Author Archives: Sheila Hubertus

TBP Book Club Title Announced for September 2023!

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Please join us on Thursday, September 21 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) for our Book Club discussion of BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS by Jillian Cantor (DB 106770).

We host our Book Club meetings via Zoom, however all you need to participate is a telephone. If you have a landline, we will provide a telephone number for you to dial. If you have a smartphone, we will email you an easy “one click” number you can use to join the discussion. We will also email a Zoom invitation to those who prefer to use a computer. This information will be sent to all patrons who RSVP a week prior to the book club meeting.

To register, please call the Talking Book Program at 1-800-252-9605, or email us at tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov.

BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS is available by mail as a digital cartridge. It is also available to download on BARD.

We ask that everyone remember the following:

  • Be courteous and respectful of differing opinions.
  • Keep discussion points concise and relevant to the book.
  • Keep external distractions to a minimum.

BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS by Jillian Cantor: Reexamines THE GREAT GATSBY (DB 16147) through its female characters. Jay Gatsby is shot dead in his swimming pool. It appears to be a murder/suicide when the body of George Wilson, a local mechanic, is found in the woods nearby. Then a diamond hairpin is discovered, and three women fall under suspicion. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2022.

We look forward to having you join us on September 21!

2023 Pulitzer Prize Winners

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The 2023 Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced! The Pulitzer Prize, established in 1917 by provisions in the will of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, is a prestigious award with 21 categories honoring achievements in journalism, literature, and music. For the first time in its 105-year history, two books were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction! Check them out, along with the other literature winners, through the Talking Book Program:

Fiction
DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver
DB 110786, LB 14284

TRUST by Hernán Díaz
DB 107949

History
FREEDOM’S DOMINION: A SAGA OF WHITE RESISTANCE TO FEDERAL POWER by Jefferson Cowie
DB 112071 (IN PROCESS)

Biography
G-MAN: J. EDGAR HOOVER AND THE MAKING OF THE AMERICAN CENTURY by Beverly Gage
DB 111434

Memoir or Autobiography
STAY TRUE: A MEMOIR by Hua Hsu
DB 110669

General Nonfiction
HIS NAME IS GEORGE FLOYD: ONE MAN’S LIFE AND THE STRUGGLE FOR RACIAL JUSTICE by Robert Samuels
DBC 26540, LB 14083

Short Stories for Shorter Days

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Winter is here. The days are shorter, and you’re still recovering from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, so ease back into reading with these quick and accessible novellas and short story collections:

TENTH OF DECEMBER: STORIES by SAUNDERS, GEORGE (DB 76097, BR 19818; 5 hours 46 minutes)
Collection of ten short stories by the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant winner. In “Home” a veteran deals with reuniting with family members who have no clue about the man he has become. In the title story a suicidal cancer patient crosses paths with an imaginative boy. Strong language. Bestseller. 2013.

SWIMMERS: A NOVEL by OTSUKA, JULIE (DB 107007 and LB 13711; 4 hours 8 minutes)
The swimmers are unknown to one another except through their private routines (slow lane, medium lane, fast lane) and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world. Commercial audiobook. 2022.

WHAT IT MEANS WHEN A MAN FALLS FROM THE SKY: STORIES by ARIMAH, LESLEY NNEKA (DBC 27201; 5 hours 20 minutes)
A collection of stories exploring the ties that bind parents and children, husbands and wives, lovers, and friends to one another and to the places they call home. Commercial audiobook. Adult. Unrated.

CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS by NATSUKAWA, SOSUKE (DB 106176 and LB 13877; 5 hours 8 minutes)
Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat named Tiger appears and demands the teenager’s help in saving misused books. Translated from the original 2017 Japanese edition. Unrated. 2021.

WHAT IS NOT YOURS IS NOT YOURS by OYEYEMI, HELEN (DB 85048 and BR 23506; 7 hours 42 minutes)
Themes of keys and locks abound in this collection of nine loosely linked short stories. In “Books and Roses,” a baby is left at a monastery with a golden key around her neck. Some strong language. 2016.

BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD by KAWAGUCHI, TOSHIKAZU (DB 102743; 6 hours 54 minutes)
In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop also offers the chance to travel back in time. Over the course of one summer, four customers hope to make that journey. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

FIVE TUESDAYS IN WINTER: STORIES by KING, LILY (DB 106197 and LB 13872; 6 hours 12 minutes)
A collection of short stories both fresh and previously published from the author of WRITERS & LOVERS (DB 98766) and EUFORIA (DB 103589). The author explores themes of desire and heartache, loss and discovery, moments of jolting violence, and the inexorable tug toward love. Unrated. 2021.

HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by ADAMS, DOUGLAS (DB 18339 and BR 14438; 5 hours 49 minutes)
When the Earth is demolished to make room for a galactic freeway, sole earth survivor Arthur Dent is forced to take up a life of hitchhiking around the cosmos with the aid of an alien friend and a book called “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Deadpan science fiction parody.

AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE: STORIES by ELLIS, HELEN (DB 83382; 3 hours 48 minutes)
A collection of short stories exploring the dark world of domesticity, and featuring, among others, murderous ladies who lunch, celebrity treasure hunters, and a bra fitter. The story settings include a haunted prewar apartment building, a book club initiation ritual, and a pageant princess’s getaway car. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2016.

GIRL WHO READS ON THE METRO by FERET-FLEURY, CHRISTINE (DB 97251 and BR 23536; 4 hours 49 minutes)
One morning in Paris, Juliette walks through a rusty gate wedged open with a book, into the bizarre and enchanting lives of Soliman and his young daughter, Zaide. Soliman hires Juliette to take used books into the world and match them with readers. Translated from the 2017 French edition. 2019.

Remembering Loretta Lynn

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Loretta Lynn, known as the “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 4, 2022, at the age of 90. Though she never had any formal music training, Loretta made her name in country music, writing songs that drew from her own life experiences growing up in a loving but poor family as one of eight children in a Kentucky mining town. Loretta earned many accolades throughout her music career, including three Grammys, eight Country Music Association Awards (among them the honor of being named the first female artist to win the Entertainer of the Year Award), and member of the Grand Ole Opry.

We have compiled a reading list of books in the TBP collection that will give readers a peek into the life and legacy of Loretta Lynn:

ME & PATSY, KICKIN’ UP DUST: MY FRIENDSHIP WITH PATSY CLINE by LYNN, LORETTA (DB 99902 and LB 12843)
A country music legend looks back on her friendship with fellow icon Patsy Cline, who died at age thirty-one in 1963. They met when Lynn’s career was just getting started, but Cline was a star. Cline became a friend and mentor who was taken too soon. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

LORETTA LYNN: COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER by LYNN, LORETTA (DB 47599)
The country music star from Butcher Holler, Kentucky, recalls her life from rags to riches. Lynn emphasizes the importance of her twenty-five-year-old marriage and her faith in people and in God.

STILL WOMAN ENOUGH: A MEMOIR by LYNN, LORETTA (DB 54166)
Country singer continues her autobiography begun in COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER. Includes reminiscences of her career and friendship with Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, and other entertainers; her stormy marriage to her late husband, Doolittle Lynn; and her relationships with her children. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2002.

COUNTRY MUSIC: A HISTORY by DUNCAN, DAYTON (DB 96527)
Companion to the PBS documentary series chronicles country music from its roots in the American South to the modern commercial successes of the genre, which encompasses a wide range of sounds and styles. Profiles and interviews some of country’s biggest stars (including Loretta Lynn). Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

SING ME BACK HOME: LOVE, DEATH, AND COUNTRY MUSIC by JENNINGS, DANA ANDREW (DB 68110)
New York Times editor explains the ways the classic country music of the 1950s to 1970s resonated with the rural, working-class lives of his New Hampshire family and neighbors. Discusses legendary musicians like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Loretta Lynn and their effect on audiences. Strong language. 2008.

CLASSIC COUNTRY MUSIC: A SMITHSONIAN COLLECTION by MALONE, BILL (available for download though BARD: DBM 03645. For a physical cartridge contact the NLS Music Division: nlsm@loc.gov or 800-424-8567 ext. 2)
A Smithsonian Folkways recording. “The recordings presented [here]… are intended to be both historically representative and esthetically appealing; thus, the listener can enjoy hearing the music and at the same time gain an understanding of its sources, evolution, styles, and meaning. The set accurately documents country music’s past and offers a good cross-section of the newer performers and styles”—Publisher’s note (includes “Coal Miner’s Daughter” by Loretta Lynn and “After the Fire is Gone” by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty).

Secretive Students

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School is back in session, so what better way to celebrate than by reading books about elite schools and universities full of students who are definitely harboring secrets and are maybe involved in dangerous escapades? Knowledge certainly is power in these novels:


THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt (DB 35868)
When Richard Papen is accepted at a small Vermont college, he gladly leaves his boring California identity behind. After he makes up an appropriate past, Richard is allowed to join an elite group of students who take all their classes from one professor. Richard learns that the clique is hiding some odd secrets—and one deadly one. The members trust Richard, but they are not so sure of one of their own. Strong language and violence.

ACE OF SPADES by Faridah Abike-Iyimide (DB 103918)
Shortly after the announcement that Devon and Chiamaka will be part of an elite school’s Senior Prefects, someone who goes by the name Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that threaten to turn their lives upside down. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2021.

WE WISH YOU LUCK by Caroline Zancan (DB 98209)
The students in Fielding’s MFA program are fascinated by Leslie, Hannah, and Jimmy. The trio do not take well to new visiting professor Simone—a bestselling author and former model—and plot revenge against her for reasons unknown to the other students. Unrated.

BRADSTREET GATE by Robin Kirman (DB 82108)
When a Harvard student is murdered, Professor Rufus Storrow is the prime suspect. Three of his students—Georgia, Charlie, and Alice—are in disbelief. Their own relationships are a tangled mess, and as they sort through their lives, they bear witness to each other’s and Storrow’s highs and lows. Unrated.

CATHERINE HOUSE by Elisabeth Thomas (DB 99407)
Catherine House, a college secluded in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, offers students an elite education, free of charge. The only catch is students must remain completely cut off from the outside world for three years. New student Ines Murillo arrives at Catherine House hoping to escape her past. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS by Marisha Pessl (DB 63286)
Blue Van Meer, erudite daughter of an itinerant professor, settles into Stockton, North Carolina, for her senior year in an elite high school. But she is unprepared for the deaths of a student and a favorite teacher. Some strong language.

BLACK CHALK by Christopher Yates (DB 89950)
As played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University, what was meant to be a game of consequences, silly forfeits, and childish dares evolved into a vicious struggle with tragic results. Fourteen years later, the remaining players must play the final round. Strong language.

LONG BLACK VEIL by Jennifer Finney Boylan (DB 91470)
In 1980, six college students sneak into the dilapidated ruins of Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary. When the friends get lost and separated, the terrifying night ends in tragedy. Decades later, the dogged detective investigating the cold case charges one of them—a celebrity chef—with murder. Strong language and some violence.

THE LYING GAME by Ruth Ware (BR 22055 and DB 88914)
Isa became fast friends with Kate, Thea, and Fatima while they all attended boarding school. Seventeen years later, Kate summons the others back to Salten, where they learn that the lying game, they used to play had very real consequences. Strong language and some descriptions of sex.

THE CLUB by Takis Würger (DB 99521)
After the death of his parents, Hans is sent to boarding school until his Aunt Alex summons him to the university she works at in Cambridge. She needs him to infiltrate a secretive institution known as the Pitt Club. Unrated.

THE MAIDENS by Alex Michaelides (DB 103810)
Mariana Andros is a brilliant—but troubled—group therapist who becomes fixated on the members of a secret society of female students at Cambridge University known as The Maidens. When a friend of her niece is found murdered, she is convinced that charismatic professor Edward Fosca is responsible. Unrated.

BUNNY by Mona Awad (DB 95562)
Samantha Heather Mackey is an outsider in her master’s program because she’s a scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to the company of people—especially the clique of women who call each other “Bunny.” But then she is drawn into their world. Unrated.

Dog Days of Summer

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The dog days of summer, coinciding with the alignment of the constellation Sirius with the sun from July 3-August 11, are upon us. The dog days of summer are typically the hottest days of the season, so lean into the heat with these summer reads for adults and youth:

ADULT FICTION

SAG HARBOR by Colson Whitehead (DB 69066; BR 18616)
Long Island, 1985. Upper-middle-class African American teenager Benji spends another summer at the beach with his brother and his parents, a Manhattan doctor, and a lawyer. Benji finds relief from prep school and a part-time job and learns a few lessons on growing up. Strong language. 2009.

DANDELION WINE: A NOVEL by Ray Bradbury (DB 12385)
Evocative novel of childhood set in a small Illinois town during the summer of 1938. A boy marvels at his discovery that he is alive and acutely aware of the life about him.

PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry (DB 103191)
Travel writer Poppy and her friend Alex could not be more different, but they bonded on a road trip home from college and afterwards took annual vacations together. Unfortunately, their last vacation ruined everything between them. Two years later Poppy talks Alex into one more trip together. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2021.

SUMMER ON THE BLUFFS: A NOVEL by Sunny Hostin (DB 103563)
Thirty years ago, Amelia Vaux Tanner and her husband built a house in Oak Bluffs, an exclusive African American enclave of Martha’s Vineyard. She invites her three goddaughters to spend the summer, as she decides which woman will inherit the house. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.

MALIBU RISING by Taylor Jenkins Reid (DB 103564)
In the summer of 1983, Nina Riva was hosting her annual celebrity-filled party, despite the impending end of her marriage. Nina and her three siblings, all connected to the world of surfing, might have survived their unconventional upbringing, but each is hiding secrets. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2021.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME by Andre Aciman (DB 65344; BR 22904)
Each summer Elio’s parents host a scholar in their home on the Italian Riviera. Oliver, a young academic from America arrives, igniting in seventeen-year-old Elio a passionate longing and desire. Years later Elio recollects his search for intimacy during that transformative season. Some descriptions of sex. 2007.

LIFEGUARDS by Amanda Eyre Ward (DB 107638)
Whitney, Annette, and Liza have raised their children together for fifteen years. Their friendship is as safe as the Austin neighborhood where they’ve raised their sweet little boys. Or so they think. One night, the boys share a secret that will shatter the perfect world their mothers have so painstakingly created. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2022.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

LOVE IS A REVOLUTION by Renee Watson (DB 102792)
Harlem teenager Nala is looking forward to a summer of movies and ice cream until she falls in love with the very woke Tye and pretends to be a social activist. For senior high and older readers. 2021.

BLACKOUT (DB 104186)
Six interconnected short stories of warmth and electricity of Black teen love in New York City during a summer blackout. Acclaimed, award-winning authors include Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2021.

SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS by Ann Brashares (DB 53252; LB 04827; BR 13765)
Four fifteen-year-olds, “Bridget the athlete, Lena the beauty, Tibby the rebel, and Carmen, the one with the bad temper”, have been friends since childhood. During this first summer apart, they share a pair of used jeans that magically fits each of them perfectly and helps them through tough times. For senior high readers. 2001.

WHAT IF IT’S US by Becky Albertalli (DB 92949)
When Arthur, a summer intern from Georgia, and Ben, a native New Yorker, meet, it feels like fate. But after three failed attempts at dating, they wonder if the universe is pushing them together or apart. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2018.

HARLEM SUMMER by Walter Dean Myers (DB 65655; BR 17320)
Harlem, 1925. Sixteen-year-old saxophone-playing Mark Purvis is hired by an African American magazine one summer. But when he does a shady delivery job for his idol, musical genius Fats Waller, something goes wrong, and gangster Dutch Schultz comes after Mark for money. For senior high readers. 2007.

WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart (DB 79109; BR 20594)
Spending the summers on her family’s private island off the coast of Massachusetts with her cousins and a special boy named Gat, teenaged Cadence struggles to remember what happened during her fifteenth summer. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2014.

JUVENILE FICTION

HOLES by Louis Sachar (DB 47444; LB 04941; BT 03955)
Stanley Yelnats IV finds himself in a detention center for possessing stolen property that he didn’t take. While digging holes under the summer Texas sun, he sees a fellow inmate running away—and follows him. Legends, loyalty, and buried treasure are revealed as Stanley learns to survive. Newbery Medal Winner.

THREE WILLOWS: THE SISTERHOOD GROWS by Ann Brashares (DB 68648)
In the summer before ninth grade, three longtime friends explore separate paths. Jo deals with her parents’ divorce, her interest in an older boy, and an awkward visit from Polly. Meanwhile academic-minded Ama feels out of place on a wilderness trip learning to rock climb. For grades 6-9. 2009.

GIRLS OF JULY by Alex Flinn (DB 95793)
Four girls—Britta, Meredith, Kate, and Spider, only two of whom had met before—spend an unforgettable July with Spider’s aunt in the Adirondacks. Told in separate voices. Commercial audiobook. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2019.

MARE’S WAR by Tanita S. Davis (DB 70850; BR 18763)
Teens Octavia and Tali reluctantly take a cross-country road trip with their eighty-year-old grandmother. But Mare’s stories about growing up black in 1940s Alabama and running away from home to join the army during World War II make the journey worthwhile. For grades 6-9. Coretta Scott King Honor Book. 2009.

Stay cool, and happy reading!

CELEBRATE WITH PRIDE

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Pride month is celebrated each year during the month of June. The first Pride march was held in New York City on June 28, 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Since then, this single day has grown into a nationwide, month-long series of events celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. Read more about Pride Month on the Library of Congress website: https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/ and mark this month yourself by checking out one of these Pride books by and about LGBTQIA+ individuals:

FICTION

LESS by Andrew Sean Greer (DB 88794, LB 10273, BR 22198)
A failed novelist turning fifty is invited to his ex-boyfriend’s wedding. Instead of attending, he decides to accept every other invitation he has received, even if it means traveling the world for random, odd literary events. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Pulitzer Prize for fiction, 2018. 2017.

LIAR’S DICTIONARY by Eley Williams (DB 103312, LB 13379)
Peter Winceworth, Victorian lexicographer, is toiling away on Swansby’s multivolume Encyclopaedic Dictionary, but boredom leads him to insert fictitious entries. In the present day, Mallory, a young intern employed by the publisher, is tasked with uncovering these fake words before the work is digitized. Unrated. 2021.

HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA by TJ Klune (DB 98951)
As a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, Linus Baker spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. He is unexpectedly given a highly classified assignment: travel to a remote island orphanage where six dangerous children reside. Some strong language. 2020.

MEMORIAL by Bryan Washington (DB 101143)
Japanese American chef, Mike, and African American daycare teacher, Benson, begin reevaluating their stale relationship after Mike departs for Japan to visit his dying father and Benson is suddenly stuck with Mike’s mom, who becomes an unconventional roommate. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. 2020.

GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER by Bernadine Evaristo (DB 98756)
Twelve characters lead vastly different lives in modern Britain. From a nonbinary social media influencer to a 93-year-old woman living on a farm in Northern England, they all intersect in shared aspects of their identities, from age to race to sexuality to class. Unrated. Booker Prize. 2019.

GUNCLE by Steven Rowley (DB 103560)
It’s been years since Patrick O’Hara left behind the life of a sitcom star for retirement in Palm Springs. Now a family tragedy has left him in charge of his niece and nephew. While he has always loved being Gay Uncle Patrick, this new responsibility is overwhelming. Unrated. 2021.

NONFICTION

QUEER HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES by Michael Bronski (DB 00573)
Using numerous primary documents and literature, as well as social histories, takes the reader through the centuries, from the American Revolution’s radical challenging of sex and gender roles, to the violent and liberating 19th century, to the transformative social justice movements of the 20th century. A QUEER HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES is not so much about queer history as it is about all American history–and why it should matter to both LGBTQIA+ people and heterosexuals alike. Some strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.

HERE FOR IT: OR, HOW TO SAVE YOUR SOUL IN AMERICA: ESSAYS by Eric R. Thomas (DB 98878)
A collection of essays in which the author reflects on his experiences reconciling his Christianity with his sexuality, the exhaustion of code-switching, gaining accidental internet fame, and covering the 2016 election and its aftermath. He reexamines the meaning of “normal” and discusses how to care about an increasingly bleak future. Strong language. 2020.

SISSY: A COMING-OF-GENDER STORY by Jacob Tobia (DB 94505)
Tobia discusses their difficulties with a binary gender system while growing up as someone who did not fit the stereotypical mold for masculinity. Tobia seeks to discount the notion that all individuals can be easily sorted into the categories of “men” and “women”. Strong language and descriptions of sex. 2019.

UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle (DB 98981, LB 13258)
The author of CARRY ON, WARRIOR (DB 87208) and LOVE WARRIOR (DB 85522) suggests that trusting one’s inner voice and ignoring the world’s expectations can lead to joy and peace. She speaks of her own experiences learning to listen to herself at key moments and reclaim her true, untamed self. Strong language. Bestseller. 2020.

TOMORROW WILL BE DIFFERENT: LOVE, LOSS, AND THE FIGHT FOR TRANS EQUALITY by Sarah McBride (DB 90649)
Activist author discusses her journey as a teenager struggling with gender identity, her marriage to fellow trans individual Andy, her commitment to advocacy, and more. Examines issues such as bathroom access and healthcare, political milestones, and the historical context of the transgender movement. Bestseller. 2018.

Happy Pride Month, and happy reading!

MAY 2022 BOOK CLUB TITLE ANNOUNCED!

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Please join us on Thursday, May 19 at 7 p.m. (CST) for our Book Club discussion of RULES FOR VISITING by Jessica Francis Kane (DB 95255 and BR 22927)

We host our Book Club meetings via toll free conference call. All you need to participate is a telephone!

To register, please call the Talking Book Program at 1-800-252-9605; or email us at tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov.

RULES FOR VISITING is available by mail as a digital cartridge. It is also available to download on BARD.

Please indicate if you would like us to mail you the digital cartridge, or if you will download it from BARD.

We ask that everyone remember the following:

  • Be courteous and respectful of differing opinions.
  • Keep discussion points concise and relevant to the book.
  • Keep external distractions to a minimum.

RULES FOR VISITING byJessica Francis Kane

When May Attaway is granted leave from her job as a university gardener, she decides to try to reconnect with friends she has neglected. One by one, she seeks out four of them, and her outward quest for connection also becomes an inward journey of self-discovery. Some strong language. (DB 95255 and BR 22927)

We look forward to having you join us on May 19!

NLS Aspiring Leaders Internship Program Accepting Applications for Summer 2022

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The National Library Service (NLS) is now accepting applications through March 1, 2022, for the Summer 2022 NLS Aspiring Leaders Internship Program.

Established through the National Library for the Blind Endowment, this paid internship offers legally blind individuals the opportunity to work at NLS in areas that support services for the blind, including collections building, program delivery, and business oversight and management. Interns will gain valuable experience and explore potential career options while being guided through mentorships and developmental activities. The program has spring, summer, and fall sessions, between ten to twelve weeks each session. All interns work remotely.

Application Process

Currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students and those who have graduated within the past five years from an accredited two-year or four-year college or university are eligible to apply. In addition, applicants must be:

  • US citizens
  • legally blind
  • able to work remotely

A complete application package includes a cover letter expressing interest, a federal-style resume, a recent official or unofficial transcript, and an application form that is completed online.

Applicants interested in the Summer 2022 session should submit a completed application by March 1.

To learn more about the program and the application process, visit www.loc.gov/nls/about/internship-program. 

For more information, please contact: Erica Vaughns, Head, NLS Administrative Services, NLSInternships@loc.gov

February is Black History Month

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Celebrate Black History Month with these contemporary fiction and nonfiction books centered on Black voices, experiences, struggles, triumphs, and joy.

FICTION

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead (DB 85212, BR 21819, LB 08943)
Cora, a third-generation slave, flees the plantation where she lives. She escapes with a man who claims to know how to get to the Underground Railroad. Once there, she discovers it is an actual railroad, and every stop shows her moments of horror and joy. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex.

IN WEST MILLS by De’Shawn Charles Winslow (DB 96796)
The lives of Azalea “Knot” Centre and her best friend, Otis Lee Loving, are intertwined through their lives. Otis Lee and his wife Pep help Knot hide her pregnancy and deliver the baby. Later their children become involved. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.

GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert (DB 97496)
Chloe has decided it’s time to stop letting her chronic illness keep her from living her life. She makes a list of things she wants to experience, but needs a teacher. Red, the sexy artist who works as her building superintendent, is just the man to help her. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.

THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (DB 99791, LB 13035)
Desiree Vignes and her daughter return home to Louisiana in 1968, fourteen years after Desiree and her identical twin sister Stella ran away. The sisters ended up on different paths, and as Desiree struggles with the racial tensions of her hometown, Stella lives her life passing as white. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex.

TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by Yaa Gyasi (DB 100528, BR 23443, LB 13019)
Sixth-year PhD candidate Gifty searches for the answers to addiction in the mice she works with, hoping to understand what tore her family apart. Even as she leans on science to understand, she longs for the evangelical faith she was raised in. Strong language and violence.

DEACON KING KONG by James McBride (DB 98819, LB 12938)
1969. On a cloudy September morning, Deacon Cuffy Lambkin–known as Sportcoat to his friends–walks into the plaza of a Brooklyn project and shoots the local drug dealer point blank in the face. His reasons for this uncharacteristic act of violence slowly unfold. Strong language.

IT’S NOT ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE by Terry McMillan (DB 98947, LB 12948)
On the eve of her sixty-seventh birthday, Loretha Curry has a booming beauty-supply empire, a gaggle of lifelong friends, and a husband whose moves still surprise her. She certainly doesn’t think her best days are behind her. But an unexpected loss turns her world upside down. Strong language.

THE PROPOSAL by Jasmine Guillory (DB 92335, BR 22608)
When Nik Paterson receives an unwanted wedding proposal via the Jumbotron at a Dodgers game, she’s rescued by Carlos Ibarra and his sister. This leads to a friends-with-benefits arrangement between Nik and Carlos, but the pair have to decide if they are willing to try for more. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.

NONFICTION

HOW THE WORD IS PASSED: A RECKONING WITH THE HISTORY OF SLAVERY ACROSS AMERICA by Clint Smith (DB 103908 and LB 13361)
The author tours the monuments and landmarks that tell the story of slavery’s central role in shaping America’s collective history and culture. He explores historical plantations, prisons, cemeteries, holidays, and entire neighborhoods, revealing their ties to this painful aspect of America’s past and present. Unrated.

LIFE IN MOTION: AN UNLIKELY BALLERINA by Misty Copeland (DB 78843)
Ballerina recounts her experiences as the first African American soloist for the American Ballet Theatre in New York City. Explains her status as a latecomer to dancing at the age of thirteen and details her personal struggles with food, racism, and self-doubts.

YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO LACEY: CRAZY STORIES ABOUT RACISM by Amber Ruffin (DB 102254)
A writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers and host of The Amber Ruffin Show and her sister relay absurd anecdotes of everyday experiences of racism they have encountered. Strong language and some violence.

FOUR HUNDRED SOULS: A COMMUNITY HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICA, 1619-2019 (DB 102425)
A “community” history of African Americans spanning the four centuries between 1619 and 2019 that contains pieces from ninety writers, each covering the span of a few years. Each period of time is explored in a variety of ways, including essays, short stories, vignettes, and polemics. Some strong language.

A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama (DB 100966)
The first volume of Barack Obama’s presidential memoirs, recounting his journey from youth to president of the United States of America. He discusses his early aspirations, the trajectory of his political career, landmark moments of his first term, and reflections on American politics. Strong language.

UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH A BLACK MAN by Emmanuel Acho (DB 103446)
The host of a similarly titled viral video series discusses the concepts of systemic racism in America, white privilege, cultural appropriation, and more. The author also examines the need for compassionate and understanding discussion when exploring such fraught yet essential subjects. Includes supplemental material. Unrated.

BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates (DB 82201, BR 21183, LB 08280)
Columnist and editor for the Atlantic Monthly examines the history of contentious race relations in America. He reflects on the ways racial inequality plays out in his personal past and in the twenty-first century, and imagines the world his teenage son may inherit. Some strong language.

BLACK FORTUNES: THE STORY OF THE FIRST SIX AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO SURVIVED SLAVERY AND BECAME MILLIONAIRES by Shomari Wills (DBC 17809)
Nearly all the unforgettable personalities in this amazing collection were often attacked, demonized, or swindled out of their wealth. Black Fortunes illuminates as never before the birth of the black business titan. Some violence.