Braille Book Review, Vol. 72, No. 6, November-December 2003 Braille Book Review November-December 2003 Volume 72, Number 6 _Braille Book Review_ is published bimonthly in large-print, braille, and computer diskette formats and distributed free to blind and physically handicapped individuals who participate in the Library of Congress free reading program. It lists braille magazines and books available through a network of cooperating libraries. The braille edition also lists recorded books, giving abbreviated annotations. News about library services is featured in both editions. The annotated list in this issue is limited to titles recently added to the national collection, which contains thousands of fiction and nonfiction titles, including classics, biographies, gothics, mysteries, and how-to and self-help guides. To learn more about the wide range of books in the national collection, readers may order catalogs and subject bibliographies from cooperating libraries. Librarians can check other resources for titles and answer requests for special materials. Readers can receive _Braille Book Review_ and other information through the Internet by accessing the the NLS home page at http://www.loc.gov/nls. To order books or for subscription changes, contact your local cooperating library. Correspondence regarding editorial matters should be sent to Publications and Media Section, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20542. Library of Congress, Washington 2003 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 53-31800 ISSN 0006-873X Contents: In Brief Books for Adults Nonfiction Fiction Books for Children Nonfiction Fiction Braille Magazines In Brief New technical circular NLS has published a new technical circular, Audio Technology Initiatives (03-02), summarizing progress in the production, storage, and delivery of digital talking books and in other applications of digital technology. Student financial aid guide available The U.S. Department of Education now has available an updated audio recording on compact disc that provides information about federal student aid to students who are blind or visually impaired. The guide covers federal grants, loans, and work-study programs, as well as non- federal sources of aid. Students can request one or more copies of the free guide by contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center toll free at 1-800-433-3243. Park Service offers access pass The National Park Service makes available to United States citizens or permanent residents who are blind or permanently disabled a lifetime entrance pass to national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, and national wildlife refuges that charge an entrance fee. The Golden Access Passport admits the pass holder and any accompanying passengers in a private vehicle if a park has a per vehicle entrance fee; where a per person entrance fee is charged, the pass admits the pass holder, spouse, and children. The Golden Access Passport also provides a fifty percent discount on federal use fees charged for many facilities and services such as camping, swimming, parking, boat launching, and tours. The pass may be obtained by showing proof of medically determined permanent disability or eligibility for receiving benefits under federal law. It must be obtained in person at a federal area (national park, historic site, wildlife refuge, etc.) where an entrance fee is charged. The National Park Service portal "Visit Your Parks" at may be used to locate a convenient park service site. It is recommended that visitors telephone the site to inquire about pass availability and required documentation before traveling. ### _Books for Adults_ The following books were recently produced for the NLS program. To order books, contact your braille-lending library. _Note:_ For the infomation of the reader, a notice may appear immediately following the book description to indicate occurrences of strong language, explicit descriptions of sex, or violence. The word "some" before any of these terms indicates an occasional or infrequent occurence, as in "some strong language." _Nonfiction_ Radical Equations: Math Literacy and Civil Rights. BR 13801. by Robert P. Moses and Charles E. Cobb. 3 volumes. Activist and MacArthur Award-winning educator Moses and journalist Cobb offer their vision of school reform based on the Algebra Project, a math-literacy program that has proven effective in disadvantaged communities. Moses argues that competence in math and science is prerequisite for economic empowerment and full citizenship. 2001. BR 13801. ## Self Matters: Creating Your Life from the Inside Out. BR 14066. by Phillip C. McGraw. 3 volumes. "Dr. Phil" turns inward, expanding his philosophy of life begun in _Life Strategies (BR 14289)_ and _Relationship Rescue (BR 14219)_. Explores how to find one's "authentic self" via introspection and other key elements that will lead to a stronger self-concept and self-esteem. Some strong language. Bestseller 2001. BR 14066. ## Death in the Afternoon. BR 14081. by Ernest Hemingway. 3 volumes (Reissue). Classic treatise on all phases of bullfighting from the raising and training of the animals to sketches of bullfighters. Descriptions of bravery, cowardice, pageantry, and history are enlivened by Hemingway's comments on life and literature. Some strong language. 1932. BR 14081. ## A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. BR 14111. by Barbara G. Walker. 4 volumes. Instructions for 550 knitting patterns. Covers knit-purl combinations, ribbings, color-change, slip-stitch, twist stitch, fancy texture, yarn-over stitch, eyelet, lace, cables, and cable-stitch. Recommends projects appropriate for described patterns. 1998. BR 14111. ## The Change before the Change: Everything You Need to Know to Stay Healthy in the Decade before Menopause. BR 14129. by Laura E. Corio and Linda G. Kahn. 5 volumes. A physician explains the physical changes that occur in women prior to menopause during the period called "perimenopause." Discusses symptoms, body functions, and available medicinal and herbal treatments. 2000. BR 14129. ## Talking about Death Won't Kill You. BR 14180. by Virginia Morris. 2 volumes. To help people make better decisions about death, the author encourages them to accept its inevitability. Discusses considerations to ponder before a crisis arrives and provides medical and legal options. Uses case studies to illustrate how to talk about dying with others and gives tips on relating to terminally ill patients. 2001. BR 14180. ## The Assassination of Lumumba. BR 14242. by Ludo de Witte. 4 volumes. Examination of the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, the Congo's first prime minister, and its political complexities. De Witte argues that the United States and Western Europe, fearing that the former Belgian colony would turn to the Soviets following independence, were complicit in plotting Lumumba's assassination. Some strong language. 2001. BR 14242. ## What the People Know: Freedom and the Press. BR 14246. by Richard Reeves. 1 volume. A veteran journalist assesses the state of his profession in the late 1990s. Chronicles such changes as evolving technology, increasing corporate control over newsrooms, and shifting media standards since the 1960s. Depicts a press gone awry and advocates returning to the objective and unbridled pursuit of truth. 1998. BR 14246. ## Thanks for the Memories, Mr. President: Wit and Wisdom from the Front Row at the White House. BR 14249. by Helen Thomas. 2 volumes. Longtime White House correspondent relates anecdotes about the nine presidents she's covered, from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush, as well as the jokes and verbal sparring she enjoyed with them. 2002. BR 14249. ## The Englishman's Daughter: A True Story of Love and Betrayal in World War I. BR 14254. by Ben Macintyre. 3 volumes. At the beginning of World War I, a group of British soldiers is forced to hide behind enemy lines in a small French village. With the help of the townspeople, the soldiers attempt to pass themselves off as locals. Love, betrayal, and sacrifice abound as ordinary villagers become heroes and villains. 2001. BR 14254. ## The Ultimate Container Gardener: All You Need to Know to Create Plantings for Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. BR 14261. by Stephanie Donaldson. 2 volumes. Describes how to display flowers, herbs, and other plants in baskets, window boxes, or hanging containers for both inside and outside the home. Advice with instructions for year- round cultivation and selection of items for color, fragrance, and location. 2001. BR 14261. ## Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror. BR 14262. by Rohan Gunaratna. 4 volumes. Scrutinizes this worldwide terrorist organization and its theater of operations country by country. Examines Al Qaeda's reach, strategic and tactical threat, mind-set, and messianic culture. Suggests ways for the international community to counter the movement. Based on five years of interviews, research, and travel. 2002. BR 14262. ## Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. BR 14263. by John L. Esposito. 2 volumes. A professor of religion and international affairs who is the director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University discusses popular misconceptions about Islam. Answers questions about the differences between the majority of Muslims and the minority who proclaim jihad or holy war. 2002. BR 14263. ## _Cawdor, a Long Poem_ and _Medea, after Euripides_. BR 14267. by Robinson Jeffers. 2 volumes. _Cawdor_ is a verse narrative, first published in 1928, that tells of a widower whose new young wife falls in love with his son. _Medea_ is a verse adaptation of Euripides' drama about humiliation and revenge brought on by divorce. Some violence. 1946. BR 14267. ## The Gift of Birds: True Encounters with Avian Spirits. BR 14271. edited by Larry Habegger and Amy Greimann Carlson. 2 volumes. Over two dozen tales involving people and their encounters with birds. In "Crazy Courage," Louise Erdrich watches a blue jay battle a hawk. In "The Balinese Chicken," Alice Walker writes of being an almost-vegetarian. In "Close to the End," a birder wonders about the meaning of the Christmas Count. 1999. BR 14271. ## Napoleon. BR 14277. by Paul Johnson. 2 volumes. Historian reassesses Bonaparte's spectacular career and character, examining the myth and the reality. Johnson contends that Napoleon "was not an ideologue but an opportunist, who seized on the accident of the French Revolution to propel himself into supreme power." 2002. BR 14277. ## A Dog Called Perth: The True Story of a Beagle. BR 14286. by Peter Martin. 2 volumes. The author and his wife adopted their beagle, Perth, as a puppy in 1965. Perth proved to be a loyal member of the family and an adventurous companion. She endured family additions, a number of moves, and even several months as a runaway. 2001. BR 14286. ## Understanding Hepatitis. BR 14295. by James L. Achord. 1 volume. A physician explains different types of hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) including the most prevalent: A, B, and C. Covers the function of the liver; the disease's signs, symptoms, and causes; and care, treatment, and research. 2002. BR 14295. ## The Monk in the Garden: The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics. BR 14311. by Robin Marantz Henig. 3 volumes. Account of the life and times of Gregor Mendel, the nineteenth-century Augustinian monk credited with establishing the foundation of modern genetics through his investigations of inheritance in pea plants. Explains how his experiments revealed modifications in successive generations, a crucial factor in evolution that Darwin failed to address. 2000. BR 14311. ## One Hundred Questions and Answers about Hypertension. BR 14315. by William M. Manger and Ray W. Gifford. 2 volumes. Physicians address the common condition of hypertension (high blood pressure, or "the silent killer"), including its causes, risk factors, and treatment; medical options; lifestyle changes; complications; and coexisting conditions. Explains how this common and treatable condition can be managed. 2001. BR 14315. ## Drawing the Line: How Mason and Dixon Surveyed the Most Famous Border in America. BR 14317. by Edwin Danson. 2 volumes. Surveyor-historian Danson recreates the lives and times of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. He appraises the accomplishments of the two British surveyors who endured the hardships of the North American wilderness between 1763 and 1767 to settle an eighty-year-old boundary dispute between the Penns of Pennsylvania and the Calverts of Maryland. 2001. BR 14317. ## A Rum Affair: A True Story of Botanical Fraud. BR 14321. by Karl Sabbagh. 3 volumes. Documents a fifty-year-old suspected fraud allegedly committed by eminent botanist John Heslop Harrison, who claimed as discoveries specimens he may have planted on the Isle of Rum, Scotland. Explores the efforts of Harrison's contemporary, John Raven, to expose the sham and examines the relationship between the accused and accuser. 1999. BR 14321. ## The Measure of Reality: Quantification and Western Society, 1250-1600. BR 14334. by Alfred W. Crosby. 2 volumes. Examines the shift from qualitative to quantitative thinking in Europe during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Discusses the ensuing developments in science, technology, and trade practices as well as in music and painting that led to the rise of Western civilization. 1997. BR 14334. ## Meditations. BR 14342. by Marcus Aurelius. 2 volumes. Ethical and spiritual reflections by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 121-180), written during his last decade. Advice and insights on daily conduct, leadership, and personal integrity. Modern English translation and introduction by Gregory Hays. 2002. BR 14342. ## Nativity Poems. BR 14350. by Joseph Brodsky. 1 volume. A sequence of eighteen Christmas poems written, one a year, by this Russian American poet who was both a Nobel laureate and a U.S. Poet Laureate. Also contains an interview with Brodsky. The poems are presented in Russian and English. 2001. BR 14350. ## The Nature of Economies. BR 14351. by Jane Jacobs. 2 volumes. The author posits that the laws of economics follow the laws of nature, and that economies and ecosystems develop in the same way. She presents her arguments in the form of a conversation among five fictional intellectuals in New York. 2000. BR 14351. ## The ASPCA Complete Guide to Pet Care. BR 14365. by David L. Carroll. 4 volumes. Detailed information on all aspects of domestic animal maintenance including choosing an appropriate pet, where to find it, bringing it home, housebreaking, health concerns, travel, and grieving. Covers common and uncommon house pets: cats, dogs, birds, snakes, lizards, turtles, ferrets, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, and guinea pigs. 2001. BR 14365. ## Winning Sounds like This: A Season with the Women's Basketball Team at Gallaudet, the World's Only University for the Deaf. BR 14370. by Wayne Coffey. 2 volumes. A sportswriter chronicles the 1999-2000 women's basketball season at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. The Bisons, made up of deaf students, compete against hearing teams in the NCAA Division III. Their coach, Kitty Baldridge, a hearing child of deaf parents, communicates in American Sign Language. 2002. BR 14370. ## Wild Solutions: How Biodiversity Is Money in the Bank. BR 14388. by Andrew Beattie and Paul Ehrlich. 2 volumes. Ecologists explain why the pioneering science of biological diversity and the preservation of ecosystems matter. By studying the interdependence of plants, animals, and bacteria, scientists find environmentally sound solutions to problems. Discusses how seemingly insignificant species may in the future meet critical human needs in medicine, agriculture, and other areas. 2001. BR 14388. ## The Cell: Inside the 9/11 Plot, and Why the FBI and CIA Failed to Stop It. BR 14392. by John Miller and Michael Stone. 3 volumes. Investigative reporters (John Miller interviewed Osama bin Laden in 1998) chronicle the investigation of Islamist terrorist cells by police, the FBI, and the CIA begun in the late 1980s. Highlights how political concerns that followed the 1993 World Trade Center bombing contributed to the failure to deter the militants. Some strong language. Bestseller 2002. BR 14392. ## No Finish Line: My Life as I See It. BR 14414. by Marla Runyan. 2 volumes. Memoirs of the first legally blind athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. Discovering that attitude can be more disabling than vision loss, Marla describes how she overcame difficulties at school by playing the violin and becoming a competitive runner. 2001. BR 14414. ## Where We Stand: Thirty Reasons for Loving Our Country. BR 14426. by Roger Rosenblatt. 1 volume. Author and PBS commentator identifies the "core values of the country, along with all the oddities and nonsense that make us us." In a series of brief, upbeat essays, Rosenblatt reflects on the Constitution, freedom of speech, liberalism, religion, political leadership, and the beauty of the American landscape. Some strong language. 2002. BR 14426. ## The Shadow of the Sun. BR 14447. by Ryszard Kapuscinski. 3 volumes. Polish journalist reminisces about his forty years of extensive travel in Africa, reporting on political and social change, hitching rides on back roads, and wandering with nomads. In "The Cooling Hell," he describes a trip to chaotic Liberia when it was at the mercy of warlords after Doe's assassination. Some strong language. 2001. BR 14447. ## Freedom for the Blind: The Secret Is Empowerment. BR 14467. by James H. Omvig. 2 volumes. A blind attorney and rehabilitation professional draws upon his own knowledge and experience to outline some ways blind people can enrich and improve their lives and careers. Omvig promotes the development of new philosophies and strategies that challenge traditional methods of rehabilitation for blind persons in the United States. 2002. BR 14467. ## Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life. BR 14470. by Christopher Reeve. 1 volume. Christopher Reeve, quadriplegic since an equestrian accident in 1995, contemplates what a successful life comprises. Offers his thoughts on parenting, religion, advocacy, faith, recovery, and keeping a sense of humor along with hope. 2002. BR 14470. ## Murder in the Cathedral. BR 14494. by T.S. Eliot. 1 volume. A verse play by Nobel Prize-winner T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) about the 1170 murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, at the royal behest of Henry II. Concerns issues of faith, politics, and the common good. 1935. BR 14494. ## Our Cosmic Habitat. BR 14495. by Martin Rees. 2 volumes. Astronomer Royal of Great Britain explores the nature of the solar system and related issues--among them the Big Bang theory, probabilities for life, the idea that our universe is part of an enormous multiverse, whether the universe is decelerating or accelerating, and the direction of new theories. 2001. BR 14495. ## Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order. BR 14599. by Robert Kagan. 1 volume. Neo-conservative scholar analyzes the divergence in foreign policies of western Europe and the United States in the context of Islamist terrorism. Discusses their different perceptions of threat in terms of power and ideology. Offers steps to reconciliation. Bestseller 2003. BR 14599. ## ### _Fiction_ _The_ _Bat_/_Bab, a Sub-Deb_. BR 14175. by Mary Roberts Rinehart. 4 volumes. A pair of works by Rinehart. In _The Bat_ someone, or something, is trying to scare Miss Cornelia Van Gorder, of New York City, to death. In _Bab, a Sub-Deb_, the writing assignment of a schoolgirl, who is a year away from her debut, leads to tragedy and murder. 1920. BR 14175. ## In This Mountain. BR 14211. by Jan Karon. 4 volumes. Father Tim Kavanagh and his wife, Cynthia, return to Mitford and renew old friendships. Father Tim, however, struggles with retirement and aging, while Cynthia achieves success as a children's writer. Father Tim's failure to control his diabetes leads to near-tragedy. Sequel to _A Common Life (BR 13422)_. Bestseller 2002. BR 14211. ## Shadows of Sin: A Jessie Drake Mystery. BR 14238. by Rochelle Krich. 4 volumes. Los Angeles detective Jessie Drake and her partner Phil Okum investigate the murder of a prominent plastic surgeon. Suspects include the doctor's family and some discontented patients. Jessie is also contending with the pregnancy of her sister, a former child abuser, and studying Jewish tradition. Some violence and some strong language. 2001. BR 14238. ## Leaving Katya. BR 14240. by Paul Greenberg. 2 volumes. Russia, 1990s. When American student Daniel meets Katya, they struggle to bridge the gap between their origins. Then Katya joins Daniel in New York, and the ground shifts, but financial difficulties only intensify their incompatibility. Each seems hopelessly misled by fantasies about the other's cultural heritage. Descriptions of sex. 2002. BR 14240. ## Miss Julia Throws a Wedding. BR 14243. by Ann B. Ross. 3 volumes. Widow Julia Springer of Abbotsville, North Carolina, insists on planning a wedding for attorney Binkie Enloe and her fiancé, deputy Coleman Bates. But Miss Julia really wants her friend Hazel Marie to get hitched to her live-in lover as a good example to Hazel's young son. 2002. BR 14243. ## Step-Ball-Change. BR 14245. by Jeanne Ray. 2 volumes. Raleigh, North Carolina. Sixtyish Caroline McSwain's daughter is engaged to the richest man in town--and her family's expected to foot the bill for the nine-hundred- guest wedding. Then Caroline's abandoned sister moves in, bringing her ankle-nipping terrier. Meanwhile, the crew renovating Caroline's house seems to live there. Some strong language. 2002 BR 14245. ## Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. BR 14247. by Philip K. Dick. 2 volumes. In the year 2021 Rick Deckard is employed on a dying Earth as a bounty hunter. He seeks androids that look like humans and destroys them. Basis for the 1982 movie _Blade Runner_. 1968. BR 14247. ## You Never Can Tell. BR 14248. by Kathleen Eagle. 3 volumes. Journalist Heather Reardon wants to tell the story of former Indian rights activist Kole Kills Crow, her goddaughter's father. Falsely accused of murder, Kole has been in hiding for years. When Heather tracks him down, he is forced to confront the demons from his past. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2001. BR 14248. ## The Feast of the Goat. BR 14253. by Mario Vargas Llosa. 4 volumes. Urania Cabral, returning to the Dominican Republic, where her father is terminally ill, recalls her youth during the brutal dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Called "the Goat" for his depravity with women, Trujillo was the reason for her forty-year estrangment from her father. Strong language and some violence. 2000. BR 14253. ## Nuremberg: The Reckoning. BR 14269. by William F. Buckley. 3 volumes. In 1939, German Axel Reinhard sends his American wife and son back to the United States. In 1945, Second Lieutenant Sebastian Reinhard is an interpreter at the war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, where he learns of his father's war duties and family secret. Strong language and some violence. 2002. BR 14269. ## Fear. BR 14272. by Simon Lane. 1 volume. While living in Paris, English author Fear falls hopelessly into debt. When his bank manager, Madame Jaffré, urges him to write an erotic novel for money, Fear compromises himself by recounting escapades between an American airline pilot and a French woman. Some explicit descriptions of sex. 1998. BR 14272. ## Fishing for Chickens: Short Stories about Rural Youth. BR 14274. edited by Jim Heynen. 2 volumes. Seventeen short stories about living in the country, coping with chores and weather. In "Miracle Boy," a boy's feet are accidently cut off by a tractor and reattached. Authors include Alice Walker, Wallace Stegner, and Tony Earley. Some violence and some strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2001. BR 14274. ## The Hunters. BR 14275. by James Salter. 2 volumes. Thirty-one-year-old Cleve Connell is sent to Korea and soon becomes a flight commander. All of the fighter pilots eagerly want to shoot down the enemy MIGs and become "aces." But, with every mission, Connell is gradually losing his nerve. Some violence and some strong language. 1956. BR 14275. ## Little Altars Everywhere. BR 14278. by Rebecca Wells. 2 volumes. Siddalee Walker is the oldest child of a plantation-owning family in small-town Louisiana. Her family stories of 1963 feature an embarrassing mother, who whoops it up with her friends, the Ya-Yas. Later, Siddalee and her three siblings struggle with grimmer childhood memories. Strong language, some violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 1992. BR 14278. ## The Cold One. BR 14353. by Christopher Pike. 3 volumes. Los Angeles police investigate two strings of gruesome murders by an evil supernatural force. A grad student, a writer, and a gangster are drawn into the maelstrom of horror. Ultimately an Indian spiritual master confronts the evil. Strong language and violence. 1995. BR 14353. ## Winter and Night. BR 14368. by S.J. Rozan. 3 volumes. Private investigator Bill Smith and his partner Lydia Chin leave Manhattan to help Smith's fifteen-year-old runaway nephew, Gary. Gary's family lives in the New Jersey suburbs, where he is suspected of killing his drug-dealing girlfriend. But Gary's dad also has a secret. Violence and strong language. 2002. BR 14368. ## The Day Trader. BR 14372. by Stephen Frey. 3 volumes. Failing as a salesman and husband, Augustus McKnight dreams of taking the plunge into full-time day trading. After personal tragedy affords him the freedom to do so, he discovers a world where the people he trusts most keep dangerous secrets. Some violence and some strong language. 2002. BR 14372. ## The Archer's Tale. BR 14373. by Bernard Cornwell. 3 volumes. During the Hundred Years War between England and France, English archer Thomas of Hookton undertakes a quest to retrieve a treasured family lance stolen during a murderous raid on his village. Thomas joins the fight against France, and his mission becomes larger than he could have imagined. Violence and some strong language. 2001. BR 14373. ## A Second Legacy. BR 14377. by Caroline Harvey. 4 volumes. In 1960s London, Alexia Langley, divorced with an infant, returns to Scotland and converts the family castle into a successful hotel. In 1988 her daughter, Carly, chooses to retrace her ancestor Charlotte Bewick's sojourn in Afghanistan, told in _Legacy of Love (BR 13434)_, instead of learning her mother's business. 1993. BR 14377. ## The Bones in the Attic. BR 14391. by Robert Barnard. 2 volumes. Matt Harper, former soccer-player-turned-media-reporter, discovers a baby's skeleton in his newly bought house in Leeds. The police date the death to 1969 when, coincidentally, Matt stayed with his aunt in the same neighborhood. He investigates and uncovers unsavory secrets about his childhood playmates. Some strong language. 2001. BR 14391. ## Shrink Rap. BR 14415. by Robert B. Parker. 2 volumes. Boston P.I. Sunny Randall, last seen in _Perish Twice (BR 14595)_, becomes a bodyguard for romance writer Melanie Hall--whose ex-husband, psychiatrist Dr. John Melvin, is stalking her. Sunny enlists the help of another shrink and her own ex-husband, Richie. Strong language and some violence. 2002. BR 14415. ## The Red Room. BR 14416. by Nicci French. 3 volumes. London psychiatrist and police consultant Kit Quinn, from _Beneath the Skin (RC 50267)_, exonerates the police department's main suspect in the murder of a girl, even though he once attacked Kit during an interrogation. Instead, she suspects that a serial killer is operating. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2001. BR 14416. ## Eli. BR 14417. by Bill Myers. 3 volumes. The author imagines a parallel world by transporting Jesus Christ's birth into twentieth-century California. A skeptical journalist, Conrad, has an accident; from his hospital bed in one universe, near death, he is transferred into the other. There he meets Eli, whom he believes to be the Messiah. 2000. BR 14417. ## Blindsighted. BR 14418. by Karin Slaughter. 3 volumes. Georgia coroner Dr. Sara Linton and her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, race to find a killer rapist in the small town of Heartsdale. Savagely murdered victims, beginning with a blind professor, proliferate as swiftly as likely suspects. Explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and strong language. 2001. BR 14418. ## The Filmmaker. BR 14419. by Elise Dallemagne-Cookson. 3 volumes. Twenty-one-year old Celia Smith falls in love with married filmmaker Ben Rogers on a movie set in Spain in the 1950s. Ben, a former member of the Communist Party, is blacklisted in Hollywood after testifying to the House Un-American Activities Committee about others in the industry. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2000. BR 14419. ## _Chéri_ and _The Last of Chéri_. BR 14421. by Colette. 3 volumes. Two novels concerning a love affair between a successful but aging courtesan, Léa de Lonval, and her spoiled young lover called Chéri. The intensity of their feelings is revealed when Chéri marries eighteen-year-old Marie-Laure. Originally published in 1920 and 1926, with a 2001 introduction by Judith Thurman. 1951. BR 14421. ## The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. BR 14438. by Douglas Adams. 2 volumes. When Earth is demolished to make room for a galactic freeway, sole survivor Arthur Dent is forced to take up a life of hitchhiking around the cosmos with the aid of his alien friend, Ford Prefect, and a book called the _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. 1980. BR 14438. ## The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. BR 14439. by Douglas Adams. 2 volumes. Earthman Arthur Dent and his motley companions continue traveling around the galaxy. They encounter an odd assortment of aliens, attend a thirty-megaton rock concert, and wind up at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, where the floor show is doomsday. Sequel to _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (BR 14438)_. 1980. BR 14439. ## Life, the Universe, and Everything. BR 14440. by Douglas Adams. 2 volumes. While Arthur Dent and his alien companions work to prevent destruction of the universe by the deadly white robots of Krikkit, Dent encounters various strange beings, including the immortal Wowbagger, who's decided to insult everyone in alphabetical order. Sequel to _The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (BR 14439)_. 1982. BR 14440. ## So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish. BR 14441. by Douglas Adams. 2 volumes. Arthur Dent returns to Earth after eight years, with only a ratty towel and a plastic bag to prove he ever left. A gift- wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic message and the disappearance of all dolphins make him think something otherworldly is happening. Sequel to _Life, the Universe, and Everything (BR 14440)_. 1984. BR 14441. ## Chasing the Dime. BR 14466. by Michael Connelly. 3 volumes. Dr. Henry Pierce moves while in the midst of a computer technology battle and a fight for project funding. His new, and very busy, telephone number belonged to a dazzling online call girl, who seems to be missing. Violence, strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller 2002. BR 14466. ## It's My F---ing Birthday. BR 14472. by Merrill Markoe. 2 volumes. A thirty-six-year-old unmarried art teacher begins a journal on her birthday highlighting her mistakes and resolutions. Over the course of seven years, she chronicles hilarious episodes with emotionally crippled boyfriends and with her abusive parents, until she discovers that she doesn't mind living alone. Strong language. 2002. BR 14472. ## Ordinary Life: Stories. BR 14473. by Elizabeth Berg. 2 volumes. Fourteen short stories about women and their search for meaning in their lives. In the title story, elderly Mavis McPherson locks herself in the bathroom with food and supplies for a week to reflect on the past. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2002. BR 14473. ## The Janson Directive. BR 14484. by Robert Ludlum. 5 volumes. Former government agent Paul Janson is enlisted to rescue Hungarian philanthropist Peter Novak, who has been kidnapped by an Islamist terrorist group led by the Caliph. Novak's mission is derailed by a traitor and leads to the discovery of a global political conspiracy. Violence, strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller 2002. BR 14484. ## A Cup of Light. BR 14490. by Nicole Mones. 2 volumes. Deaf art expert Lia Frank, working for an American firm, travels to Beijing, China, to appraise porcelain for a buyer in Hong Kong. Lia finds some fakes, but suspects that the authentic pieces were hidden from the Japanese during the 1930s. She also falls in love with Dr. Michael Doyle. 2002. BR 14490. ## Tepper Isn't Going Out. BR 14499. by Calvin Trillin. 2 volumes. Murray Tepper relishes occupying a good parking spot in his New York City neighborhood, but suddenly his routine of feeding the meter and reading the newspaper in his car creates a citywide furor. He becomes the enemy of the law- and-order mayor and a font of wisdom to passersby. 2001. BR 14499. ## The Jester. BR 14597. by James Patterson and Andrew Gross. 3 volumes. French innkeeper Hugh de Luc joins the Crusades in 1096 but deserts after a year of carnage. Returning home with a few relics, he finds his village in ruins and his beloved wife a prisoner in the local duke's castle. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Bestseller 2003. BR 14597. ## ### _Books for Children_ The following books were recently produced for the NLS program. To order books, contact your braille-lending library. _Nonfiction_ To Every Season: A Family Holiday Cookbook. BR 14146. by Jane Breskin Zalben. 1 volume. Presents a brief history of holidays throughout the calendar year with recipes for traditional favorites. Covers New Year's, Valentine's, St. Patrick's, April Fools', Easter, Passover, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 1999. BR 14146. ## The Code Book: How to Make It, Break It, Hack It, Crack It. BR 14273. by Simon Singh. 2 volumes. Discusses the evolution of codes and their impact on history. Explains the growing importance of encryption--the process of encoding messages--in the expanding use of the Internet and satellite communications. A condensed version for young people of _The Code Book (RC 49955)_. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2001. BR 14273. ## Arithme-Tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes. BR 15002. by J. Patrick Lewis. 1 volume. Various math problems--mostly addition and subtraction--are presented in rhyme. "Finger Play" teaches a trick using your hands for an easy way to multiply by nine. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades 2-4. 2002. BR 15002. ## ### _Fiction_ Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam. BR 14041. by Walter Dean Myers. 1 volume. A young American soldier in a foreign land thinks about the enemy and surviving his mission to secure a village. In the tall elephant grass, he comes face to face with a young Vietnamese soldier and makes an important realization about war. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades 3-6. 2002. BR 14041. ## Henry Builds a Cabin. BR 14043. by D.B. Johnson. 1 volume. Henry, a gentle bear, builds a small cabin in the woods. His friends say to make it bigger, but that costs money--and, besides, Henry has his own ideas about space. Includes biographical sketch of Henry David Thoreau. Companion to _Henry Hikes to Fitchburg (BR 13066)_. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2002. BR 14043. ## At the Edge of the Woods: A Counting Book. BR 14044. by Cynthia Cotten. 1 volume. A counting book--from one to ten and back again--in rhymes about animals and insects found at the edge of the woods. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2. 2002. BR 14044. ## Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography. BR 14282. by Lemony Snicket. 1 volume. The elusive author of the multivolume Series of Unfortunate Events that beset the hapless Baudelaire children, starting with _The Bad Beginning (BR 13626)_, provides a glimpse into his mysterious and sometimes confusing life, using fanciful letters, diary entries, news clippings, and other miscellaneous documents. For grades 4-7. 2002. BR 14282. ## The Starstone. BR 14291. by Grace Chetwin. 2 volumes. Gom needs to become a wizard quickly to stop the evil Katak from destroying Ulm. But his apprenticeship to master wizard Folgan ends before he is fully trained, and Gom undertakes an arduous journey to prepare for battle. Sequel to _The Crystal Stair (BR 14290)_. For grades 6-9. 1989. BR 14291. ## Night of the Bat. BR 14425. by Paul Zindel. 1 volume. Teenage Jake flies to the Brazilian rain forest to join his father on an expedition to study bats. When a giant brain- eating bat menaces the project, Jake's worst nightmare seems to be coming true. For grades 6-9. 2001. BR 14425. ## Trouble Don't Last. BR 14427. by Shelley Pearsall. 2 volumes. In 1859, an aging slave forces eleven-year-old Samuel to run away at night from their harsh Kentucky master. They are hungry and frightened of being captured as they journey on the Underground Railroad towards the hope of freedom in Canada. For grades 5-8. 2002. BR 14427. ## The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter: A Treasury of Myths, Legends, and Fascinating Facts. BR 14468. by David Colbert. 1 volume. Examines the link between the Harry Potter books' images, characters, and themes and their roots in myths and folklore--decoding Rowling's clues to reveal hidden meanings. Discusses magic spells, supernatural beasts, the origin of names, and facts about wizards. For grades 4-7. 2001. BR 14468. ## Coraline. BR 14469. by Neil Gaiman. 1 volume. While exploring her new home, Coraline goes through a doorway that shouldn't be there into a dangerous world where she has a disturbingly different set of parents. Since this other mother kidnaps Coraline's real parents, it is up to Coraline to rescue them and return to her world safely. For grades 4-7. 2002. BR 14469. ## Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp. BR 14488. by Syd Hoff. 1 volume. When Danny takes his huge friend, the dinosaur, to summer camp, everyone has a great time. For grades K-3. 1996. BR 14488. ## Spookier than a Ghost. BR 14496. by Karen Gray Ruelle. 1 volume. Harry and his sister Emily are very much involved in the family's preparations for Halloween. A beginning chapter book. For grades K-3. 2001. BR 14496. ## ### _Foreign Language Books_ The following cassette titles are available in the languages designated. _Spanish_ Así Es Josefina: Una Niña Americana (Meet Josefina: An American Girl). BR 14464. por Valerie Tripp. 1 volume. En 1824 Josefina, una niña de nueve años, vive con su padre y sus tres hermanas en un rancho cerca de Santa Fé, Nuevo México, Las niñas se preocupan de mantener el hogar, como lo hacía su madre quien murió el año pasado. Para grados 2 a 4. Seguido de _Josefina Aprende una Lección (BR 14465)_. [In 1824 nine-year-old Josefina lives with her father and three sisters on a rancho near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they try to take care of things the way Mama did before she died the previous year. Prequel to _Josefina Aprende una Lección (BR 14465)_. For grades 2-4.] 1997. BR 14464. ## Josefina Aprende una Lección: Un Cuento de la Escuela (Josefina Learns a Lesson: A School Story). BR 14465. por Valerie Tripp. 1 volume. Tía Dolores enseña varias cosas a Josefina y a sus hermanas- -las mismas cosas que la madre de ellas les habría enseñado. Pero una de las hermanas teme que el aprender nuevas cosas-- como el leer y escribir--les hará olvidarse de Mamá. Sigue a _Así Es Josefina (BR 14464)_. Para grados 2 a 4. [Tia Dolores has returned to help Josefina and her sisters learn how to do many of the things their mother would have taught them. But one of Josefina's sisters is afraid that learning new things, like reading and writing, will make them forget Mama. Sequel to _Así Es Josefina (BR 14464)_. For grades 2- 4.] 1997. BR 14465. ## ### Braille Magazines The following is a list of braille magazines in the Library of Congress program. Readers may obtain free personal subscriptions to these magazines. For information on the availability of specific magazines, consult the library that send you braille materials. Boys' Life (for children and teens, monthly) Braille Book Review (bimonthly) Braille Chess Magazine (British quarterly) Braille Music Magazine (British monthly) Conundrum (British monthly) Cooking Light (10 issues) ESPN: The Magazine (biweekly) Harper's (literary; monthly) Health Newsletters (includes Harvard Health Letter, Mayo Clinic Health Letter, and University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter, monthly) Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine (monthly) Ladies' Home Journal (monthly) Martha Stewart Living (home and entertaining; 10 issues) Muse (for children; 10 issues) The Musical Mainstream (quarterly) National Geographic (monthly) The New York Times Large Type Weekly (weekly) News (NLS quarterly) Parenting (monthly except January and July) PC World (personal computing; monthly) Playboy (monthly) Poetry (11 issues) Popular Communications (monthly) Popular Mechanics (monthly) Popular Music Lead Sheets (irregular) Rolling Stone (popular culture; 24 issues) Science News (weekly) Seventeen (for teens; monthly) Short Stories (British monthly) Spider: The Magazine for Children (monthly) Stone Soup (children's writings; 5 issues) Update (NLS quarterly) The Washington Post Book World (weekly) The following sports schedules are also available: American Baseball League Schedule National Baseball League Schedule National Basketball Association Schedule National Football League Schedule National Hockey League Schedule Women's National Basketball Association Schedule