The New Hampshire Humanities Council is again hosting a Chautauqua in July. Humanities scholars, in the costume and character of historical figures, will give presentations and workshops that bring history alive. Audience members are encouraged to participate with questions. Historical figures represented this year are Benjamin Franklin, Sacagawea, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Nellie Bly, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Events will be held in Keene (July 22-24) and Portsmouth (July 26-28). For more information contact the Humanities Council at 224-4071. To prepare read some of our books about these famous Americans:

RC 38476 Nellie Bly: daredevil, reporter, feminist by Brooke Kroeger
RC 44059 Lincoln by David H. Donald
RC 50665 Day of Deceipt: the truth about FDR and Pearl Harbor by Robert B. Stinnett
RC 50878 First American: the life and times of Benjamin Franklin by H. W. Brands

Readings for Recovery

Readings for Recovery is a nonprofit organization that lends music recordings to people who are disabled or homebound. Their music library includes a variety of music, with over 900 selections. Music can be borrowed through the mail for 60 days. There is an annual membership fee of $10. If interested, contact them at 800-798-1192 or 989-832-0784. You can also email them at staff@r4r.org or visit their website at www.r4r.org.

Machines: Frequent Questions

Q. What is the cost of the cassette player that is loaned to readers?
A. The player costs $242

Q. How long will the cassette player last?
A. Usually two years, sometimes up to five years

Q. Do I have to pay for repairs?
A. No, we do not charge for repairs

Q. May I have two cassette players?
A. No, you are only allowed one

Q. Can I buy a cassette player?
A. Yes, we can provide a list of vendors

Q. My cassette player doesn’t work, what should I do?
A. Call us at 800-491-4200. We will troubleshoot or mail you a replacement

Q. What happens to broken players that are returned?
A. Our Telephone Pioneer volunteers will clean and/or repair most players. When working again, they are then available for loan to patrons once again.

Federal Student Aid

The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid office provides information on grants, loans, and work-study to help students pay for their postsecondary education. Several of their publications are available as audio compact discs, in Braille, or on their website. Publications include the Free Application for Federal Student Aid; The Student Guide; Repaying Your Student Loans. For more information call 1-800-433-3243 or visit their website at www.studentaid.ed.gov.

Staff Picks

Here are two books I have enjoyed listening to lately. Perhaps you will enjoy them too!

RC 52527 Death Benefits by Thomas Perry. In this thriller an insurance investigator follows murder clues from California to a sinister New Hampshire town. Strong language and violence.
RC 54898 Coram Boy . Fascinating story of the sad plight of abandoned children in 18th century England. For grades 6 to adult.

Book Mark Update

In our last issue we mentioned the availability, for purchase, of a talking book marker. The creator of the marker, Jim Daly, is selling the markers for $16, and would like to correct his address as follows:

Jim Daly
835 Emma
Butte, MT 59701

We cannot endorse the marker, but want readers to be aware of it.

Howard Fast

Author Howard Fast died in 2003 at the age of 88. During a publishing career that began in 1933 he wrote many popular historical novels. Fast was blacklisted in the 1950s for refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee. A high school dropout, Fast went on to write over 40 novels. He also wrote a series of mysteries under the pseudonym E.V. Cunningham.

RC 19274 Citizen Tom Paine novel about one of the heroes of the American Revolution
RC 34793 Spartacus slave revolt in ancient Rome. This book, turned down by publishers due to his blacklisting, later become a famous movie
RC 43072 April Morning A boy sees his father killed at the Battle of Lexington and Concord

Music Services

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped provides music services directly to eligible patrons. Their collection includes music scores in Braille and large print, Braille and large print books about music, music appreciation cassettes, and self-instruction cassettes for various musical instruments. To contact them call 1-800-424-8567, or email them at nlsm@loc.gov.

Online Catalog

If you have a computer with internet access you can browse the NLS catalog of books available for loan. Log on to http://nlscatalog.loc.gov to search the catalog. Write down the RC (cassette) number of titles you’d like to check out and contact us to borrow them.

Seeing Eye Anniversary

The Seeing Eye, the nation’s oldest dog guide school, celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 29, 2004. Since 1929 they have matched 13,000 trained dogs with 6,000 blind men and women. Their mission is “to enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of blind people through the use of Seeing Eye dogs.” Their New Jersey facility houses 24 students and 120 dogs in training. The Seeing Eye has their own breeding facility where they breed German Shepherds, Labrador and Golden Retrievers for service. Once puppies reach 7 weeks old they are sent to approved homes in the Puppy Raising Program to be socialized and taught basic obedience. At 18 months old the dogs enter a four month intensive training program at The Seeing Eye. Human students spend 20-27 days at the school learning to work with their dog. There is a small fee to attend the school. For more info view the website http://www.seeingeye.org or write them at PO Box 375, Morristown NJ 07963-0375.

Greatest Adventure Tales

A panel of experts gathered by National Geographic Adventure magazine identified the 100 greatest adventure stories of all time. The list exemplified “great writing about great deeds.” Not only did they have literary merit, but these true stories portrayed great physical risk and audacity. Below are selections from the top 10 books. To view the entire list visit their website at http:www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure.

RC 31118 Journals by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
RC 33186 Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger
RC 23744 West with the Night by Beryl Markham
RC 44525 Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
RC 13298 Travels by Marco Polo

Know Your Narrator

The National Library Service has created a website where readers can learn more about the narrators of our talking books. Narrators may voluntarily submit information and audio samples of their work. To find out more about your favorite book narrator visit http://www.loc.gov/nls/narrators.

Legal Thrillers

Have you read all the John Grisham novels, but are still looking for more? If so, try one of the following books for some thrilling legal maneuvers:

RC 26965 Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
RC 36757 Primal Fear by William Diehl
RC 38592 Undue Influence by Steven Martini
RC 44527 The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer
RC 46762 Dead Even by Brad Meltzer
RC 48740 The Alternate by John Martel
RC 51883 The Vendetta Defense by Lisa Scottoline
RC 52073 Motion to Suppress by Perri O’Shaughnessy
RC 55302 No Lesser Plea by Robert Tanenbaum