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Titles that have been hugely popular in the last ten to twenty years.
As August fast approaches, I have to admit to being completely behind in my blog posts. Will you accept that the current COVID situation has thrown things in the library world into chaos?
City of Parramatta Libraries is temporary closed and my colleagues and I are busy coming up with ideas to keep you all engaged online; all from the comfort or maybe chaos of our own homes.
As always I am finding it hard to concentrate on one book long enough to finish it and have almost given up hope that I will actually read a title related to our monthly reading themes. I am blaming the fact that I spend way too much time researching great titles to recommend that I overload on them and can’t even think about possibly reading one.
My colleague Michelle and I both failed in our attempts to actually finish ‘Wolf Hall’ by Hilary Mantel for the umpteen time, and lets not even mention July’s ‘memorable memoirs’. I am hoping to have better luck with August’s theme of ‘big bang’ books.
In saying all of that, we have managed to put our heads together and come up with our picks for books that have made a big splash over the last ten years.
Happy reading
Jody
P.S.
If you would like to stay up-to-date with all the books we are reading, why not become our friend on Goodreads.
In fact, our lunch room has been abuzz with all the book talk. Each one of us eager to share with the other what amazing book we have been reading. The upside of all our book discussions is we then get to share with you our fellow readers just what books have caught our attention this month.
It is our hopes you will then share with your book buddies, enabling every one of your book loving friends to have an endless supply of good books to get lost in over the coming colder months.
So, what have we been reading over the last month? We have listed them below for you to browse and find your next great read!
Recommended Reading
Sistersong by Lucy Holland (Fiction) – I absolutely adored this book! The perfect mix of British folklore and fantasy. Beautifully written, and at times heartbreaking, Lucy Holland manages to weave a brilliant story web that keeps you ensnared until the very last word has been read! (Jody)
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (Book 1) – Young adult fantasy at its best! (Jody)
Life’s Too Short (Friend Zone, 3) by Abby Jimenez – Amazing! Definitely my favourite book in the series. (Kate)
The Solstice Countdown by Lisa Shearin – The 7th book in the urban fantasy SPI Files series featuring seer Makenna Fraser and her goblin dark mage partner Rake Danescu protecting the world from evil – great continuation of the series.
Heartsick, three stories about love and loss, and what happens in between by Jessie Stephens
The Fix, how to overcome the invisible barriers that are holding women back at work by Michelle P. King
Just when we thought our ‘to be read’ piles could not grow any larger, another month ticks over and a completely new lot of amazing books are released out into the world for us all to read.
It probably won’t surprise any of you that there are quite a few of us here at City of Parramatta Libraries who love to read. In fact, we love nothing better than catching up over lunch or online via our Goodreads page to discuss books, books, and more books.
After one recent discussion, we decided to share with everyone these newly released books we simply cannot wait to get our hands on.
If like us, you love books and reading and you currently find yourself at a reading crossroads, you might enjoy exploring some of our top picks for newly released fiction titles.
We have ordered copies of the below recommended new releases, so place a Hold on your pick now. Holds are free and you can now place up to ten (10) Holds and collect from any one of our Libraries.
We hope you find your next great read to share with your reading buddies.
YA books can be about love, loss, transitions, first experiences, school, future aspirations… anything experienced by young people. What makes YA literature unique is that the perspective is a teenage one. Back with more YA in 2021, join Nisa and Antonia for the first set of books they’d like to highlight:
Over the last month, myself and my colleague Sarah have been super busy reading!
What have we been reading? Well, as many books on the ‘Miles Franklin’ longlist that we could manage! Not to mention our leisure reading and book club titles. Luckily we both love books and reading; although Sarah is by far the superior reader. I am constantly in awe of her seemingly endless list of books she has finished.
Now back to the ‘Miles Franklin’ longlist. While we didn’t get through the whole longlist, we did manage to read six out of ten titles, which I think is not a bad effort.
We read:
The White Girl by Tony Birch, UQP, 2019. eBook – eAudiobook – This made me cry! In a good way. I was totally invested in Odette and Sissy’s story. If I am honest I would have read another two hundred pages. Jody
Room For A Stranger by Melanie Cheng, Text Publishing, 2019. eBook – eAudiobook – Meg is an elderly lady living alone in her childhood home. After a break-in she finds a student to share her house. This is Andy, an international student from Hong Kong. Although they are from different backgrounds they develop a friendship as they do have some things in common. Sarah
Islands by Peggy Frew, Allend & Unwin, 2019. eBook – eAudiobook – The many different layers/perspectives in this book did confuse me a times; enough so that I did find myself re-reading parts. However, overall I did enjoy the book and after finishing it, felt that on some level the way it was written perfectly matched the disjointed lives of the characters. Jody
Exploded View by Carrie Tiffany, Text Publishing, 2020. eBook – This book had the power to mess with my head! The narrator of this book is a teenage girl living with her mother, brother and a dangerous man. She uses her mechanical skill to fight back. I found this book quite disturbing. Sarah
The Yield by Tara June Winch, Hamish Hamilton, 2019. eBook – eAudiobook – Simply a perfect book! I enjoy reading books about Australian History, particularly Indigenous stories. ‘The Yield’ is complex and emotional book, with characters that will stay with you long after you finish reading their story. – Jody
The Weekend by Charlotte Wood, Allen & Unwin, 2019. eBook – eAudiobook – Four women in their 70s have been lifelong friends. After the death of one of the group the others spend a weekend at her beach house to clean it out. But there is conflict between the three ladies without the friend that held the group together. This novel looks at growing older and dealing with past regrets. – Sarah
We are crossing our fingers that our three favourite books, ‘The White Girl’ by Tony Birch, ‘The Yield’ by Tara June Winch and ‘Room for a Stranger’ by Melanie Cheng make it onto the 2020 ‘Miles Franklin Shortlist’.
Do you have a favourite? What will be your pick for the 2020 Winner?
