That’s a Wrap! Parra Reads Online Book Club, February

As we come to the end of February and our first month of Online Book Club, I am feeling super excited & motivated for the months ahead.

A big thank you to every one of you who joined our Goodreads group, I love seeing what you’re reading. Navigate over to the discussion board and share your thoughts on the books you are reading, I don’t want to bore you all with my comments too much, I admit I have a tendency to babble.

I don’t know how you all did reading Australian authors this month, but I loved it! I hope you enjoyed discovering some of our wonderful home grown literature as much as I did. The books I got through this month were, ‘Mr Wigg’ by Inga Simpson, ‘Three Wishes’ by Liane Moriarty and ‘The Yield’ by Tara June Winch all of which were re-reads for me.

‘Mr Wigg’ is one of my all-time favourite reads. This is a beautifully written and gentle book that allows the reader to share the intimate story of Mr Wigg’s life. This book transports you to another time and place, allowing you to soak up the characters and the environment around him. If you enjoy reading a beautifully written book that allows you to share one-persons journey, then this book is a must read.

‘Three Wishes’ is one of Liane Moriarty’s first books and to this day remains one of my favourites. The Prologue reels you in, leaving you no choice but to turn the page to find out what happens. A fast-paced book with characters that draw you into their story, not to mention the hilarious family dynamics. An enjoyable read.

For the second time in less than a year I found myself reading; ‘The Yield’ by Tara June Winch; one of the best books I read in 2020. I loved the language, story and characters. This time I have been reading and listening at the same time. If you have read the book and enjoyed it, you should try the audio version. Hearing the Wiradjuri language pronounced adds such depth to the story.  

As we move forward into March and reading ‘Books to Screen’ I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what I want to read. While I was putting together the monthly list of reading recommendations, I identified a few potential titles to read during March, they are:

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

The Dry by Jane Harper, another re-read. It has been a while and I want to read it again before I watch the movie.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Whichever book you read in March I hope you enjoy it. I look forward to reading all about it on Goodreads, or share your review via our ‘Read & Review’ form, and I will share it on the blog.

I hope March is a good reading month!

Jody

Uplifting Reads

Can you believe it is February already? Time definitely seems to be moving along quickly in 2021.

Most people are back at work, the kids are back at school, and that relaxing holiday vibe seems like so long ago now. You might even be feeling a bit blah, I know I am missing my extra reading and craft time. Which prompted me to search for a nice uplifting book to read.

This means, I did what I normally do when I am looking for something to read, I asked my colleagues for their suggestions and I am so glad I did because now I have a huge list of books I can turn to when I just want to read something that makes me smile!

If you, like me are finding you need a little lift, why not check out some of the ‘Uplifting Stories’ below.

Happy Reading!

Jody

Keeping Mum by James Gould- Bourn

When We Were Vikings by Andrew MacDonald

The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow

The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart by Margarita Montimore

The Cake Maker’s Wish by Josephine Moon

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

The Family Holiday by Elizabeth Noble

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Jetsetters by Amanda Ward

Come Again by Robert Webb

Death and Other Happy Endings by Melanie Cantor

Finding Henry Applebee by Celia Reynolds

Reasons to be Cheerful by Nina Stibbe

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Joyful: The Art of Finding Happiness All Around You by Ingrid Fetell

One Day in December by Josie Silver

Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard

Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove

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.

Great Reads! Books We’ve Been Reading

I realised I have been a bit quiet lately and I haven’t really posted a lot about what I’ve been reading. What better excuse do I need to rave about all the wonderful books my book crazy colleagues and I have been devouring over the last month or so?

I have steadily been working my way through all the titles I mentioned in my ‘Coming Soon! Books I can’t Wait to Read’ post and thoroughly enjoying all of them. No surprise there as they are authors I have enjoyed in the past.

However, I have also discovered some new authors which is always exciting! Not to mention that when I see what my colleagues have been reading and enjoying I end up with even more books on my list. There really aren’t enough hours in the day to fit in all the amazing books I want to read, especially when I have to fit in my crafting time as well (look out for an upcoming post on my crafting exploits and the craft books I can’t seem to stop borrowing).

I hope you discover something new to read from this list, there’s sure to be something for everyone!

Reserve your copy now!

Happy Reading

Jody

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