Talking Book Topics November–December 2014 Volume 80, Number 6 About Talking Book Topics Talking Book Topics is published bimonthly in audio, large-print, and online formats and distributed at no cost to blind and physically handicapped individuals who participate in the Library of Congress reading program. It lists digital audiobooks and magazines available through a network of cooperating libraries and covers news of developments and activities in network library services. The annotated list in this issue is limited to titles recently added to the national collection, which contains thousands of fiction and nonfiction titles, including bestsellers, classics, biographies, romance novels, mysteries, and how-to guides. Some books in Spanish are also available. To explore the wide range of books in the national collection, access the NLS International Union Catalog online at loc.gov/nls or contact your local cooperating library. Talking Book Topics is available online in HTML at www.loc.gov/nls/tbt and in downloadable audio files on the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) service at http://nlsbard.loc.gov/. Library of Congress, Washington 2014 Catalog Card Number 60-46157 ISSN 0039-9183 Where to write Order talking books through your local cooperating library. If you wish to make changes in your current subscription, please also contact your local cooperating library. Patrons who are American citizens living abroad may request delivery to foreign addresses by contacting the overseas librarian by phone at (202) 707-5100 or e-mail at [email protected]. Only send correspondence about editorial matters to: Publications and Media Section, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Page 1 of 145 Library of Congress, Washington DC, 20542-0002. About BARD Most books and magazines listed in Talking Book Topics are available free of charge to eligible readers for download. To use the BARD service, contact your cooperating Library or visit nlsbard.loc.gov for more information. Music scores and instructional materials Individuals registered for NLS music services may receive braille and large-print music scores, texts, and instructional recordings about music and musicians through the NLS Music Section. For more information about the NLS music collection call 1-800-424-8567, send an e-mail to [email protected], or visitwww.loc.gov/nls/music/index.html. To cancel your subscription to Talking Book Topics, contact your cooperating library. Contents Talking Book Topics November–December 2014 Contents In Brief Books for Adults Adult Fiction Adventure Classics Family Fantasy General Gothics Growing Up Historical Fiction Holidays Human Relationships Page 2 of 145 Humor Inspiration Medical Themes Mystery and Detective Occult and Horror Psychological Themes Religious Themes Romance Science Fiction Short Stories Spies and Espionage Suspense War Stories Westerns Adult Nonfiction Adventure Animals and Wildlife Arts Biography Blindness and Physical Disabilities Business and Economics Career and Job Training Cooking Crime Diet and Nutrition Education Family Government and Politics Hobbies and Crafts Humor Page 3 of 145 Inspiration Journalism and the Media Legal Issues Literature Medicine and Health Music Nature and the Environment Occult and Astrology Poetry Psychology and Self-Help Religion Science and Technology Social Sciences Sports and Recreation Stage and Screen Travel U.S. History War World History Books for Children Children’s Fiction Adventure Animals Family Fantasy Growing Up Humor Mystery School Children’s Nonfiction Page 4 of 145 Biography Hobbies and Crafts Language Music Poetry Science Foreign Language Español Audio Magazines In Brief Currency readers available to NLS patrons NLS has partnered with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) in support of its U.S. Currency Reader Program, which will provide currency-reader devices, free of charge, to eligible individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The program is part of the government’s Meaningful Access Initiative to assist individuals who experience difficulties identifying U.S. currency. The currency reader, called the iBill Talking Banknote Identifier, is a compact device that announces a note’s value in one of three ways: voice, pattern of tones, or pattern of vibrations. Users insert a note into the device and press the button on the side to have the denomination identified. The currency reader does not identify foreign or counterfeit banknotes. The size of a key fob, it can be carried in a pocket or purse, clipped to a belt, or attached to a keychain or lanyard. It operates on a single AAA battery, which typically lasts for more than a year. The initial battery is included. A national rollout of the U.S. Currency Reader Program is scheduled to begin in January 2015, but a pilot initiative is currently underway through which eligible NLS patrons may pre-order a currency reader through December 31, 2014. To pre-order, patrons must call their local braille and talking-book library or 1-888- NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323) and say “library” to be connected to their nearest braille and talking book library. The library staff will note the account and a Page 5 of 145 currency reader will be mailed free matter to the patron’s on-file address when the device becomes available. Eligible individuals who wish to receive free library service from NLS may download an application at http://www.loc.gov/nls/pdf/application.pdf or call 1- 888-NLS-READ and follow the aforementioned procedures to request the form from their nearest braille and talking-book library. To learn more about the U.S. Currency Reader Program or other aspects of the U.S. government’s initiative to provide meaningful access to U.S. currency visit www.bep.gov. Brief bibliographies provide broader glimpse of NLS offerings The NLS book collection covers a wide range of topics that often remain unexplored because of the collection’s vast size. Patrons sometimes inquire about subjects they are interested in and are delighted to find that such books are available. With that thought in mind, the librarians who select books for the collection have agreed to contribute short bibliographies for periodic inclusion in this publication. Patrons may share their ideas for these short lists or other book- related queries by e-mailing [email protected]. Brief bibliography Romance The NLS romance collection includes stories about everything from small towns and close-knit families to fighting interstellar intrigue while trying to balance your love life. Below are a few titles representing the large and diverse collection. Romance can also be found in other genres including: fantasy, science fiction, suspense, mystery, historical fiction, and even nonfiction. Going forward, NLS will offer more series on a single cartridge and add old favorites to the digital collection. Titles: It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips After her father dies, Phoebe Somerville is shocked that she has temporarily inherited the Chicago Stars football team. To keep the team, she must work with head coach Dan Calebow, whom she dislikes. Companion to This Heart of Mine (RC 52086). Some explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. 1994. DB55305 Page 6 of 145 North to Alaska by Debbie Macomber Two previously published novels set in Alaska. In That Wintry Feeling widower Grady proposes a marriage of convenience to teacher Cathy, but it turns into something more. In Borrowed Dreams Carly searches for adventure in Anchorage and unexpectedly finds love with widowed pilot Brand. Descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 1984. DB 78595 Sanctuary Cove by Rochelle Alers Suddenly widowed bookstore owner Deborah Robinson returns with her children to Sanctuary Cove on Cavanaugh Island, South Carolina. She meets Dr. Asa Monroe and they begin to fall in love. But Asa is hiding secrets about his past. Explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2012. DB 74558 Darling Jasmine by Bertrice Small Skye O’Malley’s granddaughter Jasmine refuses King James’s order to marry Jemmie Leslie, the Scottish earl of Glenkirk. Instead she takes her children to France. But Jemmie, who once loved Jasmine, refuses to take no for an answer and follows her. Book 1 of the Skye’s Legacy Series. Explicit descriptions of sex. 1997. DB 77629 Three Weeks with Lady X by Eloisa James London, 1799. Lady Xenobia India St. Clair is renowned for her unique decorating skills. When wealthy Thorn Dautry, illegitimate son of a duke, requests her services to impress his future bride’s family, India agrees to the project. But their attraction threatens his plans. Explicit descriptions of sex. 2014. DB 78676 Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch Marketing manager Katherine “Kitty” Katt is leaving jury duty when a man transforms into something monstrous in front of her. She kills it—and is quickly recruited by a secret organization. While learning to fight aliens, she becomes attracted to another agent. Violence, strong language, and explicit descriptions of sex. 2010. DB 74512 Page 7 of 145 The Typewriter Girl by Alison Atlee Victorian England. Elisabeth Dobson, a twenty-four-year-old making her own way as a typist, is considered peculiar. She schemes to run off to the seaside town of Idensea, where a Mr. Jones awaits with a job—and possibly more. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2013. DB 76137 Books for Adults Books listed in this issue of Talking Book Topics were recently sent to cooperating libraries. The complete collection contains a wide range of fiction and nonfiction books, including biographies, classics, westerns, mysteries, romances, and others. Registered users can also immediately download all titles and magazines from the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) service at http://nlsbard.loc.gov/. The free BARD Mobile app is available from Apple’s App store for reading audio and braille books on a personal iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.