New Radios to be released soon

The digital radios are here. The engineering department has some programming to do in the radios before releasing them. Radio Talking Book will also make needed technical modifications to transmission equipment with Minnesota Public Radio and other broadcast partners. The radios will be distributed in a limited area of northwestern Minnesota as a test, with additional locations converted throughout the state over time. Turning on the radios should be simple but Radio Talking Book staff will be available top help with the changeover.

 

Books Available Through Faribault

Books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available through the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault. Phone is 1-800-722-0550 and hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their catalog is also online. Access it by going to the main website, http://education.state.mn.us, and then clicking on the link. Listeners outside of Minnesota may obtain copies of books by contacting their own state’s Network Library for the National Library Service.

Listen to the Minnesota Radio Talking Book; either live or archived programs from the last week, on the Internet at www.mnssb.org/rtb  Call the staff for a password to the site.

 

Chautauqua
Tuesday – Saturday 4 a.m.

Origins of the Specious, Nonfiction by Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellerman, 2008. Some of grammar’s best known rules aren’t (and never were) rules at all. English is an endlessly entertaining, ever-changing language, and yesterday’s blooper could be tomorrow’s bon mot. L – Read by Judy Woodward. Eight broadcasts. Begins Jan. 25.

 

Past is Prologue
Monday – Friday 9 a.m.

Mr. America, Nonfiction by Mark Adams, 2008. Between the two World Wars, Bernarr Macfadden did more to educate the world about healthy eating, alternative medicine, regular sexual activity, and exercise than anyone in history. But today, few have heard of him. Read by Wally Vavrosky.10 broadcasts. Begins Jan. 13.

 

Bookworm
Monday – Friday 11 a.m.

The Plain Sense of Things, Fiction by Pamela Carter Joern, 2008. A western Nebraska family struggles with 20th century life on the farm: death, hardship, and change. Together, they endure poverty, illness and betrayal. L – Read by Audray Rees. Eight broadcasts. Began Jan. 6.

 

Potpourri
Monday – Friday 2 p.m.

Yogi Berra: Eternal Yankee, Nonfiction by Allen Barra, 2009. Yogi Berra is America’s most popular former athlete and the most quoted American since Mark Twain. The press saw him as part folk hero, part clown. Competitors knew him as the winningest player in the game’s history. Read by Malcolm McLean. 20 broadcasts. Begins Jan. 14.

 

Choice Reading
Monday – Friday 4 p.m.

Follow Me, Fiction by Joanna Scott, 2009. In 1946, teenager Sally Werner had an unexpected baby. Running away was the first of many moves for her. Now, years later, her granddaughter is piecing together her grandmother’s life. Read by Kristi Sullivan. 10 broadcasts. Begins Jan. 18.

 

PM Report
Monday – Friday 8 p.m.

The American Future, Nonfiction by Simon Schama, 2009.Critical debates were in place when Americans elected a new president in 2008. Those debates – on wars, religion, race and immigration, and the relationship between natural resources and prosperity – are not new. Schama asks how these problems look in the mirror of time. Read by Dan Kuechenmeister. 18 broadcasts. Begins Jan. 11.

 

Off the Shelf
Monday – Friday 10 p.m.

The Little Stranger, Fiction by Sarah Waters, 2009. Dr. Faraday is called to the residence of the Ayres family. The house and owners may be haunted with something sinister, and it will affect Dr. Faraday’s life as well. L,S – Read by Leandra Peak. 18 Br. Begins Jan. 11.

 

Evening Odyssey
Monday – Friday 11 p.m.

A Fortunate Age, Fiction by Joanna Smith Rakoff, 2009. A group of Oberlin graduates maintain their friendship as they maneuver the beginnings of their adult lives in Brooklyn. They must navigate the shifting dynamics of their friendships and of the world around them. L,S – Read by Laura Rohlik. 22 broadcasts. Began Jan. 6.

 

Good Night Owl
Monday – Friday midnight

Driftless, Fiction by David Rhodes, 2009. After decades of drifting, July Montgomery finds peace in a small town. Respected and cherished by these townspeople, he learns there is wisdom acquired through hard work, farming, and kindness. L – Read by Amy Morris. 17 broadcasts. Begins Jan.12.

 

After Midnight
Tuesday – Saturday 1 a.m.

High Noon, Fiction by Nora Roberts, 2007. Phoebe has courage and sensitivity she uses as a top hostage negotiator. Those attributes draw Duncan Swift to her. When she is assaulted at work, she needs Duncan’s support to face her attacker. S – Read by Eleanor Berg. 20 Br. Began Jan. 4.

Abbreviations: V – violence, L – offensive language, S – sexual situations