Program updates 

Due to a summer slowdown in volunteer hours, radio Talking Book has more rebroadcasts than usual. Nineteen books make their debut, with seven rebroadcasts. 
Also, Encyclopedia of the Air (1 p.m. Sun) has been renamed For The Curious Mind. The program will feature science stories and esoterica from periodicals such as Skeptical Inquirer, Scientific American and more. 

Learn about Radio Talking Book 

Have a smartphone? Radio Talking Book’s app allows listeners to take “reading material” on their summer adventures.  

Radio Talking Book is not just for listeners with visual disabilities. Anyone with difficulty reading or turning pages can enjoy the service. 

Enjoy programming on a hand-held mobile device, for either iOS or Android. Visit the Apple App Store for iOS, or Google Play for Android, and download the Minnesota Radio Talking Book app. 

Listen to RTB’s live or archived programs online at www.mnssb.org/rtb 

Books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available for loan through the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault. The catalog is at https://education.mn.gov/mde/fam/mbtbl/, click on the link Search the Library Catalog. Call the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library at 800-722-0550, Mon-Fri, 9 am – 4 pm CST.  

For updates, go to the Facebook site Minnesota Radio Talking Book. 

Audio information about the daily book listings is on the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) Newsline. Register for NFB Newsline by calling 651-539-1424. The NFB-NEWSLINE service provides access to more than 500 magazines and newspapers. To learn more, visit www.nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-newsline 

Donate to the State Services for the Blind at mn.gov/deed/ssbdonate 

The sampling published monthly in Access Press doesn’t represent the full array of programming. 

Chautauqua* 

Monday – Friday 6 a.m. 
On Writing and Failure, nonfiction by Stephen Marche, 2023. A long-form essay on how writing is, and always will be, an act defined by failure—the best plan is to just get used to it. Read by Holly Sylvester. Three broadcasts; begins Tue, Aug. 8. 

 
Pathogenesis, nonfiction by Jonathan Kennedy, 2023. A gripping account of how the major transformations in history—from the rise of homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism—have been shaped not by humans but by germs. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 14 broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 14. 

Past is Prologue* 

Monday – Friday 11 a.m. 
And There Was Light, nonfiction by Jon Meacham, 2022. A chronicle of the life of Abraham Lincoln, charting how—and why—he confronted secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery to expand the possibilities of America. Read by Jack Rossmann. 20 broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 7. 

Bookworm* 

Monday – Friday 12 p.m. 
Eastbound, fiction by Maylis De Kerangal, 2023. A gripping tale of a Russian conscript and a French woman crossing paths on the Trans-Siberian railroad, each fleeing to the east for their own reasons. Read by John Schmidt. Three broadcasts; begins Wed, Aug. 2.  

Groundskeeping (rebroadcast), fiction by Lee Cole, 2022. An indelible love story about two very different people navigating the entanglements of class and identity and coming of age in an America coming apart at the seams. Read by Don Lee. 12 broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 7. 

Indiana, Indiana, fiction by Laird Hunt, 2023. A mesmerizing, poignant saga of love and loss firmly grounded in the Midwestern landscape. Read by Lisa Bromer. Five broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 28.  

The Writer’s Voice*

Monday – Friday 1 p.m. 
Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama, nonfiction by Bob Odenkirk, 2022. In this hilarious memoir, the star of Mr. Show and Better Call Saul opens up about the highs and lows of showbiz. Read by John Beal. 11 broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 14. – L 

Dickens and Prince, nonfiction by Nick Hornby, 2022. A short, warm, and entertaining book about art, creativity, and the unlikely similarities between Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and modern American rock star Prince. Read by Andrea Bell. Three broadcasts; begins Tue, Aug. 29. 

Choice Reading* 

Monday – Friday 2 p.m. 
The Night Ship, fiction by Jess Kidd, 2022. An epic historical novel about a girl shipwrecked on an island off Western Australia and a boy finding a home with his grandfather on the very same island 300 years later. Read by Brenda Powell. 13 broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 7. – L 

The Queen of Dirt Island, fiction by Donal Ryan, 2023. A searing, jubilant story about four generations of Irish women and their fierce love. Read by Don Lee. Seven broadcasts; begins Thu, Aug. 24. – L 

Afternoon Report* 

Monday – Friday 4 p.m. 
Megathreats, nonfiction by Nouriel Roubini, 2022. A renowned economist argues we are heading toward the worst economic catastrophe of our lifetimes unless we can defend against 10 terrifying threats. Read by Gary Rodgers. 14 broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 7. 

The Destructionists, nonfiction by Dana Milbank, 2022. A scalding history of twenty-five years of Republican attempts to hold on to political power by any means necessary. Read by Jeffrey Weihe. 15 broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 28. – L 

Night Journey* 

Monday – Friday 7 p.m. 
Rainbow Rock, fiction by Dan Jorgensen, 2022. A deadly cat-and-mouse thriller of illicit drug dealing and murder set in 1955 South Dakota. Read by Tom Speich. 11 broadcasts; begins Thu, Aug. 10. – L 

Northfall, fiction by Brian Lutterman, 2022. A murder entangles the fates of a homeless man, a billionaire, and a paraplegic attorney. Read by Tom Taintor. Nine broadcasts; begins Mon, August 28. – L, V 

Off the Shelf* 

Monday – Friday 8 p.m. 
The Lincoln Highway (rebroadcast), fiction by Amor Towles, 2021. Four boys set out to travel the country in search of a fresh start. Each of these young men is chasing his dreams, but their pasts are never far behind. Read by John Holden. 20 broadcasts; begins Tue, Aug. 1. 

The Red-Headed Pilgrim, fiction by Kevin Maloney, 2023. The tragicomic tale of an anxious redhead and his sordid pursuit of enlightenment and pleasure (not necessarily in that order). Read by Tom Speich. Six broadcasts; begins Tue, Aug. 29. – L, S 

Potpourri* 

Monday – Friday 9 p.m. 
Status and Culture (rebroadcast), nonfiction by W. David Marx, 2022. A wide-ranging examination of why things become popular, why preferences change over time, and how identity plays out in contemporary society. Read by Diane Dahm. 14 broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 14. 

Good Night Owl* 

Monday – Friday 10 p.m. 
Devil House (rebroadcast) Fiction by John Darnielle, 2022. A true crime writer moves into a house where a pair of briefly notorious murders occurred during the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, leading him into a puzzle he never expected. Read by Tom Speich. 13 broadcasts; begins Wed, Aug. 2. 

The Pallbearers Club, fiction by Paul Tremblay, 2022. A cleverly voiced psychological thriller and suspenseful portrait of an unusual and disconcerting relationship. Read by Peter Danbury. 11 broadcasts; begins Mon, Aug. 21. – L 

RTB After Hours* 

Monday – Friday 11 p.m. 
The Dating Playbook (rebroadcast)  Fiction by Farrah Rochon, 2021. When a personal trainer agrees to fake date her client, all rules are out the window in this fun romantic comedy. Read by Pat Muir. 11 broadcasts; begins Tue, Aug. 8. – L, S 

The Romance Recipe, fiction by Ruby Barrett, 2022. An irreverent LGBTQ+ rom-com about a restaurant owner and a reality-tv star. Read by Holly Sylvester. 10 broadcasts; begins Wed, Aug. 23. – L, S 

Weekend Program Books 

Your Personal World, 1 p.m. Sat, presents a rebroadcast of Good Anxiety by Wendy Suzuki, read by Beverly Burchett. 

For the Younger Set, 11 a.m. Sat, presents Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley, read by Jan Anderson – L.  

Poetic Reflections, noon Sun, presents Customs by Solmaz Sharif, read by Mary Knatterud; followed by Prognosis by Jim Moore, read by Mary Knatterud.  

The Great North, 4 p.m. Sun, presents When the Minnehaha Flowed with Whiskey by Karen E. Cooper, read by Yelva Lynfield.