Liz and Gianna's Bad Ass Book Fall Preview! Part 1

It's September, so it's time for the publishers to whip out the big books in our industry's version of Oscar season.  Big awards (National Book Award, Man Booker Prize) and big sales (Ho Ho Ho) make the fall the make it or break it season of the publishing year.  I, Liz, suggested to Gianna that we highlight our top picks for the fall.  Gianna replied that I should send her another copy of Fifty Shades of Grey.  "No," I said, "Our reader(s) know about that book.  The other books".  Gianna said, "Like Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed?"  And then I contemplated self-immolation.  Before I whipped out my Zippo, though, Gianna sent me part one for our preview of big fall titles.  First up, the books from Gianna's publisher, The University of Texas Press.

Let the People In: The Life and Times of Ann Richards by Jan Reid (October). This biography is the most anticipated book on our list this fall. Richards was a liberal democrat elected to office in a conservative Republican state…not done since, by the way. She was one of a kind, and she is so missed. And as we prepare for Ann’s daughter Cecile Richards (President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund) speech at the DNC this week, let's all repeat Ann’s 1980 DNC quote: “Poor George, he can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.” Now that was a moment. In fact, give yourself a treat and watch her speech here.


All American Boy by Lazer Ziff (October)
A little something for all the nerdy book lovers, an exploration of the history of the American boy as told through literature. They are all here; Little Lord Fauntleroy, Penrod, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and of course, Holden Caulfield. A literary ride through American history.

Founding Finance by William Hogeland (October) The Tea Party will more often than not invoke the founding fathers in its calls for limited government and fiscal responsibility. Hogeland (author of the acclaimed book Whiskey Rebellion) offers a new perspective on America’s economic infancy…and can it be that the Tea Party has it wrong?

A Book on the Making of Lonesome Dove by Bill Wittliff and John Spong (October). This is the book on our list that Liz is most looking forward to. [True!] A really cool follow-up to The Making of Lonesome Dove, it includes interviews with about forty key people, including Larry McMurtry, Robert Duvall, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones. Also included are photographs of iconic props, set designs costumes, shooting scripts. My favorite part of the book are the candid polaroids that Wittliff took behind the scenes during the film shoot. [Liz: In college, I took horseback riding as a PE elective, and halfway through the semester I discovered that my horse, named Lonesome, played the Hell Bitch in the mini-series.]


The Plain in Flames by Juan Rulfo (September) I am very late to the Rulfo game, but I have to say these stories are the best I have read in years. This collection restores two stories that were left out of the previous translation and have not in fact been published in English prior to this edition ("The Legacy of Matilde Arcangel" and "The Day of the Collapse"). Populated with characters living on the fringes of society, these stories are haunting, beautiful, and darkly funny.


DKR: The Royal Scrapbook by Jenna Hays McEachern with Edith Royal (September). This is an extraordinary collection of never before published photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, and football ephemera, perfect for any Texan or football fan. I think of this book as a new look at the private man behind the iconic football coach.