The Great Houston Read

Tuesday on TV 8

Join host Ernie Manouse each week as he and a changing panel of Houston influencers gather to talk about their favorite books. With lots of laughs and a good-hearted nature, Ernie and crew will tackle some of your favorite genres — from Horror to Heroes, Self-Discovery to Romance — this book club will showcase all that we love to read.

Cover to Cover Episodes

The Back Cover

Check out behind the scenes!

• Texas
• Who Am I
• Heroes
• Villains
• Love
• Other Worlds

September 25 | 8pm

Host Ernie Manouse and book club panelists C.C. Hunter, Terrance Bolton, Leslie Flynne, and the Houston Spider explore the trials and tribulations of literature's favorite heroes — from the beloved classic "Charlotte's Web" to New York Times best-seller "The Help".

Panelists featured

• Author
  Christie "C.C. Hunter" Craig
• Radio Personality
  Terrance Bolton
• Houston Public Media Foundation Board Member
  Leslie Flynne
• Volunteer and Activist
  The Houston Spider

Books featured

• Charlotte's Web
  E.B. White
• To Kill a Mockingbird
  Harper Lee
• The Little Prince
  Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• The Help
  Kathryn Stockett

October 9 | 8pm

Host Ernie Manouse and book club panelists Christina Wells, Caroline Leech, Kelly Young, and Savannah Dorsett explore books about love and its many forms, from friendships to family to passionate romances, and what we do for love.

Panelists featured

• America's Got Talent's
  Christina Wells
• Author
  Caroline Leech
• AIDS Foundation CEO
  Kelly Young
• Houston Public Library Specialist
  Savannah Dorsett

Books featured

• Dark Lover
  J.R. Ward
• The Night Circus
  Erin Morgenstern
• Far from the Madding Crowd
  Thomas Harding
• Eleanor & Park
  Rainbow Rowell

October 16 | 8pm

Host Ernie Manouse and book club panelists Charlie Mechling, Lacy Johnson, Jasminne Mendez, and Daniel Pena journey to alternative universes to share their favorite stories of other worlds — from Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" to Stephen King's "The Gunslinger".

Panelists featured

• Straight No Chaser's
  Charlie Mechling
• Author
  Lacy M. Johnson
• Poet
  Jasminne Mendez
• Author
  Daniel Pena

Books featured

• The Gunslinger
  Stephen King
• The Handmaid's Tale
  Margaret Atwood
• Massacre River
  Rene Philoctete
• The Movies of My Life
  Alberto Fuguet

September 11 | 8pm

Host Ernie Manouse and book club panelists Ann Weisgarber, Andrea White, Joe Holley, and Deborah Duncan explore books about the Lone Star State — from the "Lonesome Dove" to "Life is an Adventure".

Panelists featured

• Author
  Ann Weisgarber
• Author and Houston's Former First Lady
  Andrea White
• Editor and Columnist
  Joe Holley
• TV Personality
  Deborah Duncan

Books featured

• Lonesome Dove
  Larry McMurtry
• News of the World
  Paulette Jiles
• Blood and Money
  Thomas Thompson
• Life is an Adventure
  Warner Roberts

October 2 | 8pm

Host Ernie Manouse and book club panelists Deborah Mouton, Deborah Hope, Evo Gambino, and Christina Stroup explore literature's most notorious villains - from the timeless "Macbeth" to holiday favorite "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".

Panelists featured

• Houston Poet Laureate
  Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
• Actor
  Deborah Hope
• Former U.S. Army Special Operations
  Evo Gambino
• Performer
  Christina Stroup

Books featured

• Misery
  Stephen King
• Macbeth
  William Shakespeare
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  Dr. Seuss
• Frankenstein
  Mary Shelley

September 18 | 8pm

Host Ernie Manouse and book club panelists Jennifer Mathieu, Christine LeVeaux-Haley, Frank Billingsley, and Pierce Bush explore books that help us understand and define our identities and our place in the world — from "Their Eyes Were Watching God" to "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret"

Panelists featured

• Author
  Jennifer Mathieu
• University of Houston's
  Christine LeVeaux-Haley
• Meteorologist & Author
  Frank Billingsley
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star CEO
  Pierce Bush

Books featured

• Their Eyes Were Watching God
  Zora Neale Hurston
• This Is Where I Leave You
  Jonathan Tropper
• When Breath Becomes Air
  Paul Kalanithi
• Are You There God? It's Me Margaret
  Judy Blume