Ben’s Book Club – presented by Libby

Did you know that Libby (by OverDrive) offers a fantastic monthly online book club, featuring popular authors and engaging discussions? Ben’s Book Club, hosted by bestselling author Ben Hobson, is available exclusively to Australian and New Zealand libraries. Each month, a selected title is made available for free with simultaneous access on the Libby app—meaning no waitlists, and everyone can read the book at the same time.


Each month you can join a live online discussion to hear Ben interview the author. Participants can ask questions in the chat, hear directly from the author about their creative process, and enjoy a deeper connection to the story and its themes. Whether you’ve finished the book, are halfway through, or just curious, everyone is welcome to join.


Plus, each month one lucky participant who asks the best question during the event will win a signed copy of the book! It’s a great way to engage with the literary community—all from the comfort of home.


The upcoming book for August is Smoke from author Michael Brissenden.

Smoke title promotion image

Years after leaving Jasper, Detective Alex Markov has been sent back under the shadow of an LAPD corruption investigation. She is convinced that the man, a family friend, was murdered opportunistically under the cover of the fire. As the smoke clears, Alex reveals a town corrupt to its core - but exposing that corruption could destroy her and the people she loves. Will she ignore the crookedness and deceit, or face the consequences of pursuing an inconvenient truth?


To borrow your copy, download the Libby app from Google Play or the Apple App Store and follow the set-up wizard to add your library barcode and create your account.


You can also discover more about each month’s book by visiting the Ben’s Book Club Facebook group


Bolinda’s Author Talks

Bolinda content expert Natasha Boyd hosts regular online Author Talks with popular and award-winning Authors which are free for anyone to join and take part in the in-depth conversation and Q&A session. Previous authors include Hayley Scrivenor, Kate Morton, Thomas May, Peter James, and Richard Osman.


You can access the featured author and title of the month by simply downloading the BorrowBox app from Google Play or the Apple App Store and setting up your free account with your library card. The featured title for the month will be displayed at the top of the homepage.


The next Author talk will be on Tuesday 23rd September with Kate Atkinson to discuss her book Death at the sign of the rook.


Welcome to Rook Hall.

The stage is set. The players are ready. By night’s end, a murderer will be revealed.

Ex-detective Jackson Brodie is staving off a bad case of midlife malaise when he is called to a sleepy Yorkshire town, and the seemingly tedious matter of a stolen painting. But one theft leads to another, including the disappearance of a valuable Turner from Burton Makepeace, home to Lady Milton and her family.

Once a magnificent country house, Burton Makepeace has now partially been converted into a hotel, hosting Murder Mystery weekends. As paying guests, a vicar, an ex-army officer, impecunious aristocrats, and old friends converge, we are treated to a fiendishly clever mystery; one that pays homage to the masters of the genre—from Agatha Christie to Dorothy Sayers.


Find out more about upcoming Author Talks by visiting the BorrowBox facebook page or access recordings of previous events on the BorrowBox YouTube channel.



Last modified: August 2025