Get to know Radio Talking Book

Access Radio Talking Book anytime and anywhere on a hand-held mobile device, for either iOS or Android. Just visit the Apple App Store for iOS, or Google Play for Android, and download the Minnesota Radio Talking Book app. It’s quick, it’s easy, and provides a convenient way to tune into RTB wherever and whenever.

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 www.mnbtbl.org, click on the link Search the Library Catalog. Call the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library at 800-722-0550, Monday-Friday, 9 am – 4 pm CST for details. Persons living outside of Minnesota may obtain copies of books via an inter-library loan by contacting their home state’s Network Library for the National Library Service.

The sampling published monthly in Access Press doesn’t represent the full array of programming. Many more programs and books are available.

To find more information about Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network events go to the Facebook site, Minnesota Radio Talking Book. Audio information about the daily book listings is also on the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) Newsline. Register for the NFB Newsline by calling 651-539-1424.

The NFB-NEWSLINE service provides access to more than 500 magazines and newspapers, plus information on COVID-19 in the “Breaking News” section. To learn more, visit www.nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-newsline.

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

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

Past is Prologue*Monday – Friday 11 a.m.

The Order of the Day, nonfiction by Eric Vuillard, 2017. Filmmaker Eric Vuillard tells of two dissimilar events in World War II: the February 1933 meeting between Adolf Hitler and German business leaders funding his campaign, and the March 1938 German annexation of Austria. Read by Glenn Miller. Three broadcasts; begins Mon, Feb. 15.

Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, nonfiction by Giles Morton, 2016. In 1939, a top-secret organization plotted Hitler’s demise through ingenious acts of sabotage. Read by John Mandeville. 16 broadcasts, begins Thu, Feb. 18. – L

Bookworm*Monday – Friday noon

Meet Me at the Museum, fiction by Anne Youngson, 2018. A Danish museum curator and a Scottish woman begin a letter correspondence that flourishes over the years. Read by Judith Johannessen. Eight broadcasts; begins Wed, Feb. 17.

The Writer’s Voice*Monday – Friday 1 p.m.

Just Mercy, nonfiction by Bryan Stevenson, 2015. As an attorney seeks to help the under-served in society, he takes the case of a man facing death for a crime he did not commit. Read by John Holden. 14 broadcasts; begins Thu, Feb. 18.

Choice Reading*Monday – Friday 2 p.m.

At the Wolf’s Table, fiction by Rosella Postorino, 2019. Each day 10 German women report to Hitler’s secret headquarters, the Wolf’s Lair, to sample his meals and risk their lives for his. Read by Don Lee. 10 broadcasts; begins Tue, Feb. 16. – L, V

Night Journey*Monday – Friday 7 p.m.

Sulfur Springs, fiction by William Kent Krueger, 2017. Minnesota detective Cork O’Connor and his new wife search for her son Peter, who may be guilty of murder. Read by Neil Bright. 12 broadcasts; begins Thu, Feb. 18. –  V

Off the Shelf*Monday – Friday 8 p.m.

Car Trouble, fiction by Robert Rorke, 2018. Nicky Flynn is a teenager in 1970s Brooklyn, attempting to navigate his life with an alcoholic father who salvages junk cars. Read by Don Gerlach. 15 broadcasts; begins Thu, Feb. 11.

Potpourri*Monday – Friday 9 p.m.

The Book of General Ignorance, nonfiction by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, 2006. It’s sometimes a relief to learn that something you always believed to be true is, in fact, absolute nonsense. Read by Dan Sadoff. 10 broadcasts; begins Mon, Feb. 8.

Nights in White Castle, nonfiction by Steve Rushin, 2019. Sportswriter Steve Rushin chronicles growing up in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington. Read by Glenn Miller. 10 broadcasts; begins Mon, Feb. 22.

Good Night Owl*Monday – Friday 10 p.m.

Our Homesick Songs, fiction by Emma Hooper, 2018. The Conners family lives in a nearly abandoned Canadian fishing village. While the parents work away from home, their children long for change. Read by Tom Speich. Eight broadcasts; begins Mon, Feb. 22.

RTB After Hours*Monday – Friday 11 p.m.

Winter Loon, fiction by Susan Bernhard, 2018. After his mother drowns in a Minnesota lake, 15-year-old Wes is abandoned by his father. He moves in with his indifferent grandparents and befriends a girl who also lost her mother. But when truths are discovered, Wes sets out to find his father. Read by Michele Potts. 11 broadcasts; begins Mon, Feb. 8. – V, L

Bring Me Back, fiction by B.A. Paris, 2018. After a 12-year absence, a woman unexpectedly reappears and wants something from her former lover. Read by Robb Empson. Nine broadcasts; begins Tue, Feb. 23. – V, L, S

Weekend Program Books

Your Personal World, 1 p.m. Sat, presents All the Wild Hungers by Karen Babine (L), read by Beverly Burchett.

Rated R, 11 p.m. Sat, presents Lamb by Christopher Moore (L), read by Scott McKinney.

For the Younger Set, 11 a.m. Sun, presents The Queen Bee and Me by Gillian McDunn, read by Pat Muir.

Poetic Reflections, noon Sun, presents The Idea of the Garden by Michael S. Moos, read by Tom Speich; followed by Human Hours by Catherine Bennett, read by Cintra Godfrey.

The Great North, 4 p.m. Sun, presents Tucker Lake Chronicle by Joan Crosby, read by Therese Murray; followed by Walking the Old Road by Staci Lola Drouillard, read by Robb Empson.

All times listed are Central Standard Time.

Abbreviations V – violent content, R – racial epithets, L – strong language, G – gory descriptions, S – sexual situation