From 16 August, book lovers from around the country are invited to join thousands of other readers in Australia’s biggest online book club, Together We Read.
This year’s chosen book is local author Kirsty Manning’s The Paris Mystery, an intriguing mystery set in pre-WWII Paris. All you need to take part is a library card and the Libby app for digital borrowing.
The Together We Read digital book club connects readers through Australian public libraries with a featured title for two weeks each year. During the program, readers can participate in online discussions about the title as well as an online event with the author.
Together We Read is completely free and is facilitated by OverDrive, creator of the award-winning Libby app and a leading digital reading platform in Australia for ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and newspapers.
To take part in Australia’s biggest annual online book club, you will need:
- A local library membership – join for free either online or in your local branch
- The free Libby app on your device – download here
- Between 16 – 30 August, download The Paris Mystery by Kirsty Manning as an ebook or audiobook free of charge, with no holds or waiting, and get reading
- Join the author and readers across Australia for an online discussion forum throughout the two weeks. Contribute to the discussion here
- Come along to OverDrive’s live online zoom event with Kirsty Manning on Tuesday 29 August at 7.30pm AEST to meet the author, ask questions, and enjoy a well-rounded bookish discussion. Register here
“As a young girl growing up in Tamworth the local library was my place of refuge (and constant air-conditioning!). Librarians fed my love of reading and expanded my world,” said 2023’s Together We Read author, Kirsty Manning.
“Now, when I write I always try to create vivid settings for my readers so that wherever they are curled up they too can travel to different times and places. That’s why I’m delighted to be part of Together We Read to promote libraries in Australia and transport readers to Paris and beyond,” said Manning.
“Together We Read is a wonderful opportunity for people around the country to get together and start reading or listening to the same book for the same two weeks,” said Julianne Tobin, OverDrive Australia/New Zealand.
“Whether it’s with your existing book club, a group of old friends, your family members or favourite colleagues, join Together We Read this August through the Libby app and start reading.”
“We are thrilled to introduce readers to Kirsty Manning this year and her fantastic novel, The Paris Mystery,” said Tobin.
Kirsty Manning grew up in northern New South Wales. A country girl with wanderlust, her travels and studies have taken her through most of Europe, the east and west coasts of the United States and pockets of Asia.
Kirsty’s debut novel, The Midsummer Garden, was published in 2017. Her second book, The Jade Lily, was published in 2018 followed by The Lost Jewels (2020), The French Gift (2021) and The Paris Mystery (2022).
Her novels are also published in the United States and in Europe. Kirsty is a partner in the award-winning Melbourne wine bar Bellota, and the Prince Wine Store in Sydney and Melbourne. She lives in Melbourne, Victoria.
Together We Read takes place online from 16 – 30 August 2023. For more information, visit: www.togetherweread.com for details.
Image: The Paris Mystery by Kirsty Manning – courtesy of Allen & Unwin