State Services for the Blind

Radio News

Radio Talking Book Radio News August 2006

Current Edition: December 2006

Next Edition: January 2007

Previous News Editions: January 2006, February 2006, March 2006, April 2006, May 2006, June 2006, July 2006, August 2006, September 2006, October 2006, November 2006

Minnesota Monthly on NFB-Newsline
Minnesota users of NFB-Newsline, the free national telephone access to newspapers and some magazines, now have Minnesota Monthly added to their list of accessible publications, located on the Minnesota information channel, selection 2 of the main menu. Minnesota Monthly is the monthly periodical published by Minnesota Public Radio. NFB-Newsline was begun in 1995 as a method of electronically accessing newspapers with a touch-tone telephone, using automated voices. It now provides over 230 publications - including some in Spanish - and can be accessed in every state and territory. Membership to NFB-Newsline uses the same criteria as registering for the National Library Service. Every state has its own registrar for the service, and in Minnesota, registration is handled through State Services for the Blind. Interested people can contact Chris Schmiesser at 651-642-0885, or toll-free in Minnesota, 1-800-652-9000. NFB-Newsline, along with Dial-in-News, is supported in part by the Telecommunication Access Minnesota fund of the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Persons wishing to help defray the cost of NFB-Newsline and Dial-in-News may do so by contacting Chris Schmiesser.

Books Available Through Faribault
All books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available through the Minnesota Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Faribault. Their phone is 800-722-0550 and hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their catalog is also online, and you can access it at www.klas.com/mnbph. If you live outside of Minnesota, you may obtain copies of books by contacting your own state's Network Library for the National Library Service.

Review old issues of Radio News on the Internet at www.mnssb.org/radionews/.

Chautauqua
Tuesday - Saturday 4 a.m.

The Golden Spruce
Nonfiction by John Vaillant, 2005.
In British Columbia, homeland of the Haida, one tree took on mythical proportions by its uniqueness. Read by Alvin Apple.
9 broadcasts. Began July 27.

Mozart’s Women
Nonfiction by Jane Glover, 2006.
Mozart loved and respected women. He re-created the many women in his life in the many roles he created for them in his operas.
Read by Madeline Hamermesh.
17 broadcasts. Begins August 9.

Past is Prologue
Monday - Friday 9 a.m.

An Empire of Wealth
Nonfiction by John Steele Gordon, 2004.
Unlike the great empires of the past, the United States has dominated the world as an empire built on wealth.
Read by Art Nyhus.
17 broadcasts. Began July 10.

Beyond Glory
Nonfiction by David Margolick, 2005.
The 1936 and 1938 heavyweight fights between Louis and Schmeling symbolized a world moving toward war. They were fights watched by the whole world. L -
Read by Judy Woodward.
18 broadcasts. Begins August 2.

Manhunt
Nonfiction by James L. Swanson, 2006.
The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history: the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth.
Read by Eric Thornton.
15 broadcasts. Begins August 28.

Bookworm
Monday - Friday 11 a.m.

At First Sight
Fiction by Nicholas Sparks, 2005.
Jeremy is blissfully looking forward to the second wedding he never thought would happen. But an e-mail arrives that changes the course of the marriage.
Read by Bill Moore.
12 broadcasts. Began July 26.

Marley & Me
Nonfiction by John Grogan, 2005.
John and Jenny brought home a little puppy who grew to a ninety-seven pound Lab with no boundaries.
Read by Hugh Jones.
11 broadcasts. Begins August 14.

Dear Senator
Nonfiction by Essie Mae Washington-Williams & William Stadiem, 2005.
Essie Mae stayed silent until her father, longtime senator Strom Thurmond, had died.
Read by Ann Carlson and Susan Niefeld.
10 broadcasts. Begins August 29.

Potpourri
Monday - Friday 2 p.m.

Speedbumps
Nonfiction by Teri Garr, 2005.
Teri Garr is a natural performer. After years of entertaining in dance and movies, Teri turned her work toward advocacy for MS, after her own diagnosis in 2002. L -
Read by Susan Niefeld.
8 broadcasts. Began July 26.

The Botanist and the Vintner
Nonfiction by Christy Campbell, 2005.
Beginning in the mid-1860s, an aphid infestation in southeastern France made the grapevines wither and die. The infestation spread across Europe and threatened the wine industry.
Read by Richard Klein.
11 broadcasts. Begins August 7.

Finding George Orwell in Burma
Nonfiction by Emma Larkin, 2005.
Author George Orwell’s mother was born in Burma and he worked there as a young man. In today’s Burma, he is very much remembered in spite of the current police state.
Read by Barbara Struyk.
9 broadcasts. Begins August 22.

Choice Reading
Monday - Friday 4 p.m.

The Brooklyn Follies
Fiction by Paul Auster, 2005.
Nathan’s plans to come to Brooklyn to die are complicated when he finds life can be interesting. L,S - Read by Ray Christensen.
10 broadcasts. Began July 24.

The Ice Soldier
Fiction by Paul Watkins, 2005.
Captain William Bromley has sworn he’ll never climb again. Now he takes on a terrifying request to repay a wartime debt. V,L -
Read by David Tofteland.
11 broadcasts. Begins August 7.

Mission to America
Fiction by Walter Kirn, 2005.
Mason LaVerle was raised in a remote sect, but has been asked to go into mainstream America to find brides. L -
Read by John Gunter.
9 broadcasts. Begins August 22.

PM Report
Monday - Friday 8 p.m.

Under the Bridge
Nonfiction by Rebecca Godfrey, 2005.
Reena Vik wanted to be a friend to a group of ordinary suburban teenagers. But this group of teens savagely beat and killed her, and then kept their secret from adults and authorities. V,L -
Read by Bonita Sindelir.
13 broadcasts. Began July 19.

Striking Back
Nonfiction by Aaron J. Klein, 2005.
The formation of Israel’s counter-terrorism unit of Mossad was a response to the murders at the 1972 Munich Olympics. V -
Read by Bill Studer.
11 broadcasts. Begins August 7.

My Year in Iraq
Nonfiction by L. Paul Bremer III, 2006.
Bremer spent fourteen months as America’s proconsul in Iraq. During that time, he was witness to hidden struggles among both Iraqis and Americans.
Read by Leila Poullada.
19 broadcasts. Begins August 22.

Night Journey
Monday - Friday 9 p.m.

Sympathy between Humans
Fiction by Jodi Compton, 2005.
Detective Sarah Pribek tries to protect her reputation and job, while under suspicion of murder. L - Read by Constance Crane.
13 broadcasts. Began July 17.

Nail Biter
Fiction by Sarah Graves, 2005.
When Jake and her best friend, Ellie, decide to rent out a Maine beachfront house, they don’t anticipate a body being found in the utility shed, nor do they expect the renters to disappear. L -
Read by Nancy Felknor.
10 broadcasts. Begins August 3.

Mercy Falls
Fiction by William Kent Krueger, 2005.
Sheriff O’Connor finds a mutilated body above Mercy Falls - a wealthy Chicago businessman negotiating a contract with an Indian casino. O’Connor now fears for his and his family’s safety. L -
Read by Judy McGuigan.
14 broadcasts. Begins August 17.

Off the Shelf
Monday - Friday 10 p.m.

On Beauty
Fiction by Zadie Smith, 2005.
Howard and Kiki struggle to rekindle their love while their three teen children seek guidance for their own lives. L -
Read by Andrea Bell.
18 broadcasts. Began July 17.

The Good Life
Fiction by Jay McInerney, 2006.
In disaster, people worlds apart find them-selves working side by side. Everyone needs to re-examine lives and choices. S -
Read by Ray Christensen.
12 broadcasts. Begins August 10.

Torch
Fiction by Cheryl Strayed, 2006.
When Teresa Rae dies suddenly, people realize she was the anchor of her family and Minnesota community. L -
Read by Karen Wertz.
13 broadcasts. Begins August 28.

Evening Odyssey
Monday - Friday 11 p.m.

The Scorpion’s Gate
Fiction by Richard A. Clarke, 2005.
A Saudi Arabian coup has emboldened opportunists, ready to realign the map of the Middle East. L - Read by Eric Thornton.
9 broadcasts. Began July 25.

Lost in the Forest
Fiction by Sue Miller, 2005.
When Eva’s husband John is killed in an accident, her family’s peace is overtaken by loss. S -
Read by Ann Reed.
10 broadcasts. Begins August 7.

Specimen Days
Fiction by Michael Cunningham, 2005.
The novel is presided over by the prophetic figure of Walt Whitman. V,L,S -
Read by John Mandeville.
13 broadcasts. Begins August 21.

Good Night Owl
Monday - Friday midnight

Becoming Strangers
Fiction by Louise Dean, 2006.
Two couples’ paths cross on a Caribbean vacation. The interaction changes both couples as each struggles to come to terms with what’s keeping them apart. L,S - Read by
John Mandeville.
9 broadcasts. Begins August 1.

The Camel Club
Fiction by David Baldacci, 2005.
The Camel Club’s four members are ignored until they witness murder and are thrust into a plot that threatens the nation. V,L -
Read by Neil Bright.
19 broadcasts. Begins August 14.

After Midnight
Tuesday - Saturday 1 a.m.

Derik’s Bane
Fiction by Mary Janice Davidson, 2005.
Werewolf Derik Gardner knows he should save the world by killing the reincarnation of Morgan Le Fay, but he is quite taken with her. L,S -
Read by Pat Kovel-Jarboe.
5 broadcasts. Began July 31.

The Tower of Ravens
Fiction by Kate Forsyth, 2005.
Born of a human father, Rhiannon has no horns and is scorned by her people. She escapes and is found by Lewen, an apprentice-witch.
Read by Mary Davies.
17 broadcasts. Begins August 7.

Northern Lights
Fiction by Nora Roberts, 2004.
Nate Burke moved to Lunacy, Alaska, hoping his new job as police chief would be the calm change he needed. S -
Read by Eleanor Berg.
19 broadcasts. Begins August 30.

Abbreviation Code: V - violence, L - rough language, S - sexual situations