Howdy, Texas! Wells Dunbar here.

It’s Texas Book Festival weekend, so I gotta give a shoutout to the biggest bookworms on the Standard staff: Sarah Asch and Kristen Cabrera.

In her time here, Kristen’s grown into the Standard’s go-to producer for author Q&As. (She’s photographed some great artwork to go with her posts.)

Sarah joined more recently and has proven to be just as voracious a reader. The pair have combined their page-turning powers to produce plenty of author interviews, plus the monthly book recaps on our Instagram page.

Things have ramped up heading into to the fest, so Sarah and Kristen had their work cut out in winnowing their Q&As with Texas Book Festival authors into the picks below. (Oh, and I produced the "Curious Mix of People" interview, since I was around for a lot of that underground fun in Austin.)

Will we see you at the fest, New? Texas Newsroom political reporter (and honorary Standard staffer) Sergio Martínez-Beltrán will be moderating one panel, along with other friends from the Newsroom and our home station KUT.

I’ll be there wandering down the tents on Congress Avenue, trying not to buy all the things.

Have a great weekend,

Want to get into reading romance? We asked this bestselling author for tips.

Romance novels have always been popular – and profitable – but the genre has risen to even greater heights in recent years. Romance sold more in 2022 than at any point since 2014, according to market research.

Romance fans are passionate about their favorite authors and titles, but for those who’ve never picked up a romance novel, the prospect may still feel somewhat intimidating.

Ali Hazelwood, the New York Times bestselling author of “The Love Hypothesis,” shares how to get into reading romance in this ebullient interview.

Texas state parks’ history celebrated in centennial book

From Big Bend Ranch in far West Texas to Galveston Island on the Gulf Coast, Texas state parks offer an opportunity for everyone to get out and see the varied natural beauty of the state.

This year, the Texas State parks system is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and there’s a new book to mark the occasion. “Texas State Parks: The First 100 Years” tells the story of how the state’s parks began.

Longtime Texas conservationist George Bristol joined us with more about the project – and what could be in store for the parks’ next hundred years.

‘We were there’: The ‘Curious Mix of People’ making Austin music in the ’90s

In 1990s Austin, an underground scene was brewing at house parties, makeshift venues and long-since shuttered clubs.

While many of those bands and venues have since been lost to time, the underground music ecosystem of the ’90s not only eventually birthed some of the biggest, most critically-acclaimed names in indie rock, it was also an incredibly active microcosm of the do it yourself (DIY) scene – where bookings were handled with phone calls and snail mail, and shirts and merch were printed by the bands themselves.

“A Curious Mix of People: The Underground Scene of ’90s Austin” captures the electrifying moment in the words of people who were there.

Listen to our our music-rich interview with authors Greg Beets and Richard Whymark.

Author Elizabeth Crook treks though the Texas frontier in ‘The Madstone’

The Texas frontier has inspired many authors to use it as not just a backdrop, but almost a separate character in their stories – think “Lonesome Dove.”

That tradition echoes across "The Madstone," a new novel from award-winning Texas author Elizabeth Crook. The book centers around a young mother fleeing from her dangerous husband and the young man who chooses to help her along the way.

Hear more about her gripping novel and how it incorporates Texas history.

‘Cemetery Birding’ highlights why watchers flock to Texas cemeteries

With their abundance of green space, tree cover and native grasses drawing many migratory species that pass through Texas, cemeteries are prime grounds for birding.

Author Jennifer Bristol visited some 300 cemeteries across the state before settling on a list of 91 locations in her book "Cemetery Birding: An Unexpected Guide to Discovering Birds in Texas."

Venture into the historic Oakwood Cemetery with Bristol and Texas Standard digital producer Raul Alonzo in this atmospheric story.

Missed an episode of Texas Standard? Listen here.

Monday: Gas prices drop to lowest point since March
Tuesday: What’s next after Cruise suspends self-driving cars in Texas?
Wednesday: Why Texas is ramping up nuclear energy
Thursday: The ‘Curious Mix of People’ powering Austin music in the ’90s
Friday: Texas changed teacher certification. That changed teaching in general

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