Radio Talking Book is not just for listeners with visual disabilities. Anyone with difficulty reading or turning pages can enjoy the service. The sampling published monthly in Access Press doesn’t represent the full array of programming. Listen to RTB’s live or archived programs online at the State Services for the Blind website, Listen to Radio Talking Book. Visit the site and learn more about programs.
Hear programming on a hand-held mobile device, for either iOS or Android. Visit the Apple App Store for iOS, or Google Play for Android, and download the Minnesota Radio Talking Book app.
Did you miss a book broadcast? Access it for one week following its original broadcast in the online weekly program archive.
For help accessing the archive, contact Ronnie Washington at 651-539-1424 or [email protected].
If the book’s broadcast is no longer available in the archive, contact staff librarian Molly McGilp at 651.539.1422 or [email protected] 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 Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library Catalog. Call 800-722-0550, Mon-Fri, 9 am – 4 pm CST.
Audio information about the daily book listings is on the National Federation for the Blind Newsline. Register for NFB Newsline by calling 651-539-1424. The service provides access to more than 500 magazines and newspapers. Visit the website or call 612-562-7803
Staff welcomes any feedback or suggestions. Contact Joseph Papke at 651-539-2316 or [email protected]
Chautauqua*
Monday – Friday 6 a.m.
Of Boys and Men, nonfiction by Richard V. Reeves, 2022. An examination of why the modern male is struggling, why it matters and what to do about it. Read by Rick Seime. Eight broadcasts; begins Wed, Oct. 2.
The Sullivanians, nonfiction by Alexander Stille, 2023. An intimate and engrossing look at the Sullivan Institute and its devolution from psychoanalytic organization to insular, radical cult. Read by Carl Voss. 18 broadcasts; begins Mon, Oct. 14. – L, S
Bookworm*
Monday – Friday 12 p.m.
What You Are Looking For Is In the Library, fiction by Michiko Aoyama, 2023. A charming Japanese novel about how the perfect book recommendation can change a readers’ life. Read by Andrea Bell. Eight broadcasts; begins Mon, Oct. 7.
When the Whales Leave, fiction by Yuri Rytkheu, 2019. A vibrant retelling of the origin story of the Chukchi people and a timely parable about the destructive power of human ego. Read by John Schmidt. Four broadcasts; begins Thu, Oct. 17.
Jellyfish Have No Ears, fiction by Adèle Rosenfeld, 2024. A beguiling novel about a woman losing her hearing and an utterly original take on perception and self-perception. Read by Yelva Lynfield. Six broadcasts; begins Tue, Oct. 29.
The Writer’s Voice*
Monday – Friday 1 p.m.
A Hitch in Time, nonfiction by Christopher Hitchens, 2024. A well-selected anthology of essays from the incomparable writer. Read by John Potts. 11 broadcasts; begins Wed, Oct. 9.
White House by the Sea, Nonfiction by Kate Storey, 2023. The intimate, multigenerational story of the Kennedy family as seen through their Hyannis Port compound on Cape Cod. Read by Roger Sheldon. 14 broadcasts; begins Thu, Oct. 24. – L
Choice Reading*
Monday – Friday 2 p.m.
The Last Language, fiction by Jennifer duBois, 2023. A speech-language pathologist falls in love with a non-verbal patient and endures the fallout. Read by Bonnie Swenby. Seven broadcasts; begins Tue, Oct. 15. – L
2 a.m. in Little America, fiction by Ken Kalfus, 2022. A novel that imagines a future in which sweeping civil conflict has forced America’s young people to flee its borders, into an unwelcoming world. Read by Greg Olson. Six broadcasts; begins Thu, Oct. 24. – L
Afternoon Report*
Monday – Friday 4 p.m.
Our Hidden Conversations, nonfiction by Michele Norris, 2024. A transformative dialogue on race and identity in America, begun by six-word micro-essay submissions. Read by Holly Sylvester. 19 broadcasts; begins Tue, Oct. 8.
Night Journey*
Monday –Friday 7 p.m.
The Body by the Sea, fiction by Jean-Luc Bannalec, 2023. In all of Commissaire Georges Dupin’s time living in Brittany, there has never been a murder on his home turf, until now. Read by Tom Speich. Nine broadcasts; begins Thu, Oct. 17.
Bright Young Women, fiction by Jessica Knoll, 2023. A breakneck thriller that follows two women on the pursuit of justice against all odds, while examining our culture’s obsession with serial killers and true crime. Read by Holland Richner. 15 broadcasts; begins Wed, Oct. 30. – L, S, V
Off the Shelf*
Monday – Friday 8 p.m.
Loot, fiction by Tania James, 2023. A spellbinding historical novel set in the eighteenth century featuring a young artist coming of age and an exuberant heist. Read by Carol McPherson. 11 broadcasts; begins Mon, Oct. 14.
Brooklyn Crime Novel, fiction by Jonathan Letham, 2023. A sweeping story of community, crime, and gentrification, tracing more than 50 years of life in one Brooklyn neighborhood. Read by Don Lee. 14 broadcasts; begins Tue, Oct. 29. – L, S, V
Potpourri*
Monday – Friday 9 p.m.
Impermanence, nonfiction by Sue Leaf, 2023. A personal journey through the ever-changing natural and cultural history of Lake Superior’s south shore. Read by Jeffrey Weihe. 10 broadcasts; begins Mon, Oct. 14.
The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes, nonfiction by Andrew Lycett, 2023. A deep dive into the contemporary world of Holmes – tracing the infamous character’s own interests, personality, and mythologized biography. Read by Jim Ahrens. Six broadcasts; begins Mon, Oct. 28.
Good Night Owl
Monday – Friday 10 p.m.
Starter Villain, fiction by John Scalzi, 2023. Inheriting an uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than one might think. Particularly when our protagonist discovers who’s running the place. Read by Stuart Holland. 10 broadcasts; begins Mon, Oct. 7. – L
Holly, fiction by Stephen King, 2023. One of King’s most compelling characters returns in this chilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town. Read by Cintra Godfrey. 19 broadcasts; begins Mon, Oct. 21. – L, S, G, R
RTB After Hours*
Monday – Friday 11 p.m.
Freefalling (rebroadcast), fiction by Eme McAnam, 2023. An elderly hotel owner struggling with dementia finds love later in life. Read by Andrea Bell. Nine broadcasts; begins Mon, Oct. 7. – S
Bride, fiction by Ali Hazelwood, 2024. A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough for readers to sink their teeth into in this new paranormal romance. Read by Holland Richner. 14 broadcasts; begins Mon, Oct. 21. – L, S
Weekend Program Books
Your Personal World, 1 p.m. Sat, presents The Good Enough Job by Simone Stolzoff, read by Yelva Lynfield; followed by Anatomy of a Breakthrough by Adam Alter, read by Cintra Godfrey.
For the Younger Set, 11 a.m. Sun, presents Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina, read by John Gunter. – L
Poetic Reflections, noon Sun, presents Circle Back by Adam Clay, read by Carl Voss; followed by Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón, read by Mary Beth Redmond. – L, S
The Great North, 4 p.m. Sun, presents Tales From the Minnesota Sports Beat by Patrick Reusse, read by Jim Gregorich.
