The 2019 Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List

The Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List was created in 2009 with the goal of highlighting outstanding fiction that is simply “a pleasure to read.” Each year 25 outstanding fiction titles are selected by a committee of nine Texas Librarians. More about the Lariat List can be found at this link: https://txla.org/tools-resources/reading-lists/lariat/current-list/

Authors from current and past lists are invited to speak at the Lariat List Adult Fiction Author Program held at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference, which will be in April, 2019, in Austin, Texas.

The TLA Lariat List Committee voted last Friday, and below are the titles chosen to be part of the 2019 Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List. The Lariat List will be officially announced in January, 2019, but here's a sneak peak! I nominated the titles highlighted in yellow. Hopefully all readers will be able to find a good book that suits them from this list of Fiction books published in 2017 and 2018:

1.     The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

2.     Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson

3.     Flying at Night by Rebecca L. Brown

4.     Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

5.     Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

6.     Semiosis by Sue Burke

7.     Star of the North by D.B. John

8.     The Broken Girls  by Simone St. James

9.     Heads of the Colored People  by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

10.  There, There by Tommy Orange

11.  The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stu Turton

12.  Dear Mrs. Bird  by A. J. Pearce

13.  Trail of Lightning  by Rebecca Roanhorse

14.  How to Stop Time  by Matt Haig

15.  The Last Time I Lied  by Riley Sager

16.  Anatomy of a Scandal  by Sarah Vaughn

17.  Less by Andrew Sean Greer

18.  Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

19.  The Changeling  by Victor LaValle

20.  Sing Unburied Sing by Jessmyn Ward

21.  Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

22.  Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

23.  The Darkest Time of Night by Jeremy Finley

24.  The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

25.  Indigo Girl  by Natasha Boyd

Happy Reading, y'all!!

Saying Goodbye to Power-Reading!

I'm in Austin for the Voting Meeting for the 2018 Texas Library Association Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List, which will be announced in January, 2019. The Lariat Committee is made up of 9 Librarians across the State of Texas who commit to read a wide variety of adult fiction titles to narrow down to the top 25 that are a "pleasure to read." You can see more about the Lariat List and see last year's titles here: https://txla.org/tools-resources/reading-lists/lariat/current-list/

I've been on the TLA Lariat List Committee for 3 years and this is my last year. I had an opportunity to stay on for a 4th year, but I think that 3 years is long enough for the amount of annual reading required. It has been an amazing experience and has really expanded my reading by getting me out of my comfort zone! 

We read widely all year and make suggestions collected and organized on a Google Sheet. This year, as Vice-Chair, I sent monthly emails to the various publishers, and most of them very generously provided reading copies for all 9 members of the committee. We would read our own suggestions, then withdraw them if we decided against them for one reason or another, or nominate them for the list. Each committee member is allowed to nominate up to 8 titles, so theoretically there could be 72 titles on the Long List that must be read.  Realistically, there were usually around 45-55 books that we all needed to read before the December voting meeting.

Because "a pleasure to read" is so subjective, I ended up having to read a number of books that didn't appeal to me, that I would normally not read in the first place, or finish. This became a challenge over the last month as I finished up all 55 books on this year's Long List. But it's a good thing that there is a variety of fiction titles on the list! Everyone will be able to find a good book to read, depending on their interest and taste. There are thrillers, mysteries, literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy and even romance titles up for consideration for this year's Lariat List. I am excited to see what the committee ends up choosing for the Top 25 tomorrow!

I also have a LONG list of books that I've had to delay reading because I just haven't had the time. I am very much looking forward to reading the books on that list, plus some early galleys I have of upcoming 2019 titles.

Here are some Winter and Spring (2019) books that I did read outside of Lariat that I'm looking forward to recommending and talking about next year!!

I read a lot of Thrillers - probably because the pace and suspense make them hard to put down! 

I will be excited to post the results of the 2018 Lariat List here in the near future! Stay tuned.....

Happy Reading!

The Big Inch by Kimberly Fish: Lone Star Literary Audio Book Tour - Review, Trailer and Giveaway!

THE BIG INCH

Misfits and Millionaires #1

by

KIMBERLY FISH
Narrated by Sydney Young

   Genre: Historical Fiction / Romance / WWII Spies
  Publisher: Fish Tales Publishing

Date of Publication: August 1, 2018

Length: 10 hours, 22 minutes

Scroll down for the giveaway!

Fans of Pam Jenoff, Susan Elia MacNeal, and Kate Quinn will want to read the first book in a sparkling WWII historical fiction series, The Big Inch. Lane Mercer is a spy recovering from a disastrous mission in France when she’s assigned to protect the interests of the new federal project sending American oil to the Allies. Thrown into the high-stakes world of Texas oilmen, she’s inventing maneuvers on the fly to outwit would be counter-intelligence and Fascist sympathizers. Complicating her mission is a handsome con-artist who manages to be under her feet at the most inopportune times. Trapped between trusting her gut or trusting her informers, Lane has to learn to navigate a town that is laced with more intrigue than she’d ever have guessed, and she soon discovers that the life she might have to save. . .is her own. Kimberly Fish’s well-researched writing drops readers into the colorful world of the American home front known so well to those who lived alongside the Greatest Generation. Buy The Big Inch today to begin this exciting first novel in a WWII series set in Texas.

PRAISE FOR THE BIG INCH: 

“Narrator Makes Book Exciting!” 

-- 5 Stars Review on Audible

“Kimberly Fish’s writing style snatched me out of my easy chair.” 

-- Vickie Phelps, author of Moved, Left No Address

“Kimberly Fish has a gift for combining conflict, emotion, and characterization to create a compelling story.” 

-- Louis Gouge, author of Love Inspired Historical Four Star Ranch series

The Big Inch was my first experience using Audible. I normally go “old school” and listen to books on CD on my daily commute, but it’s getting harder to find what I want that way. Audible has a huge selection, and I'm glad I had an opportunity to experience a new format for the audio book tour for this historical fiction novel written by Kimberly Fish and narrated by Sydney Young.

One of the things I learned right away is that the speed of the narration can be adjusted with Audible, and that went a long way toward improving the listening experience. My ears and my brain seem to feel the need for the speed! Once that was adjusted, I settled in and truly enjoyed listening to The Big Inch. 

This is Ms.Young’s first time to narrate an audio book, and I would have never guessed that based on the range of voices she uses to distinguish among the characters. The book is set in Longview, Texas during WWII, and the narrator’s southern accent really works in this case. I’ve listened to other non-southern narrators try to imitate our speech in the South with usually comical, if not irritating, results.

This story is about the completion of an oil pipeline, the titular ”Big Inch,” which would have been beneficial to the Allies during the war. Lane Mercer is an intelligence agent who had a traumatic experience working with the resistance in France and has been sent to Longview to act as a secretary to a military officer who is coordinating the completion of the pipeline. Her role is more than administrative, however, and she uses her keen observation skills and intelligence to keep things moving on the pipeline construction and the officer safe. Lane has family in Longview, and we gradually learn more about her upbringing and past through the course of the novel. There is a little mystery, and a little romance, but mostly The Big Inch is about all the characters who inhabit this small Texas town. The author has done a tremendous job of writing so many different distinct and well-developed characters, and Sydney Young’s narration truly shines in giving voice to them all.

My only criticism of the narration is that at times the narrator’s voice would elevate at the end of a sentence and make it difficult to follow that a new sentence had been started. And sometimes the pauses between words made it seem as though a sentence had ended. But I think that overall this was a well-narrated book, especially for a first time narrator.

As for the story itself, there were a few anachronisms that caught my ear. I’m not sure “climbing the corporate ladder” was a phrase used yet in the 1940s, and was the term sausage biscuits part of the vernacular yet? Not sure!  At times, the pacing of the story was rather slow, with a lot more dialogue than action occurring. I remember it took a really long time (listening-wise) for the main character to “faint” after a shooting occurred in which she bravely saved the life of a stranger. Other than that, I truly enjoyed this historical fiction novel, primarily because I’m a native Texan, and I’m sorry to say it never occurred to me to think about what was going on in my home state during World War II! I became engaged enough in the setting and the characters to want to read the next book in the Misfits and Millionaires series, Harmon General.

I appreciated the opportunity to spend a number of enjoyable hours on my daily commute getting to know the great characters from the mind of Kimberly Fish and Sydney Young’s mellifluous narration. I would read another book by this author and listen to another audio book by this narrator, which is my high praise indeed.

CLICK TO PURCHASE

◆ Amazon ◆ Audible ◆

  

Kimberly Fish has been a professional writer in marketing and media for almost 30 years. In the course of research for the Longview Chamber of Commerce 100-year compilation, she stumbled across a 1940s federal works project that was too good, too war-winning, not to be retold to modern audience. In 2017, she released The Big Inch, her first WWII spy thriller detailing the crazy, big pipeline project that fueled the Allies to a win in Europe. The Big Inch has also been released as an audio download on Audible. That eye-opening novel was so consumed by readers, she quickly followed it with a second WWII spy thriller set in Longview, Harmon General. Both of these novels will be helpful to her work with the City of Longview’s 150^th birthday celebrations which begin in January of 2020. Comfort Plans, a contemporary novel also set in Texas, continues her love of history by weaving old letters into the renovation of an iconic Hill Country farmhouse.  Kimberly enjoys speaking on the value of weaving history and nostalgia into our plans as we grow our communities for the future. 

 ║ Website ║ Facebook ║ Twitter ║ Instagram║ Goodreads ║ ║ Pinterest ║ Amazon Author Page ║  

Sydney Young is a lawyer, award-winning writer and audio book narrator from the Lone Star State. Her next theatrical project will be directing “SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE,” for the Paris Community Theatre stage (Feb. 2019), while her novel “I AM HOUSTON,” is being submitted for publication by the Loiacono Literary Agency. Sydney has long been a reading advocate, including with her readings to an adopted second grade class each year. She loved voicing THE BIG INCH for all of its authentic Texas voices and true characters, all while she learned the history of the East Texas oil effort for World War II.  Visit Sydney’s website for more information on her writings, theatre, and audio books.

║ Website ║ Facebook ║ Instagram ║ Twitter ║

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

ONE WINNER!  Choice of Audio or Signed Print Copy of The Big Inch  + $25 Amazon Gift Card + a WWII Themed Surprise Gift! NOVEMBER 5-12, 2018

(U.S. Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

11/5/18	Joint Guest Post	Nerd Narration
11/6/18	Audio Book Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
11/7/18	Audio Book Review	Tangled in Text
11/8/18	Narrator Interview	StoreyBook Reviews
11/9/18	Audio Book Review	The Book Review
11/10/18	Audio Book Review	The Page Unbound
11/11/18	Guest Post	Momma on the Rocks
11/12/18	Audio Book Review	Kelly Well Read
11/12/18	Audio Book Review	Forgotten Winds

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