Author Archives: Jody

Big Bang Books!

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Titles that have been hugely popular in the last ten to twenty years.

As August fast approaches, I have to admit to being completely behind in my blog posts. Will you accept that the current COVID situation has thrown things in the library world into chaos?

City of Parramatta Libraries is temporary closed and my colleagues and I are busy coming up with ideas to keep you all engaged online; all from the comfort or maybe chaos of our own homes.

As always I am finding it hard to concentrate on one book long enough to finish it and have almost given up hope that I will actually read a title related to our monthly reading themes. I am blaming the fact that I spend way too much time researching great titles to recommend that I overload on them and can’t even think about possibly reading one.

My colleague Michelle and I both failed in our attempts to actually finish ‘Wolf Hall’ by Hilary Mantel for the umpteen time, and lets not even mention July’s ‘memorable memoirs’. I am hoping to have better luck with August’s theme of ‘big bang’ books.

In saying all of that, we have managed to put our heads together and come up with our picks for books that have made a big splash over the last ten years.

Happy reading

Jody

P.S.

If you would like to stay up-to-date with all the books we are reading, why not become our friend on Goodreads.

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Lockdown Listening!

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Prior to lockdown, eAudiobooks were a normal part of my routine. In fact the only way I could cope with the commute to work was by listening to a book.

Working from home hasn’t curbed my enthusiasm for eAudiobooks in the least. I now find myself becoming just a bit obsessed with browsing all the amazing books in our BorrowBox library and I absolutely love the way you can listen to a preview of the title before borrowing.

After all what is more relaxing than someone reading you a story, which is basically what an eAudiobook book is right? eAudiobooks give me the chance to escape and block out all the annoying, stressful things and enjoy a good book when I am unable to actually physically sit down and read one.

So without further ramblings I thought I would share with you some of the great eAudiobooks I have listened to; not only during lockdown but over the last few months and my ‘all time’ favourites.

It is my hope that you will find something amazing to listen to and take your mind off everything going on at the moment.

You can find all my listening favourites in our BorrowBox Library.

Here is hoping you all find the perfect book to listen to, and lose yourself in the amazing world of storytelling that is eAudiobooks.

Happy listening,

Jody

P.S.

I forgot to mention that BorrowBox recently launched their new and improved BorrowBox website and app and I am loving it! The ease of use and the attractive way the books are displayed and how easy it is to navigate around really has had me spend way too much time browsing and reserving.

You can explore BorrowBox for yourself here!

Some of my recent eAudiobooks

Pictures of Lily by Paige Toon

Someone I used to Know by Paige Toon

Circe by Madeline Miller

The Prison healer by Lynette Noni

Wolfe Island by Lucy Trealor

The switch by Beth O’Leary

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Top 9 All Time Favourite eAudiobooks, in no particular order….

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss

A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey

The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville

Black Diamonds by Kim Kelly

Sistersong by Lucy Holland

Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling & read by Stephen Fry

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes

Book Club Reviews Dundas Book Clubs

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A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey

A great book club choice. Albert Facey’s life spans most of the twentieth century and his memoir written in later life for his children and grandchildren has justly become an Australian classic. From his infancy in the Eastern states to his early childhood in Kalgoorlie and in many small towns in country Western Australia, we follow the gruelling and heart rending story of his early childhood. Abandoned by his mother as a toddler, his wonderful Grandma is his anchor. He is reunited with his mother and family as a teenager and takes a range of challenging jobs until the outbreak of the first world war. He fights in the hellish conditions at Gallipoli where he received wounds which stayed with him throughout his long life. Despite these hardships, he remains optimistic and hard working and meets and marries his soul mate Evelyn. They have six children. Simply written by a man who had no formal schooling, this is a valuable historic document as well as a touching and wonderful read.

9/10

Read by Dundas Readers

The Bush by Don Watson

Although we all felt that this book was well written, the topic did not capture us and most of our members did not finish reading it. The author was obviously very passionate about his topic but we found much of it depressing and repetitive. What we did take away from our discussion was that in the early days of settlement of the land people were fighting against the environment to survive whereas now we are fighting for the environment to survive. We can learn from the past, recognise mistakes and good intentions and make better choices.

Read by MJ Readers

Podcast Classic Fiction for Young Readers

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What makes a book a classic? The fact that it is beloved? That it has stood the test of time? That it is of a quality that makes it stand out? Like fairytales and folk tales before them, children’s classics are usually a mix of all of these things.

Join Nisa and Antonia as they talk about some established and modern classics for children: 

Chronicles of Narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. (Originally published) Geoffrey Bles, 1950.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. (Originally published) Reynal & Hitchcock, 1943

Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret by Judy Blume. (Originally published) Bradbury Press, 1970

Hitler’s daughter by Jackie French. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999

Happy Listening!

Staff Picks What We Read in May

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Wow! May certainly was a great month for reading.

In fact, our lunch room has been abuzz with all the book talk. Each one of us eager to share with the other what amazing book we have been reading. The upside of all our book discussions is we then get to share with you our fellow readers just what books have caught our attention this month.

It is our hopes you will then share with your book buddies, enabling every one of your book loving friends to have an endless supply of good books to get lost in over the coming colder months.

So, what have we been reading over the last month? We have listed them below for you to browse and find your next great read!

Recommended Reading

Sistersong by Lucy Holland (Fiction) – I absolutely adored this book! The perfect mix of British folklore and fantasy. Beautifully written, and at times heartbreaking, Lucy Holland manages to weave a brilliant story web that keeps you ensnared until the very last word has been read! (Jody)

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (Book 1) – Young adult fantasy at its best! (Jody)

Life’s Too Short (Friend Zone, 3) by Abby Jimenez – Amazing! Definitely my favourite book in the series. (Kate)

The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer by Joel Dicker

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Solstice Countdown by Lisa Shearin – The 7th book in the urban fantasy SPI Files series featuring seer Makenna Fraser and her goblin dark mage partner Rake Danescu protecting the world from evil – great continuation of the series.

Heartsick, three stories about love and loss, and what happens in between by Jessie Stephens

The Fix, how to overcome the invisible barriers that are holding women back at work by Michelle P. King

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave