Parra Reads Online Book Club 2021

Welcome to another year of reading!

2020 was our first year of reading along together in an online environment, while COVID may have been the trigger it was an enjoyable experience for me. The ‘Parra Reads’ online book club proved to be an excellent way for me to connect, collaborate and read with my colleagues. City of Parramatta Libraries operates across seven branches and it is often hard for us book nerds to catch up and talk about books. The online book club has been one way for us to come together and share our love of reading with you all.

After much discussion we have decided to do things a little differently this year, in the hopes we can encourage more of you to read along with us.

So, what will 2021 look like for our ‘Parra Reads’ online book club? Well! For starters there will be more choices in regards to what title you read each month, we will be sharing more online via our blog, podcast, social media and in our Libraries.

If you are reading along with us and would like to participate and share your thoughts on what you have been reading, please do. You can share via Twitter, using the hashtag #parrareadsbookclub, or just comment on one of our tweets. Send an email to parrareads@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au and I will share any suitable book related comments on our blog and in the library, rest assured I will only share first names. If you are a Goodreads member and would like to join our Parra Reads Virtual Book Club, log in and send us through a request.

Don’t forget to check out our ePlatform & BorrowBox collections! We have a huge library of both eBooks & eAudiobooks available for you to download.

However you choose to read & share with us this year is up to you, our only wish is that you read!

Each month we will provide some great reading recommendations to help you along your way, look out for these online and at all our Libraries.

Here’s wishing 2021 is a great year for reading!

Jody

Parra Reads Online Book Club – Monthly Reading Themes for 2021

February – A book by an Australian Author – Aussie Authors Rule! Check out our recommended reads below.

March – Books to Screen – Do you prefer to watch then read? Or read then watch? For me it is definitely read first!

April – A Thriller or mystery book.

May – Prize Winners – With so many different book awards each year what better selection could a reader ask for. Personally I will be reading my way through as many of the ‘Miles Franklin’ longlist titles that I can manage before the shortlist is announced in June.

June – Second Chances – Read a book you have tried to read before but couldn’t finish! My nemesis is ‘Wolf Hall’ by Hilary Mantel; I have tired many times and still haven’t managed to get past the first chapter.

July – Memoir – What makes a memoir a great one? Is it the setting, person or subject?

August – Big Bang Books – Books that have made a big splash in the last 10/20 years! Literally an endless supply of choices with this one!

September – Banned Books – One for the rebels!

October – The first book in a series.

November – Hot of the printing press! With so many great books planned for publication in 2021, what better way to end the year.

Book Reviews Harp in the South & The Life to Come & My Family and Other Animals

Our MJ Readers book club recently read, ‘The Harp in the South‘ by Ruth Park & ‘My Family and Other Animals‘ by Gerald Durrell. Another one of our clubs the Dundas Readers read ‘The Life to Come‘ by Michelle de Kretser. One group loved their book while the other one not so much. Read what our groups thought about their books below!

Continue reading

Best Reads of 2020 Staff Picks!

I think it is fair to say, that 2020 will go down in history as one of those years, every one can’t wait to finish! It has certainly been a challenge, and I am sure most people are looking forward to catching up with family & friends over the holiday period.

For us here at the library it has definitely been different! We’ve had to think of new ways to engage with our members, get creative with the way we present programs and learn new skills. But throughout all of this we have still managed to read our way through 2020. In fact, I think we have read more than ever this year. And if there is one thing Librarians love better than reading, it is sharing what they have been reading with anyone who is willing to listen J

So, I have put together a list of our ‘Best Reads of 2020’ in the hopes that you might find something new to read. Our picks include new publications and some older ones too.

If you would like to share your, ‘Best Reads of 2020’ with us we would love to hear from you.

Share your ‘Best Reads’ of 2020 via our online ‘Read & Review’ form; be sure to mention somewhere that it’s a ‘Best Read of 2020’. If I get a lot of suggestions, I will put together a blog post with all your picks!

Fingers crossed you find your next great read!

Jody

Continue reading

Christmas Cooking!

Not long now until Christmas Day, and for those of you who love nothing better than spending the weeks and days leading up to Christmas in the kitchen preparing yummy food, we have the books to help you along.

Check out our awesome collection of Christmas books & DVDs! Find that special recipe that will have everyone asking for a copy year after year.

I don’t know about everyone else but, I love nothing better than endlessly flipping through Christmas books each year; not to mention my obsession with watching Jamie’s Christmas DVDs each year.

Along with a great list of books, I have also included a couple of our favourite recipes we cook each year.  While we can’t remember where we originally found these ‘well loved’ recipes, we would like to acknowledge the amazing cooks out there who were passionate enough to shared their recipes with us; we are eternally grateful!

Happy Holidays

Jody

Vegan Christmas Feasts: inspired meat-free recipes for the festive season by Jackie Kearney

Festive Table, an Australian Women’s Weekly title.

Christmas Feasts And Treats image 1

Celebrating Christmas, an Australian Women’s Weekly title.

Continue reading