Non-fiction

Pylon! The Omaha Air Races, 1931-1934
RC 955

by Wallace Peterson

read by Alice Timm

1 cassette

The Omaha Air Races, one of four regional air races in the country, drew thousands of spectators during the depression years of the early 1930s. Eight to ten home-built planes sped around a five-mile course, 50 to 100 feet off the ground, at nearly 200 miles per hour. The author describes the antics of the daring pilots, whose skills helped to develop high-speed aviation which became crucial during World War II.

Restoring the Burnt Child: A Primer
RC 960

by William Kloefkorn

read by Dan Howell

1 cassette

This memoir of growing up in a small Kansas town during the 1940s continues the story begun in This Death by Drowning (RC 711). Nebraska's state poet and emeritus professor of English at Nebraska Wesleyan University uses humor and lyrical prose to describe the unsentimental education he received in the local barber shop and drugstore and at the knees of the true characters who made up his family. Some strong language.
 

Bertie and Me: Kids on a Ranch
RC 978

by Billie Lee Snyder Thornburg

read by Dennis Lorance

1 cassette

Memoirs filled with humor of a 90-year-old woman who grew up in the early 1900s on an isolated ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills.

 

For many Nebraskans, the harvest season brings back memories of family, and of cooking and baking. Taste of Home, a bimonthly magazine produced by Associated Services for the Blind, offers satisfying, easy-to-prepare recipes that come from the readers themselves. Featured are recipes for main dishes, desserts, and snacks-all made using standard utensils and ingredients you are likely to have on hand.

Another magazine for homemakers, Family Circle, also produced by Associated Services for the Blind, offers health and beauty tips, recipes for family meals, and advice for homemakers and home decorating. This magazine is issued 17 times per year.

Redbook, a monthly magazine produced by the Florida Regional Library, offers short stories, advice on child rearing and family relations, home decorating ideas, and fashion and beauty tips.

If fall weather means home or car maintenance, you might like Popular Mechanics, a monthly magazine which offers articles on auto mechanics, woodworking, electronics, and even photography. Published ten times a year, Family Handyman covers home remodeling, repair and maintenance, and energy efficiency. Both magazines are produced by Associated Services for the Blind.

To Nebraskans, fall also means football. Dedicated to University of Nebraska athletics, The Big Red Report emphasizes football but attempts to cover the wide range of sports that are part of the university's athletic program. Published ten times a year, it is recorded in our own studios.

To sign up for these free cassette magazines, please use the order form below or call your Readers Advisor.

 

September nights are pleasantly cool, while the days are warm and busy. Here are some wonderful books for late summer reading:

RC 45527 The Life and Times of the Apple, by Charles Micucci

Covers the life cycle of the apple from planting the seed through harvesting and eating. Discusses pollination by honeybees, the change from flower to fruit, the parts of an apple, and how apples are picked. Includes historical information and the story of Johnny Appleseed. For grades 2-4 and older readers.

RC 47816 A Book of Famous Iowans: A Novel, by Douglas Bauer

A man remembers his twelfth summer, when it became public knowledge that his mother had taken up with a local baseball pitcher. Her departure ruptures his boyhood security, leaving him angry and bereft. Years later he still wonders why she never returned for him. Some strong language.

RC 48956 The End of Summer, by Rosamunde Pilcher

Twenty-one-year-old Jane Marsh returns to her grandmother's house in Scotland after seven vagabond years in America with her father. Once home, she becomes reacquainted with her cousin, Sinclair, and discovers some unsavory family secrets.

RC 49500 The Cat Who Robbed a Bank, by Lilian Jackson Braun

Autumn in Pickax brings festivals, the Scottish Games, and the return of estate jeweler Mr. Delacamp. But Mr. Delacamp is murdered in the newly-restored hotel, and his assistant and the desk clerk are missing. Qwilleran takes clues from his cats, Koko and Yum Yum, to solve the crime.

RC 50281 Summer Promise, by Robin Jones Gunn

Fourteen-year-old Christy Miller, a farm girl from Wisconsin, is spending the summer in California with her wealthy aunt and uncle. But dealing with the fast beach crowd leads to moral dilemmas that are only resolved when she meets a group of Christian teens. For junior and senior high readers.

RC 50408 The Gross: The Hits, the Flops-The Summer that Ate Hollywood, by Peter Bart

The editor of Hollywood trade magazine Variety examines the movie season of the summer of 1998. Provides accounts of making and promoting the season's releases, which included Saving Private Ryan, There's Something About Mary, Bulworth, The Truman Show, Armageddon, Mulan, and The Horse Whisperer. Some strong language.

RC 50496 The Voyage, by Philip Caputo

Maine, June 1901. For reasons unknown to his three teenage sons, wealthy Cyrus Braithwaite orders the boys to board the family sloop and put to sea until September. During their eventful cruise south, the young sailors encounter heavy weather, romance, and peril before reaching safe harbor. Some descriptions of sex and some violence.

RC 54134 Coyote Autumn, by Bill Wallace

After moving from Chicago to rural Oklahoma, Brad has many new experiences. He hides an orphaned coyote in an old pen behind the barn, planning to tame him. But Brad has a lot to learn about wild animals. For grades 4-7.

RC 54893 Rites of Autumn: The Story of College Football, by Richard Whittingham

Based on an ESPN television documentary. Traces the evolution of the sport, describing its legendary players and coaches who dominated college football through the decades. Also chronicles traditional team rivalries and the greatest football games ever played. Foreword by Roger Staubach.

RC 54924 Slow Dollar, by Margaret Maron

Judge Deborah Knott is enjoying the harvest festival in Colleton County, North Carolina, when she discovers the dead body of a carnival worker, who she later learns was her kinsman. She also falls in love with childhood buddy Dwight Bryant of the sheriff's department. Some strong language.

RC 56003 Six Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929, by Karen Blumenthal

Chronicles the events and mistakes behind the stock market crash that started on October 24, 1929-Black Thursday. Discusses the optimism of 1928 and 1929 that led to reckless investments, describes the devastating losses for companies and individuals, and explores some of the personalities involved. For grades 6-9.

RC 56663 Summer of Pearls, by Mike Blakely

In 1944, Ben Crowell at eighty-four recalls events of 1874, his fourteenth summer. Then, during the pearl rush in Port Caddo, Texas, Judd Kelso a local riverboat captain, was murdered, and Ben witnessed greed, was rescued from a steamboat explosion, and fell in love. Some strong language.

 

Books which our volunteer narrators recorded in past years are still wonderful to read. To order, please check the box next to the RC number and mail this page to the Talking Book and Braille Service; or contact your Readers Advisor.