The MacArthur Fellowship is a “no-strings-attached” award in support of people who show exceptional creativity, a promise for future important advances based on a track record of significant accomplishments, and potential for subsequent creative work.
Recipients may be writers, scientists, artists, social scientists, humanists, teachers, entrepreneurs, or individuals in other fields, with or without institutional affiliations.
By providing these individuals with unfettered support in pursuit of creative activities, the Fellows Program seeks to:
Cultivate the next generation of innovators;
Highlight the importance of imaginative thinking in creating objects of beauty that inspire;
Spotlight the value of risk-taking in addressing deep-rooted societal problems; and
Influence how people think about creativity.
The fellowship is not a lifetime achievement award—it is an investment in a person’s originality, insight, and potential. The Fellows Program is proactively working to foster and enable innovative, imaginative, and ground-breaking ideas, thinking, and strategies.
The National Book Awards were established in 1950 to celebrate the best writing in America. Since 1989, they have been overseen by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture. Although other categories have been recognized in the past, the Awards currently honor the best Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature published each year. For more information on the National Book Awards, check out their website.
The longlist of nominees was announced on September 10-13, the finalists were chosen on October 1, and the winners will be selected on November 20, 2024.
The nominees for this year’s National Book Award in the TBP Collection:
Fiction
MOST by Jessica Anthony (DB 123028 IN PROCESS)
CATALINA by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (DB 122898 IN PROCESS)
JAMES by Percival Everett (DB 120063, BR 25513, LB 0000436)
CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner (IN PROCESS)
Nonfiction
THERE’S ALWAYS THIS YEAR: ON BASKETBALL AND ASCENSION by Hanif Abdurraqib (DB 120391)
OUR MOON: A HUMAN HISTORY by Rebecca Boyle (DB 119114)
SOLDIERS AND KINGS: SURVIVAL AND HOPE IN THE WORLD OF HUMAN SMUGGLING by Jason De León (DB 120057)
KNIFE: MEDITATIONS AFTER AN ATTEMPTED MURDER by Salman Rushdie (DB 120670, LB 0000205)
WHISKEY TENDER: A MEMOIR by Deborah Jackson Taffa (DB 122374)
Poetry
MODERN POETRY by Diane Seuss (DBC 29783)
Translated Literature
WOODWORM by Layla Martínez Translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes and Annie McDermott (DB 122026 IN PROCESS)
PINK SLIME by Fernanda Trías Translated from Spanish by Heather Cleary (DB 123146 IN PROCESS)
Young People’s Literature
WILD DREAMERS by Margarita Engle (DB 121046)
EVERYTHING WE NEVER HAD by Randy Ribay (IN PROCESS)
UNBOXING OF A BLACK GIRL by Angela Shanté (DB 122085)
When we think of horror, we often think of horror fiction, but there are a whole lot of books out there that look at horror through a nonfiction lens. From cookbooks to memoirs of horror authors and actors to books for those who wish to write horror, our list below explores the books in our collection that celebrate the real-life world of horror.
101 HORROR BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU’RE MURDERED by Sadie Hartmann (DB 116186)
AMERICAN MONSTERS: A HISTORY OF MONSTER LORE, LEGENDS, AND SIGHTINGS IN AMERICA by Linda S. Godfrey (DB 119438)
DEMONIC FOES: MY TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AS A PSYCHIATRIST INVESTIGATING POSSESSIONS, DIABOLIC ATTACKS, AND THE PARANORMAL by Richard Gallagher (DB 102471)
HAUNTED: ON GHOSTS, WITCHES, VAMPIRES, ZOMBIES, AND OTHER MONSTERS OF THE NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL WORLDS by Leo Braudy (DB 88293)
IMMORTAL COUNT: THE LIFE AND FILMS OF BELA LUGOSI by Arthur Lennig (DB 90211)
LOVECRAFT COCKTAILS: ELIXIRS & LIBATIONS FROM THE LORE OF H. P. LOVECRAFT by Mike Slater (DB 109216, BR 24273)
ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT by Stephen King (DB 50873, BR 12802)
POE-LAND: THE HALLOWED HAUNTS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE by J. W. Ocker (DB 89440)
SHIRLEY JACKSON: A RATHER HAUNTED LIFE by Ruth Franklin (DB 87504)
SHOCK VALUE: HOW A FEW ECCENTRIC OUTSIDERS GAVE US NIGHTMARES, CONQUERED HOLLYWOOD, AND INVENTED MODERN HORROR by Jason Zinoman (DB 73840)
SISTER OF DARKNESS: THE CHRONICLES OF A MODERN EXORCIST by R. H. Stavis (DB 88993)
WRITERS WORKSHOP OF HORROR 2 (DB 110486)
YOURS CRUELLY, ELVIRA: MEMOIRS OF THE MISTRESS OF THE DARK by Elvira (DB 105470)
ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE: COMPLETE PROTECTION FROM THE LIVING DEAD by Max Brooks (DB 64675)
Did you know that the movie Candyman was based on the short story, Forbidden by Clive Barker? Maybe you already knew that the film The Ring was based on a Japanese film Ringu. But did you know that it was based on a book by Koji Suzuki?
Take the opportunity to read the books that your favorite horror films were based on. Who knows what neat insights you’ll gain?
This list is not exhaustive. Obviously, Stephen King is no slouch when it comes to turning his books into movies. When composing this list, we tried to come up with a broad selection of authors and to showcase some of the lesser-known books and movies. We hope you find something new.
Here is a selection of Horror books that movies were based upon in the TBP collection.
Series
Hannibal Lecter Series by Thomas Harris
HANNIBAL RISING (DB 63101)
RED DRAGON (DB 17472, LB 12315)
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (DB 27020, BR 13149, LB 12314)
HANNIBAL (DB 48524, BR 12326)
Howling by Gary Brandner
HOWLING (DB 88159)
HOWLING. BOOKS 2-3 (DB 95710)
Interview with the Vampire Series by Ann Rice
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (DB 61222)
VAMPIRE LESTAT (DB 23006)
QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (DB 28034)
Jaws by Peter Benchley and Hank Searls
JAWS (DB 62714, BR 02585, BT 13569)
JAWS TWO (DB 12324)
JAWS: THE REVENGE (DB 26034)
Psycho by Robert Bloch
PSYCHO (DB 19378)
PSCYHO II (DB 19431)
Ringu/Ring
RING, BOOKS 1-3 by Koji Suzuki (DB 87453)
Shining by Stephen King
SHINING (DB 51373, BR 13271)
DOCTOR SLEEP (DB 77471, BR 20278, LB 08197)
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
WARM BODIES (DB 76132)
BURNING WORLD (DB 88406)
Stand-Alone Novels
American Psycho
AMERICAN PSYCHO by Bret Easton Ellis (DB 32488, en español DBG 18731)
Audition
AUDITION by Ryū Murakami (DB 118769)
Bird Box
BIRD BOX by Josh Malerman (DB 79311, BR 21868)
Burnt Offerings
BURNT OFFERINGS by Robert Marasco (DB 116019)
Candyman
“Forbidden” in IN THE FLESH by Clive Barker (DB 26337)
Dark Harvest
DARK HARVEST by Norman Partridge (DB 88901)
Entity
ENTITY by Frank De Felitta (DB 14322)
Exorcist
EXORCIST by William Peter Blatty (DB 12688, BR 11946, en español DB 18790)
Fall of the House of Usher
COMPLETE POEMS by Edgar Allan Poe (DB 45236)
COMPLETE STORIES by Edgar Allan Poe (DB 44929)
Ghost Story
GHOST STORY by Peter Straub (DB 13843, BR 04623)
Girl with All the Gifts
GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M. R. Carey (DB 80678)
Hellraiser
HELLBOUND HEART by Clive Barker (DB 86114)
House
HOUSE by Frank E. Peretti and Ted Dekker (DB 96915)
The Innocents
TURN OF THE SCREW by Henry James (DB 18129, BR 06763, LB 00333)
John Dies at the End
JOHN DIES AT THE END by David Wong (DB 76551)
Last Man on Earth/Omega Man/I am Legend
I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson (DB 47903, BR 19204)
Let Me In
LET ME IN by John Ajvide Lindqvist (DB 71940)
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM by Grady Hendrix (DB 86233)
The Other
OTHER by Thomas Tryon (DB 59339)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES by Seth Grahame-Smith (DB 69090)
Ritual
RITUAL by Adam L. G. Nevill (BR 19805)
Ruins
RUINS by Scott Smith (DB 63204)
Rosemary’s Baby
ROSEMARY’S BABY by Ira Levin (DB 61169, BR 00521)
Something Wicked This Way Comes
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (DB 50233, BR 12583)
Stir of Echoes
STIR OF ECHOES by Richard Matheson (DB 115328)
The Thing
“Who Goes There” in BEST OF JOHN W. CAMPBELL (DB 74085)
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson (DB 26614, LB 00388)
World War Z
WORLD WAR Z: AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE ZOMBIE WAR by Max Brooks (DB 65111, DB 111997, BR 21136)
With the recent passing of native Texan and singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson, we thought it would be a great time to celebrate him and the other renegades who changed the course of country music. In the 1970s and 80s, they fought for and won their creative freedom outside of the Nashville establishment.
Below we’ve included general books about the outlaw movement and biographies and autobiographies on the individual musicians who participated in it.
General
BAKERSFIELD SOUND: HOW A GENERATION OF DISPLACED OKIES REVOLUTIONIZED AMERICAN MUSIC by Robert E. Price (DBC 16152)
OUTLAW: WAYLON, WILLIE, KRIS, AND THE RENEGADES OF NASHVILLE by Michael Streissguth (DB 91185)
WILLIE, WAYLON, AND THE BOYS: HOW NASHVILLE OUTSIDERS CHANGED COUNTRY MUSIC FOREVER by Brian Fairbanks (DB 121918)
Johnny Cash
CASH: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Johnny Cash (DB 48368, BRG 01737, LB 04558)
JOHNNY CASH: THE BIOGRAPHY by Michael Streissguth (DB 63854, BR 17221)
JOHNNY CASH: THE LIFE by Robert Hilburn (DB 77605)
JOHNNY CASH: THE REDEMPTION OF AN AMERICAN ICON by Greg Laurie (DB 113719)
MAN IN BLACK by Johnny Cash (DB 58372, BRG 04590)
Jessi Colter
OUTLAW AND A LADY: A MEMOIR OF MUSIC, LIFE WITH WAYLON, AND THE FAITH THAT BROUGHT ME HOME by Jessi Colter (DB 95936)
Steve Earle
I’LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE by Steve Earle (DBC 11863)
Merle Haggard
HAG: THE LIFE, TIMES, AND MUSIC OF MERLE HAGGARD by Marc Eliot (DB 106389)
SING ME BACK HOME: MY STORY by Merle Haggard (DBC 14316)
Waylon Jennings
WAYLON: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Waylon Jennings (DB 43334)
Willie Nelson
IT’S A LONG STORY: MY LIFE by Willie Nelson (DB 81617, LB 09217)
WILLIE: AN UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIE NELSON by Michael Bane (DB 23224)
Marty Robbins
TWENTIETH CENTURY DRIFTER: THE LIFE OF MARTY ROBBINS by Diane Diekman (DB 97778)
Tanya Tucker
NICKEL DREAMS: MY LIFE by Tanya Tucker (DB 48356, LB 04599)
Townes Van Zandt
TO LIVE’S TO FLY: THE BALLAD OF THE LATE, GREAT TOWNES VAN ZANDT by John Kruth (DBC 04839)
Vote for your favorite one as Fat Bear Week returns to Katmai National Park and Preserve October 2-8, 2024. Choose the bear that you think has what it takes to survive the winter and experience the crowning of the champion on October 8 at https://explore.org/fat-bear-week.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Fat Bear Week, we’ve created a list of books about bears! So read and learn about why it’s important for bears to gain weight before winter and then use that knowledge to vote on the biggest bear for Fat Bear Week.
Adult
BEARS: A BRIEF HISTORY by Bernd Brunner (DB 69521)
EIGHT BEARS: MYTHIC PAST AND IMPERILED FUTURE by Gloria Dickie (DB 119616)
MONARCH OF DEADMAN BAY: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A KODIAK BEAR by Roger A. Caras (DB 59487, BR 01168)
WHAT THE BEARS KNOW by Steve Searles (LB 0000124)
Juvenile
BEARMAN: EXPLORING THE WORLD OF BLACK BEARS by Laurence Pringle (BR 08735) Grades 4-7
BEARS by Ian Stirling (DB 36826) Grades 3-6
GROWL!: A BOOK ABOUT BEARS by Melvin Berger (BT 03537) Grades 2-4
MOON OF THE BEARS: THE THIRTEEN MOONS by Jean Craighead George (DB 38469, BR 09636) Grades 3-6
TWO ORPHAN CUBS by Barbara Brenner (DB 33711) Grades Kindergarten-3
Hulu and Disney+ are now streaming a four-part drama based on the first book in C. J. Sansom’s MATTHEW SHARDLAKE MYSTERY SERIES.
This made us wonder: what other medieval mystery series do we have in our collection? Many historians consider the Medieval Era to last from 500 CE to 1500 CE. We have included a couple of series that take place a little later. However, all are set prior to 1700 CE. From barristers to novice nuns to a medical student, this list includes medieval people from all areas of life solving crimes in a medieval setting. We’ve listed the first book in the series to get you started.
So, you’re moving to another state. That is always stressful. There are so many things to think about: packing all of your things, finding a new place to live, MOVING all of your stuff, and then unpacking. It is a BEAR. So don’t let your Talking Book Program service be just one more thing to worry about. We’re here to put your mind at ease.
First, no matter which state you move to, there is a Talking Book Program service. EVERYONE who is eligible for service can obtain service, no matter which state you live in. You can find your new state’s regional Talking Book Program at NLS Find Your Library.
We can transfer your service to whichever state you’re moving to. Once you’ve obtained your new address, give us a call about a week prior to your move at 1-800-252-9605, or send an email to tbp.services@tsl.texas.gov.
If you have a talking book player, let us know, and we’ll alert your new state that you’re bringing one with you. Please send all other materials, magazines, and book cartridges, as well as physical braille materials, back to us here in Texas.
We also realize you may need information about disability resources in your new state. Here are a few ideas for finding them:
First, ask your new Talking Book Program library staff. They may know and even have a list of disability-related organizations. In fact, you can also call us at the Texas library. We have a Disability Information and Referral Center, and our librarian can research agencies in other states.
2-1-1: Try calling 2-1-1 to locate local information and resources. This is a free information and referral service that is available in every state.
Eldercare Locator: 800-677-1116 (call or chat, Monday – Friday, 8 am – 9 pm, Eastern) Eldercare Locator can provide contacts for state agencies such as Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC’s) and Area Agencies on Aging (AAA’s) which can connect you to more specific resources.
The National Federation for the Blind (NFB) and the American Council for the Blind (ACB) both have links to state affiliates:
Maybe you’re moving abroad, which is very exciting! We STILL have you covered. The NLS Overseas Service assists US citizens who qualify for the service and live outside of the United States. Eligible non-US citizens who are dependents of active-duty military or diplomatic personnel may also apply for service. Just contact them to let them know to which country you’re moving. Here is the contact information for the Overseas Service below:
Overseas Service National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled 1291 Taylor Street, NW Washington, DC 20542
American actor known for his iconic voice acting roles and for his work in theater, James Earl Jones, died at his home on September 9, 2024, at the age of 93. He overcame a severe stutter to become one of the greatest actors of his era. Over his career, he received three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Below we have his autobiography. We hope this gives you a chance to learn about his experiences in his own words.
JAMES EARL JONES: VOICES AND SILENCES by James Earl Jones (DB 38707)
2025 is right around the corner, and we have the perfect item to help you start the year off right. The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled provides braille and print/braille calendars to its patrons free of charge. Calendars are available in two sizes: a larger wall calendar in print/braille and a smaller, pocket-sized calendar in braille only. Best of all, you can order multiple copies of each calendar.
Once you are subscribed, you will receive a calendar each year unless you choose to stop your subscription. If you received calendars in 2024, you do not need to order again, unless you want to change the type or number of calendars that you receive. Calendars for 2025 will be shipped this fall.
To get your calendar, e-mail tbp.services@tsl.texas.gov or call 1-800-252-9605 and let us know which calendar you would like to order.
