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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Jul 7, 2020  
On my blog today, sneak a peek at the political satire novel THE REPUBLIC OF JACK by Jeffrey Kerr, and enter the #GIVEAWAY to #win a signed copy of the book!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/07/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-republic-of.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Jack Cowherd will do anything to win the Texas governorship, even flirt with twenty-first-century secessionists in the Texas Patriot Party. Victory is achieved, but only at the cost of Texas being tossed out of the United States. The Republic of Texas lives again! And Jack is president.

Friend and political advisor Tasha Longoria has long warned Jack of the dangers of his demagoguery. Now when he tries to halt the madness, the worst comes to pass: he is impeached, arrested, and charged with treason, the penalty for which is death.

Jack has but one chance to save his beloved Texas, not to mention his life. But success depends upon help from the one person least likely to give it . . . Tasha.
     
Midnight, Texas
Midnight, Texas
2017 | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
You have to approach "Midnight, Texas" with caution, but if you're the kind of viewer who can let a bit of fantastical fun drive a quasi-dramatic narrative , then you're in for a treat.
  
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Merissa (11612 KP) created a post

Apr 7, 2022  
Tour & #Giveaway: My Forever (Townsends of Texas #3) by Tiffany Patterson - @Archaeolibrary, @XpressoTours, @TiffanyPWrites, #Adult, #Contemporary, #Romance,

https://archaeolibrarian.wixsite.com/website/post/myforever-townsendsoftexas-3-bytiffanypatterson
     
Hell or High Water (2016)
Hell or High Water (2016)
2016 | Drama, Mystery
This was my favorite film from 2016. Chris Pine and Ben Foster did an amazing job with their characters. This movie depicted West Texas very well, it wasn't filmed in Texas, but Eastern NM and West TX look exactly the same. One of the only things I didn't like was Jeff Bridges, who was acting like Jeff Bridges; exactly the same in nearly every movie recently.
  
TW
The Widow’s Watcher
Eliza Maxwell | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Different from other three books by this author. Set in Minnesota instead of East Texas. Two very unlikely people forge a friendship out of their personal tragedies.
  
Paranormal Texas: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth, (2nd Edition)
Paranormal Texas: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth, (2nd Edition)
Tui Snider | 2019 | History & Politics, Mind, Body & Spiritual, Paranormal
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Those who know me know that I love the paranormal, mainly ghosts. When a chance came up to read Paranormal Texas by Tui Snider came about, I couldn't say no. As a Texas girl myself and a fan of all places ghostly, this seemed like the perfect book for me. I wasn't wrong!

Paranormal Texas by Tui Snider is a fantastic guidebook for those looking to chase ghosts in the great state of Texas, more specifically, towns and cities near Dallas and Fort Worth. I don't live near Dallas or Fort Worth, but I've been on vacation in and around there, and I will be taking future vacations in and around that area. In fact, I've been to two of the haunted locations featured in this book! I never even knew they were supposedly haunted at the time.

Tui Snider does a fantastic job of keeping readers interested in Paranormal Texas. She gives information about each place as well as local lore and/or personal encounters with each place. Tui also has a few urban legends in her book which are great for approaching locals with as long as they're into that sort of thing. Sometimes she gives the history behind each place which was my favorite thing. Personally, I would have liked to read more history about each place, but I was still happy nonetheless. What I really enjoyed was each place Tui mentioned wasn't a wall of text. It was concise and to the point. She also included photos of each place. These aren't photos of evidence though. The photos are just of the actual place itself which was a tad bit disappointing. I would have liked to see some photos of alleged evidence. However, Tui does have a website where you can look at paranormal photos, EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon), and more. (I'll go into detail about her website a little later.) All the photos are in black and white in my copy of Paranormal Texas. Mine is an ARC, so maybe the actual copies will have some colored photos.

One thing I really enjoyed about Paranormal Texas is that Tui Snider lists the address of each place, so you don't have to bother searching for it yourself. If it's a harder place to get to, Tui gives you directions of how best to get there. I thought this was a fantastic touch because when you want to look for ghosts, the last thing you want to do is waste time trying to find an address.

Another thing I am grateful for is how the book has each city listed alphabetically at the beginning and then each haunted location is listed for that city. This makes it a lot easier to find what city you're interested in to do some ghost exploring!

However, Paranormal Texas isn't just about haunted places in Texas. Tui Snider also writes about the techinal terms that come with ghost hunting which is great for those that are new to ghost hunting as well as how to be a respectful thrill seeker which has great information for even seasoned ghost hunters. I would advise not skipping the beginning of the book that has all this great advice simply because it will help enrich your reading experience with Paranormal Texas or any paranormal non-fiction book. Heck, it will probably even enrich your experience with even paranormal and supernatural fiction books!

Be sure to check out Tui Snider's online evidence database for Paranormal Texas which she mentions in her book. Like Paranormal Texas, she has each city listed alphabetically for you to listen and see supposed paranormal happenings. This is such a fantastic accompaniment to the book. It really makes the book come alive. It's like you're there! Definitely check out her online database. It will give you the chills. It's still a work in progress as Tui encourages readers to send in their own paranormal evidence as well, but still, it is great nonetheless.

Paranormal Texas is such a great guide for old and new ghost hunters alike. There is such a plethora of information within the pages. Trust me, not only are you learning about new ghost locations, but you are also being schooled on so much more. It's like a bonus lesson in history and ghost hunting, but one that is a lot of fun. I'd recommend leaving the lights on for this book. I'd definitely recommend Paranormal Texas by Tui Snider to those aged 16+ who love ghost stories, Texas, or those who just love to be spooked. You won't be disappointed!
--
(A special thank you to Tui Snider for providing me with a paperback ARC of Paranormal Texas in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Oct 7, 2020  
"I could go on and on about how amazing Tui Snider's newest book is, but you are better off just reading it for yourself."

Check out my review for the non-fiction Texas travel book 6 FEET UNDER TEXAS by Tui Snider on my blog. Enter the GIVEAWAY to win a paperback or eBook copy of the book, a thank you postcard, and a $10 Amazon gift card!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/10/reviewapalooza-and-giveaway-6-feet.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Explore the cemeteries of Texas with Tui Snider as she reveals overlooked history in these fascinating open-air museums.

Along the way, you’ll meet fascinating characters, including a whistleblower who died in suspicious circumstances, an oilman who added a phone line to his mausoleum, and the events that caused two “frenemies” to be chained together in death.
     
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Melanie Benjamin recommended Giant in Books (curated)

 
Giant
Giant
Edna Ferber | 2021 | Romance
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Personal favorite: anything by Edna Ferber, but I’d pick Giant first. Just a great, epic tale of love and loss and success and failure, all against the oil boom in Texas in the first half of the 20th century"

Source
  
From the poet Eileen Myles’s memoir about life with a beloved dog to Attica Locke’s murder mystery set in Texas to N. K. Jemisin’s conclusion of her award-winning Broken Earth fantasy trilogy, here are NYT's top books of the week.

Two of the year’s most highly anticipated books are on this week’s New York Times list of recommendations:


Bluebird, Bluebird

Bluebird, Bluebird

Attica Locke

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Southern fables usually go the other way around: a white woman killed or harmed in some way, real or...


Thriller
One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported

One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported

E.J. Dionne Jr., Norman J. Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

A call to action from three of Washington's premier political scholar-journalists, One Nation After...


Politics social issues
Afterglow: A Dog's Memoir

Afterglow: A Dog's Memoir

Eileen Myles

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Prolific and widely renowned, Eileen Myles is a trailblazer whose decades of literary and artistic...


Biography
The Stone Sky: The Broken Earth

The Stone Sky: The Broken Earth

N.K. Jemisin

10.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

The remarkable conclusion to the highly acclaimed post-apocalyptic trilogy that began with...


Science fiction
At the Strangers' Gate: Arrivals in New York

At the Strangers' Gate: Arrivals in New York

Adam Gopnik

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Book

From The New York Times best-selling author of Paris to the Moon and beloved New Yorker writer, a...


Biography
and 5 other items
     
     
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
1962 | Drama, Fantasy
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Have just watched The Exterminating Angel for the first time since fuzzy VHS in University of Texas A/V library. He is my hero. Mike Nichols said in the newspaper he thinks of Buñuel every day, which I believe I do, too, or at least every other."

Source