Touch and Listen Newsletter

News You Can Use

BARD Error Message: "You are not authorized"

Have you received this message? Patrons are allowed up to 100 authorization counts (downloads) to mobile devices in a 30-day period. Each time a book or magazine is downloaded into the BARD Mobile application, an encryption file, called an Authorization Object, accompanies the download and permits the book or magazine to be played securely. If a patron tries to download more than 100 books and magazines in a 30-day period, the book will not download, and the patron will receive the unauthorized message. Also note, patrons may have no more than five mobile devices registered to a BARD account in a 365-day period. You may contact the Talking Books Library staff to have registered devices removed from your account to make room for other devices to be added. A mobile device is defined as any device that runs BARD Mobile. If you have questions or need assistance, please call the Talking Books Library at 1-800-226-6075.

Keep BARD account active

Any patron account that has not been used in over a year will be moved to inactive/suspended status. Each day, BARD checks to see when a patron’s account was last used. When BARD identifies unused accounts, they are moved to inactive/ suspended status. NLS has made the change to BARD to enhance the security of patron accounts and prevent misuse. To prevent your account from being deemed inactive/suspended, you must download one item a year to maintain activity on your BARD account. If for any reason you find yourself locked out of your account, please contact the Library at 1-800-226-6075. Any BARD account that holds the status of inactive/suspended can be reactivated quickly and easily by a reader advisor.

Finding books on the BARD website

How do I find a book to read?

The easiest way to find a book is to use the "Search the collection" field on the BARD main page. Enter a word or two that relates to the title, author, or subject you are interested in. You will receive more targeted results if you put an exact phrase from the title or the exact title in quotes. You can also browse the entire NLS catalog by author, title, or subject using the following link: https://www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/online-catalog-search/

What's the quickest way to find a specific book?

• Use the "Search the collection" field, entering as many words of the title as you can. All the words you enter must appear in the title, so do not use words unless you are certain they are part of the book's title.
• You can search for a specific author by putting the author's name in quotation marks. Include the author's last name, a comma, a space, and the first name such as: "Shakespeare, William."
• You can search by narrator by entering the narrator's name, first name first, into the "Search the collection" box.

The Bookshelf: Award Winners

Pulitzer Prize Fiction

If you are looking for your next great read, why not try a prize winner? The Pulitzer Prize for fiction is a prestigious award given to American authors. It is meant to recognize great American works that have been published within the preceding calendar year. Here are some of the most recent years’ winners, available immediately from BARD. Contact your reader advisor at 1-800-226-6075 if you are not signed up for BARD or need us to download a title for you:

• Less by Andrew Sean Greer DB88794

Who says you can’t run away from your problems? You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years is engaged to someone else. You can’t say yes–it would be too awkward–and you can’t say no–it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of invitations to half-baked literary events around the world. QUESTION: How do you arrange to skip town? ANSWER: You accept them all. What would possibly go wrong? Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2018 winner.

• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead DB85212

Cora, a third-generation slave, flees the plantation where she lives. She escapes with a man who claims to know how to get to the Underground Railroad. Once there, she discovers it is in an actual railroad, and that every stop shows her moments of horror and joy. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2017 winner.

• The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen DB82047

Saigon of 1975 is in chaos. Meanwhile, a South Vietnamese general decides who will receive the last flights out of the country, including himself, his allies, and his trusted captain. Unbeknownst to him, however, the captain observes and reports to the Viet Cong. Some violence and some strong language. 2016 winner.

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr DB79182

When Paris is invaded by the Nazis, Maru Laure LeBlanc’s father evacuates her to St. Malo to stay with her great uncle. Blind since the age of six, Marie-Laure must learn the town by a scale model that her father has left her. Then, the Germans arrive. Violence and some descriptions of sex. 2015 winner.

• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt DB77453

At the age of thirteen, Theo Decker survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is raised by wealthy family friends. As he grows older, his one connection to his mother - a painting - draws Theo into New York City’s underground art world. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2014 winner.

• The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson DB74282

North Korea. Pak Jun Do spends his childhood on an orphan slave-labor crew- even though his father runs the orphanage. Later he is placed on kidnap duty, snatching Japanese citizens whose skills are needed. Over time, his assignments grow increasingly dangerous. Violence, strong language and some descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2013 winner.

Audie Awards

An Audie Award (or Audie), bestowed annually in the United States, recognizes outstanding audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment. The Audies have been granted by the Audio Publishers Association, the not-for-profit trade organization of the audiobook industry, since 1996. This year’s Audiobook of the year award winner follows, check next edition for a comprehensive list of categories, including finalists and winners.

Audiobook of the Year 2018

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders DB86941

Narrated by Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, George Saunders, and a full cast

The long-awaited first novel from the author of Tenth of December: a moving and original father-son story featuring none other than Abraham Lincoln, as well as an unforgettable cast of supporting characters, living and dead, historical and invented, portrayed by record-setting 166 narrators.

February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln's beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. "My poor boy, he was too good for this earth," the president says at the time. "God has called him home." Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns, alone, to the crypt several times to hold his boy's body.

From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying, where Willie Lincoln finds himself in a strange purgatory where ghosts mingle, gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state—called, in the Tibetan tradition, the bardo—a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie's soul.

Fresh from the Recording Studio

New Books

All of these books are easily found in BARD, downloadable immediately. Call your reader advisor to find out how to get your account started, and be able to get books on all of your devices!

Mousetronaut by Mark E. Kelly  DBC12779  A small, but plucky, mouse named Meteor is sure that he can help the space shuttle astronauts, and ends up saving the whole mission.  Narrator: Tom Hart.  Reading time:  5 min.

The Grim Steeper by Amanda Cooper  DBC12726  A college dean is found murdered and Jason Murphy, an English teacher at the college, is suspected of the crime. It's up to Sophie Taylor, her Nana, and their friends the Silver Spouts to determine who really murdered the dean.  Narrator:  Margaret Tedrick.  Reading time: 11 hrs. 35 min. some Violence; Third of series.

Saucer: Savage Planet by Stephen Coonts  DBC12753  A marooned alien steals a spacecraft hidden at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean but is forced to seek help from the guardians of another spacecraft after his communications systems are damaged.  Narrator:  Susie Baldwin.  Reading time: 9 hrs. 55 min. Some violence; some strong language; Sequel.

Poemedica by Rose Bromberg DBC12758   A collection of poems from a medical healing perspective.  Narrator:  Toni Blankenship. Reading time: 25 min.

Moose on the Loose by Gladys M. Olsen   DBC12765   An amusing poetic story of a moose running wild in the north woods of town.  Narrator:  Toni Blankenship. Reading time: 10 min. For Pre-school – Grade 2; Juvenile Book.

The Language of Seasons by Rose Bromberg DBC12789  A collection of poems from a nature perspective.  Narrator:  Kathy Ruding.  Reading time: 12 minutes.

Return Fire by Christina Diaz Gonzalez   DBC12752   After Cassie Arroyo found the Spear of Destiny, she set off a chain of events which changed the future. Now it’s been stolen and she and Asher must recover it and risk using it against those who wish to use it for dark purposes. Narrator: Susie Baldwin. Reading time: 6 hours, 30 minutes.

Friends of Library Access, Inc.

Where would we be without our Friends? They do so much to support the Braille and Talking Books Library, our volunteers and our patrons. They also underwrite and participate actively in advocacy and outreach activities which publicize the Library’s services and educate the public about disability-related issues.

Want to join the Friends?  Contact them at tbfriends@earthlink.net or go to their website at www.friendsoflibraryaccessinc.org.

Volunteers needed: attention to detail a must!

Shelvers: Must be able to stand, walk, bend and lift. Matching the number on the item label to their positions on the shelf.

Inspectors: Matching the numbers and labels and sorting incoming materials.

Machine Services: Cleaning talking book machines, with training.

Production: Collating, folding, and labeling bulk printed flyers and booklets for shipping.

The Braille and Talking Book Library appreciates the on-going support of our volunteers!
Call Kathy at 1-800-226-6075.