Welcome New Reader Advisor Ursula McDaid

Ursula McDaid is delighted to join the New Mexico Library for the Blind and Print Disabled as a reader advisor. She holds a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies from University College Dublin, where her graduate work focused on scholarly communication, digital curation, and research data management. Her capstone paper on mitigating bias in Library of Congress Subject Headings is currently being prepared for publication.

Originally from Santa Fe, Ursula has lived and worked all over the world, including Paris and Dublin. Recently, she completed an internship at the Santa Fe Community College Library, where she contributed to reference services, information literacy instruction, and reader-focused resource recommendations.

Ursula enjoys connecting readers with books that inspire joy. Some of her recent favorites include The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Kahn (DB118595), The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (DB058940), Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (DB092127) and the Daevabahd Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty (DB089895, DB093701, DB100078).

Outside of work, Ursula spends her time baking, hiking and tending to her ever-growing collection of houseplants. She lives with her partner, Greg, and their pampered rescue dog, Cocoa.

Introducing Collections Connections

With so many new books being added to the collection each month, it’s hard for network librarians—not to mention patrons—to keep track of them all. We have another way to spotlight books—both new and old—in the collection. It’s a monthly email newsletter called Collections Connections, produced by the NLS Collections Division.

The first issue, which focused on books by authors featured at the latest Library of Congress National Book Festival, came out in September. The October issue also has Collections Connections’ first audio supplement, a quarterly production expanding on the month’s theme.

Themes for future issues include warm winter reads and books about, or set in, America’s National Parks. We encourage interested librarians and patrons to sign up for this newsletter by emailing connections@loc.gov!

Enjoy Award-Winning Genre Fiction

Are you a fan of science fiction or fantasy, but don’t know what to prioritize reading? Or have you an interest in exploring one or both genres, but aren’t sure where to start? We recently compiled a list of every available book in the NLS Collection which either won or was nominated for a Hugo or Nebula Award, the two most long-running and prestigious awards for these genres. In cases where such recognized books were part of a larger series, we have even compiled these series in optimal reading order to avoid dropping into the middle of a series just because the earliest book(s) may not have received awards attention. From seminal science fiction works like Isaac Asimov’s Foundation universe or Frank Herbert’s Dune series, to modern day classics such as The Expanse by James S. A. Corey, there are endless imaginative, thought-provoking, and thrilling worlds to lose oneself within! Call in to speak with our Reader Advisors to learn more and start exploring.

New From Our Recording Studio

DBC10354 – Santa Fe: 400 Years, 400 Questions By Elizabeth West; read by Patricia Jonietz

This Q&A book about Santa Fe, New Mexico contains reminders of what is known and what is sometimes forgotten or misunderstood about a city  more than four hundred years old. Not a traditional history book, questions are in random order, and answers occasionally meander off topic, as if part of a casual conversation. 

DBC10422 – Raton Pass By Thomas Wakefield Blackburn; read by George McFall

Money can mean power and Marc Challon has both. He and his family own the majestic XO cattle ranch, a 100,000-acre empire of waist-high grassland. But money and power spawn greed – and greed creates schemers who lust for Challon’s land.

 DBC10429 – The West of Billy the Kid By Fredrick Noland; read by John Pound

In The West of Billy the Kid, renowned authority Frederick Nolan has assembled a comprehensive photo gallery of the life and times of Billy the Kid. In text and in more than 250 images-many of them published here for the first time-Nolan recreates the life Billy lived and the places and people he knew.

DBC10473 – The Lady By Conrad Richter; read by Bruce Herr

 Rivalry between sheepmen and cattlemen in early nineteenth-century New Mexico. Ellen the enigmatic lady of the title is the person around whom the story turns. 

DBC10451 – Esteban: The African Slave Who Explored America By Dennis Herrick; read by William Scheer

This book highlights Esteban’s importance in America’s early history. What little we know about Esteban comes from Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and other Spanish chroniclers. The author dispels the myths and outright lies about Esteban. His biography emphasizes Esteban and gives him full credit for his courage and his skill as a linguist and cultural intermediary who was trusted and respected by Indians from many tribes across the continent.

DBC10468 – Death on the Rio Chiquito By Susan Mcduffie; read by Susan Mcduffie

New Mexico, 1943: Emily Schwarz, the Anglo teacher at the isolated Pueblo of San Antonito, discovers the corpse of a nineteen-year-old boy, his blood mingling with the muddy waters of the tiny Rio Chiquito. Who shot Juan? His cousin? A jealous girlfriend? Emily’s good friend then vanishes, followed by the disappearance of Juan’s little brother. Aided by Gregorio Cruz, the tribal sheriff, and by the mysterious Mr. Shepherd, Emily’s quest for truth leads to small Hispanic towns, Native American villages, and Bohemian Santa Fe.

DBC10469 – Running Toward the Light By William J. Buchanan; read by Bruce Herr 

Inspirational biography of George Mendoza, blind Olympic athlete from New Mexico.  Discusses his diagnosis, learning to live with his disability, running in the Olympics, and his successful career as a motivational speaker and advocate for the disabled, particularly young people.

El Palacio Magazine: The Magazine of the New Mexico DCA

A new magazine is available. El Palacio is the oldest museum magazine of its kind, first published in 1913 by the Museum of New Mexico. The magazine covers the art, culture, and history of the Southwest as reflected in the exhibits, public programs, and scholarship of the department’s museums. Make a request for a subscription from your reader advisor. 

Holiday Reading List

With the holidays approaching, we felt the inclusion of a holiday list may be welcome. Feel free to call and inquire with a reader advisor about the books. And by no means is this an exhaustive list! 

                                         Non-Fiction

 DB024355 – A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

 DB065732 – A Family Christmas by Caroline Kennedy

 DBC27467 – Book of Christmas by Brendan Lehane

 DB089914 – Chicken Soup for the Soul: a Book of Christmas Miracles:

  101 Stories of Holiday Hope and Happiness by Amy Newmark

 DB047455 – Christmas In My Heart: A Treasury of Holiday Classics

 DBC17261- Classic Christmas Stories: Sixteen Timeless Yuletide  Tales by Julia Livshin

 DB063808 – Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

 DBC02962 – The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford

 DB063705 – Miracle on 10th Street & Other Christmas Writings by Madeleine L’Engle

 DB097854 – The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore

 DBC10273 – Pinatas, Posadas, and Farolitos by Ira Williams (short stories about holidays & New Mexico) 

                                           Fiction

 DB043546 – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

 DB030913 – A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

 DBC01980- Burglar’s Christmas by Willa Cather (short story)

 DB105823 – The Christmas Bookshop: A Novel by Jenny Colgan (Edinburgh)

 DB062028 – Hanukkah Lights : Stories of the Season : From NPR’s Annual Holiday Special (short stories)

 DB068134 – Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (short stories that may contain language)

 DB012986 – Miracle on 34th St. by Valentine Davies

 DB022240 – The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann (translation of the original with gothic undertones)

 DB058836 – A Redbird Christmas Novel by Fannie Flagg 

                                       Mystery Fiction

 DB105824 – A Christmas Legacy: A Novel by Anne Perry

 DB110678 – A Murder at Balmoral by Chris McGeorge

 DB044355 – Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

 DBC04993 – How Not to Survive the Holidays: A Guide of Original Short Stories from your Desert Sleuths Sisters in Crime 

 DB117076 – The Usual Santas: A Collection of Soho Crime Christmas Capers by Cara Black

                                    Romance Fiction

 DBC24482 – An Amish Christmas Star by Shelley Shephard Gray

 DBC25230 – Amish Christmas Wedding: Four Stories by Amy Clipston

 DB110519 – The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber

 DB094685 – Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of WWI by Hazel Gaynor

 DB096768 – Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

 DB110742 – Tidings of Peace by Tracie Peterson 

Friends of the Library for the Blind

If you would like to make a financial contribution to the library this holiday season, our Friends group is able to accept your donation and put it to good use.  The Friends of the New Mexico Library for the Blind is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports the mission of the library by funding special projects and equipment, especially around our recording studio and staff appreciation.  To donate, make out a check to: “Friends of the New Mexico Library for the Blind” and mail to:

New Mexico State Library

Friends of LBPD

1209 Camino Carlos Rey

Santa Fe, NM 87507

What is the LBPD Staff Reading?

Jon- “I’d like to recommend a series this time, one that follows the adventures of a British Rifleman during the Napoleonic Wars. The Richard Sharpe books follow the title character’s rise from an enlisted soldier in India in 1799 to his retirement as an officer in 1815, with many daring exploits and battles in between. With lots of exciting action, well written characters, and gritty historical detail, this is one of my favorite series. The first book is Sharpe’s Tiger, set at the beginning of his career in India, and is available as DB054860.  If you enjoy it there are another twenty-three novels available.” 

Yavar – “Andy Serkis’s portrayal of Gollum/Sméagol is undeniably one of the greatest highlights of director Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning filmed adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Over the past few years, Serkis built on this experience by recording unabridged versions of Tolkien’s three major published Middle-Earth works: The Hobbit (DB123863), The Lord of the Rings (DB123864, DB123865, DB123866), and The Silmarillion (DB123867) have long been available in the NLS Collection in older narrated versions, but Serkis breathes new life into these classic works, switching deftly from the role of narrator to a unique performance of every character in the narrative – even nameless Orcs arguing about how to properly cook Hobbits are each embodied with unique voices and personalities by this passionate reader, bringing Tolkien’s mythical world to life like never before. Whether these are old favorites or your first time visiting The Shire, in my opinion these are now the ideal way to experience Tolkien’s timeless writing.”