Exploring from the comfort of your own home

BorrowBox, our free download service for ebooks and audiobooks, has a range of genres to choose from when selecting your next read, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction.  Why not try a title from the travel writing on offer?  It might bring back memories of your own holidays or inspire your next adventures!

I Never Knew That About Wales by Christopher Winn - A spellbinding journey around Wales.  Packed full of legends, firsts, birthplaces, inventions and adventures, the book visits the thirteen traditional Welsh counties and unearths the hidden gems that they each hold. Discover where history and legends happened; where people, ideas and inventions began; where dreams took flight; where famous figures were born and now rest.

Eat, Sleep, Cycle by Anna Hughes - For Anna, a cycling enthusiast, the decision to ride 4,000 miles solo around the coast of the UK wasn’t that hard. It seemed a beautifully simple idea. But after epic highs, incredible lows, unforgettable scenery and unpronounceable place names – as well as a hearty battle with some good old British weather – her simple idea turns into a compelling journey of self-discovery.

Narrowboat Nomads by Steve Haywood - Austerity might be getting everyone else down, but Steve is waving his worries goodbye on another of his light-hearted trips around the picturesque English waterways. This time he’s cruising with his long-suffering wife, Em, who’s given up work and wants her share of easy living too. They’ve rented out their home for the ups and downs of a life afloat, and there’s no going back…

Pier Review by Jon Bounds and Danny Smith - Before the seaside of their youth disappears forever, two friends from the landlocked Midlands embark on a peculiar journey to see all the surviving pleasure piers in England and Wales. With a clapped-out car and not enough cash, Jon and Danny recruit Midge, a man they barely know, to be their driver, even though he has to be back in a fortnight to sign on... A nostalgic look at Britishness at the beach, amusement in the arcades and friendship on the road.

Mae gan BorrowBox, ein gwasanaeth lawrlwytho am ddim ar gyfer e-Lyfrau a llyfrau sain, amrywiol genres i ddewis rhyngddynt ar gyfer eich llyfr nesaf, boed yn ffuglen neu’n ffeithiol. Pam na rowch gynnig ar y llyfrau teithio sydd ar gael? Efallai daw ag atgofion yn ôl o’ch gwyliau neu ysbrydoli eich antur nesaf!

I Never Knew That About Wales gan Christopher Winn – Taith wefreiddiol o gwmpas Cymru. Yn llawn chwedlau, mannau geni, dyfeisiadau ac anturiaethau, mae’r llyfr yn ymweld â thair ar ddeg o siroedd traddodiadol Cymru ac yn datgelu’r gemau cudd ym mhob un. Byddwch yn dysgu lle digwyddodd hanes a chwedlau; lle dechreuodd pobl, syniadau a dyfeisiadau; lle cychwynnodd breuddwydion; lle ganwyd pobl enwog a lle maent yn gorffwys nawr.

Eat, Sleep, Cycle gan Anna Hughes – I Anna, beiciwr brwd, nid oedd y penderfyniad i feicio ar ei phen ei hun o amgylch arfordir y DU yn un anodd. Ymddangosai’n syniad syml, hyfryd. Ond ar ôl y mân a’r mawr, golygfeydd anhygoel ac enwau lleoedd anodd eu hynganu – ynghyd â brwydr go iawn gyda thywydd Prydain – mae ei syniad syml yn troi’n daith rymus o hunan-ddarganfod.

Narrowboat Nomads gan Steve Haywood - Efallai bod llymder yn gwneud pawb arall yn isel, ond mae Steve yn ffarwelio â hyn wrth fynd ar un arall o’i deithiau ar ddyfrffyrdd hyfryd Prydain. Y tro hwn, mae’n teithio gyda’i wraig, Em, sydd wedi rhoi’r gorau i’w gwaith ac eisiau ei chyfran hithau o’r bywyd hawdd. Maent wedi rhentu eu cartref a’i gyfnewid am fywyd ar y dŵr, ac nid oes troi’n ôl …

Pier Review gan Jon Bounds a Danny Smith – Cyn i lan y môr eu hieuenctid ddiflannu am byth, mae dau gyfaill o ganolbarth Lloegr yn mynd ar daith ryfedd i weld pob pier pleser sydd ar ôl yng Nghymru a Lloegr. Gyda hen gar a dim digon o arian, mae Jon a Danny yn recriwtio Midge, dyn maent yn ei brin adnabod, i fod yn yrrwr iddynt, er bod yn rhaid iddo fod yn ôl mewn pythefnos i roi ei enw yn y lle dôl ... Cipolwg hiraethus ar Brydeindod ar y traeth, difyrrwch yn yr arcêd a chyfeillgarwch ar y ffordd.

BorrowBox Favourites 2

Last week we looked at some of the titles proving popular for adult readers on BorrowBox.  BorrowBox is a free service for our library members containing a wide range of ebooks and audio books available for you to download onto your computer or most mobile devices.

This week we’re looking at popular titles as chosen by younger readers across Wales:

Ebooks

Biscuits, Bands and Very Big Plans by Liz Pichon - This book is VERY important because it contains BISCUITS, BANDS and all my (doodled) plans to make DogZombies the BEST band in the world.

MY VERY BIG PLAN:  Write more songs about VERY important things like... ... biscuits.  Make sure there's a good supply of SNACKS for our band practice.  Avoid Delia at ALL COSTS, she thinks I've been SNOOPING in her room. (I have.)  DOODLE as much as possible, especially if Marcus is watching.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.
Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

Audiobooks

The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill -  Deep beneath the sea, off the cold Irish coast, Gaia is a young mermaid who dreams of freedom from her controlling father. On her first swim to the surface, she is drawn towards a human boy. She longs to join his carefree world, but how much will she have to sacrifice? What will it take for the little mermaid to find her voice?

Wonder by R J Palacio   - Auggie wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things - eating ice cream, playing on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids aren't stared at wherever they go.
Auggie was born with a terrible facial abnormality. For the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. Can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Yr wythnos ddiwethaf, buom yn edrych ar rai o’r teitlau sy’n boblogaidd gydag oedolion-ddarllenwyr ar BorrowBox.  Mae BorrowBox yn wasanaeth am ddim i aelodau’n llyfrgell sy’n cynnwys amrediad eang o e-Lyfrau a llyfrau sain sydd ar gael i chi eu llwytho lawr i’ch cyfrifiadur neu’r rhan fwyaf o ddyfeisiau symudol.

Yr wythnos hon, rydym yn edrych ar deitlau poblogaidd sydd wedi eu dewis gan ddarllenwyr ifanc ledled Cymru:

E-lyfrau

Biscuits, Bands and Very Big Plans gan Liz Pichon - Mae’r llyfr hwn yn bwysig IAWN gan ei fod yn cynnwys BISGEDI, BANDIAU a ‘nghynlluniau i wneud DogZombies y band GORAU yn y byd.

FY NGHYNLLUN MAWR MAWR:  Cyfansoddi mwy o ganeuon am bethau pwysig IAWN fel .... bisgedi. Gwneud yn siŵr bod cyflenwad da o BETHAU I’W BWYTA pan mae’r band yn ymarfer. Osgoi Delia AR BOB CYFRIF, mae’n meddwl mod i wedi bod yn chwilota yn ei ‘stafell. (Mi rydw i). DWDLAN cymaint ag y medraf, yn enwedig os yw Marcus yn gwylio.

The Book Thief gan Markus Zusak - 1939. Yr Almaen dan y Natsïaid. Mae’r wlad yn dal ei gwynt. Dyw marwolaeth erioed wedi bod mor brysur.
Mae Liesel, merch naw oed yn byw gyda theulu maeth ar Himmel Street. Mae ei rhieni wedi eu cludo i wersyll-garchar. Mae Liesel yn dwyn llyfrau. Dyma ei stori hi a stori trigolion ei stryd pan fo’r bomiau’n dechrau cwympo.

Llyfrau Sain

The Surface Breaks gan Louise O’Neill -  O dan y môr, oddi ar arfordir oer Iwerddon, mae Gaia yn fôr-forwyn ifanc sy’n breuddwydio am gael rhyddid rhag ei thad, sy’n ei rheoli. Wrth nofio at yr wyneb am y tro cyntaf, mae’n cael ei denu at fachgen dynol. Mae eisiau ymuno â’i fywyd di-hidio ond faint fydd raid iddi ei aberthu? Beth fydd yn ei gymryd i’r fôr-forwyn fach ganfod ei llais?

Wonder gan R J Palacio   - Mae Auggie eisiau bod yn fachgen deg oed cyffredin. Mae’n gwneud pethau cyffredin - bwyta hufen iâ, chwarae ar ei Xbox. Mae’n teimlo’n fachgen cyffredin - y tu mewn. Ond nid yw plant cyffredin yn gwneud i blant cyffredin eraill redeg i ffwrdd yn sgrechian yn y cae chwarae. Nid yw pobl yn syllu ar blant cyffredin lle bynnag maen nhw’n mynd.
Ganwyd Auggie gydag annormaledd arswydus i’w wyneb. Am y tro cyntaf, mae’n cael ei anfon i ysgol go iawn - ac mae’n poeni’n enfawr. A fedr argyhoeddi’r plant eraill yn ei ddosbarth ei fod yr un fath â nhw, o dan bopeth?

BorrowBox Favourites 1

Have you tried BorrowBox yet?  Borrow and download eBooks and Audiobooks using the BorrowBox app and your library membership details.  It’s free, only takes a minute to set up and enables you to enjoy your reading 24/7!

To give you an idea of the range of titles currently available on the service, we’re going to use this week’s blog post to highlight some of the most popular downloads for adults:

eBooks

This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay - Welcome to the life of a junior doctor:  Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know about life on and off the hospital ward.

The Woman in the Window by A.J.Finn - What did she see?  It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them, a picture-perfect family of three.

But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see….

Audio Books

Clock Dance by Anne Tyler - Willa Drake can count on one hand the defining moments of her life.  At each of these moments, Willa ended up on a path laid out for her by others.

So when she receives a phone call telling her that her son’s ex-girlfriend has been shot and needs her help, she drops everything and flies across the country. Surrounded by new and surprising neighbours, she is plunged into the rituals that make a community, and takes pleasure in the most unexpected things. 

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins - Just days before her sister plunged to her death, Jules ignored her call.  Now Nel is dead.  They say she jumped.  And Jules must return to her sister's house to care for her daughter and to face the mystery of Nel's death.

But Jules is afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of this small town that is drowning in secrecy . . . And of knowing that Nel would never have jumped.

Ydych chi wedi rhoi cynnig ar BorrowBox eto?  Beth am fenthyg a lawr lwytho e-lyfrau a llyfrau llafar drwy ddefnyddio ap BorrowBox a’r manylion a ddefnyddioch i ymaelodi.  Mae’n rhad ac am ddim, yn cymryd munudau’n unig i wneud ac mae’n eich galluogi i fwynhau darllen 24/7!

I roi syniad i chi o'r ystod o deitlau sydd ar gael ar hyn o bryd yn y gwasanaeth, byddwn yn defnyddio blog yr wythnos hon i dynnu sylw at rai o'r eitemau mwyaf poblogaidd sy'n cael eu lawr lwytho ymhlith oedolion:

e-lyfrau

This is Going to Hurt gan Adam Kay - Croeso i fywyd meddyg iau: Wedi'i hysgrifennu'n gyfrinachol ar ôl diwrnodau di-dor, nosweithiau digwsg a phenwythnosau coll, mae This is Going to Hurt gan Adam Kay yn rhoi cyfrif diamod o'i amser ar linell flaen y GIG. Yn hynod ddigrif, brawychus a thorcalonnus, mae'r dyddiadur hwn yn bopeth yr hoffech ei wybod am fywyd ar  ward ysbyty ac oddi arni.

The Woman in the Window gan A.J.Finn - Beth welodd hi?  Mae ‘di bod yn ddeg mis hir ers i Anna Fox adael ei chartref. Llinell bywyd Anna i’r byd go iawn yw ei ffenest, lle mae’n eistedd diwrnod ar ôl diwrnod yn gwylio’i chymdogion. Pan fydd y Russells yn symud i mewn, mae Anna’n tynnu atynt yn syth, teulu o dri, y darlun perffaith.

Ond un noson, daw sgrech iasol i dorri ar draws y tawelwch llethol, ac mae Anna’n dyst i rywbeth nad oedd unrhyw un fod i’w weld….

Llyfrau Llafar

Clock Dance gan Anne Tyler - Gall Willa Drake gyfrif ar un llaw, yr eiliadau diffiniol yn ei bywyd. Ym mhob un o'r eiliadau hyn, fe wnaeth Willa ei chael ei hun ar lwybr a osodwyd iddi hi gan eraill.

Felly, pan fydd hi'n derbyn galwad ffôn yn dweud wrthi fod cyn-gariad ei mab wedi cael ei saethu a bod angen ei help, mae hi'n gollwng popeth a hedfan ar draws y wlad. Wedi'i hamgylchynu gan gymdogion newydd a rhyfedd, mae hi'n cael ei thaflu i ddefodau sy'n gwneud cymuned, ac yn ymddifyrru yn y pethau mwyaf annisgwyl.

Into the Water gan Paula Hawkins - Dyddiau yn unig cyn i'w chwaer blymio i'w marwolaeth, anwybyddodd Jules ei galwad. Bellach mae Nel yn farw. Maen nhw'n dweud mai neidio y gwnaeth hi. Ac mae'n rhaid i Jules ddychwelyd i dŷ ei chwaer i ofalu am ei merch, ac i wynebu dirgelwch marwolaeth Nel.

Ond mae Jules yn ofni. Ei hatgofion sydd wedi eu claddu ers tro, yr hen felin, y dref fechan hon sy'n boddi mewn cyfrinachedd. . . Ac o wybod na fyddai Nel erioed wedi neidio.

Late Summer Reads

Are you planning an autumn break to get away from it all? Don’t forget to pack some great books to while away those balmy days. Not sure what to take. Try the Richard and Judy Book Club late summer reads selection. With 6 titles to choose from there’s sure to be something to whet your appetite.

David Baldacci – End Game

London is on red alert. Will Robie, as the US government's most lethal assassin, is called in to foil a terrorist attack on the London Underground. An attack serving as a test run for a much larger plot to take place on US soil.

Joanna Cannon – Three things about Elsie

Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, Florence wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light and, if the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly like a man who died 60 years ago? And then there’s Elsie!

Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen – The Wife Between Us

This book leads you to make many assumptions. It's about a jealous wife, obsessed with her replacement. It's about a younger woman set to marry the man she loves. The first wife seems like a disaster while her replacement is the perfect woman. You will assume you know the motives, the history and anatomy of the relationships. You will be wrong.

Rachel Hore – Last Letter Home

On holiday with friends, young historian Briony Andrews becomes fascinated with a wartime story of a ruined villa in the hills behind Naples. There is a family connection, her grandfather had been a British soldier during the Italian campaign of 1943 in that very area. Handed a bundle of letters that were found after the war, Briony sets off to trace the fate of their sender, Sarah Bailey but encounters resentments and secrets still tightly guarded.

Catherine Isaac – You Me Everything

Jess and her ten-year-old son William set off to spend the summer at Château de Roussignol, deep in the rich, sunlit hills of the Dordogne. There, Jess's ex-boyfriend and William's father, Adam, runs a beautiful hotel in a restored castle. Jess is bowled over by what Adam has accomplished, but she's in France for a much more urgent reason: to make Adam connect with his son. Jess can't allow Adam to let their son down because she is tormented by a secret of her own, one that nobody, especially William, must discover.

Leila Slimani – Lullaby

When Myriam, a French-Moroccan lawyer, decides to return to work after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their two young children. They never dreamed they would find someone like Louise, a quiet, polite and devoted woman. As the couple and the nanny become more dependent on each other jealousy, resentment and suspicions increase and Myriam and Paul's seemingly idyllic life is shattered.

Llyfrau ar gyfer Diwedd yr Haf

Ydych chi’n bwriadu mynd ar wyliau dros yr hydref?  Peidiwch ag anghofio llyfrau da i lenwi’r oriau. Ddim yn siŵr beth i’w gymryd? Rhowch dro ar y dewis o Glwb Llyfrau Richard a Judy.  Gyda 6 o deitlau i ddewis ohonyn nhw mae’n siŵr y bydd yno rhywbeth at eich dant.

David Baldacci – End Game

Mae Llundain o dan rybudd coch.  Mae Will Robie, llofrudd mwyaf peryglus llywodraeth yr UD, yn cael ei alw i rwystro ymosodiad terfysgol ar system drenau tanddaearol Llundain.  Ymosodiad sy’n ymarfer ar gyfer cynllwyn llawer mwy a fydd yn digwydd yn yr UD.

Joanna Cannon – Three things about Elsie

Mae Florence wedi cwympo yn ei fflat yn Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. Wrth iddi aros am gymorth, mae Florence yn dechrau meddwl a yw cyfrinach ofnadwy o’i gorffennol ar fin dod i’r golwg ac, os yw’r dyn newydd yr hwn y mae’n honni bod, pam felly ei fod yn edrych mor debyg i ddyn a fu farw 60 mlynedd yn ôl? Ac wedyn, dyna Elsie!

Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen – The Wife Between Us

Mae’r llyfr yma’n eich arwain i dybio sawl peth.  Mae’n ymwneud â gwraig genfigennus sydd ag obsesiwn ynglŷn â’r fenyw sydd wedi cymryd ei lle. Mae’n ymwneud â menyw ifanc sydd ar fin priodi’r dyn y mae’n ei garu.  Mae’r wraig gyntaf i weld yn hunllef a’r llall yn fenyw berffaith. Byddwch yn tybio eich bod yn gwybod cymhellion, hanes a ffurf y perthnasau.  Byddwch yn anghywir.

Rachel Hore – Last Letter Home

Ar wyliau gyda ffrindiau, mae’r hanesydd ifanc, Briony Andrews, yn cael ei chyfareddu gan stori o’r rhyfel am dŷ mewn adfeilion ar y bryniau y tu ôl i Naples. Mae yna gysylltiad teuluol, roedd ei thad-cu yn filwr Prydeinig yn ystod yr ymgyrch Eidalaidd yn 1943 yn yr union ardal honno.  Ar ôl derbyn bwndel o lythyrau y cafwyd hyd iddyn nhw ar ôl y rhyfel, mae Briony’n mynd i ganfod ffawd y sawl a’u danfonodd, Sarah Bailey, ond caiff hyd i chwerwder a chyfrinachu sy’n cael eu cuddio’n dynn.

Catherine Isaac – You Me Everything

Mae Jess a’i mab deg oed, William, yn mynd i dreulio’r haf yn Château de Roussignol, yn ddwfn ym mryniau cyfoethog, heulog y Dordogne. Yno, mae cyn-gariad Jess a thad William, Adam, â gwesty hardd mewn hen gastell.  Mae Jess yn cael ei synnu o weld yr hyn mae Adam wedi llwyddo i’w gyflawni, ond mae hi yn Ffrainc am reswm llawer mwy pwysig: i gael Adam i gysylltu â’i fab.  Gall Jess ddim caniatáu i Adam adael ei mab i lawr oherwydd mae ganddi ei chyfrinach ei hun, un na all unrhyw un, yn enwedig William, wybod amdani.

Leila Slimani – Lullaby     

    

Pan fo Myriam, cyfreithwraig Ffrengig-Morocaidd, yn penderfynu dychwelyd i’r gwaith ar ôl cael plant, mae hi a’i gŵr yn chwilio am rywun i edrych ar ôl eu dau o blant. Wnaethon nhw fyth breuddwydio y bydden nhw’n cael hyd i rywun fel Louise, menyw dawel, gwrtais ac ymroddedig. Wrth i’r pâr a’r fenyw ddod yn fwy ac yn fwy dibynnol ar ei gilydd mae cenfigen, chwerwder ac amheuon yn codi ac mae bywyd perffaith Myriam a Paul yn cael ei chwalu.