RTB Radio News
The August 2026 book offerings from the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network:
Chautauqua
Monday – Friday 6:00 a.m.
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; began Thursday, July 23. Listen to a promo of Vanilla.
The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire – Nonfiction by Henry Gee, 2025. A serious but nonetheless entertaining look at the human race’s long-term prospects. Read by Stevie Ray. 8 broadcasts; begins Monday, August 17. Listen to a promo of The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire.
Enshittification – Nonfiction by Cory Doctorow, 2025. A persuasive polemic that aims to defang Big Tech—and improve life for everyone else. Read by Dan Sadoff. 12 broadcasts; begins Thursday, August 27. Listen to a promo of Enshittification.
Past is Prologue
Monday - Friday 11:00 a.m.
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; began Monday, July 13. Listen to a promo of The Icon and the Idealist.
Henry V – Nonfiction by Dan Jones, 2024. A biography examining the dramatic life and unparalleled leadership of England's greatest medieval king. Read by Stevie Ray. 17 broadcasts; begins Thursday, August 6. Listen to a promo of Henry V.
The Beast in the Clouds – Nonfiction by Nathalia Holt, 2025. The stunning true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s sons and their 1929 Himalayan expedition to prove the existence of the panda bear to the western world. Read by Gabriela Santiago. 9 broadcasts; begins Monday, August 31. Listen to a promo of The Beast in the Clouds.
Bookworm
Monday – Friday 12:00 p.m.
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; began Wednesday, July 22. Listen to a promo of Evensong.
Where You Come From Is Gone – Fiction by Christopher Johnston, 2025. A gripping, multi-generational portrait of resilience, identity, and the cost of holding onto—or letting go of—what defines us. Read by Philip Lowry. 7 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, August 4. Listen to a promo of Where You Come From Is Gone.
Dwelling – Fiction by Emily Hunt Kivel, 2025. A dazzling, surrealist fairy tale of a young woman’s quest for house and home―from New York to the Texas hinterlands and, maybe, back again. Read by Gabriela Santiago. 10 broadcasts; begins Thursday, August 13. Listen to a promo of Dwelling.
Ashland – Fiction by Dan Simon, 2026. A multilayered and richly evocative portrait of a dying New Hampshire mill town, told through the voices of intertwined families during the 20th century. Read by Stuart Holland. 7 broadcasts; begins Thursday, August 27. Listen to a promo of Ashland.
The Writer's Voice
Monday - Friday 1:00 p.m.
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; began Thursday, July 30. Listen to a promo of Lessons from My Teachers.
I Couldn't Tell You – Nonfiction by Sarah Deschamps, 2026. A fast-paced and deeply moving memoir about the hidden toll of chronic illness and the strength required to keep going when hope feels out of reach. Read by Jack Rossmann. 11 broadcasts; begins Monday, August 10. Listen to a promo of I Couldn't Tell You.
Sugar Bush Babies – Nonfiction by Janis A. Fairbanks, 2025. A memoir of lessons learned from an Ojibwe grandmother. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 6 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, August 25. Listen to a promo of Sugar Bush Babies.
Choice Reading
Monday - Friday 2:00 p.m.
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; began Tuesday, July 21. – L. Listen to a promo of Fever Beach
The Slip – Fiction by Lucas Schaefer, 2025. A haymaker of an American novel about a missing teenage boy, cases of mistaken identity, and the transformative power of boxing. Read by Paul Ranelli. 20 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, August 11. – L, S, R. Listen to a promo of The Slip.
Afternoon Report
Monday – Friday 4:00 p.m.
Apple in China – Nonfiction by Patrick McGee, 2025. A portrayal of how Apple allowed itself to become dependent on China for a huge percentage of its manufacturing, making it vulnerable and unwittingly laying the groundwork for theAsian superpower to rival the US in technological expertise. Read by Silvester Vicic. 15 broadcasts; begins Monday, August 3. – L. Listen to a promo of Apple in China.
Injustice – Nonfiction by Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis, 2025. An investigation of unparalleled depth into the subversion of the Justice Department over the last decade. Read by Joanne Turner. 17 broadcasts; begins Monday, August 24. Listen to a promo of Injustice.
Night Journey
Monday – Friday 7:00 p.m.
The Doorman – Fiction by Chris Pavone, 2025. A Manhattan doorman faces unwanted excitement in this pulse-pounding novel of class, privilege, sex, and murder. Read by Pat Ocken. 14 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, August 3. – L, S, R. Listen to a promo of The Doorman.
Making Friends Can Be Murder – Fiction by Kathleen West, 2025. Thirty-year-old Sarah Jones gets caught up solving a murder after unknowingly befriending a dangerous con artist (who’s nothing like what she seems) in this playful, twisty mystery. Read by Susan Lambrecht. 12 broadcasts; begins Monday, August 24. – L. Listen to a promo of Making Friends Can Be Murder.
Off the Shelf
Monday – Friday 8:00 p.m.
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; began Wednesday, July 8. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Fox.
Pan – Fiction by Michael Clune, 2025. A strange and brilliant teenager's first panic attacks lead him down the rabbit hole in this wild, highly anticipated debut novel from one of our most distinctive literary minds. Read by Dan Sadoff. 11 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, August 11. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Pan.
The Future Was Color – Fiction by Patrick Nathan, 2024. A dazzling novel about the inextricable link between the personal and the political set against the decadence of Hollywood and postwar Los Angeles. Read by Paul Ranelli. 8 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, August 26. – L, S. Listen to a promo of The Future Was Color.
Potpourri
Monday – Friday 9:00 p.m.
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; began Wednesday, July 29. Listen to a promo of American Kings.
Murderland – Nonfiction by Caroline Fraser, 2025. A propulsive nonfiction thriller and terrifying true-crime history of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Read by Holly Sylvester. 19 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, August 18. – S, V, G. Listen to a promo of Murderland.
Good Night Owl
Monday – Friday 10:00 p.m.
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; began Monday, July 20. – S. Listen to a promo of Love, Sex, and Frankenstein.
Victorian Psycho – Fiction by Virginia Feito, 2025. The riveting tale of a bloodthirsty governess who learns the true meaning of vengeance. Read by Wendy Underwood. 6 broadcasts; begins Monday, August 10. Listen to a promo of Victorian Psycho.
The Stalker – Fiction by Paula Bomer, 2025. A young man combines boundless self-confidence with perpetual failure and ineptitude as he tries to manipulate his way into a better life, preying on women in New York City in the early ’90s. Read by Dan Sadoff. 8 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, August 18. – L, S, V, R. Listen to a promo of The Stalker.
RTB After Hours
Monday – Friday 11:00 p.m.
Flashout – Fiction by Alexis Soloski, 2025. A thrill-seeking young woman joins a radical theater troupe in this taut, suspenseful novel of art, seduction, and the deadly limits of liberation. Read by Eileen Barratt. 11 broadcasts; begins Monday, August 3. – L, S, V. Listen to a promo of Flashout.
We Met Like This – Fiction by Kasie West, 2025. A hopeless romantic aspiring literary agent finds her life upended when she loses her job and repeatedly matches on a dating app with her complete opposite, an unexpectedly supportive man with whom she previously shared a disastrous first date. Read by Holly Sylvester. 11 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, August 18. – S. Listen to a promo of We Met Like This.
Weekend Books
Your Personal World (Saturdays at 1 p.m.) presents Open Socrates by Agnes Collard, read by Lannois Neely.
For the Younger Set (Sundays at 11 a.m.) presents Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek, read by Carol McPherson.
Poetic Reflections (Sundays at noon) presents Best American Poetry 2025 by David Lehman, read by Dan Sadoff - L; followed by Overtakelessness by Daniel Moysaenko, read by Paul Ranelli; followed by You Are Here edited by Ada Limón, read by Charles Gould.
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.