Book Review The Rising Tide by Anne Cleeves

About the book

Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers spent a weekend on Holy Island, forging a bond that has lasted a lifetime. Now, they still return every five years to celebrate their friendship, and remember the friend they lost to the rising waters of the causeway at the first reunion.

Now, when one of them is found hanged, Vera is called in. Learning that the dead man had recently been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera knows she must discover what the friends are hiding, and whether the events of many years before could have led to murder then, and now . . .

But with the tide rising, secrets long-hidden are finding their way to the surface, and Vera and the team may find themselves in more danger than they could have believed possible . .

Comments

This book was enjoyed by all of our readers.

For a murder mystery there were many Red Herrings with multiple character storylines to keep readers enthralled and guessing as to who the “villain” was.

Each change of story line evoked another possible suspect and probable cause for the murders.

Most readers found the book compelling reading. The character development of the police investigation team was absorbing, and the exposure of each team member’s character flaws was enjoyed by our readers.

The sudden twist at the end of the book was found by all to be a real shock that nobody saw coming.

This book has encouraged many in our group to read more of the “Vera” books.

Read by the MJ Readers

Most Borrowed Titles of 2023

What were the most borrowed titles at City Parramatta Libraries in 2023?

With over 145,000 in our collection including our digital library, it is always exciting to see which titles our library members have enjoyed reading, watching & listening to each year.

Have fun exploring!

This years most borrowed items are….

Top 10 Fiction

  1. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
  2. Exiles by Jane Harper
  3. Simply lies by David Baldacc
  4. It ends with us by Colleen Hoover
  5. Long shadows by David Baldacci
  6. Desert star by Michael Connelly
  7. Happy place by Emily Henry
  8. Lessons in chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  9. Its starts with us by Colleen Hoover
  10. A heart full of headstones by Ian Rankin

Top 10 Nonfiction

  1. Atomic Habits by James Clear
  2. The subtle art of not giving a f*ck by Mark Manson
  3. The psychology of money by Morgan Housel
  4. RecipeTin eats dinner by Nagi Maehashi
  5. Why has nobody told me this before? by Dr Julie Smith
  6. Stolen focus by Johann Hari
  7. Thinking, fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman
  8. Rich dad poor dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
  9. How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
  10. Retirement made simple by Noel Whittaker

Top 10 Young Adult Fiction

  1. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
  2. The ballad of songbirds and snakes by Suzanne Collins
  3. Good girl’s guide to murder by Holly Jackson
  4. One of us is lying by Karen McManus
  5. The maze runner by James Dashner
  6. Catching fire by Suzanne Collins
  7. The cruel prince by Holly Black
  8. Six of crows by Leigh Bardugo
  9. Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
  10. The giver by Lois Lowry

Top 10 Junior Fiction

  1. The getaway [Diary of a Wimpy Kid] by Jeff Kinney
  2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
  3. Camping time [Hot Dog] by Anh Do
  4. Wrecking ball [Diary of a Wimpy Kid] by Jeff Kinney
  5. Double down [Diary of a Wimpy Kid] by Jeff Kinney
  6. Game time! [Hot Dog] by Anh Do
  7. Totally weird! by Anh Do
  8. Rodrick rules [Diary of a Wimpy Kid] by Jeff Kinney
  9. Crazy weird! by Anh Do
  10. Hopping weird! by Anh Do

DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

Top 10 Adult eAudiobooks

  1. Atomic habits by James Clear
  2. Lessons in chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  3. Spare by The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry
  4. Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
  5. I’m glad my mom died by Jeannette McCurdy
  6. Promised land by Barak Obama
  7. Apples never fall by Liane Moriarty
  8. The bullet that missed by Richard Osman
  9. The Thursday murder club by Richard Osman
  10. Homecoming by Kate Morton

Top 10 Adult eBooks

  1. Lessons in chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  2. Spare by The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry
  3. Dirt town by Hayley Scrivenor
  4. Murders at fleat house by Lucinda Riley
  5. Where are you beautiful world by Sally Rooney
  6. The Dictionary of lost words by Pip Williams
  7. Boy swallows universe by Trent Dalton
  8. Dream town by David Baldacci
  9. We were dreamers by Simu Liu
  10. Before you knew my name by Jacquelin Bublitz

Children’s eAudiobooks

  1. Harry Potter series by j. K. Rowling
  2. Splashy weird! by Anh Do
  3. Diary of a wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney
  4. 130-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
  5. Funny kid catastrophe by Matt Stanton
  6. BFG by Road Dahl
  7. Percy Jackson and the lightening thief by Rick Riordan
  8. Spooky weird! by Anh Do
  9. 143-Storey treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
  10. Hive Queen by Tui T. Sutherland

Children’s eBooks

  1. Extra weird! by Anh Do
  2. 117-Storey treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
  3. Billy and the minpins by Roald Dahl
  4. 143-Storey treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
  5. The grandest bookshop in the world by Amelia Mellor
  6. Totally weird! by Anh Do
  7. Harry Potter and the half-blood prince by J. K. Rowling
  8. Crazy weird! by Anh Do
  9. Adventures of super diaper baby by Dav Pilkey
  10. Great escape by Anh Do 

Top 10 DVDs

  1. Jurassic World
  2. Top Gun
  3. Where the crawdads sing
  4. Elvis
  5. Black Panther, Wakanda forever
  6. Black Adam
  7. Ticket to paradise
  8. Ant-man and the Wasp Quantumania
  9. Thor. Love and thunder
  10. A man called Otto

Top 10 Children’s DVDs

  1. Peppa Pig
  2. Baby race and other stories [Bluey]
  3. Muffin cone and other stories [Bluey]
  4. Sticky gecko and other stories [Bluey]
  5. Paw Patrol the movie
  6. Frozen II
  7. Dance mode and other stories [Bluey]
  8. Frozen
  9. Wiggles
  10. Snow patrol [Paw Patrol]

Book Review The Tattooist of Auschwitz

About the book

The incredible story of the Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist and the woman he loved.

Lale Sokolov is well-dressed, a charmer, a ladies’ man. He is also a Jew. On the first transport of men from Slovakia to Auschwitz in 1942, Lale immediately stands out to his fellow prisoners. In the camp, he is looked up to, looked out for, and put to work in the privileged position of Tatowierer – the tattooist – to mark his fellow prisoners, forever. One of them is a young woman, Gita, who steals his heart at first glance. His life given new purpose, Lale does his best through the struggle and suffering to use his position for good.

This story, full of beauty and hope, is based on years of interviews author Heather Morris conducted with real-life Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov. It is heart-wrenching, illuminating, and unforgettable.

Comments

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris was a legitimate life story made more interesting by the realisation that it was true. Some aspects were disturbing but true.

Well written!

8/10

Read by Winsmead Book Club

A year of eAudiobooks

Why listening to eAudiobooks is my favourite thing to do!

I am not ashamed to admit, that if I cannot listen to an eAudiobook daily; I tend to turn into an irritable, tired toddler.

At the end of a long eight hours of work, the only way I can make it through the commute home is to turn on my current eAudiobook and relax into an hour of non interrupted bliss.

Making time for reading can be difficult, that is why I love listening to eAudiobooks. Anywhere, anytime I can be transported to another world, time and place. eAudiobooks bring the story to life and provides a deeper connection to the story and characters.

To all those non-believers out there I say, “don’t knock it until you try it”.

Included in this post are the eAudiobooks I have listened to this year plus, a few of my favourites that I listen to every year. My hope is that you too will discover something great to listen to.

All the amazing eAudiobooks below can be accessed via City of Parramatta Libraries Borrow Box collection.

Happy listening,

Jody

My absolute favourites! eAudiobooks I listen to each year.

Book Review A Song of Comfortable Chairs

Alexander McCall Smith

Summary

THE ONE WHERE MMA POTOKWANI SAVES THE DAY

Grace Makutsi’s husband, Phuti, is in a bind. An international firm is attempting to undercut his prices in the office furniture market. To make matters worse, they have a slick new advertising campaign that seems hard to beat. Nonetheless, with Mma Ramotswe’s help, Phuti comes up with a campaign that may just do the trick.

Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi is approached by an old friend who has a troubled son. Grace and Phuti agree to lend a hand, but the boy proves difficult to reach, and the situation is more than they can handle on their own. It will require not only all of their patience and dedication, but also the help of Mma Ramotswe and the formidable Mma Potokwani.

Comments

This book was very much enjoyed by our group of readers.

This story is not fast paced! The narrative develops slowly in a way that beautifully illustrates the point that nothing moves fast in Botswana. Just because this book is slow paced it does not mean that the story is not engaging and entertaining.

“A Song of Comfortable Chairs’” is book number 23 in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series of books by McCall Smith.

The main character, Precious Ramotswe, has a wise and unhurried approach to life. Throughout the story Precious has many wise internal musings that beautifully reflect her unhurried approach to life and her aim to do things that better improve the world, but more particularly, improve her beloved country of Botswana. Precious makes wise comments and observations on many themes such as feminism, body image, ageism, globalization and the different thinking between men and women and how to accommodate and respect the views of those others.

There are many delightful characters throughout the story that also bring their own wisdom, kindness, gentleness and humour to the story.

Precious conducts her investigations with bold planning and good sense. In this story she uses her investigative skills to help save the business of her good friend and fellow detective Mme Makutsis and her husband Phuti. Mme Makutsi and Phuti are also occupied in helping an old friend who has a troubled young son.

Our group felt this story left us feeling the need to read more of the “No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” book series and also investigating more of the work done by Alexander McCall Smith.

Read by MJ Readers