Books
June 6, 2023
The George W. Bush I Knew
An exclusive excerpt from Texas Monthly’s new book, ‘Lone Stars Rising,’ reevaluates the legacy of the former governor and president.
Books
Reviews, profiles, and interviews that capture the diverse voices adding to Texas’s rich literary tradition
Politics & Policy
May 16, 2023
The Killing of These Texas Children Was National News. But We Didn’t Know the Half of It.
Dallas journalist Roxanna Asgarian’s new book, ‘We Were Once a Family,’ examines a murder-suicide that made national news—and finds that the story behind the story is even worse than we thought.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Books
May 9, 2023
The Dog Had Ate the Hand
In this original short story, when two down-on-their luck Houston men try to steal copper pipes from a home, nothing goes quite as planned.
Books
May 1, 2023
Exclusive: View the Full Larry McMurtry Estate Auction Catalog
This month, fans have a chance to bid on books, guns, and a pinball machine owned by the definitive chronicler of twentieth-century Texas.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Books
April 18, 2023
An El Paso–Bred Children’s Author Illustrates Border Life for the Next Generation
Raúl the Third, the creator of the World of ¡Vamos! series, depicts a colorful childhood spent between El Paso and Juárez.
Books
April 7, 2023
Why ‘Lonesome Dove’ Gives Me the Creeps
A nightmarish scene in Larry McMurtry’s epic novel triggered my unshakable—and completely illogical—fear of snakes.
Film & TV
April 4, 2023
The Best Books, Films, TV, Art, and More Coming to Texas This Spring
We have seven words for you: Owen Wilson in a Bob Ross wig.
Music
April 4, 2023
Hellhounds on His Trail: Mack McCormick’s Long, Tortured Quest to Find the Real Robert Johnson
For decades, the Houston folklorist labored over his biography of the legendary bluesman. Seven years after McCormick’s death, the book is finally out—and so are the secrets long kept by its troubled author.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Books
March 24, 2023
Her Grandfather Dug For Fossils in Big Bend. Now Her Photos Celebrate His Spirit of Adventure.
Sarah Wilson's ‘DIG’ combines photos, her grandfather’s Kodachrome teaching slides, and creatively staged paleontological artifacts.
Books
March 7, 2023
Texas’s “Safety Net Hospitals” Are Better Than You Think
In his first book, Houston physician and writer Ricardo Nuila argues that these publicly funded institutions don’t deserve their awful reputation—and offer a model for mending our broken health-care system.
Books
February 24, 2023
Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtry’s Historic Texas Bookstore. Bring on the Shiplap?
Threat of impersonal farmhouse decor aside, the purchase of Archer City’s beloved Booked Up could mean hope for a reopening.
Books
February 14, 2023
Ten Perfect Texas Romance Novels for Your Bookworm Valentine
These books are sure to make your special someone swoon.
Libations
February 13, 2023
How to Become a Regular at a Texas Dive Bar
Follow these tips and tricks to becoming beloved at your local watering hole from the guy who literally wrote the book.
Books
February 7, 2023
The Waco Fire Is Still Burning
One night in the fall of 1869, an angel visited a homeopathic physician in upstate New York named Cyrus Teed. She told him he was the Lamb of God, spoken of in the Bible’s book of Revelation, who was prophesied to open the seven seals and bring about the end-time.
Books
February 2, 2023
A Novelist and Hollywood Screenwriter Grapples With Her Texan Identity
Attica Locke looks back on her 2012 essay weighing her Houston pride against the fact that “there are things about the state that just don’t work for me.”
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Books
January 23, 2023
Jones, Manson, and Now Koresh: Writer Jeff Guinn Has Completed His Unholy Trinity
On the occasion of his third cult examination, Guinn shares what he’s learned about the charisma of evil.
Books
January 18, 2023
Brownsville’s New Independent Bookstore Is an Oasis in the Desert
Búho, opening in the historic district, is one element in the revitalization of the border town.
Books
January 17, 2023
The Lone Bookstore in a Town With No Library
Heidi Frazier opened 40 Acre Wood over ten years ago with a mission to make books accessible to any and all readers in the small town of Lexington.
Critters
January 17, 2023
I Wrote a Book Called ‘The Leopard Is Loose.’ Then a Leopard Got Loose in Dallas.
An escape in 1950 inspired my novel. The wildly different public reactions show how much our relationship to animals has changed.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
It’s Time to Reexamine One of the Most Beloved Books About Texas
Regarded by many Texans as a classic work of history, T. R. Fehrenbach’s ‘Lone Star’ contains racist ideas that shouldn’t be ignored.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Sixteen of Texas’s Most Influential Cultural Figures of the Past 50 Years
From George Jones to Attica Locke, these Texans have made lasting cultural impacts on the state.
By Jeff Salamon![Jeff Salamon's Profile Photo]()
Art
December 27, 2022
The Best Texas Art, Movies, Music, and TV of 2022
This is the year that returned Beyoncé to our ears and Beavis and Butt-head to our screens.
Art
December 21, 2022
The Best Books, Film, TV, Art & More Coming to Texas This Winter
From Bruce Springsteen to Ballet Austin, there are plenty of ways to break out of the winter doldrums this season.
Books
December 6, 2022
Confessions of a Celebrity Ghostwriter
The coauthor of memoirs by Vanessa Lachey, Shep Rose, and Chrishell Stause spills about the glamour—and grit—of helping the famous tell their stories.
Books
November 23, 2022
The Year We Banned Books
Making sense of the politics behind the unprecedented attacks on Texas school library volumes that deal with issues of race and gender.
Books
November 21, 2022
The Ego Clash That Doomed the Cowboys to Three Decades of Mediocrity
Jimmy Johnson’s memoir, ‘Swagger,’ is another salvo in the catty, decades-long feud between the former coach and Jerry Jones.
Books
November 3, 2022
Texas Is the Main Character in Laura Griffin’s Twisty Mysteries
She weaves the state’s climate disasters, including droughts and floods, into terrifying tales.
Books
October 25, 2022
Meet the Next Great American Travel Brand
Wildsam field guides have more in common with indie zines than with Fodor’s or Lonely Planet. Ten years in, the road less traveled is paying off.
Style & Design
October 20, 2022
This Coming-of-Middle-Age Memoir Is Required Reading for Moms
Humorist Wendi Aarons’s ‘I’m Wearing Tunics Now’ depicts middle-age losses (slower metabolisms) and wins (better friendships).
Style & Design
October 14, 2022
How Ty Hunter Went From Working at the Galleria to Styling Beyoncé
In his new memoir, the Instagram star recounts his childhood in Austin and how he found his way in the fashion world.
Art
September 22, 2022
The Best Books, Film, TV, Art, and More Coming to Texas This Fall
This season has everything: Cormac McCarthy, Star Wars, Chippendales dancers, and opera.
Books
September 20, 2022
A User’s Guide to All the Banned Books in Texas
Discussions of race or sex, or just the wrong vibes, are all it takes for a book to number among the 801 bannings in Texas this year.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Books
September 15, 2022
A Debut Novelist Brings Secrets, Queerness, and Potato Salad to Small-town Texas
Bobby Finger, host of the popular celebrity podcast ‘Who? Weekly,’ treats his subjects gently and imbues them with wit.
Books
September 6, 2022
Is Everyone Welcome in Texas?
Three new books remind us that some of the issues roiling the state have been with us for a very long time.
Books
August 31, 2022
Remembering When Texas Was Run by Women
Mary Beth Rogers, who served as Ann Richards’s campaign manager and chief of staff, reflects on Texas politics in ‘Hope and Hard Truth.’
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
Books
August 29, 2022
The ‘Moby Dick’ of Texas Football Novels Is Hard-hitting as Ever
West Texans didn’t much appreciate Don DeLillo’s ‘End Zone’ at the time, but it elevated the lexicon of football to high art.
Art
August 12, 2022
San Antonio Is All of a Sudden a Great Public Art Destination
A vibrant new book by photographer Frederick R. Preston and former Texas poet laureate Carmen Tafolla captures San Antonio’s wealth of public murals, mosaics, and sculptures.
Books
August 11, 2022
A New Poem by Sandra Cisneros
From her forthcoming collection, ‘Woman Without Shame.’
Books
July 21, 2022
In an Urgent New Book, “Floodies” Reinvent the Story of Hurricane Harvey
‘More City than Water: A Houston Flood Atlas’ brings together a team of writers, scholars, designers, and eyewitnesses from the front lines of climate change in a grand experiment.
Tacos
July 14, 2022
On Salsa, Dragons, and Fatherhood: A Taco Editor Bonds With His Son
A beloved children’s book led the pair to collect salsas and hot sauces and host live tastings on Instagram.
Books
July 14, 2022
Texas Novelists Are Finally Ready to Grapple With Our History—Yes, All of It
The author of ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ believes a critical mass of writers is pushing beyond the fairy tales of the past.
Books
July 14, 2022
Ten Reasons to Believe We’re Living in the Golden Age of Texas Fiction
Disemboweled zombies, gritty female crime investigators, harrowing tales of family dysfunction—today’s crop of Texas novels has something for everyone.
Books
July 14, 2022
Why Are Texas Novelists So Fascinated by Galveston?
Kimberly Garza’s coastal debut, ‘The Last Karankawas,’ draws on her childhood memories of one of the city’s lesser-known ethnic enclaves.
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
Books
July 14, 2022
Can One Novel Heal the Wounds of an Upscale Houston Neighborhood?
A conversation with Chris Cander, the author of ‘A Gracious Neighbor.’
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Books
July 14, 2022
Sergio Troncoso Is Making Sure That Texas Literature Represents All of Texas
In his latest novel and as president of the Texas Institute of Letters, the Ysleta-raised writer is pushing us to rethink the Lone Star literary canon.
Books
July 14, 2022
Can’t Find a Texas Novel to Read This Summer? Here’s a Guide for You.
Whether you’re a crime fiction addict or you’re looking for a romantic comedy, there’s a book for everyone.
Books
July 14, 2022
‘The Devil Takes You Home’ Is Very Creepy—and Very Much About Right Now
In Gabino Iglesias’s horror novel, racism, a broken health-care system, and Mexican cartels meet up with powerful brujas and disemboweled zombies.
By Jeff Salamon![Jeff Salamon's Profile Photo]()
Books
July 14, 2022
Has Texas Finally Found Its William Faulkner?
With her stunning debut novel, ‘Perish,’ LaToya Watkins draws on her family’s deep roots in West Texas.
Books
July 14, 2022
Is Fernando A. Flores the Gabriel García Márquez of the Texas Borderlands? Or the Kurt Vonnegut?
In his new short story collection, the Austin writer offers a fantastical view of the Texas borderlands. Just don’t call it “magical realism.”
Books
July 13, 2022
Playing the Ghost
A short story.