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

Christian Fiction: A Booklist

A question we get at the library a lot is "Why don't you buy any Christian Fiction?". Often a librarian's eyebrow quirks up at this- because we know there's plenty of Christian fiction in our collection! Although it isn't stickered like our thematic genres, you can search 'Christian fiction' on your catalogue to bring up relevant results or use the subject 'Christian fiction'. And to get you started: Here's ten Christian reads available at Camden Library.

1. Chance of a Lifetime by Kelly Hake
2. Dangerous Depths by Colleen Coble
3. Daylight Comes by Judith Miller
4. In Search of a Home by Charlotte Carter
5. Now and Always by Lori Copeland
6. The Reliance by M.L. Tyndall
7. Sabrina by Lori Wick
8. Sticks and Stones by Susan Meissner
9. Through the Fire by Diane Noble
10. The Wedding Caper by Janice A. Thompson

Fiction set in historic Australia

Sometime it's nice to explore a place you've never been through a novel, but what about learning something new about your own backyard? These books pick up delicious twists and turns that play out on the Australian landscape, from city dramas to outback maladies. There's quite a mix below- some are new bestsellers, others are old and forgotten. Pick one that takes your fancy- all are available at Camden Library Service.

1. Unwritten Histories by Craig McCormick

2. The Deadman dance by Kim Scott

3. The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey

4. The Secret River by Kate Grenville

5. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

6. The Drowner by Robert Drewe

7. Remembering Babylon by Dabid Malouf

8. The People's Train by Thomas Kenneally

9. Jacaranda Vines by Tamara McKinley

10. The Touch by Colleen McCullough