National Year or Reading: Love2Read

How can it be? The National Year of Reading is coming to a close. We hope you've enjoyed our monthly booklists, our book reviews, our thematic spotlights and reading goodies. Thankyou for sharing your favourite reads with us- we've enjoyed every single one of them. To finish off our NYOR booklists, we've decided to pull together your top authors- authors that made you laugh, cry, smile, frown, giggle and everything in between.

Nora Roberts

John Grisham

Alexander McCall Smith

Maeve Binchy

Kathy Reichs

Clive Cussler

Cathy Kelly

Diana Gabaldon

David Baldacci

Jodi Picoult

But that's only the beginning? Won't you share your favourite author with us? Comment in the box below.

National Year of Reading: Cry

Many of the National Year of Reading themes have been focused on the positives of human life: exploration, adventure, inspiration and joy. But there is something also to be said of those times when we feel down and the lessons we learn when challenges and trials are stacked up against us. For this reason, November's theme is cry, recommending novels that feature sad endings, bittersweet resolutions, challenging themes, and more. We've compiled a few below, but why not suggest some of your own favourites in the comment box at the end of this post? We'd love to hear about them.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

PS I Love You by Cecilia Ahern

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Kite Runner by Khaled Husseini

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Chinese Cinderella: The Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

National Year of Reading: Explore

This month's theme is Explore! The National Year of Reading initiative is focusing on all sorts of adventurous, interesting and fascinating books this month to lure you out into the wide world. We've compiled a few great reads here about different places and times, new landscapes and mindsets, but why not suggest your own? Comment in the box below.

Battle: A Visual Journey through 5000 years of Combat by R.G. Grant

The Age of Empires by Robert Aldritc

3001 the Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

In the Footsteps of Mallory and Irvine: The Final Dream by Mark MacKenzie

Berlin Syndrome by Melanie Joosten

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

Devil's Gate by Clive Cussler

Point Omega by Don DeLillo

National Year of Reading: Grow

This month's National Year of Reading theme is Grow. This booklist will focus on novels that show us characters changing and developing in response to the trials and triumphs that come at them. Here are ten picks, why not comment and tell us your own?

Only time will tell by Jeffrey Archer

The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Burning Bright by Tracy Chevallier

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto

The Boat to Redemption by Su Tong

The Age of Orphans by Laleh Khavevi

Family Album by Penelope Lively

National Year of Reading: Question

Who? What? Where? When? Why? (Remember that tv show? Blocked it out from your childhood? We respect that and will speak no more of it). This month's theme is Question, so this book list will be spotlighting everything confusing, conflicting, and more. These are the great books that keep you guessing, and make you question the world around you.

The City and the City by China Mielville

The Midnight House by Alex Berenson

Candle for a Corpse by Ann Granger

Harry Potter Series

Bumbreath, Botox and Bubbles and other fully sick science moments by Karl Kruszelnicki

The abominable snowman (Choose your own adventure)

Lost jewels of Nabooti (Choose your own adventure)

And then everything unraveled by Jennifer Sturman

Do you have your own great reads to add to this list? Let us know by commenting and we'll add them!

Booklist: New and Fabulous Fiction

Looking for something new and wonderful? Check out these great new reads available at Camden and Narellan branches. Have your own to add? Simply comment in the box under this post- we'll add them!

22 Britannia Road by Anna Hodgkinson

The Cinder Path by Catherine Cookson

The girl who would speak for the dead by Paul Elwork

Embers by Sandor Marai

Chango's beads and two-tone shoes by William Kennedy

The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey

Drowning Rose by Marrika Cobbold

Innocent Foxes by Torey Hayden

Out of Sight by Isabelle Grey

Summer by Tom Darling

National Year of Reading: Discover

This month's theme for the National Year of Reading is Discover. We'll be taking a sciency (Is that a proper word? Probably not. Oh well) approach to today's booklist by focusing on great reads in non-fiction. This list has captivating scientific triumphs, sociological expeditions, historic endeavours and all sorts of knowledgy (again, not a word!) fun.

Hercules: A Heroic Life by Alastair Blanchard

Air Disasters: Dramatic Box Flight Recordings by Malcolm MacPherson

The Call of the Weird: Travels in American subculture by Louise Theroux

Reflections on Sydney & Colonial Days

A Brief History of Science: As seen through the development of scientific instruments by Thomas Crump

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Bodies of Evidence by Brian Innes

Counting Sheep: The Science and Pleasures of Sleep and Dreams by Paul Martin

Dreaming: A graphic novel booklist

More on the theme of Dreaming, here's a list of creative, imaginary worlds to delve into from our graphic novel collection, suitable for both young adults and adults.

Artemis Fowl Graphic Novels

The Good Neighbours

Fringe Graphic Novels

Star Trek

One Piece Graphic Novels

Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z

National Year of Reading: Dream

This month's National Year of Reading theme is Dream. So we'll be focusing on all kinds of great books that put your imagination to work. Check out our top picks below. As always, please tell us about your own favourites, by commenting in the box at the end of this post.

31 Dream St by Lisa Jewell

Advent by James Treadwell

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

The Big Switch by Harry Turtledove

Bronze Summer by Stephen Baxter

A Crown Imperilled by Raymond E. Feist

Eat Slay Love by Jesse Petersen

Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Islanders by Christopher Priest

Medea by Kerry Greenwood

Travel Booklist: The Beach

Our final trip on the travelbooklist is not to a particular continent, but to an Australian favourite: the beach. Whether its the pure white of the Whitsundays or the earthy, shell-laden shored of Vincentia, beaches are at the heart and soul of the Australian identity. Why not escape to one of these glorious hideaways through these great book recommendations below?

The Beach by Alex Garland
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber
The Festival by the Sea by June Loves
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
Stolen by Lesley Pearse
That Summer in Ischia by Penny Feeny
The Shelly Beach Writers Group by June Love
A Gift for my Sister by Ann Pearlman
The Beach hut by Veronica Henry
The Beach house by Jane Green

Travel Booklist: Africa

Stop 3 on our travelling booklist: Africa. A favourite reading sojourn for many, this distant, mysterious continent has thousands of stories to tell. Here's ten we've found, but why not tell us your own in the comment box under this post?

1. The Dubious Salvation of Jack V by Jacques Strauss

2. Kalahari Passage by Candi Miller
3. Storms over Africa by Beverly Harper

4. What Remains by Denise Leith

5. Trackers by Deon Meyer

6. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

7. Fever Dream by Douglas Preston

8. The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo

9. No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith

Travel Booklist: Europe

This is No.2 in our series of travel themed booklist for Escape: the theme of May for the National year of Reading. This time it's Europe, pulling up great novels spanning Europe's rich and exciting history, from the modern day back to the renaissance. Why not click one that takes your fancy?

1. Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada
2. The Conquest by Elizabeth Chadwick
3. The Coral Thief by Rachel Stott
4. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachamm
5. The Medici Secret by Michael White
6. The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco
7. A Visible Darkness by Michael Gregorio
8. Armada by John Stack
9. The Book of the Alchemist by Adam Williams
10. Death in Siberia by Alex Dryden

Travel Booklist- Asia

As this month is 'Escape' for the National Year of Reading, the next series of blog posts will explore all sorts of travelling destinations, highlighting novels that take you to amazing places all over the world. Our first stop: Asia! From the cherry blossoms of Japan to the delicate heat of the Chinese summer, these reads are all about escapes to the Orient.

1. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

3. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

4. Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society by Adeline Mah

5. Companions of Paradise by Thalassa Ali
6. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

7. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

8. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

9. Hong Kong by Stephen Coonts

NYOR May: Escape

This month's theme is Escape! This month we'll be focusing on books about all sorts of escape, including science fiction and fantasy, travelling and historical fiction. But to kick things off, we've decided to take things a bit literally. The booklist belows focuses on high speed getaways, long treks to salvation, getting to safety and sneaking out. Comment in the box at the end of this post and we'll add your recommendations too (We love adding yours, so please let us know!).

1. Max Cassidy Series by Paul Adams

2. Escape by Anna Fienberg

3. Now You See Her by James Patterson

4. Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

5. A Darker Place by Jack Higgins

6. Crossed by Ally Condie

7. Escape by Carolyn Jessop

8. Escape by Gordon Korman

9. Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver

10. Burning Marguerite by Elizabeth Inness-Brown

NYOR April: Feel

This months theme for the National Year of Reading is Feel. The focus is on books that brought out a deep emotional response- novels that moved you, texts that pulled at your heartstings. We've compiled a short list here, but why not tell us your own? Comment in the box below and we'll add them.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Beach House by Jane Green

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Hotel Vendome by Danielle Steele

One Summer by David Baldacci

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy


A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber

Comedian Corollary: A Booklist

Everybody likes a comedia right (or at least, hecking one). Check out these ten reads about comedians.

(Suspiciously, the name Graham seems to be a popular one for comedians. Is this a conspiracy of Grahams?)

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Playing poker with the SAS by Tom Gleeson

The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do

Billy Connolly's Route 66

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin

Dear Fatty by Dawn French

King: The Life and Comedy of Graham Kennedy by Graeme Blundell

Bounder! The Biography of Terry-Thomas by Graham McCann

Charlie Chaplin by Jerome Larcher

Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy by Simon Louvish

Do you have a book about comedians not on the last? Share it with us in the comments below!

Free Bookmarks: The Amazing Read

In honour of the great response from our patrons, twitterers, facebook followers and library staff, we've decided to compile the 31 recommendations for the Amazing Read booklist into bookmarks. Why not print one out on some nice card for that amazing read you picked up this month?

Booklist: The Amazing Read

Welcome to the National Year of Reading. This year libraries all over Australia are teaming up to promote reading in your everyday life. Whether its emailing over a great article you read on the web, sharing a good book with a friend, smelling the glossy pages of a new magazine or writing a diary this year, your library will provide you will all sorts of goodies this year to make it happen. Read more on the blog post here- this booklist is based on this month's theme The Amazing Read. These are books that made us smile, broadened our horizons, taught us something incredible or just gave us the feeling of 'wow'! Check out these recommendations by library staff and let us know what you think in the comments. Even send us your own recommendations- we'd love to add them to this post!

1. Tea with Arwa : one woman's story of faith, family and finding a home in Australia by Arwa El Masri.

2. I love him to pieces (Graphic Novel: Vol. 1 of the My Boyfriend is a Monster) by Evonne Tsang

3. The women who run with the wolves: contacting the power of the wild woman by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

4. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs

5. The Pact by Jodi Picoult

6. Searching for the Secret River by Kate Grenville

7. The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

8. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

9. Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase by Jen Lancaster

10. Batavia by Peter Fitzsimons

11. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

12. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

13. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

14. Veronika Decides to Die by Paul Coelho

15. The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo

16. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

17. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

18. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

19. The Magic of Myron by Raquel Eyley Wood

20. Eye of the Abyss by Marshall Browne

21. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyle

22. All of Me by Kim Noble

23. His Bright Light by Danielle Steel

24. The Butterfly Man by Heather Rose

25. Dreams of Speaking by Gail Jones

26. The Children by Charlotte Wood

27. There's Something About St. Tropez by Elizabeth Adler

28. Animal People by Charlotte Wood

29. Last Summer by Kylie Ladd

30. Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin

31. The Legacy by Kirsten Tranter

32. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

33. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood