Here’s a sampling of some new books of interest to Texans, reflecting the wide range of topics covered by Texas writers and publishers.

Deliver Us by Houston true crime author Kathryn Casey concerns the series of mysterious deaths of more than 20 young women along Interstate 45 between Houston and Galveston in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s (Harper, $7.99 paperback).

Caddo: Visions of a Southern Cypress Lake features the color photography of Carolyn Brown and text by historian Thad Sitton in a coffee-table book tribute to mysterious, complex, cypress-laden Caddo Lake, which lies half in East Texas and half in Louisiana (Texas A&M University Press, $30.00 hardcover).

Steel Will: My Journey Through Hell to Become the Man I Was Meant to Be by Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Shilo Harris, with Robin Overby Cox, is Harris’s gripping story revolving around the catastrophic injuries he sustained in Iraq when his vehicle was hit by a deadly homemade bomb. Harris, who lives in Texas, is a motivational speaker and an advocate for wounded warriors (Baker Books, $21.99 hardcover).

Goodbye, Mexico: Poems of Remembrance is an anthology edited by Sarah Cortez containing 76 poems by 46 poets, including several Texas poet laureates, reflecting on their experiences in Mexico before the drug cartel violence changed the country so drastically (Texas Review Press, $22.95 paperback).

The Flatlanders: Now It’s Now Again by Austin/Lubbock author John T. Davis tells the story of the legendary band—featuring Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock—that has influenced numerous Texas performers over the years, including Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett (University of Texas Press, $19.95 paperback).

Crowded in the Middle of Nowhere is a collection of humorous and poignant stories by Lamesa veterinarian Dr. Bo Brock. “This book will make you smile,” the author promises (Rare Bird/CreateSpace, $17.50 paperback).

Texas History for Kids: Lone Star Lives and Legends by prolific children’s author Karen Bush Gibson is a condensed history of Texas combined with suggested related activities for kids, about 20 interesting sidebars and numerous illustrations (Chicago Review Press, $16.95 paperback).

Timmy Tattersail and Daisy Dewdrop: Best Friends Forever is a children’s book by longtime friends Cindy Reed of Lubbock and Judy Cocchiarella of Fort Worth. The story centers on two mice who are caught up in a tornado and become friends as they make their journey back home, experiencing a series of exciting adventures along the way (AuthorHouse, available in paperback and e-book formats).

Glenn Dromgoole is co-author of 101 Essential Texas Books. Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.

>> Read his past Texas Reads columns in Lone Star Literary Life here.