![]() We looked closely at Dan Jenkins’ irreverent novels, but, for various reasons, didn’t settle on one for our list. On our list, for instance, we heartily recommended books by John Graves, Horton Foote, Larry McMurtry, Don Graham and Stephen Harrigan, but some readers preferred different titles by the same writers: “Hard Scrabble” (Graves) “Harrison, Texas” (Foote) “Last Picture Show” (McMurtry) “Lone Star Literature” (Graham) and “Remember Ben Clayton” (Harrigan). Now, one problem with our survey is that we chose only one title by each author. ![]() I had admired Michener’s early novels, but I could not in good conscience recommend “Texas,” which felt to me overlong, stale and lugubrious. Readers wondered why the 1,472-page epic that spanned more than four centuries of historical fiction wasn’t one of our choices. Here’s what I wrote at the time: James Michener, the prolific and bestselling novelist who lived and worked in Austin before he died in 1997, wrote a serious doorstopper, “Texas,” in 1985. The most common query: “ What about James Michener?” ![]() They immediately sent along tips, questions and suggestions, along with some understandably strong feelings. A little over a year ago - for Texas Independence Week - a former newsroom colleague, Dave Thomas, and I compiled a list of the 53 best books about Texas.Ī year later, I stand by every title on this list. ![]()
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