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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
Need more recommendations? Stop by The Twig
, Nowhere Bookshop
, or Guadalupe Latino Bookstore
to get expert advice from SATX’s local booksellers. 📚