CT Library for Accessible Books Newsletters
Current Newsletter: January and February 2026
CT LAB News
CT LAB Book Club
The next CT LAB book club will meet virtually on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Our selection for January is a fiction book, titled The River is Waiting: A Novel by Wally Lamb. This title is available as a Talking Book cartridge and from BARD as DB 130332. It is also available as BR 26285. A summary of the book follows.
Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that's before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders. Buoyed by them and by his mother's enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible.
Please register for the book club by calling Paula McLean at (860) 704-2216 or (800) 842-4516. Participants will receive the Zoom meeting link or dial in phone number approximately one week before the book club meeting.
Connecticut Talking Books Now Available
Read below for a selection of locally produced Talking Books now available on BARD, the Braille and Audio Reading Download service from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS). These books can also be sent to patrons on a Talking Book cartridge. Connecticut Talking Books are recorded by volunteers at the studios of Talking Books CT/CVSBH.
DBC06278 The Two-Family House. Written by Lynda Cohen Loigman.
Brooklyn, 1947: In the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born, minutes apart. The mothers are sisters by marriage: dutiful, quiet Rose, who wants nothing more than to please her difficult husband; and warm, generous Helen, the exhausted mother of four rambunctious boys who seem to need her less and less each day. Raising families side by side, Rose and Helen share an impenetrable bond forged. Yet as the years progress, small cracks start to appear, and the once deep friendship begins to unravel. The Two-Family House is a heart-wrenching, gripping multigenerational story, woven around the deepest of secrets.
Download The Two-Family House from BARD.
DBC06286 The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time, Ranking, Analysis & Photos. Written by Gene Rizzo.
Handy resource for jazz listeners and hardcore fans. Spanning players from eighty years of history, this bold book steps forward and claims who are the greatest. Compiled from an extensive survey conducted with the best jazz minds in the education, publishing and entertainment worlds, noted jazz journalist Gene Rizzo summarized the chosen and presents a concise bio on the essence of these jazz giants. Choices were made on the basis of chops, originality, creativity, and degree of influence. A photo accompanies each listing, and landmark recordings are also listed. Extra lists include the next twenty to be selected, the top women players and an list of all the other players considered.
Download The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time, Ranking, Analysis & Photos from BARD.
DBC06265 The Garden of Invention: Luther Burbank and the Business of Breeding Plants. Written by Jane S. Smith.
The wide-ranging and delightful history of celebrated plant breeder Luther Burbank and the business of farm and garden in early twentieth-century America. At no other time in history has there been more curiosity or concern about the food we eat-and genetically modified foods, in particular, have become both pervasive and suspect. A century ago, however, Burbank's blight-resistant potatoes, white blackberries, and plumcots-a plum-apricot hybrid-were celebrated as triumphs in the best tradition of American ingenuity and perseverance. A fascinating portrait of an American original, it is also a colorful and engrossing tale of the intersection of gardening, science and business in the years between the Civil War and the Great Depression.
Download The Garden of Invention: Luther Burbank and the Business of Breeding Plants from BARD.
Most Popular Fiction Books on BARD
Note: The books listed below are the most popular fiction books on BARD within the last thirty days. All titles are available on BARD and can be sent on a Talking Book Cartridge.
- The Hamptons lawyer by James Patterson and Mike Lupica. DB 131735
- The judge's list by John Grisham. DB 105337
- Edge of honor: a thriller by Brad Thor. DB 131455
- The list by Steve Berry. DB 131793
- The Asheville Christmas cabin by Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott. DB 131463
Most Popular Nonfiction Books on BARD
Note: The books listed below are the most popular nonfiction books on BARD within the last thirty days. All titles are available on BARD and can be sent on a Talking Book Cartridge.
- The Idaho four: an American tragedy by James Patterson and Vicky Ward. DB 131699
- Lightning down: a World War II story of survival by Thomas Clavin. DB 131724
- Moments of grace and beauty: forty stories of kindness, courage, and generosity in a troubled world by Roland Merullo. DBC 11792
- Amish proverbs: words of wisdom from the simple life by Suzanne Woods Fisher. DB 132118
- Black tunnel white magic: a murder, a detective's obsession, and '90s Los Angeles at the brink by Rick Jackson and Matthew McGough. DB 132165
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) Updates
NLS Alexa My Talking Books Skill
The NLS Alexa My Talking Books skill is officially available for service. For those of you who had existing My Talking Books accounts prior to October 2025, your profiles have been retained.
Those of you who are not using the NLS Alexa skill called My Talking Books, can begin using the skill by filling out the NLS Alexa My Talking Books Skill registration form.
Growing the Collection: Braille and Tactile Materials
NLS’ high-level goals for FY26 continue to build on advances made in recent years, including increasing the size and scope of the collection, and making it easier for patrons to access materials. One way NLS is doing this is by increasing the ratio of braille and other tactile materials to audio materials in the collection. Currently, braille and other tactile materials make up about 14 percent of the NLS collection; and the goal is to increase that to 25 percent over the next few years.
Upcoming NLS Programs
Get to Know the Many Faces of BARD
NLS staff members offer tips, answer questions, and demonstrate new features of BARD, the BARD Mobile app, and BARD Express each month during The Many Faces of BARD. This online event is open to all patrons and is held at 7 p.m. eastern time on the second Thursday of every month.
Get program details, login information, and recordings of previous programs at the Many Faces of BARD web page.
That All May eRead Program
NLS presents a monthly program called That All May eRead on Zoom. This program, scheduled monthly for the last Tuesday night of each month, focuses on using the NLS Braille eReaders. Each session begins with a brief demonstration of a feature or use case. The rest of the hour is spent answering patron questions about any aspect of the Zoomax or HumanWare Braille eReaders. Get program details and access recordings of previous programs at the That All May eRead web page.
Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker
NLS presents a monthly program called Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker. This program, held on the third Thursday of each month, focuses on assisting patrons using the My Talking Books skill on their smart speaker. Get program details and access recordings of previous programs at the Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker web page.
Connect with CT LAB
Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Phone: 860-704-2220 or 800-842-4516 (toll free in state only)
Email: csl.AccessibleBooks@ct.gov
Mailing Address: 786 South Main St., Middletown, CT 06457
Upcoming CT LAB Holiday Closings
January 19, 2026 – Martin Luther King Day
February 12, 2026 – Lincoln’s Birthday
February 16, 2026 – Washington’s Birthday
