Book Review The Alice Network

Last month our ‘Dundas Readers’ book club read ‘The Alice Network‘ by Kate Quinn and it looks like they enjoyed reading it like most of our other book clubs. This title is definitely a popular pick!

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Summary

1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She’s also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie’s parents banish her to Europe to have her little problem taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister. 1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she’s recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she’s trained by the mesmerizing Lili, code name Alice, the queen of spies, who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy’s nose. Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. That is until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn’t heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth … no matter where it leads.

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Podcast Mystery Fiction

One of the most popular fiction genres, mysteries take the reader on a journey that involves trying to solve a puzzle, finding clues, engaging in logical deduction, considering (and discarding) red herrings… the who, why and how of a crime that must be solved, an event that must be explained.

Join Nisa and Crystal as they discuss a mix of classics and new books in the genre:

Death in the East – Abir Mukherjee. Penguin Random House, 2019

The Thursday Murder Club – Richard Osman. Viking Press, 2020

Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie. Collins Crime Club, 1934 and

Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie and François Rivière. Harper, 2007

A Study in Scarlet – Arthur Conan Doyle. Beeton’s Christmas Annual Magazine, 1887

Happy Listening!

Podcast Horror Fiction

Nisa & Rachel are back! Discussing Horror Fiction in our latest episode of ‘Parra Pods‘.

Horror Fiction seeks to thrill, to terrorise, to tap into the dark side of humanity. Sitting under the umbrella of ‘speculative’ fiction, Horror Fiction combines and contrasts the known with the unknown to induce a feeling of dread in the reader.

Join Nisa and Rachel as they discuss a mix of classics and new books in the genre:

  1. Bird Box / Josh Malerman. Harper Voyager, 2014 and Malorie: a Bird box novel / Josh Malerman. Orion Fiction, 2020
  2. The Southern Book Club’s guide to slaying vampires / Grady Hendrix. Quirk Books, 2020
  3. Carrie / Stephen King. New English Library, 1974
  4. Frankenstein / Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, 1818

HAPPY LISTENING!

All About Books – Summer 2020/21

It’s that time of year again when the new edition of our reading suggestions guide for adults and teens, ‘All About Books’, is ready to inspire your reading. The Summer 2020/21 edition features a diverse range of titles being published over the next three months – there is a little something for everyone. We may not have as much time during the festive season but hopefully these titles will encourage you to read and relax when you can. Collect your copy at any branch of the City of Parramatta Libraries or download it now, check our website (parra.city/library) for the latest news and opening hours. Don’t forget you can click on any cover to reserve the titles that you would like to borrow, even before they have been published, so as always happy reading!