Watched the Hallmark Holiday Movie? Now Read the book!

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Laura Jean

Tis the season for holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel! Maybe you’ve heard about the movie from a friend or maybe you’ve already watched it, but you want to see how the book differs from the show? Here are some books that inspired Hallmark Channel holiday movies. We’ve updated it for 2023, and it includes one written by Blake Shelton’s mom, Dorothy Shackleford.

ANGEL TREE by Daphne Benedis-Grab (DB 80225)

CALL ME MRS. MIRACLE by Debbie Macomber (DB 73685, LB 06530)

CHRISTMAS EVE AT FRIDAY HARBOR by Lisa Kleypas (DB 72388, DBC 16819)

CHRISTMAS TOWN by Donna Vanliere (DB 86731)

CHRISTMAS TRAIN by David Baldacci (DB 55045, BR 14463, LB 10834)

DOG NAMED CHRISTMAS by Gregory D. Kincaid (DBC 01593)

MR. MIRACLE by Debbie Macomber (DB 80064)

MRS. MIRACLE CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber (DB 96769)

MARRY ME AT CHRISTMAS by Susan Mallery (DB 83806)

MISTLETOE PROMISE by Richard Paul Evans (DB 80430, BR 20624, LB 08564)

SILVER BELLS: A HOLIDAY TALE by LuAnne Rice (DB 59402, BR 15767)

TIME FOR ME TO COME HOME by Dorothy Shackleford (DBC 24500)

TRADING CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber (DB 73827, BT 13340)

In Her Own Words: Sandra Day O’Connor

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Laura Jean

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice, passed away on December 1. Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in Arizona, O’Connor wrote several books describing her childhood as well as her life as a Supreme Court Justice. Here are the books she’s written in our collection.

LAZY B: GROWING UP ON A CATTLE RANCH IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST (DB 53655, BR 15666)

MAJESTY OF THE LAW: REFLECTIONS OF A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE (DB 56444)

OUT OF ORDER: STORIES FROM THE HISTORY OF THE SUPREME COURT (DB 76471)

Culinary Curiosities: Books That Will Quench Your Thirst for Knowledge About Food and Drinks

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Laura Jean

Have you ever wanted to know EVERYTHING about something? If so, microhistories are the subgenre for you! What is microhistory, you ask? Microhistory is a genre of history that focuses on small units of research, such as an event, individual, or thing. Since the holiday season is fast approaching, we compiled a list of twenty microhistories in our collection that are specifically related to food and drink.

BIG OYSTER: NEW YORK ON THE HALF SHELL by Mark Kurlansky (DB 61328)

BOURBON EMPIRE: THE PAST AND FUTURE OF AMERICA’S WHISKEY by Reid Mittenbuler (DB 82834)

BREWMASTER’S ART by Charles W. Bamforth (DB 87781)

BUTTER: A RICH HISTORY by Elaine Khosrova (DB 87889, BR 21924)

CHOCOLATE: A BITTERSWEET SAGA OF DARK AND LIGHT by Mort Rosenblum
(DB 60895)

COD: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE FISH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD by Mark Kurlansky (DB 45502)

CONSIDER THE FORK: A HISTORY OF HOW WE COOK AND EAT by Bee Wilson
(DB 80612)

CURRY: A TALE OF COOKS AND CONQUERORS by E. M. Collingham (DB 63425)

DRINKING WATER: A HISTORY by James Salzman (DB 83305)

FOR GOD, COUNTRY, AND COCA-COLA: THE UNAUTHORIZED HISTORY OF THE GREAT AMERICAN SOFT DRINK AND THE COMPANY THAT MAKES IT by Mark Pendergrast (DB 37911)

FOUR FISH: THE FUTURE OF THE LAST WILD FOOD by Paul Greenberg (DB 71558)

HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN SIX GLASSES by Tom Standage (DB 61242)

MILK!: A 10,000-YEAR FOOD FRACAS by Mark Kurlansky (DB 92381)

PICKLED, POTTED, AND CANNED: HOW THE ART AND SCIENCE OF FOOD PRESERVING CHANGED THE WORLD by Sue Shephard (DB 55479)

RAW DOG: THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT HOT DOGS by Jamie Loftus (DB 115180)

ROBBING THE BEES: A BIOGRAPHY OF HONEY–THE SWEET LIQUID GOLD THAT SEDUCED THE WORLD by Holley Bishop (DB 62617)

SALT: A WORLD HISTORY by Mark Kurlansky (DB 55857)

SECRET HISTORY OF FOOD: STRANGE BUT TRUE STORIES ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF EVERYTHING WE EAT by Matt Siegel (DB 107700)

SPICE: THE HISTORY OF A TEMPTATION by Jack Turner (BR 15934)

TEN TOMATOES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: A HISTORY by William Alexander
(DB 114458)

Indigenous Voices: Memoirs and Autobiographies

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Laura Jean

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we have collected some autobiographies and memoirs written by Native Americans. We have memoirs from Metis, Potawatomi, Lakota, and many other Indigenous Americans.

ABANDON ME by Melissa Febos (DBC16562)

BITTEROOT: A SALISH MEMOIR OF TRANSRACIAL ADOPTION by Susan Devan Harness (DBC 13108)

BRAIDING SWEETGRASS: INDIGENOUS WISDOM, SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND THE TEACHINGS OF PLANTS by Robin Wall Kimmerer (DB 92274)

CARRY: A MEMOIR OF SURVIVAL ON STOLEN LAND by Toni Jensen (DB 101608)

CRAZY BRAVE: A MEMOIR by Joy Harjo (DB 97592, BR 22807)

FROM THE ASHES: MY STORY OF BEING INDIGENOUS, HOMELESS, AND FINDING MY WAY by Jesse Thistle (DB 113670, LB 14003)

HEART BERRIES: A MEMOIR by Terese Marie Mailhot (DB 108091)

LAKOTA WOMAN by Mary Crow Dog (DB 32089)

MY BODY IS A BOOK OF RULES by Elissa Washuta (DBC 06942)

PIPESTONE: MY LIFE IN AN INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOL by Adam Fortunate Eagle (DB 113324)

SPIRIT CAR: JOURNEY TO A DAKOTA PAST by Diane Wilson (DBC 19747)

SPIRIT MOVES: STORY OF SIX GENERATIONS OF NATIVE WOMEN by Loree Boyd (DB 46850)

SPIRIT RUN: A 6,000-MILE MARATHON THROUGH NORTH AMERICA’S STOLEN LAND by Noe Alvarez (DB 98794)

THEY CALLED ME NUMBER ONE: SECRETS AND SURVIVAL AT AN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL by Bev Sellars (DB 113452)

TURQUOISE LEDGE: A MEMOIR by Leslie Marmon Silko (DBC 04945)

YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME: A MEMOIR by Sherman Alexie (DB 89576, BR 22175, LB 10335)

2023 Awards Finalists

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Laura Jean

There are so MANY literary awards. It can be easy to forget about some of the smaller or more niche honors amidst the big ones like the National Book Awards and the Nobel Prize for Fiction. So, we took this opportunity to showcase some of the award finalists in our collection from some of those less well-known literary prizes.

2023 Award Finalists in the NLS Collection:

BIRNAM WOOD by Eleanor Catton (DB 115924)
2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Fiction

DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver (DB 110786, LB 14284)
2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction Finalist

EXTRAORDINARY DEATHS OF MRS. KIP by Sara Brunsvold (DB 110658)
2023 Christy Award Finalist for First Novel

FACTORY GIRLS by Michelle Gallen (DB 115059)
2023 Encore Award Finalist for Fiction

HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride (DB 115655)
2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Fiction

HIDDEN PRINCE by Tessa Afshar (DB 111756)
2023 Christy Award Finalist for Historical Novel

HOW NOT TO KILL YOURSELF: A PORTRAIT OF A SUICIDAL MIND by Clancy Martin (DB 114679)
2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Nonfiction

IF I SURVIVE YOU by Jonathan Escoffery (DB 110662, BR 24735)
2023 Booker Prize Finalist

JOAO BY A THREAD by Roger Mello (DB 113457, BR 24950)
2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Younger Readers

JULIA AND THE SHARK by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (DB 114633)
2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Middle Grades

LAST SUMMER ON STATE STREET by Toya Wolfe (DB 109023)
2023 PEN Open Award Finalist

MARRIAGE PORTRAIT by Maggie O’Farrell (DB 110129, BR 24589, LB 14174)
2023 Women’s Prize in Fiction Finalist

MASTER SLAVE HUSBAND WIFE: AN EPIC JOURNEY FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM by Ilyon Woo (DB 112758)
2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Nonfiction

MR. B: GEORGE BALANCHINE’S 20^TH CENTURY by Jennifer Homans (DB 111898)
2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Nonfiction

SHUTTER by Ramona Emerson (DB 112989)
2023 PEN Open Award Finalist

SOUND OF LIGHT by Sarah Sundin (DB 113572)
2023 Christy Award Finalist for Historical Romance

THIS OTHER EDEN by Paul Harding (DB 113243, BR 24845)
2023 Booker Prize Finalist

TO WIN A PRINCE by Toni Shiloh (DB 110386 IN PROCESS)
2023 Christy Award Finalist for Contemporary Romance

TRESPASSES by Louise Kennedy (DB 114416)
2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction Finalist

WONDERLAND TRIALS by Sara Ella (DB 112298)
2023 Christy Award Finalist for Young Adults

For more information on:

The Booker Prize www.thebookerprizes.com/booker-prize/about-the-booker-prize

The Christy Awards: www.christyawards.com/index.html

The Encore Awards: www.rsliterature.org/the-encore-award/

The Kirkus Awards: www.kirkusreviews.com/prize/

The PEN Open Book Award: www.pen.org/pen-open-book-award/

The Women’s Prize for Fiction: www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/

Romantic Comedies

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Laura Jean

Sometimes we just want a little bit of laughter with our love—because, let’s face it, sometimes when things go wrong (as they invariably do with romance), all you can do is laugh at the absurdity of it all.

We have all your favorite romantic tropes: enemies to lovers, opposites attract, holiday romance, workplace romance, small town romance, and so many different types of characters. Some protagonists are overcoming previous traumas, others have physical limitations, and a few are neurodivergent. Some of these books are spicy and some are faith-based with no sex, violence, or profanity. But ALL of them are meant to be humorous.

Series

BOO SERIES
BOO by Rene Gutteridge (DBC 13587)

BOYFRIEND PROJECT SERIES
BOYFRIEND PROJECT by Farrah Rochon (DB 99855)

BROMANCE BOOK CLUB SERIES
BROMANCE BOOK CLUB by Lyssa Kay Adams (DB 97443)

BROWN SISTERS SERIES
GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert (DB 97496, BR 23327)

DNADUO SERIES
SOULMATE EXPERIMENT by Christina Lauren (DB 103621)

FRIEND ZONE SERIES
FRIEND ZONE by Abby Jimenez (DB 95597, BR 23039)

KISS QUOTIENT SERIES
KISS QUOTIENT by Helen Hoang (DB 91563, BR 23569)

MODERN LOVE SERIES
RIGHT SWIPE by Alisha Rai (DB 96121)

ONLY IN GOODING SERIES
FANCY PANTS by Cathy Marie Hake (DB 89624)

RAJES SERIES
PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND OTHER FLAVORS by Sonali Dev (DB 95480)

SWEET MESS SERIES
SWEET MESS by Jaci Lee (DB 101027)

TOUBLE WITH HATING YOU SERIES
TROUBLE WITH HATING YOU by Sajni Patel (DBC 26468)

WEDDING DATE SERIES
WEDDING DATE by Jasmine Guillory (DB 90130, BR 22416)

WELL MET SERIES
WELL MET by Jen DeLuca (DB 96644)

Stand Alone Novels

BET ON IT by Jodie Slaughter (DB 109571)

BODYGUARD by Katherine Center (DB 109304, BR 24488)

BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry (DB 107926, BR 24476, LB 13928)

MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE by Julie Murphy (DB 110541)

OOPS I’VE FALLEN by Max Monroe (DB 110060)

NO SHOW by Beth O’Leary (DB 107812)

ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld (DB 113860, BR 24945, LB 14285)

TRES CITAS CON CARTER by Beth O’Leary (DB 114175)

YOU HAD ME AT HOLA by Alexis Daria (DB 100232)

Western Movies and TV Shows

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Laura Jean

Did you know that the movie High Noon was based on the short story, “The Tin Star”? Did you know that the TV show The Virginian was based on a book that literary experts consider to be the very first Western novel? Did you know that LONESOME DOVE is the second book in a series by Larry McMurtry?

Take the opportunity to read the books that your favorite western shows and films were based on. Who knows what neat insights you’ll gain?

Here is a list of Western books that movies and TV shows were based upon that we have in the TBP collection.

TELEVISION SHOWS

Gunsmoke

DAY OF THE GUNFIGHTER by Joseph A. West (BRC 01270)

Justified

Raylan Givens Series by Elmore Leonard

1. PRONTO (DB 37320, BR 21514)

2. RIDING THE RAP (DB 75230, BR 10359)

3. WHEN THE WOMEN COME OUT TO DANCE: STORIES (DB 55963, BR 14648)

4. RAYLAN (DB 74284, BR 19487)

Virginian

VIRGINIAN: A HORSEMAN OF THE PLAINS by Owen Wister (DB 36421, BR 16196, LB 00331)

FILMS

Best of the West Series by Bill Pronzini

1. BEST OF THE WEST: STORIES THAT INSPIRED CLASSIC WESTERN FILMS (DB 55165)

2. BEST OF THE WEST II: STORIES THAT INSPIRED CLASSIC WESTERN FILMS (DB 47923)

3. BEST OF THE WEST III: MORE STORIES THAT INSPIRED CLASSIC WESTERN FILMS (DB 48644)

All the Pretty Horses

ALL THE PRETTY HORSES: THE BORDER TRILOGY, VOLUME I by Cormac McCarthy (DB 34043)

Assassination of Jesse James

ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD, ROBERT FORD by Ron Hansen (DBC 16651, BR 05670)

Big Country

BIG COUNTRY by Don Hamilton (DB 57773)

Dances with Wolves

DANCES WITH WOLVES by Michael Blake (DB 32009)

High Noon

CENTURY OF GREAT WESTERN STORIES includes the short story “The Tin Star” by John W. Cunningham (DB 51381, LB 07487)

Little Big Man

LITTLE BIG MAN by Thomas Berger (DB 32463)

Lonesome Dove

LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry (DB 22959, BR 13696)

MacKenna’s Gold

MACKENNA’S GOLD by Will Henry (DB 34699)

Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE AND A MAN CALLED HORSE, LOST SISTER, THE HANGING TREE by Dorothy M. Johnson (DB 64881)

Missing

LAST RIDE by Tom Eidson (DB 40965, LB 04746)

Open Range

OPEN RANGE MEN by Lauran Paine (DB 32457)

Outlaw Josey Wales

JOSEY WALES: TWO WESTERNS, GONE TO TEXAS AND THE VENGEANCE TRAIL OF JOSEY WALES by Forrest Carter (DB 56451)

Ox-Bow Incident

OX-BOW INCIDENT by Walter Van Tilburg Clark (DB 52564, BR 13679)

Searchers

SEARCHERS by Alan Le May (DB 69294, BRC 00476)

SEARCHERS: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND by Glenn Frankel (DB 76467)

Shane

SHANE by Jack Schaefer (DB 60163, BR 13561)

Shootist

SHOOTIST by Glendon Swarthout (DB 55309, LB 05175)

Stagecoach

CENTURY OF GREAT WESTERN STORIES includes the short story “The Stage to Lordsburg” by Ernest Haycox (DB 51381, LB 07487)

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE by B. Traven (DB 45216, LB 01289)

True Grit

TRUE GRIT by Charles Portis (DB 44219, BR 19212, LB 06837)

Remembering Louise Glück

Posted on October 26, 2023 by Sheila Hubertus

Louise Glück, the Jewish American poet who wrote deeply personal poems focusing on themes such as religion and nature, died at the age of 80 on Friday, October 13, 2023. Throughout her decades long career she was awarded practically every honor available, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1993), U.S. Poet Laureate (2003-2004), and the National Book Award (2014). Notably, Louise Glück was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first American poet to earn this honor since T.S. Eliot in 1948.

Here are the works by Louise Glück available in the Talking Book Program collection:

POETRY COLLECTIONS:

TRIUMPH OF ACHILLES (BR 06473)

WILD IRIS (DB 37600)

MEADOWLANDS (DB 43058)

FAITHFUL AND VIRTUOUS NIGHT (DB 101237, BR 23465)

POEMS 1962-2012 (DB 79850)

WINTER RECIPES FROM THE COLLECTIVE (DB 106655)

ESSAY COLLECTION:

AMERICAN ORIGINALITY: ESSAYS ON POETRY (DB 101223, BR 23461)

You can read news articles remembering Louise Glück, including:

The New York Times

The New Yorker

The Guardian

The New York Book Review

You can also listen to a Bookriot podcast that honors Louise Glück by remembering her 2020 Nobel Prize.

13 Space Horror Novels

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Laura Jean

Space: Where no one can hear you scream…because sound is just vibrating air, space has no air to vibrate, and therefore there can be no sound.

We have 13 science fiction horror novels set in space. Some feature extraterrestrials like SALVAGED and PITCH DARK. Others like HULL ZERO THREE and SALVATION DAY deal with threats created by members of humanity. ALL of them will make your spine tingle.

ALIEN; ALIENS; AND ALIEN 3: THE OFFICIAL MOVIE NOVELIZATION by Alan Dean Foster (DB 104030, BR 04215)

ALIEN COVENANT by Alan Dean Foster (DB 115465)

DEAD SILENCE by S. A. Barnes (DB 107261)

DEATH TROOPERS by Joe Schreiber (DB 70317, BR 18837)

HULL ZERO THREE by Greg Bear (DB 72718)

LAST ASTRONAUT by David Wellington (DB 96204)

PITCH DARK by Courtney Alameda (DB 90442)

SALVAGED by Madeleine Roux (DB 97865)

SALVATION DAY by Kali Wallace (DB 96354)

SCOURGE BETWEEN STARS by Ness Brown (DB 114290, BR 24888)

SHIP OF FOOLS by Richard Paul Russo (DB 51885)

SIX WAKES by Mur Lafferty (DB 87293, BR 21864)

SOLARIS by Stanislaw Lem (DB 82495, BR 21113)

In Their Own Words: 2024 Presidential Candidates

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Laura Jean

The Talking Book Program is committed to providing information to our patrons so that they can make educated and informed decisions. The pool of candidates for the 2024 Presidential election is broad, and many of the candidates have published books on their political viewpoints. Here is a list of books in our collections authored by presidential candidates who have declared their candidacy at the time of writing.

Possible Candidates

Joe Biden

PROMISE ME DAD: A YEAR OF HOPE, HARDSHIP, AND PURPOSE DB 88982; BRG 04205
PROMISES TO KEEP: ON LIFE AND POLITICS DB 67337

Chris Christie

LET ME FINISH: TRUMP, THE KUSHNERS, BANNON, NEW JERSEY, AND THE POWER OF IN-YOUR-FACE POLITICS
DB 93838; LB 10841

Ron DeSantis

COURAGE TO BE FREE
DB 114607

Larry Elder

DEAR FATHER, DEAR SON: TWO LIVES . . . EIGHT HOURS
DB 77841

TEN THINGS YOU CAN’T SAY IN AMERICA
DB 51905

Nikki Haley

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE: LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM BOLD WOMEN
DB 110820

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT: DEFENDING AMERICA WITH GRIT AND GRACE
DB 97236

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

AMERICAN VALUES: LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY FAMILY
DB 91894

Mike Pence

SO HELP ME GOD
DB 111606

Tim Scott

AMERICA, A REDEMPTION STORY DB 113683
UNIFIED: HOW OUR UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP GIVES US HOPE FOR A DIVIDED COUNTRY DB 93948

Donald Trump

TRUMP: THE ART OF THE DEAL
DB 26956

TRUMP: SURVIVING AT THE TOP
DB 32249

TRUMP: THE ART OF THE COMEBACK
DB 45334

TRUMP: HOW TO GET RICH
DB 58051

WHY WE WANT YOU TO BE RICH: TWO MEN–ONE MESSAGE
DB 64018

THINK BIG AND KICK ASS IN BUSINESS AND LIFE
DB 66388

GREAT AGAIN: HOW TO FIX OUR CRIPPLED AMERICA
DB 96296

DEMOCRACY MATTERS: WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST IMPERIALISM
DB 107280

En español

SECRETO DEL EXITO EN EL TRABAJO Y EN LA VIDA
DB 81976

TRUMP: LOS MEJORES CONSEJOS DE BIENES RAICES QUE HE RECIBIDO
DB 84973

Vivek Ramaswamy

NATION OF VICTIMS: IDENTITY POLITICS, THE DEATH OF MERIT, AND THE PATH BACK TO EXCELLENCE
DB 113153

WOKE, INC.: INSIDE CORPORATE AMERICA’S SOCIAL JUSTICE SCAM
DB 108729

Cornel West

RACE MATTERS
DB 35943

Marianne Williamson

RETURN TO LOVE: REFLECTIONS ON THE PRINCIPLES OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES
DB 34516

WOMAN’S WORTH
DB 36954

ILLUMINATA: THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, RITES OF PASSAGE
DB 40220

EVERDAY GRACE: HAVING HOPE, FINDING FORGIVENESS, AND MAKING MIRACLES
DB 55534

AGE OF MIRACLES: EMBRACING THE NEW MIDLIFE
DB 66056

COURSE IN WEIGHT LOSS: 21 SPIRITUAL LESSONS FOR SURRENDERING YOUR WEIGHT FOREVER
DB 72127