A Nifty Book About Houston Restaurants

In this book about Houston restaurants, The Ultimate Food Lover's Guide to Houston it provides a snapshot of everything food in Houston. It takes you to lots of great places to dine and buy food that will excite your mouth. It has the 411 on fish markets, ethnic grocery stores, quaint cafes and more.

The guide is more than a book about Houston or a book about restaurants in Houston. It's a Houston foodies inside look at everything to eat that your heart desires in the Bayou city.

You’ll be schooled on where to find farmers markets, pick your own orchards and dozens of other things that will put real food lovers in the know about all of the delicious things, they love to eat.

If you want to be able to locate any one of the more than 330 Houston restaurants to challenge you palate and/or fill your glass? The Ultimate Food Lover’s Guide to Houston's list of local taverns, hotel bars and beloved dives will make a good road companion for you.


This book about Houston restaurants goes beyond the usual written descriptions and chef acknowledgements and boast a fold out map and helps you find places by cuisine type and other features.

The Ultimate Food Lover's Guide to Houston is the perfect book about Houston food, to give readers another good excuse to knock off some of the fantastic eateries in Houston on their bucket list. Sphere: Related Content

Book Festivals In Houston

Everyone who attends book festivals in Houston aren't writers. There is a cadre of industry professionals that provide support to publishers and writers who show up for the workshops and other events to offer sound advice and credible support.

Many of these pros come to Houston several times each year for the various book festivals. The Indie Book festival and Nuestra Palabra and The National Black Book Festival are all popular literary festivals that you can attend in Houston.

National Black Book Festival

Last week, the Black book festival offered a workshop featuring publishing industry professionals, Tyro Moody, from Tywebbin Creations, a marketing and design company that offers web and graphic design, online marketing seminars and virtual book tour events for authors. Also at the fest was Pam Perry, the nation’s premiere Christian literary PR Coach and Chief Visionary of Ministry Marketing Solutions Inc.

They were part of the incredibly informative Literary Conference, "Get signed, Get Published, Get Publicity". It was a workshop designed to allow Black writers to get some much needed "how-to" tips and advice on getting published, from marketing experts in the publishing industry. The focus of the conversations included:

How to receive maximum exposure for a book
How to get the media to contact you for interviews

Indie Book Festival

The Indie Book fest is a meeting of the minds between independent publishers and authors in Houston. It's a chance for small press publishers, literary organizations and writers to get some face time with Houston’s best and brightest authors.

Local writers, authors and booksellers come out to network and see what other bibliophiles in Houston have to offer!

Nuestra Palabra

The annual Houston Latino book and family festival, Nuestra Palabra takes place in the fall. It's one of the largest book fairs in the state. In only six years, They have gone from filling party halls to packing exhibit halls.

Nuestra Palabra have built the popularity for their events through monthly showcases held from February to July. These showcases highlight Latino writers in an entertaining and informative forum. Generally from 100 to 300 people come out to these events that are more than just a showcase and readings. They feature forums which generate other ways to educate and inspire the community, and promotes Latino literature and Latino authors.

Houston Book Festivals

Attending any one of the Houston Book Festivals will prove to be an entertaining, enriching and enjoyable experience, whether you're into reading, writing or just like to get out of the house on weekends. It's an excellent opportunity to discover new authors and encourage kids of all ages in your family to read more.

In addition to these literary festivals in Houston, there are quaterly forums sponsored by Houston's Progressive Forum. Their organization's viewpoint has roots in mainstream constitutional enlightenment, and seek to reflect the values of America’s founding fathers. Their speakers are a cross-section of the top intellectual and cultural stars in America. Sphere: Related Content

Black Book Clubs In Houston Participate In 2010-Black Book Festival

The workshops, seminars and other events at the National Black Book Festival will enthrall Black Book Clubs In Houston and from around the Southwest. It's more than just a chance to meet and greet the who's who in black literature. It's a showcase for Black publishers, Black writers and book promoters from around the nation to reach out to their fans, new audiences and customers.

The book clubs who do attend will find that the people who are publishing, writering and promoting Black books are serious about connecting and catering to groups of book lovers.

Houston based, Nia Promotions, is one of the organizations that spends plenty of time year-round, trying to build bridges between the book clubs and authors.

Who's Appearing At The Black Book Festival

Several of the Black writers from Houston are participating in the Black Book festival. Here's a short list of them.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Je'Caryous Johnson
Cheryl Lacey Donovan
Takasha Francis

Word on the street is the NBBF-2010 is an enriching, entertaining and exciting event that will bring together for the first time in one place, many of the Black Book Clubs in Houston. Here's a some of the clubs you may run into during the events.

Black Book Clubs In Houston

Around the Way Girls Book Club
Houston, TX
Bestsellers Book Club
Houston, TX
Between the Lines Book Club
Houston, TX
Black Coffee's Book Club
Online on Facebook
Black Orchids Book Club
Houston, TX

The National Black Book Festival has workshops and seminars designed to speak to the hearts and souls of the memberships of the dozens of Black Book Clubs In Houston and other cities that are coming to the book Festival.

It's one of Houston's literary festivals that every aspiring writer should check out, at least once.

What's To Do At The NBBF-2010

If you have been looking for a local event that's ideal for you and the members of your book club to participate in, this is it. There will be plenty of exciting things to do at this "don't miss event" for book lovers.

Take a look at some of the incredible events happening at the Black book fest.

Book signing and discussion sessions w/featured authors
Workshops and Seminars
Spoken word poetry slam and Book club give-aways


If you haven't heard? One of the most anticipated events of the festival is already sold out.

The last of the tickets for the "For Ladies Only Slumber Party" hosted by Black authors Beverly Jenkins and Brenda Jackson are gone as of today.

They are still showing tickets online to these exciting events.

Welcome to Houston Reception,
Get Acquainted" Breakfast
Prayer Breakfast
Poetry Slam


There's plenty of other events available too, if you or your group wants to hang-out with other book clubs and Black authors in Houston this weekend.

What's Happening At The National Black Book Festival

There's also an all-day event planned where top book industry experts will share "how-to" tips and strategies on making your literary breakthrough.

The book industry experts appearing at the conference are some of the top book agents, book publishers and book promoters.

This is just some of the topics being covered by authors and presenters at the festival.


Children's Reading Room

Etiquette for Teens

Chocolate Dreams

Bringing Out the Book In You

Love and Adventure in the Middle East

Marketing Your Book
On a Limited Budget

It's an excellent opportunity for Black Book Clubs in Houston to get some face time with some of the premier Black writers and connect with their publishers. There should be almost 17 genres represented, your groups favorite authors and genre are bound to be covered.

The #1 sponsor of the festival is Cushcity.com, the world's largest African-American online retailer. They have made it possible for this fabulous event to join the ranks of the annual Houston Book festivals. Sphere: Related Content

Books About Famous African American's From Houston

There are plenty of Books about famous African Americans from Houston. They have left a documented legacy through law suits, books and periodicals as they paved the way for today's generation. During February's Black History Events in Houston, I've noted the names of a few Black men that have shaped our community and the nation.


Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr.
The First African American to take a walk in outerspace.
Sherman E. Stimley
Opened the first African-American Law firm in Texas to consult exclusively in tax-exempt bond law.
Dr. Lonnie E. Smith
He was the Smith involved in, Smith v. Allwright . The 1944 landmark Supreme Court case which won the right of all African-Americans to vote in Texas primary elections.


Our Oral History

My grandma always said it's better to hear it from the horses mouth. That's one of the reasons I value oral history as well as written history. In 2009 NPR(National Public Radio sent their mobile studio, the StoryCorps to Houston for a couple of weeks to record interviews with local residents.

These interviews will become part of a permanent oral archive in the Library of Congress. This project documents the face to face interviews with prominent citizens, well known businessmen and everyday people from all across the country.

Houston History Project

The city of Houston has several ongoing oral history projects to capture fascinating bits and pieces of their history from the last century. The intriguing interviews of well known Houston civic, political and business leaders have been digitally recorded. These are some of the people who were the eyewitnesses to the historical events that happened in Houston in the last century. About 100 people were interviewed and eventually all of recordings will be available to us through the Houston Public Library.

The University of Houston also is working on a Houston History project. It's touted as a learning laboratory for anyone studying history. It's consists of oral history, a history magazine and a Houston history archive.
Their ultimate goal is to create a repository of materials that teachers, students, amateur historians and any one interested in Houston's vibrant history can access.

Books To Research Family History In Houston

You can discover some really interesting facts about your family, take time to do a little sleuthing at the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research. They have a collection of births, deaths, census records and other books to help you research family history in Houston.

It's an incredible way for you to connect with your ancestors and other members of past generations. You can also get free access to databases containing African American History online through Houston's African American Library at the Gregory School. They have a large collection of personal papers and artifacts from Blacks in Houston.

Houston's Black History

This month make it a point to find books that discuss Houston's Black History and mentions people from our city. Then make it your business to remind, share and tell somebody, the story of their struggles and successes.

Books About Houston is starting an Author Showcase. If you're a local author or know an author that has recently published a book contact me through EJ Jolivet on Facebook page for a chance to have your book reviewed on this blog. Sphere: Related Content

Books Houston-African American History Colletions

The best books Houston has to offer in its library coffers on Black history are at The African American Library at Gregory School. February is the time of year when we reflect on African American history at the Houston public library. Local HPL branches have some great books are ideal places to brush up on your knowledge of the contributions of Blacks to American history.

The library recently participated in a project to record eyewitness accounts of Black residents of Houston through the Houston Oral History Project.

The goals of the ground breaking research is to build a collection of personal interviews with artists, musicians, civil rights activists, politicians and authors from Houston who helped define the growth and history of Houston, Texas.

African American History Month Houston

The Gregory School contains special collections of books Houston artifacts, photographs and exhibits that record the story of Houston's African American community.

Here are just some of the events planned for African American History Month at the library.

February 6 - 2:00 pm
Moments, Memories & Voices – Family Day

February 13 - 4:00 pm
Theatre: African American Folklore (Express Children’s Theater)

February 20 - 3:00 pm
Puppet Pizzazz

February 27 - 2:00 pm
The Red Book of Houston 1915 Revisited
February 27 - 3:00 pm
Baba Alafia – Musical Storytime

Remember the next time you're researching Black history, family history, or your local community the books Houston Gregory School has may hold some treasures for you to discover.

The African American Library offers a unique program that discusses ways you can capture the oral histories of your family. It'll give you tips on how to interview subjects about situations and memorable events and discusses current technologies available to record an oral history. Sphere: Related Content

Books About Houston

I seldom sing praises on Books about Houston for something that I' haven't tried out yet. But just sitting here thinking about the new iPhone application "Local Books" makes for some really awesome possibilities.


Book Shopping Gets A Social Media Makeover

If you haven't heard about the latest iPhone app from LibraryThing that makes finding a book as easy as scrolling down a list, here's the scoop.

The social networking website for book lovers, LibraryThing has a member-created database with listings of about 51,000 bookstores and libraries around the world. Now this information storehouse is going mobile on a new I-phone apps that anyone who seriously needs to find a book, readers, students, researchers, and even book collectors will luv.

It's has more than just reviews for local Houston bookstores. It also has listings of one of the most crucial places on a book lovers planet, local libraries. There are more of them in a city than the number of Indies and chain bookstores. Now there's one place where you can find a good book no matter what city or state you may be visiting.

Bookstores In Houston

Not only will you know where to find just about any book, in any city, in the palm of your hand. It's high time a broader audience gains access to the cubbyholes and well lit places where books are king.

The world of bookstore readings, signings and openings may be on its way to becoming a stiff competitor for the Friday night audiences shrinking dollar.

Finding Books Just got Easier

You'll be able to search for books about Houston whether you're in Indianapolis, Illinois or on an island retreat. Imagine this. A world of books in the broadest possible terms. A book and a burger, a mystery and music, bowling for books. These are just samplings of where I envision this new iPhone application being able to take us.

What's your opnion? Sphere: Related Content