Top Loans of 2021

Are you looking for some new reading material? Check out our most borrowed titles of 2021!

Adult Fiction

  1. The sentinel (Jack Reacher book 25) by Lee Child
  2. Daylight (An Atlee Ping book 3) by David Baldacci
  3. Force of nature by Jane Harper
  4. The survivors by Jane Harper
  5. Hidden in plan sight by Jeffrey Archer

Adult Non-Fiction

  1. A promised land by Barack Obama
  2. Atomic habits by James Clear
  3. The subtle art of not giving a f*ck by Mark Manson
  4. Becoming by Michelle Obama
  5. The happiest man on earth by Eddie Jaku

Young Adult

  1. Magnus Chase and the ship of the dead by Rick Riordan
  2. Dragon Ball super. 1, Warriors from Universe 6! by Akira Toriyama
  3. Dragon Ball super. 2. The winning universe is decided! by Akira Toriyama
  4. They both die at the end by Adam Silvera
  5. To kill a mockingbird a graphic novel by Fred Fordham

Childrens

  1. The getaway (Diary of a wimpy kid 12) by Jeff Kinney
  2. Crazy Weird! (Weirdo, book 6) by Anh Do
  3. The bad guys. Episode 8, Superbad by Aaron Blabey
  4. Everything’s amazing (sort of) by Liz Pichon
  5. Totally weird (Weirdo, book 5) by Anh Do

Top eAudiobooks (Borrow Box)

Adult

  1. A promised land by Barack Obama
  2. Becoming by Michelle Obama
  3. The survivors by Jane Harper
  4. Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens
  5. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Young Adult

  1. Shadow and bone (Shadow and bone, book 1) by Leigh Bardugo
  2. The book thief by Markus Zusak
  3. Midnight sun (Twilight, book 5) by Stephenie Meyer
  4. Six of crows (Six of crows, book 1) by Leigh Bardugo
  5. The ballad of songbirds and snakes by Suzanne Collins

Children

  1. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
  2. 130 storey treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton
  3. Diary of a wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney
  4. Spooky weird! By Anh Do
  5. The BFG by Roald Dahl

Top eBooks (ePlatform)

Adult

  1. The happiest refugee by Anh Do
  2. The dry by Jane Harper
  3. Animal farm by George Orwell
  4. 61 hours (Jack Reacher) by Lee Child
  5. The missing sister (Seven sisters, book 7) by Lucinda Riley

Young Adult

  1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
  2. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
  3. The boy in the striped pyjamas by John Boyne
  4. Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, book 1) by Anthony Horowitz
  5. The hunger games by Suzanne Collins

Children

  1. The meltdown (Diary of a wimpy kid, book 13) by Jeff Kinney
  2. The pocket money blues (Billie B Brown series) by Sally Rippin
  3. The witches by Roald Dahl
  4. This is a ball by Matt Stanton
  5. The playground problem (Hey Jack series) by Sally Rippin

Top Streamed Movie/Series (Beamfilm)

  1. Top of the lake series
  2. Mother is wrong
  3. A French village series
  4. Mary Magdalene
  5. The deep blue sea

Goodreads Best Books of 2021

Announcing the winners of the 13th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards, a major book award decided by readers. Congratulations to the best books of the year! Why not reserve one or more titles now and see if you agree with the votes. We have all of the winners of the categories below and many of the nominees. With so many titles to choose from you are sure to find something to read this Summer.

November 2021 Author Talks

City of Parramatta Libraries have teamed up with Public Libraries NSW for the final time this year to end our FREE online author talks with a bang! These are the last three author talks for 2021 that you can attend from the comfort of home and we thank you for attending the talks throughout the year. Recordings of our previous talks can be found here and are certainly deserving of a watch or even a re-watch. I think my favourite might be Judy Nunn, she is such an engaging and enthusiastic speaker.

In case you missed it don’t forget tonight is the author talk with the beloved host of ABC Gardening Australia, Costa Georgiadis, with his new book Costa’s World, he is sure to be an entertaining and enlightening speaker.

David Hunt presents Girt Nation in conversation with Wendy Harmer
Friday 5 November, 1.00pm

Noted historian David Hunt will be in conversation with Wendy Harmer, one of Australia’s much loved personalities, speaking about his latest historical work.
David Hunt tramples the tall poppies of the past in charting Australia’s transformation from aspiration to nation – an epic tale of charlatans and costermongers, of bush bards and bushier bastards, of labourers and ladies who weren’t going to take it anymore.Girt Nation introduces Alfred Deakin, the Liberal necromancer whose dead advisors made Australia a better place to live, and Banjo Paterson, the jihadist who called on God and the Prophet to drive the Australian infidels from the Sudan ‘like sand before the gale’. And meet Catherine Helen Spence, the feminist polymath who envisaged a utopian future of free contraceptives, easy divorce and immigration restrictions to prevent the ‘Chinese coming to destroy all we have struggled for!’
To register book online – https://parra.city/hunt21

Michael Connelly presents The Dark Hours in conversation with Ben Hobson
Friday 19 November, 12.00pm

Best selling author Michael Connelly will be in conversation with Australian author Ben Hobson about his latest Ballard & Bosch thriller The Dark Hours, in one of only two live events that Michael will deliver directly to an Australian audience.
A brazen and methodical killer strikes on New Year’s Eve and LAPD Detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch must join forces to find justice for the victim in a city scarred by fear and social unrest. There’s chaos in Hollywood at the end of the New Year’s Eve countdown. Working her graveyard shift, LAPD Detective Renée Ballard waits out the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revellers shoot their guns into the air. Only minutes after midnight, Ballard is called to a scene where a hardworking auto shop owner has been fatally hit by a bullet in the middle of a crowded street party. Ballard quickly concludes that the deadly bullet could not have fallen from the sky and that it is linked to another unsolved murder—a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch.
To register book online – https://parra.city/connelly21

Fiona McIntosh presents The Spy’s Wife
Wednesday 24 November, 1.00pm

Fiona McIntosh will be in conversation with Mel Tong from Macquarie Regional Library chatting about her highly anticipated new historical adventure The Spy’s Wife.
Evie, a widow and stationmaster’s daughter, can’t help but look out for the weekly visit of the handsome man she and her sister call the Southerner on their train platform in the wilds of northern England. When polite salutations shift to friendly conversations, they become captivated by each other. After so much sorrow, the childless Evie can’t believe love and the chance for her own family have come into her life again. With rumours coming out of Germany that Hitler may be stirring up war, local English authorities have warned against spies. Even Evie becomes suspicious of her new suitor, Roger. But all is not what it seems. 
Penguin Random House Australia and Fiona McIntosh are giving one lucky attendee a chance to win a beautiful Hermès silk scarf. To register book online – https://parra.city/mcintosh21

What we’ve been reading September 2021

The inclusion of banned books in our reading themes for 2021 was certainly a good pick. It was the push I needed to finally read, ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald. While I am yet to finish reading, I am finding it to be the perfect book to relax with just before bed; also totally love the language.

Some of the other great books I read included, ‘Apples Never Fall’ Liane Moriarty’s latest book; ‘We Were Never Here’ by Andrea Bartz and ‘The Bluffs’ by Kyle Perry.  

Apples Never Fall’ was released in September and I admit to being super excited to read this one, although I was worried I might be put off by the tennis theme, not being a fan myself. Luckily I found this made no difference what-so-ever and while it wasn’t a book that kept me glued to the pages, I did enjoy reading it. The way in which Liane Moriarty weaves the story and characters together is truly skilful and the family dynamics as always is believable.

We Were Never Here’ by Andrea Bartz, is a must for fans of psychological thrillers. While I didn’t particularly like either of the two main characters, Andrea Bartz skill at weaving the story together, kept me wanting to know how their story would conclude.

The Bluff’s’ by Kyle Perry was one of those books I have been wanting to read since its release in 2020. ‘The Bluff’s’ ended up being my favourite read for September. I sat down and didn’t move until I finished the whole book. Kyle Perry masterfully uses the landscape to create an atmosphere and anticipation that had me holding my breath. Needless to say I can’t wait to read Kyle Perry’s latest book, ‘The Deep’ and then watch his interview about it.

Books my colleagues read this month included….

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August Reading Wrap-up

Welcome to our monthly reading wrap-up fellow readers!

Books, books & more books.

Finding ourselves still in lockdown here in Sydney being able to enjoy the odd book or two is one thing we look forward to in our downtime. Enjoying every opportunity to share what we are reading our City of Parramatta reading community is one of our highlights.

With our reading theme for August being, ‘Big, Bang Books’, I decided to re-read ‘And the mountains echoed’ by Khaled Hosseini. While ‘And the mountains echoed’ isn’t my favourite Khaled Hosseini book, it was still a beautiful, emotional read that stayed with me for days after I finished the book. The next time I’m looking to have my heart squeezed, I think I might re-read, ‘The kite runner’ & ‘A thousand splendid suns’.

‘Banned Books’ is our reading theme for September and one that offers up a great chance to pick up one of those classics you have been considering for years. We have highlighted some titles you might like to explore for your reading or listening pleasure.

For those of you who are more interested in exploring what we have been reading, you will find a list below.

Whatever book you choose to read over the next month or so, we hope you enjoy it.

Happy reading,

Jody

Some of the fabulous books we’ve been reading

The distant hours by Kate Morton – eBook, eAudiobook

The Henna artist by Alka Joshi – eBook, eAudiobook

Still life by Sarah Winman – eBook

The truth about her by Jacqueline Maley – eBook, eAudiobook

Leave me alone: A memoir of me, myself and Trish by Christian Hall – eBook

The truth & Addy Loest by Kim Kelly – eAudiobook

Olive, again by Elizabeth Strout – eBook, eAudiobook

One hundred days by Alice Pung – eBook

Your second life begins when you realize you only have one by Raphaelle Giordano

The electric hotel by Dominic Smith – eBook, eAudiobook

So much life left over by Louis de Berniere – eAudiobook

The bluffs by Kyle Perry – eBook, eAudiobook

Thorn by Intisar Khanani – eBook, eAudiobook

And the mountains echoed by Khaled Hosseini – eBook, eAudiobook

Hamilton and Peggy! A revolutionary friendship by L.M. Elliott – eAudiobook A doctor in Africa by Dr Andew Browning – eBook, eAudiobook

Banned books

All the titles listed were at some point banned in Countries around the world or people were asking for them to be banned. How many have your read?

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