10 notable 2023 books from Texas authors

Compiling any “best-of” list is always a challenge. There’s never enough space to include every title you want to discuss. Plus, when it comes to books, no one person can read everything published in a year — not even every book written by Texas authors. With that said, here are ten notable 2023 books written by Texans we’d like to put on your radar.

Beasts of 42nd Street by Preston Fassel

An award-winning novelist and journalist residing in the Dallas area, Preston Fassel has also made waves working in the indie film scene. That experience clearly proved useful with his latest novel through Cemetery Dance. Beasts of 42nd Street takes place not in Texas, but “on the backdrop of Times Square at the height of its decadence and depravity.” It’s a horror-crime hybrid about a degenerate film projectionist and the mysterious reel he — until now— has kept privately stashed away.

Holler, Child: Stories by LaToya Watkins

In the fiction of LaToya Watkins, West Texas is practically its own character. Her debut novel, Perish, received impressive praise upon its 2022 release. For many, her first story collection — released earlier this year by Penguin Random House — was one of the most anticipated books of 2023. Consisting of 11 stories total, all told from the perspectives of Black women and men residing in Texas, Holler, Child is at times absurdly funny and also terrifyingly bleak. The tonal shifts are handled masterfully.

The Devil’s Promise by Celso Hurtado

Marketed as the sequel to 2021’s The Ghost Tracks (Inkshares), The Devil’s Promise can also easily be read as a standalone piece without confusing its readers. Set in San Antonio, both of these novels revolve around a 17-year-old paranormal investigator taking on clients with bizarre, unexplainable problems. In Hurtado’s latest offering, his protagonist finds himself helping a man convinced he’s being hunted by the Devil.

The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale

At this point, Joe Lansdale should be a household name for any Texan who values good writing and entertaining stories. Lansdale’s latest novel, The Donut Legion (Mulholland Books), tackles the absurdity of UFO cults in East Texas.

The Legend of Charlie Fish by Josh Rountree

Speaking of Lansdale, here’s what he had to say about Josh Rountree’s The Legend of Charlie Fish: “Odd, creepy, funny, The Black Lagoon meets the Six Gun universe. High up on the way-cool factor. You need this.” We find it hard to disagree with that kind of endorsement. Rountree blends genres like he’s freestyling a casserole. Recommended for fans of the Coen Brothers.

The Lies We Weave by Grace R. Reynolds

Not enough end-of-the-year lists give shoutouts to poetry, and that’s a shame. San Antonio’s Grace R. Reynolds dropped one hell of a poetry collection earlier this year through Curious Corvid Publishing titled The Lies We Weave. This book will make you feel extremely bad, but also kind of good. Recommended for fans of generational trauma.

An Autobiography of Skin by Lakiesha Carr

First, how incredible is that title? An Autobiography of Skin is a novel told in three stories, each from a separate female protagonist as they process individual traumas while living in the South. Every great book should be an experience, and this one is simply unforgettable.

Lowdown Road by Scott von Doviak

Lowdown Road is one of the year’s wildest books, so no surprise it was published by Hard Case Crime, which specializes in hardboiled and over-the-top fiction. Stephen King called it “a blast,” and we can’t think of a more accurate description for this gritty crime yarn.

Where Wolf by Rob Saucedo

Not only is Where Wolf a great werewolf story, it's a great Texas story. This graphic novel is hilarious and heartfelt. It's also jam-packed with fun characters, genuine surprises and all the gory werewolf action every diehard fan of the genre craves.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton

The Spite House may be one of the best modern haunted house novels yet published, and it was written by a San Antonian. Fascinating, terrifying and impossible to put down. If this debut novel is a sign of the author’s future work, we can’t wait to pick up whatever he puts out next. Consider ourselves Johnny Compton fans for life.

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