The latest All About Books, our reading suggestions guide to some amazing titles for adults and teens being published this season is now here…better late then never! Another issue jam packed with a wide range of upcoming titles on so many different subjects and in a variety of genres – there is sure to be something for any reader. The always popular Staff Picks is back with reviews of books our staff have been reading lately to inspire you. We are also very pleased to announce the resumption of our author talks via an online platform – now you can listen to wonderful authors from the comfort of home and send in your questions. Pick up your free copy of our guide at any branch of the City of Parramatta Libraries or download now. Don’t forget you can click on any of the covers inside to reserve it before it arrives in the Library.
Category Archives: Historical Fiction
Coming Soon! Books I can’t Wait to Read
One of my favourite duties is researching and staying up-to-date with all the new book releases that come out each month. After all it is our job to make sure we offer you, our community of readers a wide selection of the up-and-coming new releases!
While some deliveries and publications dates have been delayed & affected by the COVID pandemic, publishers and our amazing suppliers are working hard to ensure we don’t have to wait too long for all the amazing new books.
Below I have listed a few of the up-and-coming new releases I can’t wait to read. When I say can’t wait to read, it means I have pre-ordered my own personal copy so you our readers are first in line to reserve our ‘New Books’. And yes we have ordered copies for the library!
On order titles can be placed on hold via our online library Catalogue or by asking one of our super friendly librarians for assistance. A note to remember though any holds/reserves placed on ‘On Order’ titles may take a while to arrive and do count towards your five (5) holds/reserves limit.
Now to the important stuff, the books!
Hope you find something among my picks to read. Maybe you will discover an author you hadn’t heard of before and embark on a wonderful journey through all their titles.
Don’t forget you can also make a ‘Suggestion for Purchase’ for a any title you think our community of readers would like to read.
Happy Reading!
Jody
Continue readingIn Conversation with Belinda Alexandra
Public Libraries NSW and City of Parramatta Libraries presents Melanie Mutch, from Hornsby Library, chatting with Australian author Belinda Alexandra as she talks about her new book ‘The Mystery Woman’.
In a small town, everyone is watching … Secrets, scandal and betrayal in 1950s small town Australia: the stunning new novel from bestseller Belinda Alexandra.
She had thought Shipwreck Bay was simply a remote town where people were bored senseless with their little lives. Now she saw its virtuous facade hid something darker, more sinister. Rebecca Wood is ready for a quiet life as the new postmistress of a sleepy seaside town. Fleeing a scandal and haunted by her past, Rebecca is now determined to make different choices. Soon she is being courted by the dashing local doctor and a bright future beckons. But in such a small community, there is nowhere to hide from prying eyes. And before long she is caught up in the dangerous mysteries that hide behind Shipwreck Bay’s respectable net curtains.
This novel is a new direction for Belinda Alexandra. Expect the unexpected: a heroine with an unsavoury past and a remote coastal town setting with the backdrop of the cruel whaling industry. Belinda will be discussing the novel’s many riveting themes including the dichotomy of societal expectations of women in the 1950s, and the often covert nature of domestic violence.
This free online author talk will be presented via Zoom with a Q & A session at the end.
Book now or click on the image above.
This event is a collaboration between multiple NSW Public Libraries’ and in association with Harper Collins Australia.
June Picks! Parra Reads Online Book Club
It was really hard choosing this month’s titles. We have been reading along together now for three months and trying to pick something different that would appeal to the greater reading community was difficult. In the end we decided to go with two titles we all had been wanting to read, ‘Bruny‘ by Heather Rose and ‘The Beekeeper of Aleppo‘ by Christy Lefteri.
Heather Rose is the author of ‘The museum of modern love‘, one book which we have all read and enjoyed. Christy Lefteri’s book ‘The Beekeeper of Aleppo has continued to be a popular pick among readers since it’s release in 2019; not mention one of our ‘most wanted’ Book Club Kits!
Hopefully they will prove as appealing to everyone reading along with us as they were to us!
Happy Reading!
Jody
Bruny by Heather Rose (2019)
Available in eBook & eAudiobook from our rbDigital Library! Download the FREE rbDigital Library App from the App Store or Goggle Play and start ‘Reading Together’.
Book Summary
Why is a massive bridge being built to connect the sleepy island of Bruny with the mainland of Tasmania? And why have terrorists blown it up?
When the Bruny bridge is bombed, UN troubleshooter Astrid Coleman agrees to return home to help her brother before an upcoming election. But this is no simple task. Her brother and sister are on either side of politics, the community is full of conspiracy theories, her mother is fading and her father is quoting Shakespeare. Only on Bruny does the world seem sane. Until Astrid discovers how far the government is willing to go.
Bruny is a searing, subversive novel about family, love, loyalty and the new world order. It is a gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist, a love story, a cry from the heart and a fiercely entertaining and crucial work of imagination that asks the burning question: what would you do to protect the place you love?
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri, (2019)
Available in eBook & eAudiobook from our BorrowBox Library! Download the FREE BorrowBox Library App from the App Store or Goggle Play and start ‘Reading Together’.
Book Summary
In the midst of war, he found love
In the midst of darkness, he found courage
In the midst of tragedy, he found hope
What will you find from his story?
Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain. On the way, Nuri is sustained by the knowledge that waiting for them is Mustafa, his cousin and business partner, who has started an apiary and is teaching fellow refugees in Yorkshire to keep bees.
As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all – and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face – they must journey to find each other again.
Podcast Episode 34 Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction as a genre is fascinating for the window it provides to the past, to characters and events both real and imagined, to lives in a time so different to our own.
Historical Fiction is one of my favourite genres that I have been reading for so long. This is purely because I love escaping my reality for a while and getting sucked into the past. While it may not always be pleasant, I find it fascinating.
Because I have been reading Historical Fiction for a long time there are literally hundreds of titles that I could add to the books Nisa and Antonia discussed in the podcast. However, I think my ‘Top Six’ might have to do for this post; after all I am supposed to be promoting our latest episode of Parra Pods!
Needless to say the podcast as always was interesting to listen to and when I say listen, I mean it! When you edit a podcast you have to listen through at least three times or at least I normally do.
Anyway enjoy our ‘Historical Fiction’ podcast. And if you are looking for some more recommendations checkout the recommendations below.
Happy Reading & Listening!