Talking Books Talk - Website at State Library of Kansas

We are bringing you more recommendations from patron to patrons. If you didn't read the last post, you can visit it here. One of our patrons, Miss Anon, is a cozy mystery enthusiast and just an overall book lover. Throughout the year, she has provided Kansas Talking Books staff recommendations for books, authors, and series that are similar to each other based on characters, plot, pacing, and more. We share these with you, our other patrons, to assist you in finding new books to read. These recommendations are from Ms. Anonymous, for the most part, in her own words

Order just one book from this post or try several new author or series to see if these recommendations fit your needs for your next read.

Happy reading!

Other than it isn't a mystery, and shopping is only a murder to the pocketbook, fans of: Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune; Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow; Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum; Jesse Q. Sutanto's Aunties; and Jess Lourey's Mira James series will love:

Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series

I almost missed on this due to content as I'm as uninterested in cheese making as I am in shopping (I yawn through much of Avery Aames' cheese mystery series); however, Korina Moss' Cheese Shop mystery series is an excellent series! Fans of: Ellie Alexander's Bakeshop mystery series; Joanna Carl's Chocoholic series; Nancy Coco's Candy-Coated series; Abby Collette's Ice Cream Parlor series; Jacqueline Frost's Christmas Tree Farm series, etc. would like:

Korina Moss' Cheese Shop series

I'm not normally fond of Carlene O'Connor's series, except I did read the first one in her Irish Village series, and it was great! The heroine lost her parents in a car accident a year ago when she was 21, so she is now guardian of her 4 younger siblings, one of which is a precocious 10-year-old. Anyway, it was funny when she had the kids distract the murder suspect (an undertaker) while she rifled through his desks for clues. Ha! So many other funny moments, yet I just don't know about other patrons because of the Irish culture/lingo, although the narrator is excellent--she makes that first book!

Recommended for fans of: Maddie Day, Joanne Fluke, M. C. Beaton, Vivien Chien, and Mia P. Manansala

Fans of: Ellie Alexander; Jeffrey Allen; Winnie Archer; Maymee Bell; Janet Bolin; Ginger Bolton; Leslie Budewitz; Joanna Carl; Laurie Cass; Vivien Chien; Nancy Coco; Krista Davis; Maddie Day; Daryl Wood Gerber; P. J. Howell; Sharon Mondragon; Korina Moss; Barbara Ross; and R. L. Syme might enjoy:

A very woodsy murder: Golden Motel, book 1 by Ellen Byron

For Andrew Klavan's Cameron Winter series, what immediately sprung to mind for read-alike series was:

Spencer Kope's Special Tracking Unit series.
However, while a different gender AND venue, having a unique gift is similar as in Allyson K. Abbott's Mack's Bar series.
In addition, even though different professions, the following author sort of resonate with Klavan's torture protagonist/philosophical views, as well:
- William Bernhardt's Ben Kincaid series; David Housewright's McKenzie series; John Verdon's Dave Gurney series; and possibly even Peter Swanson.

Fans of: Isabella Alan's Amish Quilt Shop; Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow, and Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune series might enjoy:

Laura Levine's Jaine Austen series, as they all tap into the sarcasm factor;
but fans also might enjoy Laurie Cass' Bookmobile Cat mystery series and Julie Chase's Kitty Couture series though they lack the sarcastic edge but maintain humor and a love of cats.

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On The Download - September 2025

Check out August's top BARD downloads in Kansas! If you aren't yet a BARD user, you can learn more at the NLS BARD website. If BARD isn't a good fit for you, we are still happy to mail books and magazines directly to your home. Just drop us a line at KTB@ks.gov or call 800-362-0699. Happy reading!Most popular KS1A user audiobook downloads from August 2025DB130041 25 Alive by Patterson, James & Paetro, Maxine.DB130298 Nightshade by Connelly, Michael.DB129760 Hidden Nature by Roberts, Nora.DB126841 The Big Empty by Crais, Robert.DB129803 2 Sisters Murder Investigations: Don't mess with the Bird sisters! By Patterson, James & Fox, Candice.DB127136 Hidden Star by Roberts, Nora.DB130129 The Wife Upstairs by McFadden, Freida.DB130125 The First Gentleman by Clinton, Bill; Patterson, James.DB130021 Stuart Woods' Finders Keepers by Battles, Brett & Woods, Stuart.DB129316 A Mind of Her Own by Steel, Danielle.DB129914 Sunrise Reef by Hannon, Irene.DB129034 South of Nowhere by Deaver, Jeffery.Most popular KS1A user audio magazine downloads from August 2025Consumer Reports July, 2025Foreign Affairs July, 2025Atlantic Monthly August, 2025Reader's Digest July, 2025Talking Book Topics July, 2025Smithsonian July, 2025The New Yorker August 11, 2025Discover July, 2025Economist August 09, 2025Cooking Light June, 2025Atlantic Monthly July, 2025A full list of available magazines can be found on the NLS Website. Most popular KS1A user braille book downloads from August 2025BR25728 Don't Ask the Blind Guy for Directions: A 30,000-mile journey for love, confidence, and a sense of belonging by Samuel, John.BR25570 Connect to Your Calling by Jakes, T. D.BR15471 The Friendship Crisis: Finding, making, and keeping friends when you're not a kid anymore by Paul, Marla.BR25280 Managing Your Emotions: Daily wisdom for remaining stable in an unstable world : a 90 day devotional by Meyer, Joyce.BR25533 Saturdays with Billy: My friendship with Billy Graham by Wilton, Don & Stanley, Charles F.BR25594 Guiding Emily: A tale of love, loss, and courage by Hinske, Barbara.BR25571 This Man Must Die by Johnstone, William W. & Johnstone, J. A.BR25596 Life Unseen: A story of blindness by Mills, Selina.BR07774 Tuck Everlasting by Babbitt, Natalie....

August 2025 Staff Picks

The KTB staff has been reading all kinds of books in August. Find out what they've been reading in this list of books. Get these books in just minutes using BARD, Braille and Audio Reading Download, a download service provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. Most of the collection of audio books and magazines are available to patrons 24/7 using this download service. Learn more at our BARD Resources page.Michael Lang, DirectorDB 51047 The wonderful wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum When a cyclone blows Dorothy and her dog Toto from their Kansas home to the magical Land of Oz, Dorothy meets the Munchkins and witches. With her new companions the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy travels to the Emerald City to petition the Wizard. For grades 4-7. 1899.Dylan Calhoon, Patron Services ManagerDB 66657 Armageddon in retrospect: and other new and unpublished writings on war and peace by Kurt Vonnegut Twelve fiction and nonfiction pieces representing Vonnegut's views on violence and war and his desire for world peace. Contains both a 1945 letter to his family summarizing his prisoner-of-war experience in Germany and his last speech, written in 2007. Introduction by his son Mark Vonnegut. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2008.DB 64695 The gates to the witch world: comprising Witch world; Web of the witch world; and Year of the unicorn by Andre Norton Presents the first three volumes in the Witch World series. In Witch World secret agent Simon Tregarth flees his customary reality through a portal and ends up in a medieval land of magic where the forces of evil threaten three benevolent witches. 2001. Includes Book 1: Witch World, Book 2: Web of the Witch World, and Book 1: Year of the Unicorn (from the High Halleck Cycle)Jason Brinkman, Production ManagerDB 129931 The Project: how Project 2025 is reshaping America by David A. Graham "When President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, news spread about his implementation of Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page document published by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation. The debates--and anxiety--surrounding this initiative have only increased as authors of the Project assume positions of power in the second Trump administration. So, what is Project 2025, exactly? Who wrote it, and what does it mean for everyday Americans, across the political spectrum, now and in the years to come? In The Project, award-winning journalist David A. Graham offers much-needed context and distills the essential elements of this sprawling document. Breaking down the Project's strategy for transforming--and radically empowering--the executive branch, Graham then explains what the architects behind Project 2025 are doing with that power: enforcing traditional gender norms, decimating the civil service, performing mass deportations, reducing corporate regulation and worker protections, and more. Project 2025 is the intellectual blueprint for the new administration, Graham argues, and its tenets should not be legible only to policy wonks. Authoritative yet highly accessible, The Project demystifies it for those whose lives it will affect most."-- From publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.Nataly Renfro, Machine Clerk DB 37043 Good omens: the nice and accurate propehcies of Agnes Nutter, witch by Neil Gaiman (Also available in braille as BR 21217) Armageddon is scheduled for next Saturday! But demon Crowley and angel Aziraphale are not looking forward to it. In order to prevent this, they must kill the Antichrist, who lives on earth as a young child. However, there is a problem--three children were switched at birth, and no one knows which one is the Antichrist. Violence and some strong language.DB 118356 Activate your vagus nerve: unleash your body's natural ability to heal gut sensitivities, inflammation, brain fog, autoimmunity, anxiety, depression by Navas Habib "Repair your vagus nerve and experience amazing health and wellness benefits. Your vagus nerve is the largest and most important nerve in your body. It carries messages to and from your brain, gut, heart, and other major muscles and organs. However, common issues like inflammation, stress, or physical trauma can interfere with the nerve's ability to function. Luckily, there are tons of quick-and-easy ways to activate and exercise the nerve, strengthening its function and restoring your body to good health. Packed with easy-to-follow exercises and activities, this book will show you how to unlock the power of the vagus nerve to heal your body and get back to a state of balance." -- Provided by publisher. -- Commercial audiobook.Sarah BruemmerDB 120977 Sociopath by Patric Gagne "Patric Gagne realized she made others uncomfortable before she started kindergarten. Something about her caused people to react in a way she didn't understand. She suspected it was because she didn't feel things the way other kids did. Emotions like fear, guilt, and empathy eluded her. For the most part, she felt nothing. And she didn't like the way that "nothing" felt. She did her best to pretend she was like everyone else, but the constant pressure to conform to a society she knew rejected anyone like her was unbearable. So Patric stole. She lied. She was occasionally violent. She became an expert lock-picker and home-invader. All with the goal of replacing the nothingness with...something. In college, Patric finally confirmed what she'd long suspected. She was a sociopath. But even though it was the very first personality disorder identified--well over 200 years ago--sociopathy had been neglected by mental health professionals for decades. She was told there was no treatment, no hope for a normal life. She found herself haunted by sociopaths in pop culture, madmen and evil villains who are considered monsters. Her future looked grim. But when Patric reconnects with an old flame, she gets a glimpse of a future beyond her diagnosis. If she's capable of love, it must mean that she isn't a monster. With the help of her sweetheart (and some curious characters she meets along the way) she embarks on a mission to prove that the millions of Americans who share her diagnosis aren't all monsters either"--Dust jacket. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.Troy Arndt, Circulation ClerkDB 32537 The fall by Albert Camus A philosophical monologue told by a man who realizes he is kind to others only to satisfy his vanity. The consequent feeling of guilt convinces him to reveal his true self to others, an action that soon brings about his disgrace.DB 15217 Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre The author's first novel, originally published in 1938, is a statement about the alienation of personality and the mystery of being. Sartre presents the first full-length essay on existentialism, the philosophy for which he has since become famous. Offered Nobel Prize for literature in 1964 which he declined.DB 34599 Being and nothingness: a phenomenological essay on ontology by Jean-Paul Sartre Translator Hazel Barnes describes Sartre as "one of the very few twentieth-century philosophers to present us with a total system." The chapters in this principal text on existentialism are entitled: the pursuit of being; the problem of nothingness; being-for-itself; being-for-others; and having, doing, and being. Some discussion of sex.DB 37598 Notes from underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky First published in 1864, this psychological portrait of the nameless fictional narrator is in the form of a meditation on the injuries people inflict on one another. The narrator is obsessed with the absurdity of life and the meaninglessness of his own existence....

Kansas Talking Book News Update – Fall 2025

Catch up on all the news from Kansas Talking Books including updates on the new Digital Talking Book Machines!...

AI and the World around Us

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been making waves around the world as AI tools, such as ChatGPT, and other AI technologies have been adopted as they've become available in the last several years, or, completely avoided as concern rises over the use. AI is changing how we function in our personal and professional daily life and how various industries do business. It's mentioned in the news quite often as discussion grows about what roles AI will have in the future, what advances are being made, and what impacts AI is having.With how much AI is influencing the world, there are important considerations to be made in therms of regulations to limit or increase AI use and the ethics of use. Global leaders and policy makers are working on various legislation regarding AI. Although AI and machine learning have been actively researched for decades through government agencies, private companies, and universities, foreign and domestic governments are pushing for even more extensive AI research and advancement as technology has improved. Universities, in particular, may receive funding from or may collaborate with government agencies through joint research projects to further AI research and development. Universities and K-12 schools and their instructors are learning about and discussing best practices for student use and how to manage AI use (or use prevention) in homework and exams. They also have to teach about AI use in source material as more content on the Internet (social media and some news - particularly fake news) is full of AI-generated content that may appear real.The important thing to note is that AI is here to stay. It continues to permeate our lives and how people everywhere do things. Learn more about artificial intelligence with books from the following selected titles available through our Kansas Talking Books collection and on BARD, Braille and Audio Reading Download, a download service provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled allowing all patrons access to almost the entire collection any time, any where. Make one of these books your next read.La inteligencia articial (IA) hace ondas a través del mundo con muchos adoptando herramientas tales como ChatGPT para mejorar eficiencia mientras otros evitan el uso de estos programas a medida que incrementan las preocupaciones sobre su uso.IA está cambiando como funcionamos en nuestras vidas personales y profesionales y también la forma en que las compañías llevan a cabo sus negocios. Con el auge de IA hay consideraciones importantes sobre la ética de uso y losa impactos ambientales. A nivel mundial políticos trabajan para proporcionar varias leyes y regulaciones para ralentizar y también para acelerar el crecimiento del IA.Instructores y administradores en universidades y escuelas de Kinder-12 aprenden y discuten las mejores practicas para manejar el uso (o la prevención de uso) del IA en tareas y exámenes. También enseñan sobre el uso del IA en investigaciones ya que más recursos en el internet están creadno contenido que parece real usando IA.Sin importar lo que uno sienta sobre estos desarrollos, IA está aquí para quedarse y continuará extendiéndose por nuestras vidas cotidianas. Aprende sobre la inteligencia artificial con los siguientes titulos disponibles en nuestra colección de Libros Parlantes de Kansas y en BARD, (Braille and Audio Reading Download) un servicio de descarga proporcionado por El Servicio Bibliotecario Nacional para Ciegos y Personas con Dificultades para Acceder al Texto Impreso, permitiéndole acceso a todos nuestros usuarios a acceder a la colleción desde donde sea a la hora que sea. Haz uno de estos titulos tu próxima lectura.DB 120757 Simply AI: facts made fast by Claire Quigley"Covering a broad range of fields within AI--from computing and mathematics to politics and philosophy--entries demystify what artificial intelligence is and how it works, how it has dramatically changed how we live, and how it might evolve in the future. Everyone is talking about AI, but this book helps to explain each individual aspect of AI more clearly than ever before." --WorldCat.DB 116405 The coming wave: technology, power, and the twenty-first century's greatest dilemma by Mustafa Suleyman and Michael Bhaskar"We are approaching a critical threshold in the history of our species. Everything is about to change. Soon you will live surrounded by AIs. They will organise your life, operate your business, and run core government services. You will live in a world of DNA printers and quantum computers, engineered pathogens and autonomous weapons, robot assistants and abundant energy. None of us are prepared. As co-founder of the pioneering AI company DeepMind, part of Google, Mustafa Suleyman has been at the centre of this revolution. The coming decade, he argues, will be defined by this wave of powerful, fast-proliferating new technologies. In The Coming Wave, Suleyman shows how these forces will create immense prosperity but also threaten the nation-state, the foundation of global order. As our fragile governments sleepwalk into disaster, we face an existential dilemma: unprecedented harms on one side, the threat of overbearing surveillance on the other. Can we forge a narrow path between catastrophe and dystopia? This groundbreaking book from the ultimate AI insider establishes "the containment problem"-the task of maintaining control over powerful technologies-as the essential challenge of our age." -- Provided by publisher. -- Commercial audiobook.DB 96490 Rebooting AI: building artificial intelligence we can trust by Gary Marcus and Ernest DavisResearchers present an overview of the state of artificial intelligence in the early twenty-first century. Topics covered include the development of the technology, milestones, programming, and ethics. Offers ideas for future development. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.DB 89149 Life 3.0: being human in the age of artificial intelligence by Max TegmarkExploration of the development of artificial intelligence, also known as AI, and its role as the purported third iteration of life after bacteria and humans. Discusses the role of AI in the workforce, adjustments needed in legal systems, the likelihood that a form of superhuman intelligence will arise, and more. Commercial audiobook. 2017.DB 126169 Genesis: artificial intelligence, hope, and the human spirit by Henry Kissinger, Craig Mundie, Eric Schmidt, Eleanor Runde, and Niall Ferguson"As it absorbs data, gains agency, and intermediates between humans and reality, AI (Artificial Intelligence) will help us to address enormous crises, from climate change to geopolitical conflicts to income inequality. It might well solve some of the greatest mysteries of our universe and elevate the human spirit to unimaginable heights. But it will also pose challenges on a scale and of an intensity that we have never seen--usurping our power of independent judgment and action, testing our relationship with the divine, and perhaps even spurring a new phase in human evolution. The last book of elder statesman Henry Kissinger, written with technologists Craig Mundie and Eric Schmidt, Genesis charts a course between blind faith and unjustified fear as it outlines an effective strategy for navigating the age of AI."-- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.DB 121008 Co-intelligence: living and working with AI by Ethan Mollick"AI has arrived. And with it, inescapable upheaval as we grapple with what it means for our jobs, lives and the future of humanity.Cutting through the noise of AI evangelists and AI doom-mongers, Wharton professor Ethan Mollick has become one of the most prominent and provocative explainers of AI, focusing on the practical aspects of how these new tools for thought can transform our world. In Co-Intelligence, he urges us to engage with AI as co-worker, co-teacher and coach. Wide ranging, hugely thought-provoking and optimistic, Co-Intelligence reveals the promise and power of this new era."-- Goodreads. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.DB 116251 Scary smart: the future of artificial intelligence and how you can save the world by Mo Gawdat"Artificial intelligence is smarter than humans. It can process information at lightning speed and remain focused on specific tasks without distraction. AI can see into the future, predicting outcomes and even use sensors to see around physical and virtual corners. So why does AI frequently get it so wrong? The answer is us. Humans design the algorithms that define the way that AI works, and the processed information reflects an imperfect world. Does that mean we are doomed? In Scary Smart, Mo Gawdat, the internationally bestselling author of Solve for Happy, draws on his considerable expertise to answer this question and to show what we can all do now to teach ourselves and our machines how to live better. With more than thirty years' experience working at the cutting-edge of technology and his former role as chief business officer of Google [X], no one is better placed than Mo Gawdat to explain how the Artificial Intelligence of the future works. By 2049 AI will be a billion times more intelligent than humans. Scary Smart explains how to fix the current trajectory now, to make sure that the AI of the future can preserve our species. This book offers a blueprint, pointing the way to what we can do to safeguard ourselves, those we love and the planet itself." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.DB 92919 AI superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the new world order by Kai-Fu LeeTechnology executive and investor analyzes the technological developments and business opportunities for artificial intelligence in the twenty-first century. Pays particular attention to the work being done in China and the United States. Explores the possibilities of the technology in the future. 2018.DB 128344 As if human: ethics and artificial intelligence by Nigel Shadbolt and Roger Hampson"Every day we are confronted with ethical challenges arising from machine-mediated decision-making. Is the facial recognition software used by an agency fair? When algorithms determine questions of justice, finance, health, and defense, are the decisions proportionate, equitable, transparent, and accountable? How do we harness technology to empower rather than oppress?"-- From publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.DB 19890 Machines who think: a personal inquiry into the history and prospects of artificial intelligence by Pamela McCorduckTraces the American contribution to the development of artificial intelligence from its earliest beginnings to its sometimes frightening future. Based on personal interviews with major figures in the field.DB 22452 Inteligencia alienigena by Stuart Holroyd The author analyzes the human perception of intelligence and examines evidence that supports the existence of alien intelligences that are nonhuman, incorporeal, or extraterrestrial. Spanish language.DB 117717 Artificial : la nueva inteligencia y el contorno de lo humano by Mariono Sigman and Santiago Bilinkis "Este no es un libro de oráculos o vaticinios, sino las reflexiones de dos autores que consideran que para aproximarse al futuro será imprescindible navegar la ola de la inteligencia artificial. En una conversación tan lúcida como estimulante, el neurocientífico superventas Mariano Sigman y el emprendedor Santiago Bilinkis repasa el origen, las utilidades y los riesgos de esta tecnología. ¿Qué hará la humanidad con esta lámpara de Aladino? ¿Cuál es el mejor escenario? ¿Cobrará más valor lo fabricado por personas? ¿Qué ocurrirási supera nuestras debilidades? Si bien exponen las razones por las que debemos ser cautos y responsables, huyen del pesimismo. Muy al contrario, nos invitan pensar que de este desafío podemos sacar nuestra mejor versión." -- Proporcionada por la editorial. -- Sin calificación. Audiolibro comercial.DB 118868 La ola que viene: tecnología, poder y el gran dilema del siglo XXI by Mustafa Suleyman"En La ola que viene, Suleyman (uno de los mayores expertos del planeta en sistemas inteligentes) demuestra cómo estas fuerzas amenazan seriamente las bases del orden mundial. Mientras nuestros frágiles gobiernos caminan sonámbulos hacia el desastre, nos enfrentamos a un dilema existencial: por un lado, enfrentarnos a los daños sin precedentes derivados de una exposición incontrolada a estas nuevas tecnologías; por otro, a la amenaza de una vigilancia tiránica y abusiva. ¿Conseguiremos abrir un estrecho punto de fuga entre la catástrofe y la distopía?" -- Proporcionada por la editorial. -- Traducido de la edición en inglés de 2023.DB 124345 Nexus : una breve historia de las redes de información desde la Edad de Piedra hasta la IA by Yuval N. Harari"Durante los últimos 100.000 años, los sapiens hemos acumulado un enorme poder. Pero, a pesar de todos los descubrimientos, inventos y conquistas, ahora nos enfrentamos a una crisis existencial: el mundo está al borde del colapso ecológico, abunda la desinformación y nos precipitamos hacia la era de la I.A. Con todo el camino andando, ¿por qué somos una especie autodestructiva? A partir de una fascinante variedad de ejemplos históricos, desde la Edad de Piedra, pasando por la Biblia, la caza de brujas de principios de la Edad Moderna, el estalinismo y el nazismo, hasta el resurgimiento del populismo en nuestros días, Harari nos ofrece un marco revelador para indagar en las complejas relaciones que existen entre información y verdad, burocracia y mitología, y sabiduría y poder. Examina cómo diferentes sociedades y sistemas políticos han utilizado la información para lograr sus objetivos e imponer el orden, para bien y para mal. Y plantea las opciones urgentes a las que nos enfrentamos hoy en día, cuando la inteligencia no humana amenaza nuestra propia existencia." -- Proporcionada por la editorial. -- Traducido de la edición en inglés de 2024. Sin calificación. Audiolibro comercial....

From One Patron to Another: Miss Anon Recommends