robin Paige, Narrated by Dana Schuff, 2 cassettes
Kathryn Ardleigh is everything the Victorian English gentlewoman
is not-outspoken, free-thinking, American . . . and a writer of
the frowned upon "penny-dreadfuls." When Kate arrives in Essex,
England, she shocks the household at Bishop's Keep-and captures
the interest of amateur detective Sir Charles Sheridan as they begin
their first case together. A dead body has been uncovered at a nearby
archaeological dig. The investigation provides the perfect research
for Kate's fiction. But the curious writer may be digging too deep-especially
when the trail leads her into a secret occult society. This book
contains: Violence
Deathangel
CT 6478
by Charles Meyer, Narrated by Janice Lathin, 3 cassettes
An Episcopal priest hears a private confession in a foreign tongue
from a mysterious supplicant who then tries to kill him. After his
escape, the priest learns that the words he has heard are unique
to the Deathangel murderer imprisoned ten years earlier. Matt Beck,
a chaplain whose wife was killed by the Deathangel and Anne Demming,
a photo-journalist who did a ten-year retrospective on the Deathangel
murders unite to reopen the case. But they confront a conspiracy
involving police, politicians, priests and terrorists, none of whom
want the case reopened. This book contains: Profanity
Distant Blood
CT 6366
by Jeff Abbott, Narrated by Jack Huff, 3 cassettes
When Jordan Poteet returned to his hometown of Mirabeau, Texas to
care for his ailing mother and manage the public library, he discovered
the unnerving truth about his birth. His real father was Bob Don
Goertz, not the man in whose home he grew up. "Distant Blood" opens
with an invitation to Bob Don's family reunion on a remote Gulf
Coast island. A series of anonymous threatening letters warns Jordan
to stay away from his newly found kin and he soon discovers why.
The family is haunted by a terrible crime in its past and is quite
willing to kill to preserve the secret. This book contains: Some
Sex, Violence, and Profanity
Drinker of Blood
CT 6462
by Lynda S. Robinson, Narrated by Janice Langlinais, 2 cassettes
Who killed the fabulously beautiful Queen Nefertiti? For all her
bejeweled beauty and warm wisdom, and despite all her dreams for
her glorious Egypt, beloved Nefertiti is dead. Lord Meren not only
suspects homicide, but is certain the culprit must be a personage
of high power at court. Lord Meren knows that the pharaoh has more
than his share of burdens ruling a kingdom in turmoil; he does not
need the specter of royal murder added to the load. And so the Eyes
and Ears of Pharaoh, as the powerful Meren is called, elects to
pursue his investigation of Nefertiti's death under the dark cloak
of secrecy.
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The Fourth Steven
CT 6464
by Margaret Moseley, Narrated by Linda Fox, 2 cassettes
When book rep Honey Huckleberry answers her phone, she's not surprised
to hear that it's her friend Steven, one of them anyway. But when
he confesses to murder, Honey's sure this "Steven" is no friend
of hers. And when the other Stevens start dying, the fourth Steven
is the first suspect in a murderous countdown. This book contains:
Some Sex and Violence
The Fugitive Heart
CT 6472
by Jane Orcutt, Narrated by Ruth Borinstein, 2 cassettes Growing
up on the Kansas prairie, Samantha Martin cherished two desires:
to love God and marry her childhood sweetheart. But the War Between
the States took nearly everything-her family, her home, and Nathan,
her love. When he returns six years later, she is shocked to discover
he's no longer the gentle boy she's always adored. Instead, he is
a physically and emotionally scarred man on the run, dodging charges
of theft . . . and murder. Nathan Hamilton once dreamed of seeing
the world, becoming a doctor, and making Samantha his bride. But
instead of adventure, he encountered tragedy and made choices that
nearly destroyed his life. This book contains: Violence
Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing
CT 6475
by Lynda S. Robinson, Narrated by Carol Esler, 2 cassettes
In a tale of ancient Egyptian political intrigue and murder, the
small group gathered at Lord Meren's country house to celebrate
his homecoming is soon to become yet smaller. Anhai, Meren's beautiful
cousin-in-law, falls victim to murder. True, she had myriad lovers
and a scorpion tongue, but why was her body arranged so meticulously,
as if for sleep? Stripping bare the deepest secrets of the nest
of cobras who are his nearest relatives, Meren finds the thread
that leads to the truth. This book contains: Profanity
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Nora
CT 6003
by Diana Palmer, Narrated by Therese East, 2 cassettes
Born into the Victorian era, Nora Marlowe was raised in Richmond,
Virginia in a manner suitable for a lady of quality. But she has
a surprisingly adventurous streak for so conventional a young woman.
Impulsively, Nora accepts her aunt's invitation to visit her East
Texas ranch, excited by the prospect of handsome cowboys and romantic
adventures. Her childish illusions fall away as she learns some
painful lessons about acceptance, maturity, and love. This book
contains: Heavy Sex
Plain Seeing
CT 6466
by Sandra Scofield, Narrated by Cindy Johnson, 2 cassettes
When 15-year-old Lucy, the protagonist, loses her mother, grief
compounds with sorrow at the realization that she never really knew
her-and now never will. Lucy's few memories of her mother include
the days spun out in regret, and the image of her 17-year-old mother
stepping off the train and into her own mother's arms-devastated,
young, and pregnant with Lucy. This book contains: Some Sex, Violence,
and Profanity
Riddle Me a Murder
CT 6477
by Duane Crowley, Narrated by Dianna Dorman, 2 cassettes
A tale of murder and suspense based on an apocryphal incident in
the life of Geoffrey Chaucer-soldier, lawyer, lover, and poet in
the mid-14th century. The young Chaucer is given his first commission
as a lawyer by his patron, the powerful Duke John of Gaunt, and
finds himself in the center of a tangled web of treachery and intrigue.
A lady close to the Queen is murdered and the Church names Duke
John's physician, the murderer. Geoffrey must keep the old Italian
from the torture chamber of the cathedral where he will surely implicate
Gaunt, the Church's enemy. There is a star-crossed love affair,
a desperate flight through the war-ravaged French countryside, the
fall of a castle and finally, the bloody climax in which Geoffrey
Chaucer is likely to lose everything he prizes, even his life. This
book contains: Some Sex and Violence
Shadow Soldier
CT 6453
by T.L. Davis, Narrated by Tom Fairbrother, 2 cassettes
Jefferson Doddridge Wilkes is a young, Southern aristocrat, until
the Civil War breaks the back of Southern society and leaves him
penniless. While his father tries to regain his lost wealth, through
unscrupulous means, Jeff is sent into the Frontier West to fend
for himself in a world of cutthroats, thieves, and gunslingers.
Disillusioned and dispirited, Jeff works as a stable hand until
a band of cattle thieves sweep into town and draw him into a world
of danger. His courage is tested, his morality stretched, while
he becomes one of the West's most feared and respected pistoleers.
This book contains: Violence
Society of the Mind: A Cyberthriller
CT 6343
by Eric L. Harry, Narrated by Chris Hunnell, 4 cassettes
One million dollars for a week's work at the South Pacific island
home of the world's richest man. Overwhelmed by the offer, research
psychologist Laura Aldridge meets Joseph Gray and discovers that
the job involves psychoanalyzing his most prized invention-a supercomputer
infected with a mysterious virus that resembles human insanity.
This book contains: Profanity
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Nonfiction
Nonfiction Amon: The Texan Who Played Cowboy for America
CT 6480
by Jerry Flemmons, Narrated by Harold Steadman, 3 cassettes
For much of mid-twentieth century America and the world, Amon G.
Carter, Sr. was the man who invented the cowboy-at least the larger-than-life
Texas version that captured the imagination of not only the public,
but presidents, movie stars, moguls, and other contemporary icons.
Carter was the publisher of the Fort Worth Star Telegram and champion
of West Texas. In the mid-twentieth century he was a mover and a
shaker who rubbed shoulders with the famous and powerful. This book
contains: Profanity
Cattle Empire: The Fabulous Story of the 3,000,000 Acre XIT
CT 6471
by Lewis Nordyke, Narrated by Dorothy Browning, 2 cassettes
Using primary documents, Nordyke writes a history of the famous
XIT ranch in the panhandle of Texas. In 1879, the 16th Texas Legislature
appropriated 3 million acres of land to finance a new state Capitol
building. The destruction of the old capitol building by fire on
November 9, 1881, made construction of a new building urgent and
early in 1882 Mathias Schnell of Rock Island, Illinois, accepted
the contract in return for the land. This book contains: Profanity
Saving the Best of Texas: A Partnership Approach to Conservation
CT 6257
by Richard C. Bartlett, Narrated by Jack Gazzale, 2 cassettes
The commitment to conservation partnerships by many individuals
and groups-private landowners, federal and state agencies, and conservation
advocacy organizations-has resulted in many success stories in Texas
described in this book. Author Richard C. Bartlett also wanted to
highlight the need for future cooperative efforts to preserve Texas'
extraordinary natural beauty and biodiversity for the generations
yet to come.
Texas Music
CT 6399
by Rick Koster, Narrated by Carol Esler, 4 cassettes
Veteran music journalist Rick Koster surveys a very expansive music
scene from a very large state. He has researched all forms of music
(country, rock, blues, jazz, Tejano, soul, funk, New Age, classical,
easy listening, and opera) and the players who created it. This
book contains: Profanity
Texas Sampler: Historical Recollections
CT 6459
by Lisa Waller Rogers, Narrated by Marilyn Swinton, 1 cassette
Thirty-two primary source documents, including excerpts from diaries,
memoirs, letters, and tales preserve the pre-Civil War history of
Texas. The voices include a German housewife, a slave, a Comanche
chief, a pioneer mother, a blacksmith, a mustanger, as well as historical
figures.
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En Busca de Bernabé (In Search of Bernabe)
CT 6382
by Graciela Limón, Narrated by Richard Ezell, 2 cassettes
Since Luz Delcano's son, Lucio, was taken from her, she is especially
protective of Bernabe. Lucio becomes head of state security, the
Salvadoran equivalent of a death squad, while Bernabe, destined
for the priesthood, disappears after the assassination of the archbishop.
Luz looks for Bernabe, who has joined the guerillas, but finds him
too late to save him from his brother. This book contains: Some
Sex, Violence, and Profanity
Sonrisa Etrusca (Etruscan Smile)
CT 6373
by José Luis Sampedro, Narrated by Marisol Brown, 2 cassettes
Set in modern-day Italy, this love story tells of the belated discovery
of life's meaning and passion by an elderly man whose young grandson
teaches him the value of youthful optimism.
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Spanish Nonfiction
La Nueva Psicologia del Amor (The New Physical of Love)
CT 5469
by Scott M. Peck, Narrated by Ricardo Dortignac, 3 cassettes
Spanish language translation of the classic popular psychology handbook,
The Road Less Traveled. (Subtitle: "A New Psychology of Love, Traditional
Values, and Spiritual Growth.") Drawing from his professional experience,
a practicing psychiatrist suggests ways in which recognizing our
problems and working to resolve them can help us reach a higher
level of understanding both of ourselves and others.
To order any of these titles, call 1-800-252-9605 or, in Austin,
512-463-5458.
Spotlight
on Folklore
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 folklore titles:
Armadillo and Twelve Others
CT 3825
by Michael James Ritchie, Narrated by Thomas Fountain, 1 cassette
The Mexican culture is full of homespun wisdom which takes the form
of legends, fabled and myths such as the thirteen recounted in this
book.
Fred Gipson, Before Old Yeller
CT 3826
by Fred Gipson, Narrated by Ed Winn III, 1 cassette
Fred Gipson lived to see two of his books on the book-of-the-month
club list and his "Old Yeller" translated in 11 languages and made
into a popular movie. Attending the University of Texas during the
Depression, Gipson often wrote short stories for Western Pulp Publishers
when he ran out of money. Many of the stories he wrote during his
college days are included in this anthology of humorous Texas tales.
Legendary Ladies of Texas
CT 3358
by Francis Edward Abernethy, Narrated by Cinda Cyrus, 2 cassettes
A panorama of ghosts, bandit queens, con-artists, madams and a lady
governor-all of whom made their mark on Texas. Includes the Dallas
Cowboy Cheerleaders, Babe Didrikson Zaharias and sculptor Elisabet
Ney.
Legends and Lore of Texas Wildflowers
CT 6145
by Elizabeth Silverthorne, Narrated by Jeanne Guichard, 2 cassettes
Texas is home to more than five thousand species of wildflowers.
South Texas native Elizabeth Silverthorne has compiled a collection
of folklore about the forty-four wildflowers that she found the
most interesting of all. For each of the flowers described in her
book, Silverthorne explains the significance and origin of its common
name, identifies where the flower grows naturally, what uses it
has had historically, and what legends are associated with it.
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Tales of the Big Bend
CT 5266
by Elton Miles, Narrated by Dan Cameron, 1 cassette
In the course of over 350 years, Big Bend folk tradition has created
a rich variety of tales reflecting the history and character of
a land where three cultures-Indian, Mexican, and Anglo-meet, sometimes
peacefully, sometimes not. Most of the tales are given in several,
often conflicting versions. A few are from old books, but most were
collected by Dr. Miles during the 35 years he has lived in the region.
Tall Tales From a Ranch
CT 2802
by Annie M. Boyce, Narrated by Eunice Clingo, 1 cassette
Mosquitoes as big as eagles and boll weevils as big as armadillos
are just a few of the fabulous beasts that prowl through this collection
of folktales.
This Ol' Drought Ain't Broke Us Yet (But We're All Bent Pretty
Bad): Stories of the American West
CT 6092
by Jim Garry, Narrated by Ed Corrigan, 2 cassettes
Garry has spent a dozen years gathering and telling tales of the
American West. His stories are a mixture of fact and fiction, extending
from pioneer days to modern times, and they come from sources ranging
from his Texas ancestors to the Wyoming ranchers he happens upon
in diners. Humor permeates all of the adventures in these stories-from
bank robbing to cowboying to practical jokes.
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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, July 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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