Use an app instead of a receiver

Radio Talking Book is not just for listeners with visual disabilities. It can be an asset for people whose disabilities limit hand movements, making it difficult to read a book. The sampling published monthly in Access Press doesn’t represent the full array of programming. Many more programs and books are available.

The service has phased out its longtime receivers. Enjoy programming 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 in 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, Mon-Fri, 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.

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

Chautauqua*Monday – Friday 6 a.m.

Eat A Peach, nonfiction by David Chang, 2020. Restaurant owner and TV star David Chang describes how success dominated his life. Amidst the fame, he was also battling his demons. Read by Robb Empson. 10 broadcasts; begins Wed, July 7. – L

Broad Band, nonfiction by Claire L. Evans, 2018. Claire L. Evans tells of the women who built and developed the Internet. Read by Parichay Rudina. 13 broadcasts; begins Wed, July 21.

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

Armies of Deliverance, nonfiction by Elizabeth R. Varon, 2019. The Union Army believed it would be greeted with open arms as liberators in the Reconstruction South. Read by John Potts. 20 broadcasts; begins Mon, July 5.

Bookworm*Monday – Friday noon

Things I’m Seeing Without You, fiction by Peter Bognanni, 2017. After a young man commits suicide, his girlfriend moves in with her estranged father. She then encounters her boyfriend’s best friend. Read by Connie Jamison. Eight broadcasts; begins Mon, July 5.

Miss Benson’s Beetle, fiction by Rachel Joyce, 2020. Margery Benson sets out to find the golden beetle of New Caledonia. But soon she finds herself teamed up with Enid Pretty, an impetuous woman who never seems to stop talking. Read by Pat Muir. 12 broadcasts; begins Thu, July 15.

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

His Very Best, nonfiction by Jonathan Alter, 2020. Jimmy Carter’s achievements are momentous, both during his presidency and after. Columnist Jonathan Alter provides a deeply researched and engaging journey through the life of this highly multifaceted man. Read by Stevie Ray. 32 broadcasts; begins Mon, July 19.

Choice Reading*Monday – Friday 2 p.m.

The Sun Collective, fiction by Charles Baxter, 2020. Harry and Alma Brettigan search for their son Tim, who left home months earlier. They’re drawn to Ludlow and Christina at the Sun Collective, a community group that assists homeless people. Read by Edy Elliott. 17 broadcasts; begins Tue, July 6. – L

The Dreamers, fiction by Karen Thompson Walker, 2019. A college student thinks she is coming down with the flu. Instead she has a mysterious disease that causes victims to fall into deep sleep, and sometimes leads to death. Read by Marylyn Burridge. 10 broadcasts; begins Thu, July 29. – L

Afternoon Report*Monday – Friday 4 p.m.

The Fate of Food, nonfiction by Amanda Little, 2019. Ecology journalist Amanda Little suggests ways we can feed our hotter, drier, and more crowded world. Read by Michelle Juntunen. 14 broadcasts; begins Tue, July 6.

Hudson Bay Bound, nonfiction by Natalie Warren, 2021. After college Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho re-created the historic 1935 voyage of Eric Sevareid and Walter C. Port: a 2,000-mile canoe trip from Minneapolis to northeastern Canada’s Hudson Bay. Read by Laura Young. 10 broadcasts; begins Mon, July 26.

Night Journey*Monday – Friday 7 p.m.

Slough House, fiction by Mick Herron, 2021. Slough House, the British home for spies too old, compromised, or ineffectual to defend queen and country, is under attack. Someone has been killing their alumni and is now coming for the current crop. Read by John Potts. 11 broadcasts; begins Thu, July 15. – L, V

Off the Shelf*Monday – Friday 8 p.m.

Homeland Elegies, fiction by Ayad Akhtar, 2020. Playwright Ayad Akhtar is the son of Muslim immigrants from Pakistan. He presents a novel that finds no pat answers about what it means to be a Muslim-American today. Read by Jack Rossmann. 12 broadcasts; begins Thu, July 15.

Potpourri*Monday – Friday 9 p.m.

Monsieur Mediocre, nonfiction by John von Sothen, 2019. Journalist John von Sothen moved to Paris with his French actress wife, planning to stay only a few years. Fifteen years later, he still makes France his home. Read by Eileen Barratt. 10 broadcasts; begins Wed, July 21.

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

The Passengers – Fiction by John Marrs, 2018. Government-mandated self-driving cars become the norm in Britain —until they prove susceptible to a terrorist hack. Read by Tom Speich. 12 broadcasts; begins Mon, July 12. – L, S

RTB Late Night*Monday – Friday 11 p.m.

One Last Child, fiction by Anni Taylor, 2020. Five small children vanished from their nursery school. Three and a half years later, the children return — except for Ivy, the granddaughter of homicide detective Kate Wakeland. Read by Jodi Lindskog. 16 broadcasts; begins Mon, July 14. – S, L

Weekend Program Books

Your Personal World, 1 p.m. Sat, presents Things Worth Keeping by Christine Harold (L); followed by The Handbook for Bad Days by Eveline Helmink (L); both read by Beverly Burchett.

Rated R, 11 p.m. Sat, presents American Gospel by Lin Enger (L), read by Scott McKinney.

For the Younger Set, 11 a.m. Sun, presents Expelled by James Patterson and Emily Raymond, read by John Mandeville.

Poetic Reflections, noon Sun, presents The Half-Finished Heaven by Tomas Transtromer, read by Jess Banks.

The Great North, 4 p.m. Sun, presents November’s Fury by Michael Schumacher, read by Chris Colestock.

All times listed are Central Standard Time.

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