Texas Pages

Joy Tipping spoke with Brock Clarke ahead of his appearance with "Late Nights at the Dallas Museum of Art" tomorrow. We'll have that story in tomorrow's GuideLive.

For those of you planning ahead, here's the review of The Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England.

And here's a complete list of the evening's activities, provided by our friends at The Dallas Museum of Art:

Maybe it depends on the coast.

At The New York Times, Janet Maslin raved (while mimicking his style:)

"He got a second act. He got another chance. Look what he did with it. He stepped up to the plate and hit one out of the park. No more lying, no more melodrama, still run-on sentences still funny punctuation but so what. He became a furiously good storyteller this time."

At the Los Angeles Times, David L. Ulin ripped it:

" Bright Shiny Morning is a terrible book. One of the worst I've ever read. But you have to give James Frey credit for one thing: He's got chutzpah. "

Here's part of the first chapter from "Child 44," by Tom Rob Smith. It's reviewed today in GuideLive.

And let me offer the personal seal of approval on this one: Call it a literary thriller or a thrilling, literate novel, it works on many levels. Watch for a movie and multiple sequels in years to come, I predict.

The excerpt is provided courtesy of Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group USA.

Here's what's coming this weekend in GuideLive. It's a busy one for book lovers.

On Saturday, author Stephenie Meyer is coming to a sold-out event in Frisco. If you're a newcomer to her world, we'll tell you all about the writer some have dubbed "the next J.K. Rowling." And if you're a fan -- we'll have comments from her, plus video of the local tribute band, "The Bella Cullen Project."

On Sunday, we speak to Louise Erdrich, award-winning author of The Plague of Doves. She's coming to Richardson on Monday to record an installment of The Writers Studio. We'll have an excerpt from her book on the blog as well.

As for reviews, you'll be able to read about:

The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008, by Sean Wilentz.

Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith. (And watch for an exceprt with that one as well.)

Note by Note: A Celebration of the Piano Lesson, a memoir by Tricia Tunstall.

God of War, fiction by Marisa Silver.

And Panama Fever: The Epic Story of One of the Greatest Human Achievements of All Time -- the Building of the Panama Canal, by Matthew Parker.

Enjoy! And, as always -- come back and offer your own opinions.

Lisa See makes an appearance 4 p.m. Tuesday (May 13) at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, 2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. Your $25 ticket includes cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Call 214-443-4747.

I saw Lisa speak in New York last year at Book Expo America. It was an interesting presentation. We have an excerpt from her book here. You can also read our review of her book below.

In today's Healthy Living, find reviews of For Keeps: Women Tell the Truth About Their Bodies, Growing Older, and Acceptance, and
Positively Ageless, by Cheryl Forberg, nutritionist for The Biggest Loser.

Plus, a story on men's health looks at virility through the eyes (and perhaps the glands) of Philip Roth and others.

The NBCC's quarterly list of recommended titles is out. Heres' what America's book critics say they are reading and enjoying:

We had an excerpt from Infected (reviewed today in GuideLive) planned for this morning. But as Tom Dodge's review suggests, it had an awful lot of limb-severing and blood-gushing for a blog that is sponsored by a family newspaper.

But have no fear. Scott Sigler has an extensive site of his own that can provide you with sample chapters and more about his work.

Here's what's in store for readers of GuideLive on Sunday:

Staff critic Chris Vognar takes a look at a pair of books that offer a look at early 20th-century black America: Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans From the Civil War to World War II, by Douglas Blackmon, and Negro With a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey and His Dream of Mother Africa, by Collin Grant.

Tom Dodge gets underneath the skin of Infected, by Scott Sigler.

Joy Tipping examines the stories of Kevin Brockmeier in The View From the Seventh Layer.

Christine Granados celebrates the new release of The Complete Works of Tomas Rivera.

Alexandra Witze finds science in action in In Pursuit of the Gene: From Darwin to DNA, by James Schwartz.

Here's a look at the reviews you will find in Sunday's GuideLive:

The Girl With No Shadow, by Joanne Harris, she'll be at Arts & Letters Live on Tuesday -- and we'll have an excerpt from her book as well.

Our second novel this week is The Age of Shiva, by Manil Suri.

For history buffs, we offer Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller by Steve Weinberg.

If you prefer your history to be more current, we have Going to War: How Misinformation, Disinformation and Arrogance Led America into the Iraqi Quagmire, by Russ Hoyle.

Finally, for your inner pirate, there's Silver by Edward Chupack.

Plus -- Si Dunn offers a look at Texas and Southwest books.

See you Sunday.

Here's an extensive, exclusive excerpt from "Willie Nelson: An Epic Life," by Joe Nick Patoski, telling how Willie's Classic "Red Headed Stranger" came to be recorded in Garland.

You can read Mario Tarradell's review today in GuideLive as well.

As noted in the print editions of today's excerpt and review of Joe Nick Patoski's book:

Musicians seeking to capture some Willie Nelson magic can do so at what is now Audio Dallas, the Garland recording studio where he recorded his groundbreaking album in January 1975. "We still have a photo in the hallway of Willie sitting back in that room making Red Headed Stranger," said Paul Osborn, who bought the studio in 1996. And Glen Pace, the engineer who built the studio months before Mr. Nelson's recording, "still comes around," according to Mr. Osborn. Audio Dallas is at 3810 Cavalier Drive in West Garland. Call 972-276-3896.

Thanks to staff writer Ray Leszcynski for checking that out, and for providing the following 2004 story about the studio.

Have any Willie stories of your own to share? Don't be a stranger, hit that comments button.

It's a big Sunday in GuideLive, if you're a Willie Nelson fan.

First, we have a review of Joe Nick Patoski's "Willie Nelson: An Epic Life." And we'll have a chapter-length excerpt on the making of his classic album, "Red Headed Stranger."

Plus, we'll also have reviews of:

"Unaccustomed Earth," by Jhumpa Lahiri -- a "clear-eyed yet loving depiction of both the joys and sorrows of feeling untethered."
"The Stone Gods," by Jeanette Winterson -- a "dynamic and brilliant work of experimental fiction."
"The Candy Bombers -- The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America's Finest Hour," history by Andrei Cherny.
"The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food," a tasty tale by Jennifer 8. Lee.
And one more interesting piece of fiction in "All the Sad Young Literary Men," by Keith Gessen -- which will come with an excerpt that you can read right here.

So, I was asked to be a Reading Ambassador for the fifth graders at Barksdale Elementary in Plano and I brought along my copy of Lois Lowry's latest, The Willoughbys. Now most of the kids were well aware of the two-time Newbery Medal winner through the books of hers that are most frequently assigned: Number the Stars, a story about a Danish family that helps Jews escape during the Holocaust, and The Giver, a futuristic look at a highly programmed society in which memories, music, colors and strong emotions are forbidden (the book is now getting a terrific stage production at the Dallas Children's Theater through Sunday). But with these two books being so serious, they were surprised to be laughing along with me at The Willoughbys, a parody of all those good little orphan kid stories. The bell rang with the kids clamoring for more after I got through the chapter where the not so nice Willoughby kids abandon a baby named Ruth (rendering them 'ruthless'). So what could I do but donate my copy to their school library? I'm always amazed by Lois Lowry's versatility. After three decades of writing for young adults, she still manages to surprise and delight.

Over in the Home section today, ever-versatile Joy Tipping provides a roundup of eco-books to help you capture that Earth Day spirit.

If you enjoyed Sunday's review of the Ten-Year Nap, you might be interested in her interview with The New York Times.

And if you prefer your author interviews to be spoken, here she is on public radio's Fresh Air.

Here's a look at what we'll be writing about Sunday in GuideLive.

Plano-raised author Stefan Merrill Block has won national attention for is debut novel "The Story of Forgetting." (Watch for an excerpt Sunday as well.)

Meg Wolitzer's novel "The Ten-Year Nap" is a wake-up call for women.

Got a life story to tell? Natalie Goldberg's "Old Friend From Far Away" can help.

And a monumental talent gets a fitting biography in A. David Moody's "Ezra Pound: Poet -- A Portrait of the Man & His Work Volume I: The Young Genius,1885-1920."

Plus -- Judy Alter on books about Dallas women.

Here's what you'll be reading about in the books pages of GuideLive on Sunday.

Isabel Allende offers a fresh memoir with "The Sum of Our Days." (Check the blog Sunday for an excerpt.)

Richard Price returns to the mean streets of New York with "Lush Life." (Watch for an excerpt from that as well.)

The life and death of a heroic peacemaker are chronicled in "Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World," by Samantha Power.

The cultural influence of comic books gets a serious examination in "The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America," by David Hajdu.

And the latest enlistee into the army of Civil War books is "General Lee's Army: From Victory to Collapse," by Joseph Glatthaar.

Happy reading.

While the calendar gives us an excuse, let's stay lighthearted, sort of, with a review of ""The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes" (Vintage Books, 224 pages. $12.95), by the Editors of McSweeney's:

Here's what's coming Sunday in GuideLive:

"A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West," by James Donovan. The Dallas agent is getting plenty of attention for his work -- and we'll have an exclusive online interview with him as well.

"The Blue Star," by Tony Earley. The author returns to the setting he mined for "Jim the Boy."

"Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East," by Robin Wright. The Washington Post correspondent takes a careful look at change in the region.

"The Book of Dahlia,' by Elisa Albert. Fiction that finds humor in the face of death.

Plus ... Si Dunn's Texas and Southwest Roundup.

"The Mistress's Daughter" comes out in paperback today.

Here's a look back at the interview she did before her Dallas appearance last year.

And here was my own take on her appearance.

Looking back a year later, my personal experiences as an adoptee made it hard to look be objective about the book. I enthusiastically applaud her for giving voice to the experience. I also disagreed with the way she handled some things.

If you read this one -- what was your take?

Here's what's in store for you on Sunday in the pages of GuideLive:

If you like your Texas history full of bullets and blood, you'll be interested in "The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso 1821-1900," by Mike Cox.

On the other extreme, there is lyrical beauty in the novel "Tarnished Beauty," by
Cecilia Samartin. (See for yourself when we post an excerpt.)

"High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed," by Michael Kodas, talks about surprising challenges at the top of the world.

"The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of Reconstruction," by Charles Lane, looks back at an ugly moment in American history.

And "Fanon," by John Edgar Wideman, offers rewards for readers who are up to its challenges.

See you Sunday.

The fact that it will be Monday afternoon before this sees publication indicates that yes, it's a typical workday here in editorville.

Life at work -- and grousing about it -- happens to be the theme of the last two novels I picked up. One is set at a struggling ad agency in a Chicago high-rise. The other is set at a failing chain restaurant in New England. Paired together, they say a lot about working life today.

I found this topic interesting and meant to post this some time ago, but, um ... what was I saying?

Oh. Yeah. Here's a review of “Where Did I Leave My Glasses? The What, When and Why of /Normal /Memory Loss” by Martha Weinman Lear. (Wellness Central. 245 pages. $22.99)