Use an App for Radio Talking Book

Radio Talking Book 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, 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.

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.

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

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.

It’s Better Than It Looks, nonfiction by Gregg Easterbrook, 2018. Despite dispiriting reports, these days are an improvement over the past for most people. Read by Robb Empson. Fourteen broadcasts; begins Mon, May 17.

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

The Hello Girls, nonfiction by Elizabeth Cobbs, 2017. As part of the US Army Signal Corps, women played a critical role in World War I. Read by Mary Hall. Eleven broadcasts; begins Monday, May 10.

Black Flags, Blue Waters, nonfiction by Eric Jay Dolin, 2018. Historian Eric Jay Dolin describes the “Golden Age of Piracy” in the 17th and 18th centuries. Read by Stevie Ray. Thirteen broadcasts; begins Tue, May 25.

Bookworm*Monday – Friday noon

The Memory Swindlers, fiction by Michael Giorgio, 2016. When scam artists descend on a Wisconsin town after World War II, the local police chief vows to stop them. Read by Neil Bright. Eleven broadcasts; begins Wed, May 5.

This Is What Happened, fiction by Mick Herron, 2018. An introverted, socially isolated young woman is recruited to attack an international spy plot. Read by Pat Muir. Eight broadcasts; begins Thu, May 20.

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

Rust, nonfiction by Eliese Collette Goldbach, 2020. Eliese Collette Goldbach spent three years working at a steel plant in Cleveland. There she discovered principles of empathy and solidarity that bridged ideological divisions. Read by Marylyn Burridge. Thirteen broadcasts; begins Mon, May 17.

Choice Reading*Monday – Friday 2 p.m.

Infinite, fiction by Brian Freeman, 2021. A therapist suggests that Dylan Moran may encounter his double from an alternate reality. But when his acquaintances are found dead, Dylan realizes his double is a serial killer. Read by Tom Speich. Eleven broadcasts; begins Tue, May 11. – V, L

In the Name of the Family, fiction by Sarah Dunant, 2017. 16th century Italy was rife with clashes between Pope Borgia and philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli. Read by Eileen Barratt. Fifteen broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 26.

Afternoon Report*Monday – Friday 4 p.m.

Unwarranted, nonfiction by Barry Friedman, 2017. Our police departments play an indispensable role in our society. Yet, a failure to supervise them may leave us all in peril. Read by Judy Woodward. Sixteen broadcasts, begins Mon, May 17.

Night Journey*Monday – Friday 7 p.m.

What Remains of Her, fiction by Eric Rickstad, 2018. Years after a man’s wife and child go missing, he is drawn out by the disappearance of another child. Read by Neil Bright. Twelve broadcasts; begins Wed, May 19. – V

Off the Shelf*Monday – Friday 8 p.m.

The Presidential Fringe, nonfiction by Mark Stein, 2020. Author Mark Stein discusses Presidential elections since 1848, focusing on “fringe” candidates and what their leadership would have brought us. Read by Robb Empson. Nine broadcasts; begins Mon, May 17.

Mrs. Everything, fiction by Jennifer Weiner, 2019. Two sisters learn to take care of themselves and their mother, after their father dies. Read by Laura Young. Eighteen broadcasts; begins Mon, May 31.

Potpourri*Monday – Friday 9 p.m.

Language at the Speed of Sight, nonfiction by Mark Seidenbert, 2017. The science of reading combines cognition, neurobiology, and linguistics. Yet more than half of Americans read only at a basic level. Read by Toni McNaron. Sixteen broadcasts; begins Tue, May 4.

Outsiders, nonfiction by Lyndall Gordon, 2019. The biographies of five renowned woman writers who bravely embraced their outcast status. Read by Carol McPherson. Fifteen broadcasts; begins Wed, May 26.

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

The Book of Lost Friends, fiction by Lisa Wingate, 2020. In 1875, three young women search for their families. Later a schoolteacher learns of their stories, and their connections to her students. Read by Jodi Lindskog. Fifteen broadcasts; begins Monday, May 17. – L

Weekend Program Books

Your Personal World, 1 p.m. Sun, presents Things Worth Keeping by Christine Harold (L), read by Beverly Burchett.

Rated R, 11 p.m. Sat, presents Lamb by Christopher Moore (L); followed by American Gospel by Lin Enger (L); both read by Scott McKinney.

For the Younger Set, 11 a.m. Sun, presents Flying by Carrie Jones, read by Stevie Ray; followed by The Other, Better Me by Antony John, read by Pat Muir.

Poetic Reflections, noon Sun, presents Encantado by Pat Mora; followed by Human Hours by Catherine Barnett; both read by Cintra Godfrey.

The Great North, 4 p.m. Sun, presents Minnesota 1918 by Curt Brown, read by Don Lee.