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Over the past weekend, I had a fantastic time at the Texas Book Festival in Austin. Some highlights of the festival part of the weekend included sitting in more than a few author talks, having some new books signed, and making a huge list of books to check out once I’ve finished the current pile. One discussion that I particularly enjoyed on Sunday was that of the excellent-looking book Lone Stars of David: the Jews of Texas. Co-editors Hollace Ava Weiner and Rabbi Kenneth Roseman gave a rousing description of their process in compiling the source materials for this book (part of the Brandeis series on American Jewish History) that so moved me to run down to the B&N tent, purchase the book, and be the first person standing in line to have it signed. During the short talk, Weiner showed off her custom-made boots (shown on the cover of the book), and Roseman compared his theory of the melting pot/Jewish & immigrant assimilation to chocolate-chip cookies; eg. the chocolate chips are part of the batter and of the finished cookie, but they remain separate from the batter, unblended but still adding something special to the whole. I’m looking forward to settling down with the book once I have a spare hour or two.

Just a few of the other highlights: Kinky Friedman, the Cast-Iron Cookoff, and Elizabeth Samet. Of course, the weekend would not have been complete without some good BBQ, great Mexican food, and fantastic Indian food. Mmm. Books and good food– what more could one want?

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