Category Archives: Reader’s Advisory

Fall Gardening in Texas

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By Rodessa

Fall is right around the corner—September 22nd, to be exact. What does that mean? It’s the perfect time to begin your fall gardening. The Talking Book Program has a ton of books and resources to get you started with growing your seasonal crops. Whether you are a novice or expert, have an acre of land or a small countertop, there are many ways to satisfy your green thumb. 

To start, determine what growing region you reside in. This will help you discover what vegetables grow best in your area and when you should plant them.

Below is a list of cities and their corresponding zones. Please determine your zone by your nearest major city.

Zone 1: Amarillo

Zone 2: El Paso, Lubbock

Zone 3: Dallas, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, Bryan/College Station, Houston

Zone 4: Corpus Christi, Laredo

Zone 5: McAllen

For more detailed information on zones, recommended plants, and plant dates, please refer to the Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide for Texas found within the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension website.

Direct Link provided below:
Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide for Texas – Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service (tamu.edu)

Now that you have discovered your grow zone, you are ready to start planting! Here are a few books we’ve found to be helpful on your plant journey. Feel free to reach out to the Talking Book Program for a more in-depth search into the gardening materials we have to offer.

TEXAS GARDENING THE NATURAL WAY: THE COMPLETE HANDBOOK by Howard Garrett (DBC 18790)
The complete handbook for Texas gardening the natural way. How to design, plant, and maintain gardens and lawns, with over 600 native and adaptable plants. Organic product recommendations and resources as well.

NEIL SPERRY’S COMPLETE GUIDE TO TEXAS GARDENING by Neil Sperry (DBC 14567)
This reference book is the acknowledged source for novice and veteran Texas gardeners. Radio/TV personality Sperry tells gardeners everything they need to know about growing fruits and vegetables, lawn maintenance, landscaping, and other subjects.

HERB GARDENING IN TEXAS by Sol Meltzer (DBC 12002)
All the information you need to grow and use herbs, including herbs used to ward off insects, pests, and gourmet recipes using herbs.

EASY GARDENING FOR TEXAS by Joseph Gebran Masabni (DBC 17955)
“Full sun” in Texas means six to eight hours starting in the early morning, and shade in the afternoon. Gardening in the Lone Star State has unique challenges, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow vegetables here. Learn what varieties to plant for the best harvest, which insects are your foes and which are your friends, what vegetables you can grow in Texas winters, and how to keep weeds to a minimum.

POSTAGE STAMP GARDEN BOOK: HOW TO GROW ALL THE FOOD YOU CAN EAT IN VERY LITTLE SPACE BY INTENSIVE GARDENING TECHNIQUES by Duane Newcomb (DB 09694)
A botanist explains clearly how to exploit the small plot to its fullest advantage through intensive methods of cultivation. Emphasis is on organic gardening.

VEGETABLE GARDENING (DB 14655)
Step-by-step guide for growing vegetables in a window box or a large garden provides instruction for buying seeds, preparing the soil, making compost, and double digging. Includes a quick and easy planting chart.

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING by Mel Bartholomew (DB 21079)
A system of gardening that the author claims consumes at least 80 percent less space, time, and money than is normally spent while still producing continuous harvests. The book is a companion piece to the PBS television series of the same name.

ENABLING GARDEN: A GUIDE TO LIFELONG GARDENING by Gene Rothert (DB 43253)
A step-by-step guide to barrier-free gardening for people with disabilities and older adults. Provides a checklist for assessing one’s gardening abilities, then offers advice on selecting appropriate structures, tools, equipment, plants, and garden designs.

ACCESSIBLE GARDENING: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR SENIORS AND THE DISABLED by Joann Woy (DB 49080)
Advises gardeners with special needs on ideas, tools, and methods. Topics include garden design and layout, raised beds, container and tabletop gardening, easy composting, watering, lawn care, and accessories to facilitate physical tasks. An appendix lists sources of tools, supplies, and information.

KID’S GUIDE TO CONTAINER GARDENING by Stephanie Bearce (DB 70025)
Explains how to grow plants—herbs, vegetables, flowers—in pots, tubs, wooden boxes, or any other container that will hold soil. Discusses the advantages of these portable gardens, selecting the right plant for your climate, and keeping it growing. For grades 3-6.

SUPER SIMPLE HANGING GARDENS: A KID’S GUIDE TO GARDENING by Alex Kuskowski (DB 81571)
Provides techniques for growing plants in hanging containers and explains how to choose the right tools, soil, plants, and pots. Discusses safety precautions and includes instructions for making your own containers, including one for upside-down plants. For grades 3-6.

HOW TO HAVE A GREEN THUMB WITHOUT AN ACHING BACK: A NEW METHOD OF MULCH GARDENING by Ruth Stout (DB 53896)
The author, the sister of mystery writer Rex Stout, left New York City for the Connecticut countryside in 1929 and began experimenting in the garden. Her anecdotes record her trials, tribulations, and the new methods she devised to simplify her work.

JIM WILSON’S CONTAINER GARDENING by James W. Wilson (DB 59191)
Former PBS Victory Garden host advises people who want to explore gardening in pots, troughs, and other vessels. Provides information on containers, soil mixtures, and plants, herbs, and vegetables appropriate for various locations and situations. Includes condensed encyclopedia of plants adapted to container gardening.

RAISED BED GARDENING: A COMPLETE BEGINNERS GUIDE: GROW EVERYTHING FROM HERBS TO TOMATOES IN YOUR OWN CUSTOM RAISED BEDS by Tara Nolan (DB 115673)
A complete beginner’s guide, you will learn everything you need to know to prepare and execute your garden plan and grow and harvest your produce. The book includes: plans for building quick-and-simple beds that you can make yourself with a few common tools; details on how to build the right soil mix to fill your beds; list of the easiest plants to grow as a beginner; plant information, along with which plants work best with other plants; planting advice, including spacing instructions; advice on mulch, watering, and fertilizing; organic pest control; how to harvest and store your produce; and more.

THERESA YOUSSEF’S VEGETABLE GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS by Theresa Youssef (DB 62130)
Basic gardening guide covers soil preparation, crop selection, organic and container methods, and pest control. Provides instructions for growing eighteen vegetables and four herbs—onions, lettuce, spinach, peas, cabbage, potatoes, broccoli, beets, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, squash, corn, beans, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, okra, parsley, mint, basil, and catnip—grouped according to hardiness.

CARROTS LOVE TOMATOES: SECRETS OF COMPANION PLANTING FOR SUCCESSFUL GARDENING by Louise Riotte (DBC 19721)
Plant parsley and asparagus together and you’ll have more of each but keep broccoli and tomato plants far apart if you want them to thrive. Utilize the natural properties of plants to nourish the soil, repel pests, and secure a greater harvest.

MISTER OWITA’S GUIDE TO GARDENING: HOW I LEARNED THE UNEXPECTED JOY OF A GREEN THUMB AND AN OPEN HEART by Carol Wall (DBC 24818)
Describes how a period of transition in the journalist author’s life marked by her empty nest, a recent illness, and her aging parents led her to forge a deep friendship with a gifted Kenyan gardener with whom she transformed her yard and shared long-buried secrets.

Texas Talking Book Program Author Talk: Donna Marie Miller

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Join the Talking Book Program for an author talk on Thursday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) with Texas author Donna Marie Miller.

Reader’s Advisory Librarian, Laura Jean will talk with her about her career as an author as well as her book, BROKEN SPOKE: AUSTIN’S LEGENDARY HONKY-TONK. A Q&A chat will follow.

Our Author Talks meet via Zoom, however all you need to participate is a telephone! If you have a land line, you will use the telephone number. If you have a smart phone, you will use the “one-tap” number 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 author talk.

We would also like to offer you the opportunity to ask Donna Marie Miller questions about her book. Please submit questions by October 10. We will choose questions based on the responses to this form and they may be asked during the event!

Submit Questions Here

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

Please indicate if you would like us to mail you a digital cartridge or if you prefer to download her book from BARD. Also, please let us know if you would like a reminder via email or phone-call (or both).

BROKEN SPOKE: AUSTIN’S LEGENDARY HONKY-TONK by Donna Marie Miller DBC 18774

James and Annetta White opened the Broken Spoke in 1964, then a mile south of the Austin city limits, under a massive live oak, and beside what would eventually become South Lamar Boulevard. White built the place himself, beginning construction on the day he received his honorable discharge from the US Army. And for more than fifty years, the Broken Spoke has served up, in the words of White’s well-worn opening speech, “cold beer, good whiskey, the best chicken fried steak in town … and good country music.” White paid thirty-two dollars to his first opening act, D. G. Burrow and the Western Melodies, back in 1964. Since then, the stage at the Spoke has hosted the likes of Bob Wills, Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, Marcia Ball, Pauline Reese, Roy Acuff, Kris Kristofferson, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Asleep at the Wheel, and the late, great Kitty Wells. But it hasn’t always been easy; through the years, the Whites and the Spoke have withstood their share of hardship–a breast cancer diagnosis, heart trouble, the building’s leaky roof, and a tour bus driven through its back wall. Today the original rustic, barn-style building, surrounded by sleek, high-rise apartment buildings, still sits on South Lamar, a tribute and remembrance to an Austin that has almost vanished. Housing fifty years of country music memorabilia and about a thousand lifetimes of memories at the Broken Spoke, the Whites still honor a promise made to Ernest Tubb years ago: they’re ‘keepin’ it country’.– Provided by publisher. Some strong language. 2017.

We look forward to having you join us on Thursday, October 17!

Learning a Language with BARD

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One of the most popular requests we get at the Talking Book Program are from patrons who want to learn a language. We have several different self-instruction programs in our collection to help you dive right in.

Behind the Wheel: Behind the Wheel provides a flexible, solid, and universal foundation in speaking, understanding, and creatively expressing yourself in your chosen language. The program features an English-speaking instructor to guide you through the lessons and native speakers to aid with your pronunciation. Includes supplementary materials in Braille to reinforce and enhance the audio experience.

Languages in the TBP collection: Arabic, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish.

Berlitz Self Teacher: Braille language study guides designed for the student working alone.  Stressing oral practice, the guides present each lesson as a conversational dialogue incorporating vocabulary and grammatical points. Each sentence is followed by a pronunciation guide and English translation. Questions follow each lesson, and, where appropriate, tips on customs are given.

Languages in the TBP collection: English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Drive Time: is a simplified program to learn the basics of vocabulary, grammar, conversation, and culture for a given language. The experts at Living Language have created a course that includes four hours of language lessons that you can use anywhere and anytime. It includes conversational lessons so you can practice listening and speaking a language naturally. The courses also have plenty of pronunciation exercises, simple explanations, examples, and real conversational practice.

Languages in the TBP collection: French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. We also have intermediate English. 

eTicket Audio Phrasebooks: Produced by Living Language, these audio phrasebooks contain simple and practical phrases, containing all the essentials for a trip.

Languages in TBP collection: Spanish and English for Spanish speakers.

Pimsleur®: is a way to learn a language through a program of short lessons using methods derived from research on memory and learning. The emphasis is on pronunciation and comprehension, and on learning to speak the language. Features native speakers.

Languages in the TBP collection: Albanian, Armenian (Eastern and Western), Czech, Dutch, French, Greek (modern), Haitian Creole, Hebrew (modern), Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, and Thai.

English for Arabic, Cantonese Chinese, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish Speakers

Further Study

Once you learn the basics, you may want to find materials to read in your language of choice. BARD is here to help!

BARD: Change your preferred language

Filter search results by selecting your preferred language.

BARD website

1. BARD Main Page – Account Settings – 4th item down “Select this link to change your language preferences.”
2. Check the checkbox next to the language you are learning.
3. Hit the “update” button.

BARD Express

1. Go to Search BARD
2. Select the “Filter” button.
3. Select the checkbox next to one of the following languages:
Arabic
China
French Language Books, Fiction
German Language Books
Italian Language
Portuguese Language Titles
Spanish Language
4. Select the “Ok” button at bottom of the screen. Now all your search results will be in your chosen language.

BARD app for iOS and Android

1. Go to Settings Tab
2. Go to User Account Settings
3. Select “Language Preferences”
4. Tap the language you are learning. It will add books written in that language to your search results.

So, take this opportunity to learn a new language and let BARD help ease the way!

Hugo Award Finalists 2024

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The Hugo Awards, science fiction’s most prestigious awards, were established by the World Science Fiction Society in 1953. The Awards are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), which is also responsible for administering them. The awards were presented in Glasgow, Scotland earlier this month.

For more information, check the Awards’ Website.

Here are the finalists for 2024 that are in the TBP collection.

Best Novel

ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI by S. A. Chakraborty (DB 114852, BR 25276 IN PROCESS)
STARTER VILLAIN by John Scalzi (DB 118263)
WITCH KING by Martha Wells (DB 114938)

Best Novella

THORNHEDGE by T. Kingfisher (DB 116446, BR 25269)

Best Series

Final Architecture Series by Adrian Tchaikovsky
SHARDS OF EARTH (DB 116209)
Imperial Radch Series by Ann Leckie
ANCILLARY JUSTICE (DB 79102, BR 23440, LB 07931)
Laundry Files Series by Charles Stross
ATROCITY ARCHIVES (DB 91650)
October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire
ROSEMARY AND RUE (DB 71567, BR 24909)
Universe of Xuya Series by Aliette de Bodard
TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE (DB 91608)

Lodestar Award for Best YA Book

UNRAVELLER by Frances Hardinge (DB 112713)

Paris 2024 Paralympics

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Although sports for athletes with physical impairments has existed in several forms over the past century, the first Paralympic Games took place in Rome, Italy, in 1960 featuring 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since the Summer Games of Seoul, Korea, in 1988 and the Winter Games in Albertville, France, in 1992, the Games have also taken part in the same cities and venues as the Olympics.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which will take place between 28 August and 8 September, will bring together as many as 4,400 athletes from around the world. The athletes will compete in 549 medal events across 22 sports.

Below we have collected stories about and memoirs from famous Paralympians for both adult and youth readers.

For more information: National Paralympic Committee.

Adult Nonfiction

ALWAYS CLIMB HIGHER! by Jeff Pagels (DB 80208)
FIRE IN MY EYES: AN AMERICAN WARRIOR’S JOURNEY FROM BEING BLINDED ON THE BATTLEFIELD TO GOLD MEDAL VICTORY by Brad Snyder (DB 86882, BR 21816)
HARD PARTS: A MEMOIR OF COURAGE AND TRIUMPH by Oksana Masters (DB 119093)
ON MY OWN TWO FEET: FROM LOSING MY LEGS TO LEARNING THE DANCE OF LIFE by Amy Purdy (DB 84333)
OUT OF THE WHIRLPOOL: A MEMOIR OF REMORSE AND RECONCILIATION by Sue Wiygul Martin (DB 78152)

Juvenile Nonfiction

AMAZING ATHLETES: AN ALL-STAR LOOK AT CANADA’S PARALYMPIANS by Marie-Claude Ouellet (BRG 04485) Grades 3-6
ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES by Deborah Kent (DB 57300) Grades 4-7
COLORS OF THE WIND: THE STORY OF BLIND ARTIST AND CHAMPION RUNNER GEORGE MENDOZA by J. L. Powers (DB 106815) Grades Kindergarten -3
TENACIOUS: FIFTEEN ADVENTURES ALONGSIDE DISABLED ATHLETES by Patty Cisneros-Prevo (DBC 15421) Grades 3-6

Urban Fiction Series

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Urban fiction is a genre of literature that features life on the streets, typical in American inner cities. These stories are often centered around African American characters and highlight the hardships of living in an urban environment. As a heads up, they often include violence, profanity, gang activity, and poverty.

Below is a list of some of the urban fiction series and stand-alone novels in the TBP collection. This list is not exhaustive, so if you don’t see one of your favorite books or authors on this list, give us a call at 1-800-252-9605.

Series

Banks Sisters Series
BANKS SISTERS by Nikki Turner (DB 92967)
Best Frenemies Forever Series
BFF’S by Brenda Hampton (DBC 27135)
Butterfly Series
BUTTERFLY by Ashley Antoinette (DB 98149)
Cartel Series
CARTEL by Ashley (DB 90898)
Deeply Rooted Series
DEEPLY ROOTED by Ice Mike (DB 81350)
Dirty Red Series
DIRTY RED by Vickie M. Stringer (DB 116218)
Divas Series
DIVAS SERIES. BOOKS 1-3 by De’nesha Diamond (DB 84582)
Dopeman Series
DOPEMAN’S WIFE by JaQuavis (DBC 27085)
Dutch Series
DUTCH by Teri Woods (DB 101130)
Family Business Series
FAMILY BUSINESS by Carl Weber (DB 93583)
Full Figured Series
FULL FIGURED by Brenda Hampton (DB 117839)
Game Series
GAMES WOMEN PLAY by Zaire Crown (DB 118149)
Girls from da Hood Series
GIRLS FROM DA HOOD by Nikki Turner (DB 118143)
Hoodlum Series
HOODLUM by K’wan (DB 117526)
Kenyatta Series
CRIME PARTNERS by Donald Goines (DB 118030)
Madam Series
MADAM, MAY I by Niobia Bryant (DB 117855)
Material Girl Series
MATERIAL GIRL by Keisha Ervin (DB 107456)
Misadventures of Mink LaRue Series
NATURAL BORN LIAR by Noire (DB 117531)
Payback Series
PAYBACK IS A MUTHA by Wahida Clark (DB 81661)
Prada Plan Series
PRADA PLAN by Ashley Antoinette (DBC 27068)
Purple City Series
PURPLE CITY. VOLUMES 1-3 by K’wan (DBC 27118)
Rescued by the Love of a Real One Series
RESCUED BY THE LOVE OF A REAL ONE by Toy (DB 106392)
Seven Deadly Sins Series
LUST by Victoria Christopher Murray (DB 89154)
Too Hood for You Series
TOO HOOD FOR YOU, BOOKS 1 & 2 by K. C. Mills (DB 114418)
True to the Game Series
TRUE TO THE GAME by Teri Woods (DB 97167)

Stand-Alone Novels

B-MORE CAREFUL by Shannon Holmes (DB 107004)
BLACK BUCK by Mateo Askaripour (DB 102521)
BLACK GIRL LOST by Donald Goines (DB 104184)
DAUGHTER OF A QUEEN PIN by Treasure Hernandez (DB 113797)
EVERYWHERE YOU DON’T BELONG by Gabriel Bump (DB 98891)
FROM HARLEM WITH LOVE by K’wan (DBC 27119)
LAST STREET NOVEL by Omar Tyree (DB 99445)
PUBLIC ENEMY #1 by Kiki Swinson (DB 108659)
REPLACEMENT HUSBAND by Tiffany L. Warren (DB 117745)

IT ENDS WITH US

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Perhaps you’ve heard all the drama surrounding the new movie It Ends with Us, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, and released in US theaters on August 9. Did you know it was based on a bestselling book by author Colleen Hoover under the same title? Well, it was AND there’s a sequel too. So, if you want to compare the movie to the book, we have your back.

IT ENDS WITH US (DB 86517)
IT STARTS WITH US (DB 110817)

Contemporary Southern Gothic Literature

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Do you just love the creepy, atmospheric novels set in the south? Where clinging wisteria vines smother moldering plantation houses and hide the rotting wood beneath. Where the characters are trying to keep up appearances but beneath the surface, secrets and corruption lurk.

What if you’ve already read all of the classics by Faulkner, McCullers, O’Connor, and their ilk, and you’d like to read some books with a new spin on an old, classic subgenre? Well, you’re in luck. Below are some of the contemporary southern gothic novels in the NLS collection.

BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA by Dorothy Allison (DB 39353)
CHILD OF GOD by Cormac McCarthy (DB 61930, BR 10633)
DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver (DB 110786, LB 14284)
DEVIL ALL THE TIME by Donald Ray Pollock (DB 74278)
FAY by Larry Brown (DB 51786)
HACIENDA by Isabel Cañas (DB 107997)
HEAVEN OF MERCURY by Brad Watson (DB 57135)
IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE by Leah Weiss (DB 91901)
LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME by Wiley Cash (DB 102621)
LITTLE FRIEND by Donna Tartt (DB 55856)
LOST COUNTRY by William Gay (DB 97646)
MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (DB 99404, BR 23483)
MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL: A SAVANNAH STORY by John Berendt (DB 38077, BR 11463, LB 04494)
RUBY by Cynthia Bond (DB 81110, BRG 03613)
SERENA by Ron Rash (DB 68405, BRG 03689)
SING, UNBURIED, SING: A NOVEL by Jesmyn Ward (DB 89552, BR 22096)
SWAMPLANDIA by Karen Russell (DB 72823, LB 06768)
THOUSAND FALLING CROWS by Larry D. Sweazy (DBC 26472)
VINE THAT ATE THE SOUTH: A NOVEL by J. D. Wilkes (DB 94173)
WEIGHT OF BLOOD by Laura McHugh (DB 79247)
WHEN WE WERE ANIMALS by Joshua A. Gaylord (DB 81361)

In His Own Words: Phil Donahue

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Popular television talk-show host Phil Donahue died last Sunday, August 18, 2024, at the age of 88. Known for being the first host to interact with a studio audience, he rose to fame in the late 1960s. The Talking Book Program has his autobiography in our collection. We hope this gives you a chance to learn about his experiences in his own words.

Contact us if you’d like to borrow his book. 1-800-252-9605.

DONAHUE: MY OWN STORY (DB 14910, BR 04366, LB 02800)

TBP Book Club Title Announced for September 2024!

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Please join us on Tuesday, September 24 at 7:00 p.m. (Central) for our Book Club discussion of LIAR’S DICTIONARY by Eley Williams. DB 1073312. LB 13379.

We host our Book Club discussions via Zoom. However, all you need to participate is a telephone!

If you have a land line, we will provide a telephone number for accessing the Book Club. If you have a smart phone, we will email 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.

Patrons who register for the discussion will receive this information a week before the book club meeting.

To RSVP call us at 1-800-252-9605 or email tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov

LIAR’S DICTIONARY is available by mail as a digital cartridge or in large print and is also available to download on BARD.

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. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2021.

We’re looking forward to having you join us on Tuesday, September 24!