Talking Books Library

Fall Book Club

By Alicia Waters | September 10, 2009

Insight is starting a Fall Book Club on October 1st, the third in a series. The Club will meet for 4 weeks from 10 AM – 12 Noon. The selected books are Pride and Prejudice RC50549 and The Kite Runner RC57457. Participants are expected to listen to the books. A structured discussion follows that covers  themes, charactors, and plot, for example. For more information, visit the Insight website. Insight is a private, non-profit organization that serves the needs of RI blind and visualy-impaired individuals. The books for the club are provided by Talking Books Plus.

The words in this posting, Insight website, have a link to another webpage.

Topics: News & Info, Programs | No Comments »

Reading Across RI 2010

By Alicia Waters | September 10, 2009

Reading Across RI has announced the short list for its 2010 program. The following books that are being considered for the book to be read and discussed in 2010 are in the Talking Books Plus collection.

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian  RC68385

The Lost City of Z by David Grann  RC68618

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent  RC68114

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri  RC66192

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows  RC67526

For more information about the short list, the program and membership to Reading Across RI, visit the Reading Across RI website. And check the Talking Books Plus blog for updates relevant to Talking Books Plus members.

The words, Reading Across RI website, have a link to another webpage.

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Free Individual RFBD Membership

By Alicia Waters | September 1, 2009

Thanks to major funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Grant #H327D090001 and support of private donors, RFB&D (Reading for the Blind & Dyslexic) membership is now free to individuals with proper certification.

Member benefits include:

The words in this posting, RFB&D and certification, have links to other web pages.

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Talking Book Awareness Day August 20th

By Alicia Waters | August 20, 2009

August 20 is Talking Book Awareness Day. Treat today as the first day to start spreading the word to those individuals who could benefit from talking books. Rhode Island’s Talking Books Plus library is part of a network of libraries across the country dedicated to serving the reading needs of individuals who are blind, have low vision, or because of other physical disabilities cannot read regular print. With the new digital book program coming in August, there is even more reason to join and enjoy this free library service. Find out more about the Talking Books Plus program and download an application or call 401-574-9410.  Reading is for everyone.

The words, Talking Books Plus and application, have links to other webpages.

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Robert J. Sawyer

By Alicia Waters | August 20, 2009

A fascinating author of science fiction, Robert J. Sawyer has published the first book in a series. It is entitled, Wake. You can hear him speak on the Freedom Scientific June podcast about the book and the series. In the interview, he reveals some elements about the story and the protagonist, a blind teenage named Caitlin. The novel is full of deep philosophical issues and delves into differences from the norm and what it would be like to be able to choose the norm. The forthcoming books in the www series, not to be missed, are Watch (2010) and Wonder (2011).  The book, Wake, is available from Audible.com.

Check out 4 earlier books by Robert J. Sawyer that are in the TBP collection. They are Illegal Alien RC49151, Mindscan RC65445, Rollback RC64711, and The Terminal Experiment (an Award Winning book) RC59138.  Sawyer also has a website that is very accessible. He claims it loads fast because of its clean readable text. If you haven’t read science fiction you might want to try Robert J. Sawyer.  

The words in this posting, Scientific Freedom June podcast, audible.com and website, have links to other webpages.

Topics: Books to Read, General | No Comments »

The Time Travelor s Wife

By Alicia Waters | August 12, 2009

The book made into a movie, The Time Travelor’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is available through Talking Books Plus. To order online 7/24, by mail or phone, request RC 057102.

If you like the book by Niffenegger, Talking Books Plus has similar authors for added pleasure reading. Those authors are Diana Gabaldon and Ann Patchett. Diana has 5 books and Ann has 7 books that are available through Talking Books Plus.

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Best Selling Fiction Authors

By Alicia Waters | August 12, 2009

Have you read them? In Wikipedia, there is a list of Best-Selling Fiction Authors. Of the top ten, all but 2 authors have books in the Talking Books Plus library. Here are the list of books in the order of popularity and the numbers of talking books for each author in the Talking Books Plus library.

William Shakespeare (43 titles)

Agatha Christie (112 titles)

Barbara Cartland (35 titles)

Harold Robbins (26 titles)

Georges Simenon (39 titles)

Enid Blyton (0)

Danielle Steel (91 titles)

Dr. Seuss (35 titles)

Gilbert Patten (0)

Leo Tolstoy (18 titles)

Topics: Books to Read | No Comments »

Barnes & Noble eBookstore

By Alicia Waters | August 5, 2009

From the publication, Library Hotline: Breaking News for Library and Information Decision Makers, an announcement was made that Barnes & Noble launched the Barnes & Noble ebookstore  of 700,000 titles. According to Hotline, B&N ebookstore carries ebooks that can be read on a wide variety of platforms. The total of books offered includes 500,000 public domain titles from Google which can be downloaded for free.

The words in this posting, Barnes & Nobel eBookstore, have a link to another webpage.

Topics: Books to Read, Digital Update | No Comments »

Try This Murder And Courtroom Author

By Alicia Waters | August 3, 2009

Reader’s Advisor Librarian, Henry Hayden wrote:   Author, Steve Martini excels in adventure, murder, and courtroom drama. The Paul Madriani series takes place in San Diego. Characters are vividly portrayed. Plots are so  believable that you’ll think you’re there. The narrative twists and turns will keep you guessing right up to the last page! As many critics claim, best-selling author Steve Martini is equal to if not better than John Grisham, Erle Stanley Gardner and other masters of murder and courtroom intrigue.

This author review is featured in Book Talk, a column in Talking Book News Summer 2009 produced by Arizona State Braille & Talking Book Library. Talking Books Plus has 12 titles by this author in its collection.

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4th of July Titles

By Alicia Waters | July 13, 2009

Now that the 4th of July fireworks are over, why not settle down to reading about the founding of our nation and the American spirit. Here are some titles available through Talking Books Plus.

American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic by Joseph J. Ellis  RC065206

American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham  RC062640

American Heroines by Kay Baily Hutchison  RC061187

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson  RC056501

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis  RC051469

Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts  RC058361

A History of the American People by Paul Johnson  RC046010

John Adams by David McCullough  RC052275

The Real All Americans by Sally Jenkins  RC063755

1776 by David McCullough  RC060330

The Unknown American Revolution: The Unruly Birth of Democracy and the Struggle to Create America by Gary B. Nash  RC062119

Topics: Books to Read | No Comments »


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