RTB Radio News
The July 2026 book offerings from the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network:
Chautauqua
Monday – Friday 6:00 a.m.
On the Edge – Nonfiction by Nate Silver, 2024. A thought-provoking examination of how society has become increasingly divided between the risk-tolerant and the risk-averse. Read by Jeffrey Weihe. 23 broadcasts; began Monday, June 1. – L. Listen to a promo of On the Edge.
Anima – Nonfiction by Kapka Kassabova, 2024. A fascinating account of pastoralism in the Balkans. Read by John McClure. 15 broadcasts; begins Thursday, July 2. Listen to a promo of Anima.
Vanilla – Nonfiction by Eric T. Jennings, 2025. The fascinating and wide-ranging history of vanilla, from the sixteenth century to today. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 17 broadcasts; begins Thursday, July 23. Listen to a promo of Vanilla.
Past is Prologue
Monday - Friday 11:00 a.m.
The Highest Calling – Nonfiction by David M. Rubenstein, 2024. A look at the American presidency featuring interviews with living American presidents, top historians, and journalists. Read by Jim Tarbox. 24 broadcasts; began Monday, June 8. Listen to a promo of The Highest Calling.
The Icon and the Idealist – Nonfiction by Stephanie Gorton, 2024. A riveting history about the little-known rivalry between Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett that profoundly shaped reproductive rights in America. Read by Brenda Powell. 18 broadcasts; begins Monday, July 13. Listen to a promo of The Icon and the Idealist.
Bookworm
Monday – Friday 12:00 p.m.
Canticle – Fiction by Janet Rich Edwards, 2025. A young woman’s religious obsession in thirteenth-century Bruges affects those around her and highlights a tumultuous moment of great change for common people. Read by Carol McPherson. 14 broadcasts; began Tuesday, June 15. Listen to a promo of Canticle.
The Listeners – Fiction by Maggie Stiefvater, 2025. The true story of Axis diplomats detained in the U.S. at the start of World War II is told in this dazzling historical novel set at a sumptuous West Virginia hotel. Read by Jim Gregorich. 12 broadcasts; begins Monday, July 6. Listen to a promo of The Listeners.
Evensong – Fiction by Stewart O’Nan, 2025. An intimate, moving novel that follows The Humpty Dumpty Club, a group of women of a certain age who band together to help one another and their circle of friends in Pittsburgh as they face the challenges of their golden years. Read by Pat Muir. 9 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, July 22. Listen to a promo of Evensong.
The Writer's Voice
Monday - Friday 1:00 p.m.
Coming Up Short – Nonfiction by Robert B. Reich, 2025. A compelling memoir of growing up in a baby-boom America and clear-eyed chronicle of the culture, politics, and economic choices that have landed us where we are today. Read by Pat Ocken. 14 broadcasts; began Monday, June 29. – L. Listen to a promo of Coming Up Short.
An Eye for an I – Nonfiction by James Francisco Bonilla, 2025. The personal story of a blind Puerto Rican boy in New York who transcends a harrowing childhood to become a lifelong advocate for social justice. Read by Joanne Turner. 8 broadcasts; begins Monday, July 20. Listen to a promo of An Eye for an I.
Lessons from My Teachers – Nonfiction by Sarah Ruhl, 2025. An inspiring collection of essays on the life-altering bonds between teacher and student and the timeless wisdom imparted both inside and outside the classroom. Read by Joanne Turner. 7 broadcasts; begins Thursday, July 30. Listen to a promo of Lessons from My Teachers.
Choice Reading
Monday - Friday 2:00 p.m.
Heart the Lover – Fiction by Lily King, 2025. A love triangle among young literati has a long and complicated aftermath in this novel of desire, friendship, and the lasting impact of first love. Read by Pat Muir. 7 broadcasts; began Tuesday, June 23. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Heart the Lover.
Big Bad Wool – Fiction by Leonie Swann, 2025. An enterprising flock of sheep must get to the bottom of just who—or what—is leaving a trail of grisly destruction in its wake. Read by Stuart Holland. 13 broadcasts; begins Thursday, July 2. – L. Listen to a promo of Big Bad Wool.
Fever Beach – Fiction by Carl Hiaasen, 2025. A razor-sharp send-up of modern American life, packed with misfits, mayhem, and a Florida-set caper. Read by John Holden. 15 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, July 21. – L. Listen to a promo of Fever Beach.
Afternoon Report
Monday – Friday 4:00 p.m.
Money, Lies, and God – Nonfiction by Katherine Stewart, 2025. A citizen's guide to the anti-democratic MAGA far right in America. Read by John Potts. 13 broadcasts; beganTuesday, June 23. Listen to a promo of Money, Lies, and God.
Nobody's Girl – Nonfiction by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 2025. An unforgettable memoir of surviving abuse and fighting for justice by the woman who dared to take on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Read by Pat Muir. 15 broadcasts; begins Monday, July 13. – L, S, V. Listen to a promo of Nobody's Girl.
Night Journey
Monday – Friday 7:00 p.m.
Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell – Fiction by Nicholas Meyer, 2024. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson cross the Atlantic at the height of World War I in pursuit of a mysterious coded telegram in this new mystery. Read by Charles Gould. 8 broadcasts; began Thursday, June 25. Listen to a promo of Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell.
Marble Hall Murders – Fiction by Anthony Horowitz, 2025. Sharpen your mental pencils. Editor Susan Ryeland is taking on her most baffling mystery-within-a-mystery. Read by Eileen Barratt. 18 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, July 7. Listen to a promo of Marble Hall Murders.
Off the Shelf
Monday – Friday 8:00 p.m.
Playworld – Fiction by Adam Ross, 2025. A teen actor in 1980 Manhattan grapples with the consequences of fame, his eccentric family, and the advances of a family friend. Read by Carl Voss. 21 broadcasts; began Tuesday, June 9. – L, S, V, R. Listen to a promo of Playworld.
Fox – Fiction by Joyce Carol Oates, 2025. A novel of literary and psychological suspense about the dark secrets that surface after the shocking disappearance of a charismatic, mercurial teacher at an elite boarding school. Read by Tom Speich. 24 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, July 8. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Fox.
Potpourri
Monday – Friday 9:00 p.m.
Girl on Girl – Nonfiction by Sophie Gilbert, 2025. An essential cultural criticism of how the last three decades of movies, music, and media have written the story for women. Read by Parichay Rudina. 12 broadcasts; began Monday, June 22. – L, S, V. Listen to a promo of Girl on Girl.
Make Me Commissioner – Nonfiction by Jane Leavy, 2025. A lifelong baseball devotee takes readers on an epic journey through the game that baseball has become—a heartfelt manifesto that's perfect for lovers of the sport. Read by Don Lee. 15 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, July 8. – L. Listen to a promo of Make Me Commissioner.
American Kings – Nonfiction by Seth Wickersham, 2025. A cultural examination of football’s quarterback lifecycle: high school, college, the NFL, retirement—and all that comes with it. Read by Pat Ocken. 14 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, July 29. Listen to a promo of American Kings.
Good Night Owl
Monday – Friday 10:00 p.m.
One of Us – Fiction by Dan Chaon, 2025. A playfully macabre and utterly thrilling tale about orphaned twins on the run from their murderous uncle who find refuge in a bizarre traveling carnival. Read by Andrea Bell. 12 broadcasts; began Tuesday, June 23. Listen to a promo of One of Us.
Exiles – Fiction by Mason Coile, 2025. A terrifying locked-room mystery set on a remote outpost on Mars. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 7 broadcasts; begins Thursday, July 9. – L, V. Listen to a promo of Exiles.
Love, Sex, and Frankenstein – Fiction by Caroline Lea, 2025. An evocative, haunting retelling of the summer that should have broken Mary Shelley, but instead inspired her to write her masterpiece. Read by Cintra Godfrey. 14 broadcasts; begins Monday, July 20. – S. Listen to a promo of Love, Sex, and Frankenstein.
RTB After Hours
Monday – Friday 11:00 p.m.
Problematic Summer Romance – Fiction by Ali Hazelwood, 2025. 23-year-old physics grad student, Maya Killgore, navigates a forced-proximity summer fling with her brother's 38-year-old best friend, while attending a chaotic, sun-soaked destination wedding in Sicily. Read by Carol McPherson. 13 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, July 1. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Problematic Summer Romance.
Olive Days – Fiction by Jessica Elisheva Emerson, 2024. The story of a young mother in an Orthodox Jewish community of Los Angeles whose quest for authenticity erupts in a passionate affair following a night of wife swapping. Read by Lisa Bromer. 10 broadcasts; begins Monday, July 20. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Olive Days.
Weekend Books
Your Personal World (Saturdays at 1 p.m.) presents How to Get Along with Anyone by John Eliot & Jim Guinn, read by Stevie Ray.
For the Younger Set (Sundays at 11 a.m.) presents Codebreaker by Jay Martel, read by Pat Ocken.
Poetic Reflections (Sundays at noon) presents Best American Poetry 2025 by David Lehman, read by Dan Sadoff.
The Great North (Sundays at 4 p.m.) presents The Scenic Route by Arnold R. Alanen, read by Yelva Lynfield.
Abbreviations
V – Violent content
R – Racial epithets
L – Strong language
G – Gory descriptions
S – Sexual situations
All listings are US Central Time (CT)
Missed a Book Broadcast?
If you’ve missed a broadcast of a book, you can access it for two weeks following its original broadcast in our online weekly program archive. For help accessing the archive, please contact Ronnie Washington at 651.539.1424 or SSB.Equipment@state.mn.us.