Join us in this exciting episode of Parra Pods as we delve into the vibrant world of City of Parramatta Libraries.   Learn about our diverse range of free programs, from sewing and knitting groups to cutting-edge technology workshops like 3D printing and virtual reality.  Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter and visiting our City of Parramatta Library website and book into your library event today.    Don't miss the chance to explore our extensive collections, enjoy public iPad lending, and make use of our convenient library app. Tune in for all the details, and we look forward to welcoming you to one of our seven library locations soon!

Welcome to the latest episode of Parra Pods, the City of Parramatta Libraries podcast dedicated to book lovers. Today, Erica is joined by Shelley, a seasoned children's book reviewer from the Children's Book Council of New South Wales, to delve into the City of Parramatta Libraries Summer Reading Holiday Program for 2024-2025. This year, the program invites young readers aged 0-16 to 'Escape into a World of Imagination' with a myriad of exciting stories and the chance to win fantastic prizes. Shelley highlights three must-read picture books available in the library's collection, offering insights into storytelling that fosters creativity and learning. From whimsical bunnies in "I Am Wrigley" (Ages 3+) to the thoughtful narratives of "The Turtle and the Flood" (Ages 3+) and "A Friend for Ruby," (Ages 4 - 8) these reads cater to varied age groups and interests. Listeners will also learn how to become library members and access these wonderful resources. Stay tuned for more Parra Pods episodes in the coming year, sharing new adventures in storytelling! Library Website  https://parra.city/libraryhomepage Library Catalogue Home | Parramatta Library Mentioned books: I am wriggly by Michael Rosen and Robert Starling, published by Walker Books 2023 The turtle and the flood by Jackie French & Danny Snell, published Harper Collins 2023 A Friend for Ruby by Sofie Laguna

A library technician by day and considered a master of dark, atmospheric fantasy in her writing, Alicia Jasinska is the author of the enchanting dark fairy tale, The Dark Tide.Join Alicia as she discusses her new novel The Midnight Girls – her standalone YA fantasy set in a snow-cloaked kingdom where witches are burned, and two enchantresses secretly compete for the heart of a prince, only to discover that they might be falling for each other. In partnership with Sydney Writer's Festival 2022.

What makes a book a classic? The fact that it is beloved? That it has stood the test of time? That it is of a quality that makes it stand out? Like fairytales and folk tales before them, children’s classics are usually a mix of all of these things. Join Nisa and Antonia as they talk about some established and modern classics for children:      Chronicles of Narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. (Originally published) Geoffrey Bles, 1950. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. (Originally published) Reynal & Hitchcock, 1943 Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret by Judy Blume. (Originally published) Bradbury Press, 1970 Hitler’s daughter by Jackie French. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999

Spanning the last years of primary and all the way up to early adulthood, young adult fiction has an appeal that knows few bounds. Back by popular demand, this is the third in our series of YA book chats. Join Nisa and Antonia as they discuss the following titles:   Listen Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied. Penguin Books, 2021   Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina. Allen & Unwin, 2018   Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas. Walker Books, 2021   The Selection by Kiera Cass. Harper Collins, 2012  

Thrillers and crime fiction are genres of writing that fascinate the reader through the depiction of danger, of darkness, of suspense and anxiety that surrounds the criminal or crime-related events described in the story.   Join Nisa and Bryony as they discuss some books that fall neatly and not-so-neatly within the overlapping boundaries of these genres:   The Herd by Andrea Bartz, Ballantine Books, 2020   Keeper by Jessica More, Penguin, 2020   Your House Will Pay by Step Cha, Faber & Faber, 2019   The Animals of Lockwood Manor, Mantle, 2020

Fantasy Fiction Sitting under the umbrella of ‘speculative’ fiction, Fantasy Fiction pulls the reader into a universe made up of complex relationships, of magical beings, of fascinating creatures and of supernatural elements that are often based on or influenced by existing myths and mythology. Join Nisa and Rachel as they discussed two novels and two novellas in the genre:   The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart. Orbit, 2020 The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood. Tor, 2020 The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo. Tor, 2020 Order of the Pure Moon Reflected by Water by Zen Cho. Tor, 2020

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:   On the Come Up by Angie Thomas. Walker Books, 2019 A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Electric Monkey, 2019 Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Hot Key Books, 2020 Welcome to the New World: Waking Up in Trump’s America by Jake Halpern and (illustrated by) Michael Sloan. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.   Craving some more YA chat? Checkout our other YA podcast here!    

One of the greats of espionage fiction – John le Carre – passed away at the end of 2020. Join Nisa and Sandra as they take a quick tour through some of his books and focus on two titles in particular:     Our Kind of Traitor - John le Carre. Viking, 2010   The Night Manager - John le Carre. Hodder and Stoughton, 1993    

One of the most popular fiction genres, mysteries take the reader on a journey that involves trying to solve a puzzle, finding clues, engaging in logical deduction, considering (and discarding) red herrings… the who, why and how of a crime that must be solved, an event that must be explained.   Join Nisa and Crystal as they discuss a mix of classics and new books in the genre: Death in the East - Abir Mukherjee. Penguin Random House, 2019 The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman. Viking Press, 2020 Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie. Collins Crime Club, 1934 and Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie and François Rivière. Harper, 2007 A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle. Beeton’s Christmas Annual Magazine, 1887

Horror Fiction seeks to thrill, to terrorise, to tap into the dark side of humanity. Sitting under the umbrella of ‘speculative’ fiction, Horror Fiction combines and contrasts the known with the unknown to induce a feeling of dread in the reader. Join Nisa and Rachel as they discuss a mix of classics and new books in the genre: Bird Box / Josh Malerman. Harper Voyager, 2014 and Malorie: a Bird box novel / Josh Malerman. Orion Fiction, 2020   The Southern Book Club's guide to slaying vampires / Grady Hendrix. Quirk Books, 2020   Carrie / Stephen King. New English Library, 1974   Frankenstein / Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, 1818          

Yan’s Recommended Reads! Are you wondering what to read next? Well, maybe this episode will give you some ideas. Happy Listening! Books mentioned in this podcast include: Death in Daylesford, a new Phryne Fisher mystery by Kerry Greenwood Earthly Delights Series by Kerry Greenwood What is life? Understanding Biology in Five Steps by Paul Nurse Phosphorescence: On Qwe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird Neuroscience of Mindfulness: the Astonishing Science Behind How Everyday Hobbies Help You Relax by Stan Rodski -  The eAudiobook  & eBook editions of Neuroscience of Mindfulness is available to download from our BorrowBox Library

A tricky genre to define, Scifi or ‘Science Fiction’ is more than just space ships and aliens. Scifi is a genre that looks at the world that was and imagines a world that can be. Sitting within the family of what is considered to be ‘speculative’ fiction, Scifi entertains, thrills and makes us consider some important questions about ourselves, our world and the universe(s) beyond us.   Join Nisa and Rachel as they discuss these books:  The Hidden Girl and other stories by Ken Liu. Head of Zeus, 2020 Bone silence by Alastair Reynolds. Hatchette, 2020 The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. (originally published by) William Heinemann, 1898  

In this episode of Parra Pods Yan shares her love of translated literature with listeners. Yan is City of Parramatta Libraries resident expert on translated literature and always manages to surprise us with the diverse range of books she gets through! Below are just a few of the authors & titles Yan talks about in this podcast. Happy Listening!   ‘Shadow of the Wind’, ‘The Angels Game’, ‘The Prisoner of Heaven’ & ‘The Labyrinth of Sprits’ by Carlos Ruiz Zafon One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Along the Trenches: a Journey Through Eastern Europe to Isfahan by Navid Kermani ‘The Name of the Rose’, ‘Foucault’s Pendulum’ & ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ by Umberto Eco ‘Sapiens’, ‘Home Deus’ & ‘21 lessons for 21st Century’ by Yuval Noah Harari ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ & Farewell Waltz by Milan Kundera ‘Norwegian Wood’ & Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami ‘Red Sorghum’, ‘The Garlic Ballads’ & ‘Sandalwood Death’ by Mo Yan ‘Boyhood’, ‘Youth’, ‘Summertime’, ‘Disgrace’, ‘Life & times of Michael K’ by J M Coetzee Jo Nesbo, Stieg Larsson, Karan Fossum, Arnaldur Indridason, Hakan Nesser, Leila Slimani, Andrea Camilleri

  In this episode of Parra Pods Katherine & Nisa discuss some of the amazing Young Adult fiction they have read over the last couple of weeks. Reading Youth Adult fiction in all its  diversity is great way to understand the issues facing the up and coming generation.  The books that we review in this episode discuss diverse themes  such as “Black lives matter”, growing up Muslim in Australia, body issues and being young and LGBTQ identified. What these wonderful books have in common is that they are all thought provoking, funny at times, often inspiring and always entertaining. I urge you to grab a YA book now and enjoy!   Some of the books discussed in this podcast include:   The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, 2017.   How (Not) to Ask a Boy to the Prom by S.J. Goslee, 2019.   You Must Be Layla by Yassmin Abel-Magied, 2019.   There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon, 2019.   Looking for some more recommendations why not check out our blog post on YA picks of 2020 & some old favourites!  

24 August 2020   COVID-19 Updates - Mutations & Lower Fatality 主題:冠狀病毒的突變和較低的死亡率   City of Parramatta Libraries Health Awareness Talks in Cantonese Language.   In partnership with Australian Chinese Medical Association. Health talks to promote better understanding and awareness of common health issues and related services in the Chinese Australian community.  This episode is about “COVID-19 Safety Guidelines”.   Presented by Dr Stephen Li.  Chemical Pathologist | Clinical Lipidologist | Chartered Manager Director Core Pathology & Clinical Chemistry, Pathology West, NSW Health PathologyDirector Westmead Hospital Lipid Clinic Chair, Community Health, ACMA Honorary President and Foundation Fellow, ACMA

Domestic violence is not limited to hitting or bodily harm, it also includes verbal and psychological abuse, physical control, and sexual assault.  Bullying and attempting to control a partner are also different types of domestic violence that the police do not tolerate in dealing with. Domestic violence includes physical, verbal or psychological harm from one family member to another, and also includes ill-treatment of the elderly and children.   لا يقتصر العنف الأسري على  الضرب أو الأذية الجسدية فهو يشمل أيضاً الاعتداء اللفظي والنفسي والتحكم المادي والاعتداء الجنسي. ممارسات التنمر ومحاولة السيطرة على الشريك تعتبر أيضاً أنواعاً مختلفة من العنف الأسري الذي لا تتساهل الشرطة في التعامل معه. يشمل العنف الأسري أذية أحد أفراد العائلة لفرد آخر جسدياً أو لفظياً او نفسياً ويشمل ايضاً سوء معاملة كبار السن والأطفال. Additional information:   There is no excuse for pardon, you are not the reason. The helpline for victims of domestic violence provides 24-hour counseling, and the workers in this service refer victims to emergency services such as housing and material support. This number is 1800 656 463 There are other services available for victims of domestic violence around the clock, including the phone service 1800respect or 1800 737 732. For translation services, you can call 131450 For men who are victims of domestic violence, you can call Men’s Line Australia on 1300789978.   لا يوجد أي مبرر للعف أنت لست السبب. يقدم خط مساعدة ضحايا العنف الاسري الأستشارة على مدار 24 ساعة ويقوم العاملون في هذه الخدمة بتحويل الضحايا للخدمات الطارئة كالسكن والدعم المادي. هذا الرقم هو 1800656463 هناك خدمات أخرى متوفرة لضحايا العنف الأسري على مدار الساعة منها خدمة الهاتف 1800respect أو 1800737732. لخدمات الترجمة بامكانكم الاتصال على الرقم 131450 أمّا للرجال الذين يقعون ضحية العنف الأسري فبامكانكم الاتصال بخدمة Men’s Line Australia على الرقم 1300789978   Speaker - Heba Kassoua Multicultural community Liaison officer, Cumberland Police Area Command  

17 August 2020   COVID-19 Updates - Problems & Facemasks - Cantonese 主題:冠狀病毒的新問題及配戴口罩的重要   Mystery coronavirus outbreak was linked to a cold storage facility in Auckland, masks beneficial to combat community transmission and no evidence that immunity of coronavirus from people who have recovered from covid-19. 內容：奧克蘭的冷藏設施與冠狀病毒的神秘爆發; 口罩有益於對抗社區傳播 及 沒有證據表明冠狀病毒對從covid-19中康復的人具有絕對的免疫力。   City of Parramatta Libraries Health Awareness Talks in Cantonese Language.   In partnership with Australian Chinese Medical Association. Health talks to promote better understanding and awareness of common health issues and related services in the Chinese Australian community.  This episode is about “COVID-19 Safety Guidelines”.   Presented by Dr Stephen Li.  Chemical Pathologist | Clinical Lipidologist | Chartered Manager Director Core Pathology & Clinical Chemistry, Pathology West, NSW Health PathologyDirector Westmead Hospital Lipid Clinic Chair, Community Health, ACMA Honorary President and Foundation Fellow, ACMA

Celebrating Science Week 2020 City of Parramatta Libraries will be celebrating National Science Week by providing a diverse range of digital content, catering to all ages and interests that people can experience from home online. The Library has teamed up with scientists, Western Sydney University, an Australian novelist and our library staff. For further information regarding our Science Week program go to cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/national-science-week In this podcast one of our Library's 'science enthusiasts' Yan, talks about our programs and some of the interesting science related books she has been reading. Titles discussed in this podcast includes: The telomere effect : a revolutionary approach to living younger, healthier, longer by Elizabeth Blackburn Lifespan : the revolutionary science of why we age - and why we don't have to by David A. Sinclair A woman looking at men looking at women : essays on art, sex, and the mind by Siri Hustvedt

10 August 2020   Understanding Covid-19 Medical Information for People with Chronic Diseases  有關閱讀新冠狀病毒的醫學信息 和 對慢性病患者的建議   City of Parramatta Libraries Health Awareness Talks in Cantonese Language.   In partnership with Australian Chinese Medical Association. Health talks to promote better understanding and awareness of common health issues and related services in the Chinese Australian community.  This episode is about “COVID-19 Safety Guidelines”.   Presented by Dr Stephen Li.  Chemical Pathologist | Clinical Lipidologist | Chartered Manager Director Core Pathology & Clinical Chemistry, Pathology West, NSW Health PathologyDirector Westmead Hospital Lipid Clinic Chair, Community Health, ACMA Honorary President and Foundation Fellow, ACMA