Celebrate Print Disabilities Month with Five Special Events!

A hand reading braille text.

October is Print Disabilities Month. Join us for five free virtual events to learn how people access printed information. The Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD) is hosting discussions, presentations, and a film screening. LBPD is a sister library to the Texas Talking Book Program. All events are online and open to everyone.

From October 7 to October 27, these programs will highlight conditions that make reading standard print difficult or impossible.

Registration is required. Visit the LBPD Print Disabilities Month webpage for details and sign-up links.

Featured Programs

Brailled It!

Brailled It! is a documentary about the Braille Challenge, an annual literacy competition for K-12 students who are blind or visually impaired. When you register for the watch party, you will receive access to view the film anytime between October 7 and October 13.

IEPs and Print Disabilities

Parents, guardians, educators, and advocates may find this panel especially helpful. Speakers will discuss Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), educational advocacy, and the rights students and families have when seeking accommodations.

The Neuroscience of Dyslexia

This presentation explores how more than 20 years of research have changed the way experts understand dyslexia and other reading difficulties. Attendees will learn how these discoveries have improved support and intervention strategies.

Stroke and Dyslexia

Many people associate dyslexia with childhood. However, changes in reading ability can occur later in life. This discussion will examine how strokes can affect reading and language processing at any age and will highlight the complex brain functions involved in reading.


Kirkus Prize Finalists 2026

Since 2014, the Kirkus Prize given annually by Kirkus Reviews to books of exceptional merit. The finalists were announced on August 27, and the winners will be announced during a ceremony at the Tribeca Rooftop in New York on October 7. It will also be livestreamed on Kirkus’ YouTube channel at 6:30 p.m. (Central). Here are the finalists for 2026 that are in the TBP collection.

For more information check out the Kirkus Prize website.

Fiction

KIN by Tayari Jones (DB 135763, LB 0013156)
THIS IS WHERE THE SERPENT LIVES by Daniyal Mueenuddin (DB 134776)
JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart (DB 137822)
COOL MACHINE by Colson Whitehead (DB 139591; IN PROCESS)

Nonfiction

CATCH THE DEVIL: A TRUE STORY OF MURDER AND DECEPTION ON THE GULF COAST by Pamela Colloff (DB 139243; IN PROCESS)
KEEPER OF MY KIN: MEMOIR OF AN IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER by Ada Ferrer (DB 139291; IN PROCESS)
LONDON FALLING: A MYSTERIOUS DEATH IN A GILDED CITY AND A FAMILY’S SEARCH FOR TRUTH by Patrick Radden Keefe (DB 136808, LB 0015028)
DEFIANCE: A MEMOIR OF AWAKENING, REBELLION, AND SURVIVAL IN SYRIA by Loubna Mrie (DB 136843)
HYMN TO LIFE: SHAME HAS TO CHANGE SIDES by Gisèle Pelicot with Judith Perrignon ; translated from the French by Natasha Lehrer and Ruth Diver (DB 136029)
WORLD APPEARS: A JOURNEY INTO CONSCIOUSNESS by Michael Pollan (DB 135626, LB 0013155)

Teen and Young Adult

WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN FOR MIDNIGHT by Blessing Musariri (DB 138768)

Large Print Titles Added to the Collection in August 2026

Image of a set of books under the TBP and TSLAC logo showing new books.

Juvenile Fiction

Action and Adventure Fiction

AMELIA BEDELIA ROAD TRIP!     Parish, Herman    
LB 0015271

THIS IS BLACK PANTHER     West, Alexandra    
LB 0015274

Detective and Mystery Fiction and Thrillers

NATE THE GREAT AND THE SNOWY TRAIL     Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman    
LB 0015272

General Fiction and Novels

ALEXIS AND THE PERFECT RECIPE     Simon, Coco    
LB 0015266

ALEXIS COOL AS A CUPCAKE     Simon, Coco    
LB 0015269

EMMA ALL STIRRED UP!     Simon, Coco    
LB 0015268

EMMA ON THIN ICING     Simon, Coco    
LB 0015265

MIA’S BAKER’S DOZEN     Simon, Coco    
LB 0015267

Picture Books

WINTER WONDERLAND SOUND BOOK         
LB 0015273

September is National Guide Dog Month

Image of a black guide dog walking with a person with a white cane.

Guide dogs lead the way! For our blind and visually disabled patrons, accessible books can lead the way to new worlds and new adventures. Celebrate Guide Dog Month with TBP.

From the library:

EVERY STEP FORWARD: PERSONAL ACCOUNTS OF THE UNIQUE PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN BLIND PEOPLE AND THEIR SEEING EYE DOGS (BR 15966)

PARTNERS IN INDEPENDENCE: A SUCCESS STORY OF DOGS AND THE DISABLED (DB 58508) (BR 15603)

THUNDER DOG: THE TRUE STORY OF A BLIND MAN, HIS GUIDE DOG, AND THE TRIUMPH OF TRUST AT GROUND ZERO (DB 73300) (LB 06970)

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Susan Cummins Miller

Image of Author Susan Cummins Miller and a copy of her book, Death Assemblage with a microphone.

Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Tuesday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with geologist and author, Susan Cummins MIller.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Ms. Cummins Miller’s career and her Frankie MacFarlane Geologist Series, starting with the first book, DEATH ASSEMBLAGE (DBC 18425). Following the talk, there will be a Q&A session.

Our Author Talks are held via Zoom, but you can join using just a telephone!

Participating is easy:

  • Use your landline to dial in via phone.
  • Use the “one-tap” number on your smartphone.
  • Alternatively, join via computer using the Zoom invitation we’ll send a week prior to the event.

To ensure you receive the necessary details, please RSVP in advance.

We invite you to ask Susan Cummins Miller questions about her book. Please submit your questions by October 6. We will select questions based on the responses to this form, and they may be asked during the event! Fill out the form here: Author Questions.

To RSVP, you can fill out our online registration form: Register Here.

Or if you prefer, reply to this email, or call the Talking Book Program at 1-800-252-9605.

Please indicate if you would like us to mail you a digital cartridge with her book or if you prefer to download it from BARD. And, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

DEATH ASSEMBLAGE: FRANKIE MACFARLANE GEOLOGIST, BOOK 1 by Susan Cummins MacFarlane (DBC 18425)

NLS Annotation: The mountains west of Pair-a-Dice, Nevada, hold mysteries geological, historical, and personal. Geologist Frankie MacFarlane has mapped the Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the range for the past three summers. In the final week of her dissertation fieldwork, she searches for an elusive final key to her research: a limestone marker bed—a death assemblage of fossil ammonoids—hidden by dangerous, shifting talus. But as Frankie strives to piece together her geologic jigsaw puzzle, the denizens of Pair-a-Dice, her base of operations, embroil her in a web of ancient and recent murders, a manhunt, kidnappings, and blackmail. 2002.

We look forward to having you join us on Tuesday, October 13!

Large Print Titles Added to the Collection in July 2026

Image of a set of books under the TBP and TSLAC logo showing new books.

Adult Fiction

Detective and Mystery Fiction and Thrillers

STUART WOODS’ DEEP WATER: A STONE BARRINGTON NOVEL     Battles, Brett    
LB 0015257

Science Fiction

CARL’S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO     Dinniman, Matt    
LB 0015256

DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL     Dinniman, Matt    
LB 0015255

Juvenile Fiction

Humorous Fiction

EMMA, SMILE AND SAY CUPCAKE!     Simon, Coco    
LB 0015253

KATIE, BATTER UP!     Simon, Coco    
LB 0015252

MIA’S BOILING POINT     Simon, Coco    
LB 0015254

Newly Recorded and Commercial Conversions Added to the Collection in July 2026

Image of a set of books under the TBP and TSLAC logo showing new books.

Adult Fiction

Detective and Mystery Fiction and Thrillers

THAT OLD SCOUNDREL DEATH: A SHERIFF DAN RHODES MYSTERY     Crider, Bill, 1941-2018|
DBC18802

HATCHET GIRLS     Lansdale, Joe R.
DBC32502

GOLD DUST: A RED RIVER MYSTERY     Wortham, Reavis Z.
DBC26736

LAYING BONES: A TEXAS RED RIVER MYSTERY     Wortham, Reavis Z.
DBC26906

THE TEXAS JOB     Wortham, Reavis Z.
DBC26907

Historical Fiction

COUNTRY OF THE BAD WOLFES: A NOVEL     Blake, James Carlos
DBC25512

CAPTAIN PUTNAM FOR THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS     Haley, James L.
DBC26905

Romance Fiction

OUR SECRET SUMMER     Grey, R. S.
DBC32504

Western Fiction

APACHE LAMENT     Dearen, Patrick
DBC26821

Adult Non-Fiction

Autobiographies and Biographies

SELLING OPPORTUNITY: THE STORY OF MARY KAY     Gavenas, Mary Lisa
DBC18772

TEXAS PEOPLE, TEXAS PLACES: MORE MUSINGS OF THE RAMBLING BOY     Taylor, Lonn, 1940-2019
DBC28880

Music

THE HISTORY OF TEXAS MUSIC    Hartman, Gary
DBC18383

Religion

REDISCOVERING THE FORGOTTEN YOU: TAKE BACK YOUR PASSION, REIGNITE YOUR DREAMS, AND EMBRACE THE LIFE YOU WERE CREATED TO LIVE     Osteen, Joel
DBC32503

U.S. History

FLAMES AFTER MIDNIGHT: MURDER, VENGEANCE, AND THE DESOLATION OF A TEXAS COMMUNITY     Akers, Monte, 1950-
DBC18651