Today’s Tuesday Teaser is from the beginning of the book chosen for the Texas Gulf Coast Read, which occurs in October every year when thousands of readers in many Gulf Coast counties (ours included) are reading the same book at the same time.  It features a book either set in Texas or by a Texas author. This year’s choice is Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, a native Houstonian who now lives in LA. It is set in East Texas.  Her novel tells the story of Darren Matthews, whose uncle was the first African American Texas Ranger, who inherited his uncle’s love of justice. During this month there will be book club discussions, brown bag luncheon discussions, and the author will make several appearances to answer questions about Bluebird. Three of us are trecking to a Houston library this coming Saturday to hear her speak. Here are her opening lines:

“Geneva Sweet ran an orange extension cord past Mayva Greenwood, Beloved Wife and Mother, May She Rest with Her Heavenly Father. Late morning sunlight pinpricked through the trees, dotting a constellation of light on the blanket of pine needles at Geneva’s feet as she snaked the cord between Mayva’s sister and her husband Leland, Father and Brother in Christ. She gave the cord a good tug, making her way up the modest hill, careful not to step on the graves themselves, only the well-worn grooves between the headstones, which were spaced at haphazard and odd angles, like the teeth of a pauper.”

I can hardly wait to get started, and am really looking forward to the event Saturday.