Jana Littrell facilitates A Journey through History book group to discuss Royal audience: 70 years, 13 presidents–one queen’s special relationship with America DB120048 by David Charter.

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Royal audience: 70 years, 13 presidents–one queen’s special relationship with America DB120048

Author: Charter, David

Reading Time: 8 hours, 40 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Mark Meadows

Subjects: World History and Affairs, Government and Politics, Biography of Heads of State and Political Figures

“From the moment she first enchanted the world as a youthful princess, Queen Elizabeth II found a unique place in American hearts–and she also played an unprecedented role in forging transatlantic ties. Over her seventy-year reign, she developed extraordinary and varied personal bonds with thirteen U.S. presidents–Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, both Bush Sr. and Jr., Clinton, Obama, Trump, and Biden–that other diplomats and leaders could only dream of. A fascinating, in-depth look at international relations and interpersonal intrigue, Royal Audience peels back the curtain on the “special relationship” between the U.S. and the U.K. as embodied by the Queen herself–charting Elizabeth II’s distinctive brand of one-to-one diplomacy through the eyes of those who experienced it firsthand. From horse-riding with Ronald Reagan, to sharing her recipe for scones with Dwight D. Eisenhower, to striking up a kinship with the Bushes and the Obamas, the Queen’s interactions with her U.S. counterparts often acted as a restorative tonic for relations between two nations, even when political tensions ran high. Not all royal encounters with U.S. presidents went smoothly, though. Between Jackie Kennedy’s complaints about Elizabeth and the Queen Mother’s shock at being kissed on the lips by Jimmy Carter, there was never a dull moment. Throughout the years, Queen Elizabeth II’s sense of duty and service remained steadfast, and her iconic legacy is unlikely to be repeated”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : Penguin Random House Audio, [2024]

This book can be found on Bookshare at the following link:

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5915251?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVJveWFsJTJCYXVkaWVuY2U

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“Betty MacDonald was a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii. Zuzka Lauwers grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21. Jane Smith-Hutton was the wife of a naval attaché living in Tokyo. Marlene Dietrich, the German-American actress and singer, was of course one of the biggest stars of the 20th century. These four women, each fascinating in her own right, together contributed to one of the most covert and successful military campaigns in WWII. As members of the OSS, their task was to create a secret brand of propaganda produced with the sole aim to break the morale of Axis soldiers. Working in the European theater, across enemy lines in occupied China, and in Washington, D.C., Betty, Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene forged letters and “official” military orders, wrote and produced entire newspapers, scripted radio broadcasts and songs, and even developed rumors for undercover spies and double agents to spread to the enemy. And outside of a small group of spies, no one knew they existed. Until now.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : Macmillan, 2025.

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6501598?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZ0aXRsZT1Qcm9wYWdhbmRhJTJCZ2lybHMlMjUzQSUyQnRoZSUyQnNlY3JldCUyQndhciUyQm9mJTJCdGhlJTJCd29tZW4lMkJpbiUyQnRoZSUyQk9TUyUyQiZib29rc1RvU2VhcmNoPUFMTCZxdWFsaXRpZXM9UFVCTElTSEVSJnF1YWxpdGllcz1FWENFTExFTlQmX2NvbnRhaW5zSW1hZ2VzPW9uJl9jb250YWluc0ltYWdlRGVzY3JpcHRpb25zPW9uJnNvcnRPcmRlcj1SRUxFVkFOQ0Umc2VhcmNoPUFkdmFuY2VkJTJCU2VhcmNoJl9jYXRlZ29yaWVzPW9u

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Star-spangled men: America’s ten worst presidents DB46576

Author: Miller, Nathan

Reading Time: 9 hours, 48 minutes

Read by: Gregory Gorton

Subjects: Biography of Heads of State and Political Figures, U.S. History

Biographical profiles of American presidents the author judges to be the ten worst in the nation’s history. Candidates were evaluated on the basis of their personal qualities and the extent to which they damaged the nation. Includes Richard Nixon for his moral lapses and Jimmy Carter for lacking purpose and direction.

New York, NY : Scribner, c1998.

Bookshare

This book can be found on Bookshare at the following link:

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6372261?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVN0YXItc3BhbmdsZWQlMkJtZW4lMjUzQSUyQkFtZXJpY2ElMjUyNiUyNTIzMzklMjUzQnMlMkJ0ZW4lMkJ3b3JzdCUyQnByZXNpZGVudHMlMkI

BARD annotation

Star-spangled men: America’s ten worst presidents DB46576

Author: Miller, Nathan

Reading Time: 9 hours, 48 minutes

Read by: Gregory Gorton

Subjects: Biography of Heads of State and Political Figures, U.S. History

Biographical profiles of American presidents the author judges to be the ten worst in the nation’s history. Candidates were evaluated on the basis of their personal qualities and the extent to which they damaged the nation. Includes Richard Nixon for his moral lapses and Jimmy Carter for lacking purpose and direction.

New York, NY : Scribner, c1998.

Bookshare

This book can be found on Bookshare at the following link:

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6372261?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVN0YXItc3BhbmdsZWQlMkJtZW4lMjUzQSUyQkFtZXJpY2ElMjUyNiUyNTIzMzklMjUzQnMlMkJ0ZW4lMkJ3b3JzdCUyQnByZXNpZGVudHMlMkI

A sense of the world: how a blind man became history’s greatest traveler DB62703

Author: Roberts, Jason

Reading Time: 12 hours, 41 minutes

Read by: David Cutler

Subjects: Biography of Persons with Disabilities, Disability, Travel

Biography of Englishman James Holman (1786-1857), who was blinded at twenty-five after serving in the Napoleonic wars and who then achieved fame as a world traveler. Quoting from Holman’s memoirs, describes how he fought slavery in Africa, survived captivity in Siberia, charted the Australian outback, and published three books. 2006.

New York : Harper Collins Publishers, c2006.

This book can be found on Bookshare at the following link:

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6462474?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPUElMkJzZW5zZSUyQm9mJTJCdGhlJTJCd29ybGQlMjUzQSUyQmhvdyUyQmElMkJibGluZCUyQm1hbiUyQmJlY2FtZSUyQmhpc3RvcnklMjUyNiUyNTIzMzklMjUzQnMlMkJncmVhdGVzdCUyQnRyYXZlbGVyJTJC

Jana Littrell facilitates A Journey through History book group and will lead the discussion on 9/2/25 at 8pm Eastern of  James K. Polk DBC27665 by John Seigenthaler.

James K. Polk DBC27665

Author: Seigenthaler, John

Reading Time: 5 hours, 21 minutes

Read by: Raines, Eric

Subjects: Biography, Government and Politics, U.S. History

The story of a pivotal president who watched over our westward expansion and solidified the dream of Jacksonian democracy. James K. Polk was a shrewd and decisive commander in chief, who served as Speaker of the House and governor of Tennessee before taking office in 1845. Shortly after his inauguration, he settled the disputed Oregon boundary and by 1846 had declared war on Mexico for the annexation of Texas and California. The considerably smaller American army never lost a battle. At home, however, Polk suffered a political firestorm of antiwar attacks from many fronts. And yet despite his tremendous accomplishments, he left office an extremely unpopular man, whose stresses had taken such a physical toll that he died within three months of departing Washington. Fellow Tennessean John Seigenthaler traces the life of this President who, as Truman noted, “said what he intended to do and did it.” Adult.

New York : Times Books, 2004.

This book can be found on Bookshare at the following link:

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/70191?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPUphbWVzJTJCSy4lMkJQb2xr

David Faucheux will join us again on 8/5/25 at 8pm Eastern to facilitate the discussion of The Colony Club: a novel DB127808 by Shelley Noble.

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“When young Gilded Age society matron Daisy Harriman is refused a room at the Waldorf because they don’t cater to unaccompanied females, she takes matters into her own hands. She establishes the Colony Club, the first women’s club in Manhattan, where visiting women can stay overnight and dine with their friends; where they can discuss new ideas, take on social issues, and make their voices heard. She hires the most sought-after architect in New York, Stanford White, to design the clubhouse. As “the best dressed actress on the Rialto” Elsie de Wolfe has an eye for décor, but her career is stagnating. So when White asks her to design the clubhouse interiors, she jumps at the chance and the opportunity to add a woman’s touch. He promises to send her an assistant, a young woman he’s hired as a draftsman. Raised in the Lower East Side tenements, Nora Bromely is determined to become an architect in spite of hostility and sabotage from her male colleagues. She is disappointed and angry when White “foists” her off on this new women’s club project. But when White is murdered and the ensuing Trial of the Century discloses the architect’s scandalous personal life, fearful backers begin to withdraw their support. It’s questionable whether the club will survive long enough to open.Daisy, Elsie, and Nora have nothing in common but their determination to carry on. But to do so, they must overcome not only society’s mores but their own prejudices about women, wealth, and each other. Together they strive to transform Daisy’s dream of the Colony Club into a reality, a place that will nurture social justice and ensure the work of the women who earned the nickname “Mink Brigade” far into the future.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : HarperAudio, 2024.

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6193331?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVRoZSUyQmNvbG9ueSUyQmNsdWI

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“A gripping exploration of the intense psychology and character of Benedict Arnold, arguing that he was essential to victory before he was a traitor. Benedict Arnold committed treason — for more than two centuries, that’s all that most Americans have known about him. Yet Arnold was much more than a turncoat — his achievements during the early years of the Revolutionary War defined him as the most successful soldier of the era. GOD SAVE BENEDICT ARNOLD tells the gripping story of Arnold’s rush of audacious feats — his capture of Fort Ticonderoga, his Maine mountain expedition to attack Quebec, the famous artillery brawl at Valcour Island, the turning-point battle at Saratoga — that laid the groundwork for our independence. Arnold was a superb leader, a brilliant tactician, a supremely courageous military officer. He was also imperfect, disloyal, villainous. One of the most paradoxical characters in American history, and one of the most interesting. GOD SAVE BENEDICT ARNOLD does not exonerate him for his treason — the stain on his character is permanent. But Kelly’s insightful exploration of Arnold’s career as a warrior shines a new light on this gutsy, fearless, and enigmatic figure. In the process, the book offers a fresh perspective on the reasons for Arnold’s momentous change of heart”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : Tantor Media, Inc., 2023.

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5795457?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPUdvZCUyQnNhdmUlMkJCZW5lZGljdCUyQkFybm9sZCUyNTNBJTJCdGhlJTJCdHJ1ZSUyQnN0b3J5JTJCb2YlMkJBbWVyaWNhJTI1MjYlMjUyMzM5JTI1M0JzJTJCbW9zdCUyQmhhdGVkJTJCbWFu

David Faucheux will join us again on 4/1/25 at 8pm Eastern to facilitate the discussion of the historical fiction novel The house is on fire DB120593 by Rachel Beanland.

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“Richmond, Virginia 1811. It’s the height of the winter social season, the General Assembly is in session, and many of Virginia’s gentleman planters, along with their wives and children, have made the long and arduous journey to the capital in hopes of whiling away the darkest days of the year. At the city’s only theater, the Charleston-based Placide & Green Company puts on two plays a night to meet the demand of a populace that’s done looking for enlightenment at the front of a church. On the night after Christmas, the theater is packed with more than six hundred holiday revelers. In the third-floor boxes, sits newly-widowed Sally Henry Campbell, who is glad for any opportunity to relive the happy times she shared with her husband. One floor away, in the colored gallery, Cecily Patterson doesn’t give a whit about the play but is grateful for a four-hour reprieve from a life that has recently gone from bad to worse. Backstage, young stagehand Jack Gibson hopes that, if he can impress the theater’s managers, he’ll be offered a permanent job with the company. And on the other side of town, blacksmith Gilbert Hunt dreams of one day being able to bring his wife to the theater, but he’ll have to buy her freedom first. When the theater goes up in flames in the middle of the performance, Sally, Cecily, Jack, and Gilbert make a series of split-second decisions that will not only affect their own lives but those of countless others. And in the days following the fire, as news of the disaster spreads across the United States, the paths of these four people will become forever intertwined. Based on the true story of Richmond’s theater fire, The House Is on Fire offers proof that sometimes, in the midst of great tragedy, we are offered our most precious–and fleeting–chances at redemption” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Waterville, Maine : Simon & Schuster Audio, 2023.

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5948434?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVRoZSUyQmhvdXNlJTJCaXMlMkJvbiUyQmZpcmU

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The first conspiracy: the secret plot against George Washington DB93794

Authors: Meltzer, Brad, Mensch, Josh

Reading Time: 11 hours, 10 minutes

Read by: Scott Brick

Subject: U.S. History

An account of a treasonous plan by George Washington’s bodyguards, working together with New York City mayor David Mathews and New York governor William Tryon, to kill the commander in the months leading up to the Revolutionary War. Some violence. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

[New York, NY] : Macmillan Audio, 2019.

Bookshare

This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link:

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/3674411?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVRoZSUyQmZpcnN0JTJCY29uc3BpcmFjeQ