RTB Radio News
The November 2025 book offerings from the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network:
Chautauqua
Monday – Friday 6:00 a.m.
Solitude – Nonfiction by Netta Weinstein, Heather Hansen, and Thuy-vy T. Nguyen, 2024. An exploration of the benefits and challenges of day-to-day alone time with the latest science and stories from around the world. Read by Jim Gregorich. 11 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 3. Listen to a promo of Solitude.
Pivot Or Die – Nonfiction by Gary Shapiro, 2024. An experienced CEO offers a framework for leaders in technology and beyond to stay flexible and agile in a competitive environment. Read by Pat Ocken. 9 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, November 18. Listen to a promo of Pivot or Die.
Past is Prologue
Monday - Friday 11:00 a.m.
Alexander at the End of the World – Nonfiction by Rachel Kousser, 2024. A riveting biography of Alexander the Great’s final years, when the leader’s insatiable desire to conquer the world set him off on an exhilarating, harrowing journey that would define his legacy. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 17 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 3. Listen to a promo of Alexander at the End of the World.
Vertigo – Nonfiction by Harald Jähner, 2024. A dramatic and consequential history of Germany’s short-lived experiment with democracy between the world wars, when vibrant cultural experimentation collided with political and economic turmoil. Read by John Gunter. 18 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, November 26. Listen to a promo of Vertigo.
Bookworm
Monday – Friday 12:00 p.m.
Another Man in the Street – Fiction by Caryl Phillips, 2025. A hypnotic, heartbreaking novel about the immigrant experience and the high price of attempting to reinvent oneself. Read by Tom Speich. 7 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, October 28. Listen to a promo of Another Man in the Street.
The Cannibal Owl – Fiction by Aaron Gwyn, 2025. A novella of austere, cinematic prose steeped in Native American culture, set in 1820s Texas. Read by Jim Gregorich. 2 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 6. Listen to a promo of The Cannibal Owl.
Lone Dog Road – Fiction by Kent Nerburn, 2025. A coming-of-age novel about two young Lakota brothers who journey across the Dakota plains to replace a broken sacred pipe—a story of resilience, connection, and spiritual discovery. Read by Stuart Holland. 18 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 10. Listen to a promo of Lone Dog Road.
The Writer's Voice
Monday - Friday 1:00 p.m.
Ingenious – Nonfiction by Richard Munson, 2023. The dramatic story of an ingenious man who explained nature and created a country: Benjamin Franklin. Read by Stevie Ray. 9 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, October 28. Listen to a promo of Ingenious.
The Mary Years – Nonfiction by Julie Marie Wade, 2024. A coming-of-age memoir and celebration of female role-models, particularly sit-com character, Mary Richards. Read by Holly Sylvester. 5 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 10. Listen to a promo of The Mary Years.
The Elements of Marie Curie – Nonfiction by Dava Sobel, 2024. A luminous chronicle of the life and work of the most famous woman in the history of science. Read by Therese Murray. 11 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 17. Listen to a promo of The Elements of Marie Curie.
Choice Reading
Monday - Friday 2:00 p.m.
See Friendship – Fiction by Jeremy Gordon, 2025. A poignant and funny novel about grief, loneliness, memory, and the unique existential questions inherent to the digital age. Read by Stuart Holland. 11 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, October 29. – L. Listen to a promo of See Friendship.
I Might Be In Trouble – Fiction by Daniel Aleman, 2024. A suspense-filled dark comedy about a struggling writer who wakes up to find his date from the night before dead—and must then decide how far he’s willing to go to use this as inspiration for his next book. Read by Jodi Lindskog. 12 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 13. – L, S. Listen to a promo of I Might Be In Trouble.
Afternoon Report
Monday – Friday 4:00 p.m.
Vote With Your Phone – Nonfiction by Bradley Tusk, 2024. A rousing call for leveraging technology to expand voting rights and democratic virtues. Read by Phil Rosenbaum. 8 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 3. – L. Listen to a promo of Vote With Your Phone.
Who Is Government? – Nonfiction by Michael Lewis, 2025. An urgent and absorbing civics lesson with compelling arguments against ideologues bent on dismantling the government, from an all-star team of writers and storytellers. Read by John Potts. 8 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 13. Listen to a promo of Who Is Government?
The Siren's Call – Nonfiction by Chris Hayes, 2025. An ambitious analysis of how the trivial amusements offered by online life have degraded not only our selves but also our politics. Read by Holly Sylvester. 12 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, November 25. Listen to a promo of The Siren's Call.
Night Journey
Monday – Friday 7:00 p.m.
The President's Lawyer – Fiction by Lawrence Robbins, 2024. A Washington, DC litigator is hired to defend his best friend, the former President of the United States, against a murder charge in this sensational thriller. Read by Pat Ocken. 10 broadcasts; begins Thursday, October 23. – L, S. Listen to a promo of The President's Lawyer.
Gabriel's Moon – Fiction by William Boyd, 2024. A London-based writer accidentally finds himself stuck in the webs of 1960s British intelligence. Read by Michele Potts. 10 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 6. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Gabriel's Moon.
A Long Time Gone – Fiction by Joshua Moehling, 2025. In the dark, icy heart of a Minnesota winter, Deputy Ben Packard embarks on a mission to uncover the truth about his brother’s childhood disappearance. Read by Paul Ranelli. 11 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 20. – L. Listen to a promo of A Long Time Gone.
Off the Shelf
Monday – Friday 8:00 p.m.
Small Rain – Fiction by Garth Greenwell, 2024. A medical crisis brings one man close to death―and to love, art, and beauty―inspiring a meditation on a vital life in this profound and luminous novel. Read by Don Lee. 12 broadcasts; begins Monday, October 27. – L, S. Listen to a promo of Small Rain.
The Mighty Red – Fiction by Louise Erdrich, 2024. A story of love, natural forces, spiritual yearnings, and the tragic impact of uncontrollable circumstances on ordinary people’s lives. Read by Michelle Juntunen. 14 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, November 12. – L. Listen to a promo of The Mighty Red.
Potpourri
Monday – Friday 9:00 p.m.
Cabin – Nonfiction by Patrick Hutchison, 2024. A memoir of the journey from an office job to restoring a cabin in the Pacific Northwest. Read by Dan Sadoff. 10 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 3. – L. Listen to a promo of Cabin.
The Name of This Band Is R.E.M. – Nonfiction by Peter Ames Carlin, 2024. How four college-town scenesters became unlikely million-sellers and the center of the ’90s zeitgeist. Read by Jill Wolf. 16 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 17. – L. Listen to a promo of The Name of This Band Is R.E.M.
Good Night Owl
Monday – Friday 10:00 p.m.
An Instruction in Shadow – Fiction by Benedict Jacka, 2024. The ultra-rich control magic—the same way they control everything else—but Stephen Oakwood may just beat them at their own game in this exhilarating contemporary fantasy. Read by Carol McPherson. 11 broadcasts; begins Monday, October 20. – L. Listen to a promo of An Instruction in Shadow.
The Way – Fiction by Cary Groner, 2024. A pensive, dystopian Western set in the wake of a devastating pandemic that stars a reluctant Buddhist hero with an ability to talk to animals. Read by Paul Ranelli. 11 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, November 4. – L, S, G. Listen to a promo of The Way.
Service Model – Fiction by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 2024. A pair of out-of-place survivors go on a satirical journey to replace what they lost when human civilization collapsed around them in this clever postapocalyptic adventure. Read by John Holden. 16 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, November 19. – L. Listen to a promo of Service Model.
RTB After Hours
Monday – Friday 11:00 p.m.
The Tearsmith – (re-broadcast) Fiction by Erin Doom, 2024. A dark, sexy, haunting novel of two aching young adults who are taken in by the same family and forced to reckon with a destructive love that could be the undoing of them both. Read by Michelle Juntunen. 24 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 3. – L, S, V. Listen to a promo of The Tearsmith.
Weekend Books
Your Personal World (Saturdays at 1 p.m.) presents Fight Right by Julie and John Gottman, read by Dan Sadoff; followed by The Joy of Connections by Dr. Ruth Westheimer, read by Yelva Lynfield.
For the Younger Set (Sundays at 11 a.m.) presents Fetching Dreams by Mary Bleckwehl, read by Brenda Powell; followed by Humphrey and Me by Stuart H. Brady, read by Jack Rossman.
Poetic Reflections (Sundays at noon) presents [Elipses] by Fady Joudah, read by Peter Danbury; followed by a re-broadcast of Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón, read by Mary Beth Redmond.
The Great North (Sundays at 4 p.m.) presents Too Much Sea for Their Decks by Michael Schumacher, read by Nancy Johnson; followed by Hidden History of Twin Cities Sports by Joel Rippel, read by John Gunter
Abbreviations
V – Violent content
R – Racial epithets
L – Strong language
G – Gory descriptions
S – Sexual situations
All listings are US Central Daylight Time (CDT)