July 16 Is Disability Awareness Day

Image of a group of people with varying abilities smiling.

The Texas Talking Book Program makes sure everyone has access to books, so that all may read. If you are looking for disability support for you or for a loved one, please contact TBP’s Disability Information and Referral Center at 1-800-252-9605. Explore materials available for check-out from our collection:

From the library:

DEMYSTIFYING DISABILITY: WHAT TO KNOW, WHAT TO SAY, AND HOW TO BE AN ALLY (DB 105481) (BR 23987)

DISABILITY AWARENESS–DO IT RIGHT! YOUR ALL-IN-ONE HOW-TO GUIDE: TIPS, TECHNIQUES, AND HANDOUTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL AWARENESS DAY (DB 64616) (BR 17395)

JUST ASK!: BE DIFFERENT, BE BRAVE, BE YOU (DB 97234) (BR 22864)

August 20: “TEXAS GREAT READ” BONUS BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION

Please join us on Thursday, August 20 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) for our Texas Great Read book club discussion of SMALL TOWN AUTHOR by John R. Erickson (DBC 25548)

Every year, the Library of Congress asks each state Center for the Book to select a title that represents the state’s literary landscape to highlight at the National Book Festival. The event showcases the importance of books and reading. The festival is sponsored by the Library of Congress and takes place during Labor Day weekend in Washington, D.C.

In honor of this event, the Texas Talking Book Program will host a bonus book club meeting so that our patrons can participate in the Great Texas Read initiative. The Great Texas Read is an event sponsored by Texas Center for the Book.

Our book club discussions 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.

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 of the book, or if you prefer to download it from BARD. Also, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

SMALL TOWN AUTHOR by John R. Erickson (DBC 25548)

NLS Annotation: A memoir spanning more than fifty years by the West Texas author best known for the Hank the Cowdog series– Provided by publisher. 2025.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, August 20!

June 21-24 Is Helen Keller Deafblind Awareness Week

Image of lady holding and smelling a rose as she reads a braille book.

Helen Keller not only learned to communicate while being deafblind but also wrote books! Take some time to learn more about her and explore her story in her own words with the Talking Book Program.

From the library:

STORY OF MY LIFE (DB55883) (LB 06945) (BR 14704)

HELEN KELLER: A LIFE (DB48038) (BR 12198)

June 5 Is World Environment Day

Protect the planet, read sustainably. Audiobooks save paper! Explore more than 178,000 titles in the Talking Book Program’s digital collection.

From the library:

HOW TO CHANGE EVERYTHING: THE YOUNG HUMAN’S GUIDE TO PROTECTING THE PLANET AND EACH OTHER (DB 102634) (BR 23709)

OPTIMISTIC ENVIRONMENTALIST: PROGRESSING TOWARDS A GREENER FUTURE (DB 88626)

THIS BOOK IS NOT GARBAGE: 50 WAYS TO DITCH PLASTIC, REDUCE TRASH, AND SAVE THE WORLD! (DB 103573) (BR 23771)

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Tim Hemlin

Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with author and educator, Tim Hemlin.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean, will discuss Mr. Hemlin’s career and his Neil Marshall Series, starting with the first book, IF WISHES WERE HORSES (DBC 18230). 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 Tim Hemlin questions about his book. Please submit your questions by June 9. 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 his book or if you prefer to download it from BARD. Also, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

IF WISHES WERE HORSES: NEIL MARSHALL SERIES, BOOK 1 by Tim Hemlin (DBC 18230)

NLS Annotation: Neil Marshall is a creative writing graduate student at the University of Houston, a struggling poet, and a soon-to-be-divorced man. To make ends meet, he moonlights as a chef for a high society caterer. When his oldest friend, racehorse breeder Jason Keys is murdered, Neil finds himself also moonlighting as a private eye just to stay out of jail. The police view him as their prime-suspect but Neil has an even bigger worry–can he find Jason’s killer before becoming the next victim? Violence, strong language, and descriptions of sex. 1996.

We look forward to having you join us on Tuesday, June 16!

April 2 is Autism Awareness Day

Image of a hands holding an open book with an outline drawing of a puzzle piece.

Many individuals with autism also struggle to read standard print books. The Talking Book Program is here to help. We provide free audio books and magazines to keep reading accessible. Explore #WorldAutismAwarenessDay with this book list:

From the library:

AUTISTIC BRAIN: THINKING ACROSS THE SPECTRUM(DB 77046)

EXPLAINING AUTISM (BR 19229)

HI, MY NAME IS JOHN: MY STORY OF SURVIVAL WITH AUTISM AND LEARNING DISABILITIES (DBC 19749)

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month

A bookshelf filled with books and an outline of a ribbon with the Talking Book Program logo.

For Texans with Parkinson’s, the Talking Book Program provides accessible books to keep reading possible. TBP offers over 169,000 audio books and magazines. And check out our booklist for registered patrons!

From the library:

ONE HUNDRED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT PARKINSON DISEASE (DB 56698) (BR 14947)

PARKINSON’S DISEASE: A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES (DB 66154) (BR 17699)

PARKINSON’S DISEASE: THREE HUNDRED TIPS FOR MAKING LIFE EASIER (DB 60360)

March is Women’s History Month

Image of a fountain pen writing on blank paper with the words Women Write History.

Celebrate women authors and leaders with the Talking Book Program’s collection of audio, braille, and large print books and magazines.

From the library:

GOOD NIGHT STORIES FOR REBEL GIRLS: ONE HUNDRED TALES OF EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN (DB 91951)

TEN QUEENS: PORTRAITS OF WOMEN OF POWER (DB 46941)

WOMEN EXPLORERS: PERILS, PISTOLS, AND PETTICOATS (DB74727)

Nominees for the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay 2026

The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musicals, short stories, TV series, and even other films and film characters.

The 98th Academy Awards will announce the winner on Sunday March 15.

The original novels in the TBP collection are:

Hamnet
HAMNET by Maggie O’Farrell (DB 100166, LB 13507, en español DB 104982)
Frankenstein
FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley (DB 25835, BT 03719, BT 0000225, LB 06283, en español DB 25706)
One Battle After Another
VINELAND by Thomas Pynchon (DB 30742)
Train Dreams
TRAIN DREAMS by Denis Johnson (DB 76608, BR 19564)