Who doesn't love a good read over the summer holidays?
Vision Australia Library members certainly do, with everything from murder mysteries, the Kelly family, Bob Dylan and science fiction featuring in the top 10 downloaded books for December.
Check out the full list below and you just might find your next great read!
December's top reads
The Russian by James Patterson
Weeks before NYPD Detective Michael Bennett is to marry his longtime love, Mary Catherine, an assassin announces his presence in the city with a string of grisly murders. Each victim is a young woman. And each has been killed in a manner as precise as it was gruesome. Tasked with working alongside the FBI, Bennett and his gung-ho new partner uncover multiple cold-case homicides across the country that fit the same distinctive pattern.
Marked for Life by Emelie Schepp
When a high-ranking head of the migration board is found shot to death in his living room, there is no shortage of suspects, including his wife. But no one expects to find the mysterious child-sized handprint in the childless home. Public prosecutor Jana Berzelius steps in to lead the investigation. Young and brilliant but emotionally cold, Berzelius, like her famous prosecutor father, won’t be swayed by the hysterical widow or intimidated by the threatening letters the victim had tried to hide.
The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Berry
"I love you. In every world." Young real estate agent Madison May is shocked when a client at an open house says these words to her. The man, a stranger, seems to know far too much about her and professes his love - shortly before he murders her. Felicity Staples hates reporting on murders. As a journalist for a mid-size New York City paper, she knows she must take on the assignment to research Madison May's shocking murder, but the crime seems random and the suspect is in the wind. That is, until Felicity spots the killer on the subway, right before he vanishes.
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way. But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, the birthplace of many, yet a place few outsiders have ever visited.
The Exiles by Christina Baker Cline
London, England, 1840: Evangeline Stokes loses her position as a governess when she finds herself pregnant out of wedlock. After being accused of assault and of theft, she is committed to Newgate Prison, then to a prison ship bound for Australia. On board, she strikes up a friendship with Hazel, sentenced to seven years for stealing a silver spoon.
The Double Life of Bob Dylan by Clinton Heylin
From the world's leading authority on Bob Dylan comes the definitive biography that promises to transform our understanding of the man and musician - thanks to early access to Dylan's never-before-studied archives. Using material from Dylan's personal archive, Heylin tells the story of the singer's meteoric rise to fame.
Atlantic by Simon Winchester
In a narrative tour de force, Simon Winchester dramatises the life story of the Atlantic Ocean, from its birth in the farther recesses of geological time to its eventual extinction millions of years in the future. At the core of the book is the story of mankind's complex relationship with this immense sea, which stretches for 9,000 miles from pole to pole.
Kate Kelly by Rebecca Wilson
Kate Kelly, the daring sister of legendary bushranger Ned Kelly, was found dead in a lagoon outside the town of Forbes in 1898. At the inquest, Kate's husband Bricky Foster claimed that she was addicted to drink and frequently spoke of suicide. However, a friend and neighbour testified that she had only known Kate to drink since the recent birth of her baby and that she never spoke of suicide.
China Panic by David Brophy
When he visited Australia in 2014, Chinese president Xi Jinping said there was an 'ocean of goodwill' between our country and his. Since then that ocean has shown dramatic signs of freezing over. Australia is in the grip of a China Panic. How did we get here and what's the way out? We hear, weekly, alarming stories of Chinese influence, interference or even espionage - in politics, on campus, in the media, in community organisations and elsewhere.
Growing Up Disabled in Australia by Carly Findlay
One in five Australians have a disability. And disability presents itself in many ways. Yet disabled people are still underrepresented in the media and in literature. 'Growing Up Disabled in Australia' includes interviews with prominent Australians as well as more than 40 original pieces by writers with a disability or chronic illness.
Did any of the books you read in December make the list? What books would you like to see the Vision Australia Library add to our collection?
Not a member of the Vision Australia Library? Membership is free and available to anyone with a print disability. Find out more at the Vision Australia Library webpage or call 1300 654 656.