Kansas Talking Books’ staff share what they’ve recently been reading. Download one today and be ready to ready in minutes using BARD, Braille and Audio Reading Download, a web-based download service provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled and Kansas Talking Books that allows patrons access to almost the entire collection of digital audio and braille books and magazines.

Amanda Diggs, Production Manager

DB 104344 Survival of the fritters by Ginger Bolton

Former 911 operator Emily Westhill runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, and works alongside her retired police chief father-in-law and tabby cat Deputy Donut. But when a favorite customer is found murdered on the five-year anniversary of her son's murder, Emily vows to solve both cases. Commercial audiobook. 2018.

DB 112637 Don’t fear the reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

"Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho. Dark Mill South's Reunion Tour began on December 12th, 2019, a Thursday. Thirty-six hours and twenty bodies later, on Friday the 13th, it would be over." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Nataly Renfro, Machine Clerk

DB 79327 Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

Years ago, Rose Marshall died when a man ran her off the road. Now, she haunts the highway and helps truckers transition to the other side. But with her killer still free and alive, Rose decides it's time to hunt him down. Violence, strong language, and descriptions of sex. 2014.

DB 108883 The girl in the green silk gown by Seanan McGuire

"For Rose Marshall, death has long since become the only life she really knows. She's been sweet sixteen for more than sixty years, hitchhiking her way along the highways and byways of America, sometimes seen as an avenging angel, sometimes seen as a killer in her own right, but always Rose, the Phantom Prom Date, the Girl in the Green Silk Gown. The man who killed her is still out there, thanks to a crossroads bargain that won't let him die, and he's looking for the one who got away. When Bobby Cross comes back into the picture, there's going to be hell to pay-possibly literally. Rose has worked for decades to make a place for herself in the twilight. Can she defend it, when Bobby Cross comes to take her down? Can she find a way to navigate the worlds of the living and the dead, and make it home before her hitchhiker's luck runs out? There's only one way to know for sure." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2018.

DB 110422 Angel of the overpass by Seanan McGuire

"Rose Marshall died when she was sixteen years old and on her way to her high school prom. She hasn't been resting easy since then-Bobby Cross, the man who killed her, got away clean after running her off the road, and she's not the kind of girl who can let something like that slide. She's been looking for a way to stop him since before they put her body in the ground. But things have changed in the twilight world where the spirits of the restless dead continue their "lives." The crossroads have been destroyed, and Bobby's protections are gone. For the first time, it might be possible for Rose to defeat him. Not alone, though. She'll need every friend she's managed to make and every favor she's managed to add to her account if she wants to stand a chance...and this may be her last chance to be avenged, since what is Bobby Cross without the crossroads? Everything Rose knows is about to change." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Michael Lang, Director

DB 84010 Brief history of creation: science and the search for the origin of life by Bill Mesler and H. James Cleeves 

Journalist Mesler and biologist Cleaves survey the history of Western science and the investigations into the creation and development of life. They examine the philosophical debates, political changes, and scientific understanding surrounding each discovery, and cover ancient Greek scientists, the use of the microscope, and Darwin's voyage, among others. 2016.

DB 120243 Lake of souls: the collected short fiction by Ann Leckie

"Journey across the stars of the Imperial Radch universe. Listen to the words of the Old Gods that ruled The Raven Tower. Learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls. And so much more, in this masterfully wide-ranging and immersive short fiction collection from award-winning author Ann Leckie"-- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Dylan Calhoon, Patron Services Manager

DB 120303 The paleontologist by Luke Dumas

"Curator of paleontology Dr. Simon Nealy never expected to return to his Pennsylvania hometown, let alone the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History. He was just a boy when his six-year-old sister, Morgan, was abducted from the museum under his watch, and the guilt has haunted Simon ever since. After a recent breakup and the death of the aunt who raised him, Simon feels drawn back to the place where Morgan vanished, in search of the bones they never found. But from the moment he arrives, things aren't what he expected. The Hawthorne is a crumbling ruin, still closed amid the ongoing pandemic, and plummeting toward financial catastrophe. Worse, Simon begins seeing and hearing things he can't explain. Strange animal sounds. Bloody footprints that no living creature could have left. A prehistoric killer looming in the shadows of the museum. Terrified he's losing his grasp on reality, Simon turns to the handwritten research diaries of his predecessor and uncovers a blood-soaked mystery 150 million years in the making that could be the answer to everything."-- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

DB 110285 The babysitter lives by Stephen Graham Jones

"When high school senior Charlotte agrees to babysit the Wilbanks twins, she plans to put the six-year-olds to bed early and spend a quiet night studying: the SATs are tomorrow, and checking the Native American/Alaskan Native box on all the forms doesn't mean jack if you choke on test day. But tomorrow is also Halloween, and the twins are eager to show off their costumes--Ron is a nurse, in an old-fashioned white skirt-uniform, and Desi has an Authentic Squaw costume, complete with buckskin and feathered headdress. Excitement is in the air. Charlotte's last babysitting gig almost ended in tragedy, when her young charge sleepwalked unnoticed into the middle of the street, only to be found unharmed by Charlotte's mother. Charlotte vows to be extra careful this time. But the house is filled with mysterious noises and secrets that only the twins understand, echoes of horrors that Charlotte gradually realizes took place in the house eleven years ago. Soon Charlotte has to admit that every babysitter's worst nightmare has come true: they're not alone in the house." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Maggie Witte, Outreach Librarian

DB 117669 Iron flame by Rebecca Yarros

"Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College--Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet's already wondering how she'll get through. It's not just that it's grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it's designed to stretch the riders' capacity for pain beyond endurance. It's the new vice commandant, who's made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is-unless she betrays the man she loves. Although Violet's body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else's, she still has her wits--and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules. But a determination to survive won't be enough this year. Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College--and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.

DB 67272 The candy bombers: the untold story of the Berlin airlift and America’s finest hour by Andrei Cherny

Recounts the post-WWII Berlin airlift of 1948-1949. Describes the Soviet Union's attempt to expel British, American, and French troops by blockading sectors of the city--actions that consigned more than two million citizens to starvation. Relates the American response--airlifting food and supplies and parachuting candy to children. Some violence. 2008.

DB 118797 Chasing serenity by Kristen Ashley

"From a very young age, Chloe Pierce was trained to look after the ones she loved. And she was trained by the best. But when the man who looked after her was no longer there, Chloe is cast adrift-just as the very foundation of her life crumbled to pieces. Then she runs into tall, lanky, unpretentious Judge Oakley, her exact opposite. She shops. He hikes. She drinks pink ladies. He drinks beer. She's a city girl. He's a mountain guy. Obviously, this means they have a blowout fight upon meeting. Their second encounter doesn't go a lot better. Judge is loving the challenge. Chloe is everything he doesn't want in a woman, but he can't stop finding ways to spend time with her. He knows she's dealing with loss and change. He just doesn't know how deep that goes. Or how ingrained it is for Chloe to care for those who have a place in her heart, how hard it will be to trust anyone to look after her... And how much harder it is when it's his turn." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.