RTB Radio News
Chautauqua
Monday – Friday 6:00 a.m.
Refocus – Nonfiction by Shawn Maloney & Victoria Nolan, 2025. An essential guide to living a happy and successful life with vision loss. Read by Cintra Godfrey. 6 broadcasts; began Wednesday, April 29. Listen to a promo of Refocus.
The Headache – Nonfiction by Tom Zeller, Jr., 2025. A sharp—and funny—account of one man’s attempt to understand why so many of us suffer head pain. Read by Dave Ellison. 12 broadcasts; begins Thursday, May 7. Listen to a promo of The Headache.
Vanishing Treasures –Nonfiction by Katherine Rundell, 2024. A rare and magical book reckoning with the vanishing wonders of our natural world and a clarion call for their preservation. Read by Dan Sadoff. 5 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 25. Listen to a promo of Vanishing Treasures.
Past is Prologue
Monday - Friday 11:00 a.m.
Iron and Blood – Nonfiction by Peter H. Wilson, 2023. A masterful, landmark reappraisal of German military history, and of the preconceptions about German militarism since before the rise of Prussia and the world wars. Read by Charles Gould. 42 broadcasts; began Monday, March 16. Listen to a promo of Iron and Blood.
Medieval Horizons – Nonfiction by Ian Mortimer, 2024. An essential introduction to the Middle Ages. Read by Silvester Vicic. 11 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 13. Listen to a promo of Medieval Horizons.
History Matters – Nonfiction by David McCullough, 2025. A collection of thought-provoking essays that affirms the value of history, how we can be guided by its lessons, and the enduring legacy of American ideals. Read by Holly Sylvester. 7 broadcasts; begins Thursday, May 28. Listen to a promo of History Matters.
Bookworm
Monday – Friday 12:00 p.m.
Hothouse Bloom – Fiction by Austyn Wohlers, 2025. A young woman renounces her painting career and all her human relationships to become one with her late grandfather’s apple orchard. Read by Pat Muir. 8 broadcasts; began Wednesday, April 22. Listen to a promo of Hothouse Bloom.
Ring of Lions – Fiction by Cass Dalglish, 2025. An historical fiction centered on the Alhambra in Spain. Read by Silvester Vicic. 10 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 4. Listen to a promo of Ring of Lions.
Fifteen Wild Decembers – Fiction by Karen Powell, 2025. A fictional dive into the tragic yet productive lives of the three Brontë sisters and their brother, Branwell. Read by Carol McPherson. 11 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 18. Listen to a promo of Fifteen Wild Decembers.
The Writer's Voice
Monday - Friday 1:00 p.m.
How I Found Myself in the Midwest – Nonfiction by Steve Grove, 2025. A passionate, civic-minded testimony to the power of moving forward by going back home—a Minnesotan native shares hope in going local. Read by Tom Speich. 10 broadcasts; began Monday, April 20. Listen to a promo of How I Found Myself in the Midwest.
Connie – Nonfiction by Connie Chung, 2024. Iconic trailblazer and legendary journalist Connie Chung pulls no punches in detailing her storied career as the first Asian woman to break into the television news industry. Read by Michelle Juntunen. 12 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 4. – L, S, R. Listen to a promo of Connie.
American Impresario – Nonfiction by Lawrence Perelman, 2025. A trained concert pianist recalls his friendship with a luminary of American conservatism, William F. Buckley, Jr. Read by John Potts. 7 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 20. Listen to a promo of American Impresario.
Choice Reading
Monday - Friday 2:00 p.m.
The Irish Goodbye – Fiction by Heather Aimee O’Neill, 2025. An emotionally resonant novel about three adult sisters struggling with the past as they reunite for a Thanksgiving weekend on the East End of Long Island. Read by Michelle Juntunen. 10 broadcasts; began Monday, April 20. – L. Listen to a promo of The Irish Goodbye.
Beartooth – Fiction by Callan Wink, 2025. Two brothers in dire straits, living off the grid on the edge of Yellowstone, agree to a desperate act of survival in this taut, propulsive novel. Read by Don Lee. 7 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 4. – L. Listen to a promo of Beartooth.
Cyan Magenta Yellow Black – Fiction by Kevin Fenton, 2025. A novel about finding community in the Twin Cities of the early 1990s. Read by Paul Ranelli. 6 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 13. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Cyan Magenta Yellow Black.
Escaping Limbo – Fiction by Mike F. Elliott, 2025. A young boy struggles to weather his own family tragedies while attempting to save his best friend from an abusive father in this coming-of-age story. Read by Robb Empson. 9 broadcasts; begins Thursday, May 21. – L. Listen to a promo of Escaping Limbo.
Afternoon Report
Monday – Friday 4:00 p.m.
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies – Nonfiction by Eliezer Yudkowsky & Nate Soares, 2025. The scramble to create superhuman AI has put us on the path to extinction—but it’s not too late to change course, as two of the field’s earliest researchers explain in this clarion call for humanity. Read by John Potts. 8 broadcasts; began Thursday, April 23. Listen to a promo of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies.
America's Best Idea – Nonfiction by Randall Balmer, 2025. Everything you need to know for shaping and defending your own beliefs on the role of religion in American life. Read by Cintra Godfrey. 4 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, May 5. Listen to a promo of America's Best Idea.
The Mission – Nonfiction by Tim Weiner, 2025. A history of the modern CIA, reaching from 9/11 to today’s secret battles with Russia and China, concluding with the Agency's own fight for survival under the current president of the United States. Read by Jack Rossmann. 18 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, May 11. Listen to a promo of The Mission.
Night Journey
Monday – Friday 7:00 p.m.
Bad Liar – Fiction by Tami Hoag, 2025. A gripping crime yarn featuring a pair of married detectives in Louisiana. Read by Brenda Powell. 16 broadcasts; began Wednesday, April 15. – L. Listen to a promo of Bad Liar.
Buried in the House – Fiction by Christine Husom, 2024. A routine welfare check leads to a horrific discovery in this small town Minnesota-set thriller. Read by Laura Young. 9 broadcasts; begins Thursday, May 7. Listen to a promo of Buried in the House.
The Queen of Fives – Fiction by Alex Hay, 2025. A mysterious heiress sets her sights on an illustrious family, but nothing is quite what it seems in Victorian London high society. Read by Michele Potts. 11 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 20. – S. Listen to a promo of The Queen of Fives.
Off the Shelf
Monday – Friday 8:00 p.m.
Boy From the North Country – Fiction by Sam Sussman, 2025. A son returns home to his dying mother to discover the astonishing truth of his origins and the secrets of a woman whose life and wisdom he is only beginning to understand. Read by Paul Ranelli. 12 broadcasts; began Monday, April 20. – L. Listen to a promo of Boy From the North Country.
Vera, or Faith – Fiction by Gary Shteyngart, 2025. A poignant and bitterly funny tale of a family struggling to stay together in a country rapidly coming apart, told through the eyes of their wondrous ten-year-old daughter. Read by Paul Ranelli. 6 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 6. – L. Listen to a promo of Vera, or Faith.
Flesh – Fiction by David Szalay, 2025. Scenes from the life of a well-off but emotionally damaged man—winner of the 2025 Booker Prize. Read by Michele Potts. 9 broadcasts; begins Thursday, May 14. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Flesh.
The Imagined Life – Fiction by Andrew Porter, 2025. A taut, elegiac novel about a man trying to uncover the truth about the father who left him behind. Read by Paul Ranelli. 9 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 27. – L. Listen to a promo of The Imagined Life.
Potpourri
Monday – Friday 9:00 p.m.
On Air – Nonfiction by Steve Oney, 2025. An engrossing and entertaining work of media history that reveals the unlikely story of one of America’s most celebrated but least understood media empires. Read by Holly Sylvester. 26 broadcasts; began Tuesday, April 7. Listen to a promo of On Air.
What Art Does – Nonfiction by Brian Eno & Bette A., 2025. Short essays on how art affects those who create and/or experience it. Read by Silvester Vicic. 2 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 13. Listen to a promo of What Art Does.
The Bible Says So – Nonfiction by Dan McClellan, 2025. A biblical scholar confronts misconceptions about the Bible. Read by Joanne Turner. 12 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 18. Listen to a promo of The Bible Says So.
Good Night Owl
Monday – Friday 10:00 p.m.
Inner Space – Fiction by Jakub Szamałek, 2025. An action-packed technothriller where American and Russian astronauts are trapped together in the International Space Station as war breaks out in Ukraine and life support functions begin to fail. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 17 broadcasts; began Monday, April 20. Listen to a promo of Inner Space.
The Devils – Fiction by Joe Abercrombie, 2025. An epic fantasy featuring a notorious band of anti-heroes on a delightfully bloody and raucous journey. Read by Dan Sadoff. 29 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 13. – L, V, G. Listen to a promo of The Devils.
RTB After Hours
Monday – Friday 11:00 p.m.
Wooing the Witch Queen – Fiction by Stephany Burgis, 2025. A swoon-worthy romantasy full of charm, wit, and magic, where three magical queens form an uneasy alliance to protect their lands from invasion. Read by Gabriela Santiago. 10 broadcasts; began Tuesday, April 21. – S. Listen to a promo of Wooing the Witch Queen.
A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke – Fiction by Adriana Herrera, 2025. A doctor and a duke who continually challenge the rules of society find that embracing love is one of the biggest risks of all. Read by Joanne Turner. 14 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, May 5. – S. Listen to a promo of A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke.
Unloved – Fiction by Peyton Corinne, 2025. A tutor and hockey player forge an unexpected bond that slowly turns into a life lesson in the healing quality of love. Read by Karen Ray. 16 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 25. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Unloved.
Weekend Books
Your Personal World (Saturdays at 1 p.m.) presents Choosing Freedom by Karen Stohr, read by Dan Sadoff; followed by 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 Lost Evangeline by Kate DiCamillo, read by Michele Potts; followed by Codebreaker by Jay Martel, read by Pat Ocken.
Poetic Reflections (Sundays at noon) presents The End of Childhood by Wayne Miller, read by Paul Ranelli; followed by Bodega by Su Hwang, read by Pat Muir.
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)