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)

February 13 Is World Radio Day

From radio waves to audiobooks, sound connects us. Reading is reading, whether you read with your ears, your eyes, or your hands. Here are three books for Talking Book Program patrons to learn more.

From the library:

RADIO: FROM MARCONI TO THE SPACE AGE (BR 07871)

RADIO SOUND EFFECTS: WHO DID IT, AND HOW, IN THE ERA OF LIVE BROADCASTING (DB 42273)

THROUGH SLANTED WINDOWS: A JOURNEY INTO RADIO (DBC 12786)

February 6 Is National Wear Red Day

Today is National Wear Red Day, a day to raise awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States. Protect your heart and feed your mind with free audiobooks from the Talking Book Program.

From the library:

EIGHT STEPS TO A HEALTHY HEART: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO HEART DISEASE PREVENTION AND RECOVERY FROM HEART ATTACK AND BYPASS SURGERY (DB 35218)

END OF HEART DISEASE: THE EAT TO LIVE PLAN TO PREVENT AND REVERSE HEART DISEASE (DB 86314)

THRIVING WITH HEART DISEASE: A UNIQUE PROGRAM FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY; LIVE HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, LONGER (DB 56642)

February 4 Is World Cancer Day

Knowledge is power. The Texas Talking Book Program provides accessible books on cancer awareness and health.

From the library:

COMPLETE CANCER SURVIVAL GUIDE (DB 50023)

ONE HUNDRED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT CANCER SYMPTOMS AND CANCER TREATMENT SIDE EFFECTS (DB 71104) (BR 18930)

SURVIVING AFTER CANCER: LIVING THE NEW NORMAL (DB 73769) (BR 18745)

February Is Black History Month

Celebrate Black voices with the Talking Book Program’s collection of books and magazines in audio, braille, and large print. The collection features Black writers, leaders, and changemakers.

From the library:

AND NOT AFRAID TO DARE: STORIES OF TEN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN (BR 11905)

KING: A LIFE (DB 115189) (BR 25331)

SOUTH TO AMERICA (DB 106806) (LB 13589)

January Is Braille Literacy Month

January is Braille Literacy Month! Braille opens the door to independence, education, and the joy of reading. At the Texas Talking Book Program (TBP), we’re proud to provide braille books and magazines that make stories accessible to Texans of all ages.

From the library:

ALL ABOUT BRAILLE: READING BY TOUCH; TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION (BR 15653)

BRAILLE: INTO THE NEXT MILLENNIUM (DB 50969) (BR 13188)

WORLD AT HIS FINGERTIPS: A STORY ABOUT LOUIS BRAILLE (DB 69606)