CT Library for Accessible Books Newsletters
Current Newsletter: March and April 2025
CT LAB News
CT LAB Book Club
The next CT LAB book club will meet virtually on Wednesday April 16, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The title we will be reading is The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. This title is available as a Talking Book cartridge and from BARD as DB 77138. It is also available in braille format as BR 21495. A summary of the book follows.
Recounts the accomplishments of nine working-class athletes from the University of Washington who beat elite teams at home and abroad and won the gold medal for rowing at the 1936 Nazi-orchestrated Berlin Olympics.
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.
Mailing Items to CT LAB
A reminder that CT LAB patrons who are mailing Talking Book cartridges, equipment, and book requests to CT LAB do not need to pay postage on these items. These materials may be sent through U.S. Mail as Free Matter for the Blind.
If you are mailing book requests to CT LAB, place the paper with your book orders in an unsealed envelope. In place of postage write or stamp FREE MATTER FOR THE BLIND. When mailing Talking Book cartridges and Digital Talking Book Machines to CT LAB, please use the shipping containers that were used to send the items to you.
Contact CT LAB if you have any questions or would like more information about mailing items to CT LAB using the Free Matter designation.
Staff Book Recommendations
There were no new locally produced Talking Books from Connecticut posted to BARD in the last two months. Instead, please enjoy a selection of five books recommended by the CT LAB staff. We have included a mix of fiction and non-fiction books.
DB 105460 Taste: My Life Through Food
Written by Stanley Tucci. Actor known for his supporting roles, including Paul Child in Julie & Julia, reflects on his relationship with food throughout his life. Discusses growing up in an Italian American family, food served on film sets, and dealing with a form of oral cancer. Strong language. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2021.
DB 49104 A Walk to Remember
Written by Nicholas Sparks. Fifty-seven-year-old Landon thinks back to 1958, the year that changed his life. Pious, bible-carrying Jamie Sullivan asks seventeen-year-old Landon to costar with her in the Christmas play written by her preacher father. As they spend time together, Landon is shocked to realize he's falling in love. Bestseller. 1999.
DB 122128 First Frost
Written by Craig Johnson. We return to find Walt and our familiar cast of characters from Abaroska County, Wyoming. This time, he is up against a sinister plot that could hurt the people closest to him and forever change the way he sees his beloved Wyoming.
DB 119773 Three Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool
Written by James Kaplan. From the author of the definitive biography of Frank Sinatra, the story of how jazz arrived at the pinnacle of American culture in 1959, told through the journey of three towering artists-Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans-who came together to create the most famous and bestselling jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue.
DB 84056 As Close to Us as Breathing: a Novel
Written by Elizabeth Poliner. 1948. Sisters Ada, Vivie, and Bec meet every year at "Bagel Beach" in Connecticut for the summer. Ada and Vivie bring their children, while unmarried Bec is faced with deciding if she wants a family or to continue her affair with a married man. Tragedy strikes. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2016.
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) Updates
Help NLS Test its New My Talking Books Alexa Skill
Did you know that NLS patrons with Amazon Alexa-enabled smart speakers can now enjoy talking books on BARD using voice commands? NLS is seeking patrons to take part in an open beta test of the new My Talking Books skill, a voice-activated app for Alexa smart speakers. In addition to being one of the first to get the My Talking Books skill, you’ll be helping NLS identify and fix any remaining bugs before the skill is made widely available. If you’re interested, you can get more information and register for the beta test at the NLS My Talking Books Skill registration page.
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.
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
April 18, 2025 – Good Friday
May 26, 2025 – Memorial Day
June 19, 2025 – Juneteenth Day
July 4, 2025 – Independence Day
September 1, 2025 – Labor Day
