From 16-30 August booklovers from around the country are invited to join thousands of other readers in Australia’s biggest online book club, Together We Read. This year the 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.

HOW IT WORKS

To take part in Australia’s biggest annual online book club, you will need:

  • A local library membership – join for free easily online or in your local participating branch.
  • The free Libby app on your device – download here.
  • August 16-30: Download The Paris Mysteryby 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 in an online discussion forum throughout the two weeks. Contribute to the discussion
  • 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

Now in its second year exclusive to Australia, Together We Read originally began serving Australia and New Zealand combined. The 2023 Together We Read selection is the novel The Paris Mystery by Kirsty Manning (Allen & Unwin). A glittering mystery, The Paris Mystery is set in pre-World War II Paris combining exquisite settings, fascinating characters, delicious food and high fashion with engrossing intrigue and dark secrets. This highly rated novel is described by Kerry Greenwood as “a superb evocation of pre-war Paris … a mystery I couldn’t put down.”

2023’s Together We Read author Kirsty Manning said, “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. 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.”

Malcolm O’Brien, Regional Manager of Overdrive in Australia and New Zealand, added, “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. 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.”

He continued, “We hope that this brilliant program will encourage library members new and existing to realise the huge range of digital content that is available to them free of charge via the Libby App – unlike other platforms that require paid subscriptions. We are thrilled to introduce readers to Kirsty Manning this year and her fantastic novel, ‘The Paris Mystery’.”

The Libby app is an award-winning app from OverDrive which provides access to the industry’s largest digital literary catalogue. Available through most local libraries across Australia, Libby is a free service offering access to e-books, audio books and other digital content across numerous devices including iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phones and tablets, Chromebook™, and Kobo® tablets and eReaders.

Learn more about Together We Read at https://togetherweread.com/AU/ .

 

About Kirsty Manning

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.

About OverDrive Australia

OverDrive is a mission-based company that stands with libraries. Named a Certified B Corp in 2017, OverDrive has a dedicated team in Australia with offices in Sydney and Melbourne. The company serves more than 91,000 libraries and schools in 113 countries with the industry’s largest digital catalogue of ebooks, audiobooks, video and other content. OverDrive’s commitment to empower every library and school includes expanding access for all, tireless industry advocacy and consistent innovation. Award-winning apps and services include the Libby library reading app, the Sora student reading app, Kanopy, the leading video streaming app for libraries and colleges, and TeachingBooks.net, which offers one of the largest catalogues of supplemental materials that enhance literacy outcomes. Founded in 1986, OverDrive’s world headquarters is in Cleveland, Ohio USA. www.overdrive.com