Episode Transcript
[00:00:16] Speaker A: Greetings readers. Welcome to the first November edition of Library News. November is a great month for expressing gratitude, so we would like to take a minute to thank all of our wonderful patrons in Iowa for for your continued support.
Thank you for being part of our library community. In this episode we discuss more fall programming, Bard Top 10 fiction and much more.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: Save the date for the 2027 Braille Challenge the Iowa Regional Braille Challenge will be held Saturday, February 27, 2027 at the Iowa Department for the Blind.
Braille readers in grades 1st through 12th from Iowa will gather to test their Braille skills in five reading comprehension, Braille spelling charts and graphs, reading, proofreading and Braille speed and accuracy.
Winners of the Iowa Regional Braille Challenge may go on to compete in the National Finals in California. Mark this day on your calendar and plan to join us.
[00:01:14] Speaker C: We had a great time at the Reach for the Stars STEM Fest held on Saturday, October 24th. It was great to see participants of all abilities join in the fun. Thanks to everyone who volunteered to make the event such a success.
[00:01:26] Speaker A: Experience the Cosmos the James Webb Space Telescope Traveling Tactile Exhibit is on display in our building now through December 21, 2026.
This exhibition was developed by Tactile Images in association with the National Federation of the Blind and Getty Images and was created in collaboration with the Space Telescope Science Institute.
The exhibit features 10 tactile renderings of images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope and is paired with audio commentary from astronomers and scientists.
The exhibition offers visitors of all ages a chance to explore the farthest reaches of the universe through both touch and sound. The exhibit will be open Mondays from 8:00am to 8:00pm, Tuesday through Fridays 8:00am to 4:30pm and the first Saturday of October, November and December 9:00am to 1:00pm
[00:02:23] Speaker B: in conjunction with the exhibit, the Library is offering a one time special edition PIKA Box. Subscribe today and receive a box filled with space goodies and snacks plus a specially curated cartridge of space themed books. Get ready to blast off as we explore the wonders of outer space, planets, stars, astronauts and beyond. What cosmic surprises are waiting inside?
Take a peek and discover.
Call the library to get signed up or go to IowaLibrary blog. The deadline to sign up is November 2, 2026,
[00:02:57] Speaker C: also in conjunction with the exhibit. Join us for Launch and Learn Launch and Learn invites participants to explore the mysteries of our universe through engaging talks with local scientists via zoom.
Last month we spoke with Ethan Beecham about the history of astronomy and how humans throughout time and space have looked at the stars this month. On November 20th at 12pm we will talk with Dan Hoy, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, as he discusses the science and engineering that make the fantastic images and observations from the James Webb Space Telescope possible. To get registered for this event, contact the Library.
[00:03:32] Speaker A: There is one more thing. In conjunction with the exhibit you you can get your very own experience the Cosmos T Shirt. Head over to IowaLibrary blog to check out the selections. All proceeds from the T shirt sales will benefit the Friends of the Iowa Library for the Blind. Each year. The Friends of the Iowa Library generously give the library money for library programs, collection items, 3D printers, equipment and special projects help support the Friends of the Library and order a shirt today.
The online store will be open until December 9, 2026.
[00:04:06] Speaker B: Now for our top 10 fiction books downloaded from Bard Country Road a thriller DB139406 by James Patterson and Mike Lupka After a shocking accident, Silas Tucker's legendary football career is suddenly over in this action packed sports thriller powered by loyalty, competition and family.
Humbled but never defeated, he returns to his backwoods hometown, Cross Rivers, North Carolina, where his father was murdered. He goes back to what's left of his family and their small, struggling farm.
He reunites with his best friend in the world, Taylor McCarter Webb, who is now married. Then Silas is pulled into a deadly battle with the Southern Mafia, who control drugs and trafficking and murder. As the suspense crescendos, Silas follows one rule for don't ride these country roads alone or in the dead of night.
This changes everything.
DB139413 by Lisa Scottaline Julia Pritzker loves her new life as a wife and mother in beautiful Tuscany, except that she misses her best friend, Courtney. Back in the States one night, Julia calls Courtney and reaches her as she's arriving at her grandmother's farm in Pennsylvania. A dreadful premonition overwhelms Julia moments before Courtney enters the house and makes a heartbreaking discovery. Her beloved grandmother has been murdered and the killer is escaping out the back door. Rushing to support Courtney, Julia flies home the next morning. The local police believe the murder was a botched burglary, but the women suspect something much more sinister and enlist Benny Rosado, the hotshot Philly lawyer, to assist.
In addition, Courtney entreats Julia to trust her psychic intuition to point her to the missing pieces of this dark puzzle. But in a town filled with explosive secrets, events take a deadly turn and Julie becomes the target of a murderous conspiracy.
She ends up fighting for her life with no one to save her but but herself.
A novel DB138513 by Ann Patchett When Daphne Fuller and her husband, Jonathan, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older white haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than a year when Daphne was nine.
Now 53, Daphne hasn't seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives.
Meeting again, time falls away. While their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both. And now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.
[00:07:00] Speaker C: The Calamity Club A Novel DB 138089 by Kathryn Stockett Oxford, Mississippi, 1933 Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, 11 year old Meg LaFleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Now one of the unaboptable big girls at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, she fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed.
Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford to ask her socialite sister to help the struggling family she's left behind.
But as the depression tightens its grip, Bertie discovers her sister's seemingly charmed life is a tapestry of lies.
Then Birdie encounters Charlie, a woman running low on luck with little left to lose. When their fates and Meg's converge, Charlie comes up with an audacious plan for them to take control of their lives.
But in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife and women's freedom is fragile, even the smallest act of defiance can have dangerous consequences.
The final target DB138479 by Nora Roberts he showed up at Arden Bowie's debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event, and the one after that.
Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake. An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude. But now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound.
And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety. When Dustin's wealthy mother hopes to get him a paltry five year sentence at a psychiatric facility, Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex LAPD detective But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden's purpose on earth is to serve and please him, and his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?
Wagon Train Baby DB139415 by Linda Ford A life altering betrayal leaves Donna Grace alone. Unmarried and pregnant, she's desperate to leave St. Louis, Missouri, and return to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she grew up, and the only way back is by wagon train. The wagon master refuses to let a single woman drive a wagon without a male escort. Donna knows she can't trust men, but it seems she's going to have to partner with one. And if she wants to get back home.
Luke Russell failed to protect his fiance. Because of his neglect, she was murdered. He vows to never leave another person, to face dangers on their own, and to never again open his heart to love. When he overhears Donna Grace's predicament, he offers her a marriage of convenience that they will dissolve as soon as they reach Santa Fe. But the trail forces them to work together. The birth of Donna's baby unites them in a way they can't deny.
Will the dangers and joys of the Santa Fe Trail break down the barriers these two have built around their hearts?
Rockets red glare DB138219 by James Patterson and Matt Eversman Nat Phillips leads an elite roster of special operators. They are ex Special Forces, communications specialists and intelligence officers.
Phillips is a brilliant strategist and a battle tested leader who inspires total loyalty in his team.
Now these decorated veterans of international warfare are at home and on standby until a presidential campaign is interrupted by murder.
Suddenly, the plan is no longer the stuff of Mission Impossible emergency operations happening not overseas but in the centers of American power from nantucket to Washington, D.C. this national crisis is real.
[00:10:59] Speaker A: Big Girl Panties DB13 8780 by Stephanie Ivanovich When Logan Montgomery, a personal trainer to the country's most famous pro athletes, offers to help her get back in shape, young widow Holly Brennan, deciding to make at least one positive change in her life, throws herself into exercise and into Logan's arms.
Theo of Golden A Novel DB 131887 by Alan Levi questions linger about Theo, a pleasant but mysterious stranger, after his arrival in the southern city of Golden. Who is he and why is he here? He arrives early one spring and by chance or is it he visits a coffee shop where 92 frame pencil portraits are on display. Inspired, Theo sets out on a mission of purchasing all the portraits one at a time and quietly bestowing them on on their rightful owners.
Stories are told, friendships are born, and lives are changed. Theo of golden is a beautifully crafted story about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the far reaching possibilities of anonymous kindness.
The Divorce DB13 8563 by Freda McFadden Boy meets girl, they fall in love, they get married and start a family, buy a house, build a life. Then boy forces girl out of the house, retains the services of all the best family lawyers in town, starts dating a 20 year old and files for divorce. It's a tale as old as time. Naomi knows she could accept her fate, move into a dingy one bedroom and try to land a job since Jeremy drained their joint accounts. But Naomi won't settle for anything but a happy ending.
Instead, she finds herself becoming increasingly obsessed over Veronica, her husband's new girlfriend. But soon Naomi loses her grip on the situation and starts to build a body count, unearthing more from the past than she ever could have bargained for. But it's worth it if it means keeping her perfect family right
[00:13:16] Speaker B: the 10th stop in our 2026 peekabox journey was Mexico City, Mexico. Mexico City hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1968. These games were historic because Mexico City became the first city in Latin America to host the Summer Olympics.
Athletes from around the world gathered to compete in events ranging from track and field to swimming and gymnastics.
The 1968 Games also introduced several firsts, including the first use of an all weather synthetic track for Olympic athletics and the first Olympic Games to use electronic timing and photo finishes extensively. Do you want to learn and read all about Olympic host cities? It's not too late to get signed up for Peekabox. Call the library to get signed up today or go to IowaLibrary blog.
[00:14:05] Speaker C: Join us for MakerSpace Monday on November 9th from 6 to 7:15pm, roll up your sleeves and join Gunner Hutton, our special guest and expert pottery guide while you shape clay into one of a kind treasures.
All ages are welcome and you can join us in person or via Zoom. You can find the link to register on our blog at IowaLibrary blog or call the library and we can help get you registered. For any questions about MakerSpace Mondays, contact DeniseBeanyce Beanline State IA US or 515-452-1338.
[00:14:40] Speaker A: Save the date On Friday, December 11, 2026, the Friends of the Iowa Library for the Blind will hold their annual holiday concert it's from 6:30pm to 9pm at the Cozy Cafe, 8683 Birchwood Court in Johnston, Iowa. Come enjoy a meal and a night of music. Sing along with the Antique Harmony Barbershop Quartet and Dave and Cindy Free Will Offering and all proceeds from the concert will go to the Friends of the Library.
[00:15:10] Speaker B: The National Library Services Many Faces of Bard program will be held Thursday, November 12th at 6pm NLS's Smart speaking to the Smart speaker will be held Thursday, October 19th at 6pm and that all May Eread will be held on Tuesday, November 24th at 6:00pm all programs are held via Zoom and the topics have not been released yet. Check our blog, IowaLibrary blog for updated information.
Contact the library to get more information or go to www.loc.govnls.
[00:15:48] Speaker C: the library will be closed on Wednesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day. We will also be closed Wednesday, November 25th through Friday, November 27th for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Please don't hesitate to contact the library with any questions or comments at 515-281-1323 or by email at librarylind state ia us. The library is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm Happy reading.
