Books written by authors with ties to San Antonio

What’s better than a good book? A good book written by your neighbor (or former neighbor). Brew up a batch of your favorite cup of tea or coffee and get ready to meet your next read, because we’re talking about locally written books in San Antonio.

Fiction

• “Valleyesque: Stories” by Fernando A. Flores | Release date: May 3, 2022 | The South Texas author of “Tears of the Trufflepig” weaves surreal border stories in one of The Million’s “Most Anticipated Books of 2022.”
• “More Than You’ll Ever Know” by Katie Gutierrez | Release date: June 7, 2022 | True crime author Cassie Bowman unravels the affairs and murders in the life of Lore Rivera.
• “Nobody’s Pilgrims” by Sergio Troncoso | Release date: May 10, 2022| Three teenagers escape hitmen and their own troubled pasts in this road trip thriller with heart.
• “The Peculiarities” by David Liss | Release date: Sept. 7, 2021 | Unravel supernatural mysteries in Victorian London, complete with secret societies and cloak-and-dagger conspiracies.
• “Beasts of the Earth” by James Wade | Release date: Oct. 11, 2022 | This upcoming release from the Hill Country author of “River, Sing Out” and “All Things Left Wild” features modern Western themes and vivid Texas landscapes.
• “The Queen of the Cicadas” by V. Castro | Release date: June 22, 2021 | Stories from 2018 and the 1950s weave around the urban legend of “La Reina de Las Chicharras” in this paranormal thriller.
• “West Side Love Story” by Priscilla Oliveras | Release Date: June 1, 2022 | Priscilla draws from her father’s ties to San Antonio to tell this “Romeo and Juliet"-inspired love story about competing mariachi bands.
• “Secret of the Moon Conch” by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall | Release date: June 6, 2023 | A tale told across centuries about surviving and falling in love.

For the family

• “The Turtle of Michigan” by Naomi Shihab Nye | Release date: March 15, 2022 | This standalone sequel to “The Turtle of Oman” focuses on Aref, a boy from Muscat moving to Michigan — perfect for readers 8-12.
• “Camilla la Magica Makes Tamales” by Chef Cariño + Paloma Cortez | Release date: April 6, 2022 | Camilla la Magica and her pup Osito learn to make her Abuela’s magical tamales. Don’t worry, the recipe is included.
• “I Will Always Come Back to You” by Carmen Tafolla | Release date: Feb. 22, 2022 | This picture book, beautifully illustrated by Grace Zong, teaches children 4-8 that distance cannot diminish love.
• “Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun” by Jonny Garza Villa | Release date: June 8, 2021 | Julián Luna’s plans for the future are thrown into disarray as he learns to be his real self in this YA story about coming out.
• “This Poison Heart” by Kalynn Bayron | Release date: June 14, 2021 | Myth, mystery, and magic swirl around an abandoned apothecary in this YA contemporary fantasy novel by the author of “Cinderella Is Dead.”
• “Mi Cultura: Bringing Shadow into Light” by Al Rendón | Release date: Oct. 3, 2023 | Inspire the family with photographs about South Texas from a legendary San Antonio photographer.

Photo by SATXtoday team

Learn something new

• “Big Wonderful Thing” by Stephen Harrigan | Release date: Oct. 1, 2019 | A master of Texas history, Stephen tells the story of the Lone Star State from 11,000 BC to today.
• “Mommy Lied to God” by Carlos Maestas | Release date: June 30, 2020 | Learn the art of authentic storytelling + how to share your experiences with the world.
• “Eleanor in the Village” by Jan Jarboe Russell | Release date: March 30, 2021 | Eleanor Roosevelt is known as a legendary human rights advocate, and this biography tells the little-known story of her time in New York’s Greenwich Village.
• “West Side Rising” by Char Miller | Release date: Sept. 7, 2021 | Read about how the Flood of 1921 changed San Antonio, and how disasters reveal systems of injustice.
• “Streets of San Antonio” by Eric C. Mapes | Release date: March 3, 2008 | Take a deep dive into the history of famous street names in the Alamo City — or check out our guide.
• “Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth” by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford | Release date: June 7, 2022 | Unravel the great Texas myth and learn from these researchers about one of San Antonio’s oldest landmarks.

Photo by SATXtoday team

Part of a series

• “Big Red Tequila” by Rick Riordan | Release date: June 28, 2005 | You know Rick Riordan’s all-time classic mythology series — but the award-winning “Tres Navarre” PI series is where it all began.
• “Dead City” by Joe McKinney | Release date: Oct. 1, 2010 | It’s the season of zombie stories, and who better to write the “Deadworld” series than a former San Antonio disaster mitigation specialist.
• “How to Kill a Goat and Other Monsters” by Saúl Hernández | Release date: March 19, 2024 | This queer writer from the 210 explores themes of grief, loss, identity, and lineage through his first collection of poems — part of the Wisconsin Poetry Series.
• “Fat Angie” by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo | Release date: Nov. 3, 2021 | Known for books with South Texas influences, this trilogy series is about finding your voice and embracing who you are.

Photo by SATXtoday team

Personal stories

• “Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars” by Col. Eileen M. Collins | Release date: Oct. 19, 2021 | The first woman to command an American space mission tells her story in her own words, from training at Lackland to exploring the stars.
• “Broken (in the Best Possible Way)” by Jenny Lawson | Release date: April 6, 2021 | With humor and honesty, Jenny walks readers through her own experiences with depression and anxiety.
• “A House of My Own” by Sandra Cisneros | Release date: Sept. 6, 2016 | The author of “The House on Mango Street” compiles essays from her life into this “jigsaw autobiography,” including the inspiration for her classic works.
• “The Bully in Your Pocket: Your #1 Playbook to Defeat Online Trolls” by Lorenzo Gomez III | Release date: Dec. 28, 2023 | Through personal experiences, Gomez offers readers advice on how to block out the bullies that live on social media.
• “Matthew the Marvelous - An Autism Superhero Adventure” by Nicola Stewart and Matthew Stewart | Release date: April 21, 2024 | Written by an SATXtoday reader and her son, this story aims to spread kindness + awareness about some of the challenges he has had and shares the progress that he has made.

Need more recommendations? Stop by these local book nooks to get expert advice from their friendly staff.