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Meet Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush at special book-launch celebration in Houston

Sister act

Photo courtesy of Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation

American first sisters-turned-best-selling authors Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush have a new children's book called Love Comes First in the works, and they're bringing it to Houston for a special event before it's released to the public.

On Sunday, November 5, the two will appear at a special event here at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church (11612 Memorial Dr.)

Individual tickets to the event co-produced by Blue Willow Bookshop are $22 (find them here). Each ticket includes admission and a pre-signed copy of the Bush sisters' new picture book.

Importantly, there will not be a signing line at the church event.

Local fans of the Bush sisters and family may recall that the sisters were last in Houston as headliners of The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation's annual A Celebration of Reading. A 28-year Bush family tradition, the event honors the beloved first lady's commitment to fostering childhood literacy and is hosted by Neil and Maria Bush, who co-founded the organization.

Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush will also appear at an early-release celebration at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on Saturday, November 4. The authors' book tour that also includes Texas stops in Midland, Lubbock, and Waco (November 2-4) before the Houston visit,.

Love Comes First(Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $19.99) officially goes on sale November 7.

Its description reads: "As two sisters watch their friends’ families grow, they wish on a star for a sibling of their own… and a younger brother and a baby cousin arrive! The new family members aren’t exactly what the sisters expected, but with time and patience, the group soon becomes fabulously four – and lets their imaginations soar! Together they can be anything, and no matter what, they will always remember that love comes first."

The book is inspired by Jenna and Barbara’s own families, the publisher says, and is a companion to their No. 1 New York Times bestseller Sisters First, "a tender story about the way our hearts can always make room for more."

It features illustrations by Ramona Kaulitzki, who also illustrated Sisters First.

Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, the twin daughters of President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, grew up in Dallas, where their parents now call home. The two were frequently seen visiting their grandparents at the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, where Former President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush called home.

Jenna is a host of NBC’s TODAYwith Hoda & Jenna and the founder of "TODAY’s Read with Jenna" book club. Barbara is cofounder of Global Health Corps, an organization that works to solve some of the world’s biggest global health challenges.

The women appear regularly as guest speakers at fundraising events, but public events together are rare.

In an Instagram post, Jenna expressed excitement about going on a book tour with her "sissy" this fall.

They'll also hit towns in New York, Mississippi, and Birmingham, and will wrap up in a place with special meaning to the Bush family — Kennebunk, Maine.

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Booming Houston burb's top U.S. rank for holiday spending leads week's top stories

this week's hot headlines

Editor's note: It's time to recap the top stories on CultureMap from this past week.

1. Wealthy Houston suburb boasts the 10th biggest holiday spenders in U.S. Shoppers in the affluent Houston suburb are expected to spend $3,316 this festive season.

2. Retro Montrose pizzeria scores coveted spot on Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America list. The restaurant looks like a Gen X fantasy, but thankfully the pizza is up to today's standards.

3. Inside the new La Griglia: Murals are out, tableside touches are in, and more. "We took this restaurant a little more upscale," senior executive Brandon Busch explains.

4. Romantic River Oaks mansion boasting coveted neighborhood rarity lists for $11.5M. Inviting, yet secluded, rustic, but elegant, it offers everything a modern homebuyer needs.

5. Cozy neighborhood restaurant from Common Bond team opens doors on Heights' 11th Street. The diverse menu caters to a wide range of tastes.

ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill's guitars,  flashy duds, and more hit Dallas auction

sharp dressed man

A massive collection of guitars, fancy clothes, boots, and other memorabilia belonging to the bassist from rock band ZZ Top makes its Dallas premiere. Julien’s Auctions presents “The Collection of Dusty Hill of ZZ Top," a three-day auction taking place December 7-9 in Dallas at 915 Slocum Street and online at Julien's Live.

The auction will feature nearly 1,200 lots showcasing Dusty Hill's one-of-a-kind instruments, Western style wardrobe worn on stage and in appearances, gear, documents, favorite cowboy hats, boots, buckles, and memorabilia. As a prelude, the collection will be on display at 915 Slocum Street through December 7.

A Dallas native who passed away in 2021, Hill was notorious for his collection of stuff, some of which was already sold off in an estate sale in Houston in 2022.

The auction's headlining item will be Hill’s fur bass guitar played on the “Legs” music video. The 1983 Dean Explorer style bass, in sheepskin finish with ZZ Top logo painted on the fretboard, was attached to a rig worn around Hill’s waist to make it spin. They're predicting it will fetch $80,000 to $100,000.

Another offering is Hill’s signature 1953 Fender Precision bass guitar, and most-played instrument by Hill out of all the guitars in this collection. The bass was heavily used by Hill and served as his go to stage guitar for numerous ZZ Top live performances and in the studio until Dusty retired the bass in 2012 due to road wear.

Fans will find a museum-like exhibition created a la “Dusty Land” with instantly recognizable items on display, such as:

  • Circa 1983 Wayne Charvel, Custom Eliminator Hot Rod car-shaped bass guitar in custom red and yellow Eliminator hot rod finish previously displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
  • Circa 1960s Fender body Telecaster bass guitar, in grey / blue finish with custom pinstriping by Houston artist Jim Carnifax done in 1983, used in “Gimme all your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man" music videos
  • An MTV Moonman award statuette presented to Dusty Hill for Best Group Video "Legs" at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards ceremony held in 1984
  • Bald eagle jacket by Manuel with talons and feather accents down sleeves, accented with prong-set stones, with personalized "Dusty Hill" Manuel label
  • Black leather motorcycle jacket with custom painted skeleton motif, eagle head pins on lapel, and silver spike embellishments with "StreekLandslide" written on the back

Special wall displays feature a horseshoe ring of hats, awards, Elvis Presley memorabilia, cowboy boots, and Western style accessories.

”Dusty treasured all of the items in this auction and it means so much to me that the fans, whom he loved, will have an opportunity to own something from his personal collection. He would be so happy to know that this auction will benefit other musicians in need through the efforts of MusiCares,” says his widow "Chuck" in a statement.

"The Collection of Dusty Hill" was previously exhibited at Julien’s international exhibitions in Kildare, Ireland, and then in New York at Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. It's currently on display at 915 Slocum Street through December 7. Photos of auction items can be seen here. The exhibition is free and open 12-8 pm weekdays, 10:30 am-6:30 pm on Saturday-Sunday December 2-3.

Hill's widow Chuck's involvement is notable. Houstonians may recall that a sale purporting to be "official" Dusty Hill items was not — and ultimately forced a cease and desist from Hill and her attorney. The experience left Charleen "Chuck" Hill "devastated," though she found no fault with media outlets that reported the sale as it was presented (including CultureMap): “you were misled too, just like the fans,” she told us.

The Rustic's co-owner dishes on his Tex-Mex future, plus our visit to Rumi's

What's Eric Eating Episodes 334 and 335

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Kyle Noonan joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss Free Range Concepts. The Dallas-based hospitality group operates four restaurants and bars in Houston: Bowl & Barrel and The Generic Public in CityCentre and two locations of its concert venue The Rustic in downtown and Uptown Park.



The conversation begins with Noonan discussing his time working for Pappas Restaurants. From there, he partnered with his college room, finance professional Josh Sepkowitz, to open the first Bowl & Barrel in Dallas. The duo then partnered with Texas country music singer Pat Green on The Rustic, which becomes one of the highest grossing bars in Texas.

After discussing the company’s operations in Houston, including plans for possible new locations of both Bowl & Barrel and The General Public, Noonan shares that Free Range is looking beyond Texas. It has already committed to opening locations of The Rustic in Arizona, Denver, San Diego, Orlando, and Tampa and has eyes on potential locations in the Carolinas and Georiga. Any of those cities or states could also become home to Joe Leo Fine Tex-Mex, which is named for Noonan’s grandfather.

“We’re really interested in Tex-Mex outside of Texas, to be honest. I had experience with the Pappasitos brand. There is a real hunger for Tex-Mex outside of Texas,” Noonan says. He notes that the market for such a restaurant would include former Texas residents as well as people who are curious about the cuisine.

“We like to look for opportunities and low-hanging fruit,” he adds. “I see a lot of green space for Tex-Mex outside of Texas.”

Listen to the full interview to hear Noonan share why he likes to visit a city’s oldest restaurants when traveling instead of its hotspots.

On this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Michael Fulmer discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: the Houston return of Dallas Tex-Mex favorite Mi Cocina and Mexican bakery El Bolillo opening a new location in west Houston.



In the restaurants of the week segment, Fulmer and Sandler discuss their recent meal at Rumi’s Kitchen, the Atlanta-based Persian fine dining restaurant that recently opened next to Uchiko. They also share first impressions of Comalito, the new taqueria in the Houston Farmers Market led by star Mexican pastry chef Luis Robledo Richards. Finally, they describe their recent breakfast at Burnt Bean Co., the barbecue joint in Seguin that earned a finalist nomination in the 2023 James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Texas.

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