Local Newspaper Reading Has 20 Year Anniversary
On April 29, volunteers and listeners in Fergus Falls marked the 20th Anniversary of the reading of local newspapers with a luncheon, complete with entertainment, speeches, certificates of appreciation, and cake. The establishment of reading of local newspapers in that area, in 1993, was a project of the local Lions Clubs, and the Lions have continued to be the primary support and organizers of the local reading there.
Fergus Falls was the first area of Minnesota to have the reading of local newspapers via the Radio Talking Book. Once per day, local volunteers break into the radio’s signal to read the papers from that area. This happens in Fergus Falls, Saint Cloud, Rochester, Mankato, Duluth, and Grand Rapids. Congratulations, Fergus Falls!
Weekend Program Books
Your Personal World (Saturday at 1 p.m.) is airing 8 Habits of Love, by Ed Bacon; For the Younger Set (Sunday at 11 a.m.) is airing Racing the Moon, by Alan Armstrong, and The Mostly True Story of Jack, by Kelly Barnhill; Poetic Reflections (Sunday at noon) is airing Everyday People, by Albert Goldbarth, The Game of Boxes, by Catherine Barnett, and Pity the Beautiful, by Dana Gioia; The U.S. and Us (Sunday at 4 p.m.) is airing Minnesota Mayhem, by Ben Welter.
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, MN. Their phone is 1-800-722-0550 and hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their catalog is also online, and you can access it by going to the main website, www.mnbtbl.org, and then clicking on the link Search the Library Catalog. If you live outside of Minnesota, you may obtain copies of our books via an inter-library loan by contacting your 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 at the Radio for your password to the site.
See interesting information about current RTB events on the Facebook site for the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network. Register for Facebook at www.facebook.com.
Chautauqua
Tuesday – Saturday 4 a.m
Hallucinations, Nonfiction by Oliver Sacks, 2012. 13 broadcasts. Began June 6. Hallucinations don’t belong solely to the insane. More commonly, they are from sensory deprivation, intoxication, illness, or injury. But some seek hallucinations for religious or life-changing experiences. Read by Yelva Lynfield.
An Absorbing Errand, Nonfiction by Janna Malamud Smith, 2012. 7 Br. Begins June 25. Problems that stall the creative process can become prime sources of the energy that fuel the mastery of art-making. Read by June Prange.
Past is Prologue
Monday – Friday 9 a.m.
The Blood of Heroes, Nonfiction by James Donovan, 2012. 13 Br. Began May 29. The last stand at the Alamo is recognized as a defining moment in American history. But it was only one par in the history of the formation of Texas. Read by John Potts.
The Black Count, Nonfiction by Tom Reiss, 2012. 13 Br. Begins June 17. Alex Dumas’ life inspired both The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both written by his son. Born to a black slave mother and a fugitive white French nobleman, he eventually became a leader in Napoleon’s army. Read by Esmé Evans.
Bookworm
Monday – Friday 11 a.m.
A World Away, Fiction by Nancy Grossman, 2012. 11 Br. Began June 4. Sixteen-year-old Eliza has never made a phone call or spoken with someone her age who isn’t also Amish. Now she is going to spend the summer as a nanny in Chicago, knowing there will be many surprises and temptations. Read by Kristi Sullivan.
The Paradise Guest House, Fiction by Ellen Sussman, 2013. 8 Br. Three days into a dream assignment in Bali, Jamie is caught in the island’s infamous nightclub bombing. One year later, haunted by memories, she returns seeking closure, and Gabe, the man who saved her life. She has never shied away from a challenge, but a second chance with Gabe presents a major question: is she ready to open her heart? L,S – Read by Mitzi Lewellen.
The Writer’s Voice
Monday – Friday 2 p.m.
Dust to Dust, Nonfiction by Benjamin Busch, 2012. 9 Br. Begins June 11. Busch was a Marine in Iraq. But in his memoir, he also writes of a boyhood spent exploring rivers and woods, building forts, and testing the limits of safety. On Iraq, he reflects on mortality, dealing with the sudden deaths of friends in combat and of parents back home. It is a meditation on life and loss, and how the curious children we were remain alive in us all. L – Read by John Hagman.
They Called Me Number One, Nonfiction by Bev Sellars, 2013. 6 broadcasts. Begins June 24. For many years, Canadian Indian children were forced to go to religious residential schools where they were exposed to mental, physical, and sexual abuse. Bev Sellars was one of those children. Read by June Prange.
Choice Reading
Monday – Friday 4 p.m.
Alif the Unseen, Fiction by G. Willow Wilson, 2012. 15 broadcasts. Began June 3. In a Middle Eastern security state, a young Arab-Indian hacker shields his clients from surveillance and tries to stay out of trouble. He goes by the name Alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. L – Read by Connie Jamison.
John Saturnall’s Feast, Fiction by Lawrence Norfolk, 2012. 16 broadcasts. Begins June 24. An orphan, John is taken into the home of Sir William Fremantle, with his only legacy a book about an ancient feast. In the kitchens, John shines with his elaborate culinary creations, eventually putting him in contact with Sir William’s daughter,Lucretia. Read by Arlan Dohrenburg.
PM Report
Monday – Friday 8 p.m.
The Presidents Club, Nonfiction by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, 2012. 22 Br. Began May 27. Formed by Eisenhower, the Presidents Club is complicated; its members are bound by Oval Office experience yet are rivals for history’s favor. Read by Charlie Boone.
A Nation of Deadbeats, Nonfiction by Scott Reynolds Nelson, 2012. 14 broadcasts. Begins June 26. The story of America is a story of dreamers and defaulters. As far back as 1792, our country’s financial panics boiled down to one question: would Americans pay their debts, or are we just a nation of deadbeats? Read by John Demma.
Night Journey
Monday – Friday 9 p.m.
Gun Dealers’ Daughter, Fiction by Gina Apostol, 2012. 10 broadcasts. Began June 10. When she leaves for university in Manila, Soledad Soliman transforms herself from bookish rich girl to communist rebel. In her efforts to be a part of the movement, Sol initiates a plan that expands beyond her control, with tragic consequences. L – Read by Andrea Bell.
The Light Keeper’s Legacy, Fiction by Kathleen Ernst, 2012. 10 broadcasts. Begins June 24. Museum curator Chloe Ellefson jumped at the chance to spend alone-time on Rock Island, near Wisconsin’s Door County, with no electricity or roads. Maybe she could figure out her love life, or research how to restore the historic lighthouse. When a dead woman washes ashore, her tranquility is spoiled, and her research reveals the island’s history of tough women. Readby Myrna Smith.
Off the Shelf
Monday – Friday 10 p.m.
The Deep Zone, Fiction by James M. Tabor, 2012. 15 Br. Began May 27. A disease outbreak sends a team of scientists on a desperate hunt for a cure –from a top-secret federal agency to a violence-prone area of Mexico to the bottom of earth’s deepest cave. L – Read by Dave Schliep.
Telegraph Avenue, Fiction by Michael Chabon, 2012. 21 broadcasts. Begins June 17. Archy Stallings and Nat Jaffe, longtime friends and bandmates, are co-owners of Brokeland Records, a kingdom of used vinyl. Their shop is threatened when a megastore is planned nearby. Their wives, too, are caught up in a battle for their professional existence, and the teenage son of Archy (never acknowledged) shows up and becomes the love of Nat’s son’s life. L- Read by John Mandeville.
Potpourri
Monday – Friday 11 p.m.
Some Remarks, Nonfiction by Neal Stephenson, 2012. 15 broadcasts. Begins June 11. Neal Stephenson is renowned for his novels in which he explores technology, economics, history, science, pop culture, and philosophy. Here he shares a number of nonfiction pieces, most previously published by periodicals. Read by Hugh Jones.
Good Night Owl
Monday – Friday midnight
Silent House, Fiction by Orhan Pamuk, 2012. 15 Br. Began June 3. The summer before the 1980 Turkish military coup, Fatma awaits her grandchildren. Her husband’s cousin’s son will draw the family into a political cataclysm. Read by Bob Malos.
Bond Girl, Fictionby Erin Duffy, 2012. 11 Br. Begins June 24. As a girl, Alex Garrett dreamed of conquering Wall Street. She makes associate in her brokerage firm, but the collapse is imminent and she needs to decide whether to ride the financial tide or save herself. L – Read by BethMarie Hansen.
After Midnight
Tuesday – Saturday 1 a.m.
Talulla Rising, Fiction by Glen Duncan, 2012. 14 Br. Began June 5. Talulla Demetrious is grieving her werewolf lover, Jake. On the run, pursued by hunters, she must find a place to give birth to Jake’s child in secret. V,L,S – Read by Isla Hejny.
The Brides of Rollrock Island, Fiction by Margo Lanagan, 2012. 11 Br. Begins June 25. OnRollrock Island, men make their living – and fetch their wives – from the sea. The witch Misskaella knows how to find the girl at the heart of a seal, for a price. Read by Connie Jamison.
Abbreviations: V – violence, L – offensive language, S – sexual situations
