Around this time of December, I have, for a few years now, shared favourite Aussie reads of the year from various sources. The specific sources have varied a little from time to time. Last year, a significant source – The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age – became unavailable to me as it is now paywalled, and I haven’t prioritised going to the library to access the paper. I have no problem with paywalling. We should pay for journalism, and I do, but for different news sources (such as The Canberra Times, because it’s my local; The Guardian via its app; The Saturday Paper and The Monthly digital editions; and The Conversation by donation). Not being able to access The Age/SMH is a bit disappointing, because theirs is a comprehensive listing. I’d love it if more sites offered the option to buy individual articles.
Anyhow, these lists are all subjective, of course. Plus, the pickers vary. There are critics and reviewers, commentators and subject specialists, and publishers and booksellers. Also, different pickers use different criteria, besides the fact that what they are asked to do, in the first place, varies. For example, some pickers are “allowed” to name several books while others are limited to “one” best (or favourite). Further, as The Conversation wrote, these lists rely not only on what each person has read, but what they remember, all of which means this exercise of mine is more serendipitous than authoritative. But, I think it is still interesting!
As always, I’m only including the Aussie choices, but I am providing links, where they exist, to the original article/post so you can read all about it yourselves, should you so wish.
Here are the sources I used:
- ABC RN (radio broadcaster), in which presenters and guests named their recommendations from their reading of the year
- Allen & Unwin (publisher) email, which shared one favourite A&U book per staff member
- Australian Financial Review (newspaper, traditional and online), which shared “the top picks from our journalists to make your summer reading list sizzle”
- The Conversation (online news source), which invited 30 of their writers, “from fields as disparate as wildlife ecology and mathematics to literature and politics, to share their best books of 2024”, as well as letting the Books and Ideas team name theirs!
- The Guardian (online news source), which promotes its list as “Guardian Australia’s critics and staff pick[ing] out the best of the best”
- Readings (independent bookseller), which has its staff “vote” for their favourite books of the year, and then lists the Top Ten in various categories – Australian fiction, picture books, international fiction, junior & middle grade fiction, nonfiction, and adult nonfiction.
I apologise in advance for those of you who love poetry, nonfiction, and children’s books – which I also enjoy – but to keep this post a manageable length, I have decided this year to limit the list to my main interest, fiction.
Novels
- Robbie Arnott, Dusk (Michaela Kalowski and Kate Evans, ABC RN; James Bradley, The Guardian; Readings Staff; see my CWF conversation) (Lisa’s review)
- Ella Baxter, Woo woo (Bec Kavanagh, The Guardian; Readings Staff)
- Brian Castro, Chinese postman (Tony Hughes-d’Aeth, The Conversation)
- Melanie Cheng, The burrow (Jason Steger, ABC RN; Steph Harmon, The Guardian; Readings Staff; on my TBR)
- Pitaya Chin, The director and the demon (Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Guardian)
- Miranda Darling, Thunderhead (Readings Staff)
- Emma Darragh, Thanks for having me (Readings Staff)
- Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice (Julianne Van Loon, The Conversation; Susan Wyndham, The Guardian; on my TBR)
- Alison Edwards, Two daughters (Jess, Allen & Unwin)
- Lexi Freiman, The Book of Ayn (Michaela Kalowski, ABC RN)
- Katerina Gibson, The temperature (Readings Staff)
- Sara Haddad, The sunbird (Jumana Bayeh, The Conversation)
- Dylin Hardcastle, A language of limbs (Kate Evans)
- Anita Heiss, Dirrayawadha (Charmaine Papertalk-Green, The Conversation; see my CWF Conversation)
- Heather Taylor Johnson, Little bit (Jason Steger, ABC RN)
- Malcolm Knox, The first friend (James Bradley, The Guardian)
- Siang Lu, Ghost cities (Beejay Silcox, The Guardian; Readings Staff)
- Catherine McKinnon, To sing of war (Michaela Kalowski and Kate Evans, ABC RN; see my CWF Conversation)
- Emily Maguire, Rapture (Rafqa Touma, The Guardian; see my CWF conversations one and two) (Lisa’s review)
- Murray Middleton, No church in the wild (Readings Staff)
- Louise Milligan, Pheasants Nest (Eleanor, Allen & Unwin)
- Kylie Mirmohamadi, Diving, falling (Sian Cain, The Guardian)
- Liane Moriarty, Here one moment (Cosima Marriner, Australian Financial Review)
- Bruce Pascoe, Imperial harvest (Joseph Cummins, The Guardian)
- Ailsa Piper, For life (Michaela Kalowski, ABC RN)
- Jordan Prosser, Big time (Steph Harmon, The Guardian)
- Jock Serong, Cherrywood (Dennis Altman, The Conversation) (Lisa’s review)
- Inga Simpson, The thinning (Kate Evans, ABC RN; James Bradley, The Guardian) (Brona’s review)
- Jessica Tu, The honeyeater (Anabel, Allen & Unwin)
- Tim Winton, Juice (Michaela Kalowski, ABC RN; Sian Cain, The Guardian; Readings Staff; on my TBR)
- Charlotte Wood, Stone Yard devotional (Cosima Marriner, Australian Financial Review) (my review)
- Evie Wyld, The echoes (Readings Staff)
Short stories
- Ceridwen Dovey, Only the Astronauts (Cassie McCullagh, ABC RN) (Melanie’s review)
- Fiona McFarlane, Highway Thirteen: Stories (Jo Case, Honorable Mention, The Conversation; Kate Evans, ABC RN; Ash, Allen & Unwin) (Brona’s review)
Finally …
It’s interesting to see what books feature most. Popularity doesn’t equal quality, but it does provides a guide to the books that attracted the most attention in the year. Of last year’s six most mentioned books, three did receive significant notice at awards time, particularly the most popular 2023 pick, Alexis Wright’s Praiseworthy (as I noted in a recent post). The other two of the six which also featured well at awards time were Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie and Charlotte Wood’s Stone yard devotional.
This year, I have a bit of help with identifying the most popular picks, because, thanks to Colin Steele again, I can report that Books + Publishing (an online book trade site) listed the most mentioned Australian books from five sources, three of which I’ve accessed (Guardian Australia, ABC RN and the Australian Financial Review) and two of which I’ve not been able to (The Age/Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Book Review)
These are the fiction books which received at least three mentions across the publications were (in alphabetical order):
- Ella Baxter, Woo woo
- Melanie Cheng, The burrow
- Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice
- Malcolm Knox, The first friend
- Emily Maguire, Rapture
- Tim Winton, Juice
- Charlotte Wood, Stone Yard devotional
To these, I would add, from my sites:
- Robbie Arnott, Dusk
- Fiona McFarlane, Highway Thirteen
In 2024, I read five books from 2023’s lists, three novels (Shankari Chandran’s Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens, Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie and Charlotte Wood’s Stone yard devotional) and two works of nonfiction (Anna Funder’s Wifedom, and Richard Flanagan’s Question 7). I would love to have read more, but I can attest that those I read were all worthy favourites.
So, what has caught my eye from this year’s list. Those on my TBR, of course, and those I heard about at this year’s Canberra Writers Festival. Several more have now caught my eye, but as I’m unlikely to read many of them, I’ll just keep them to myself, and pass the baton over to you for your …
Thoughts – on this or lists from your neck of the wood?
Whispering Gums 
It’s a dangerous time of year, the season of lists 😀
Haha, Stefanie, that’s a good way to describe it.
Thank you for this list!
You can access SMH/The Age for free online with a National Library membership. Wishing you a happy Christmas and new year 😊
Qin Qin
Here’s the link to Newsbank: https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn8129901
And here’s an extract from the research guide for more information:
https://www.library.gov.au/research/research-guides-0/australian-newspapers-research-guide#heading-11377
eResources
The Library’s eResources portal provide listings to free media websites as well as our subscription digital resources. Some of these resources can be accessed from home or work by Australian residents who are registered readers of the Library. These can be identified in eResources by the use of the ‘key’ symbol and include:
Newsbank: Access Global is a collection of full text newspapers from over 170 countries. There are over 600 Australian newspaper titles at all levels and include The Australian, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Land and The Daily Telegraph.
PressReader provides access to over 1000 newspapers in 40 languages from more than 80 countries including Australia. Coverage is provided for the last 3 months only.
Sydney Morning Herald Archives 1955-1995 provides full-text coverage to every edition of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald between January 1st, 1955 and February 2nd, 1995. The Archives are available offsite for registered National Library readers.
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age : library edition provides complete digital editions of each paper from 2006 to date.
You can access these databases by visiting the eResources portal and clicking the Browse eResources tab.
Thanks very much Qin Qin … I use my NLA membership to access a lot of journals and database services (like AustLit), but I hadn’t realised that I could also access these newspapers. I will remember that in future.
The ancient brain is reeling.
I can say no more !!
It’s goodfor the brain to reel so I’ll accept that as a comment MR!
Ok, I’ve officially lost touch with contemporary Aust.Lit. Of all of these I’ve read one, Dirrayawadha; there are a number of authors I wouldn’t read again – Wyld, Winton, Moriarty (and probably Charlotte Wood); Jessica Tu, I would; and nearly all the rest I don’t know at all.
You haven’t reviewed Dirrayawadha have you Bill? You wouldn’t read de Kretser? Siang Lu sounds like he could be of interest to you. Maybe Ella Baxter, and quite a few others. The Guardian’s review of Baxter’s (second novel) says its “spritzy, berserk energy pulls it together like a force field”. But, I understand what you are saying in the sense that it’s becoming impossible to keep on top of all the new books and authors appearing. It’s a good think that this is so, but it’s disconcerting for us readers!
No review, though I thought it was far more authentic than Tara Winch.
I own a couple of older de Kresters, but Kim says I may be better off starting on this new one. We’ll see.
I’m not sure why you say that … my sense is that Tara June Winch writes strongly from experience.
I have read a few de Kretsers, but not this one yet. However, from what I’ve heard of it my sense is that it would be a good one for you.
Hmm … and the Heiss is historical fiction!!! You keep me on my toes Bill.
Dirrayawadha is the only one I’ve heard of outside of Sue’s blog, and it was possibly from you. Now I’m curious why you’ve seemed to have lost touch with contemporary Australian lit, Bill. Did a recent book put you off?
Good question Melanie. I’ll answer what I think – which is more generalised – and we’ll see what Bill says. My sense is that several books – mainly by women because he doesn’t read a lot of Australian men as far as I can tell – have put him off, and I think I know some of his reasons for this. But I think he has also got caught up – and I don’t at all mean this critically because it’s a good thing – in other reading projects, such as his current African one. It’s hard to keep your fingers on all the pulses, and perhaps the comparison of something very different with something you are familiar with means the familiar is losing some oomph! That’s my opinion … let’s see what Bill says.
The two Australian new releases I read this year were both debuts, both by men, both Muslim, 1st or 2nd generation. Mostly I’m not keeping up with contemporary Aust.Lit. because I’m doing other stuff, but to the extent it’s deliberate it’s because I am avoiding established Anglo writers and looking elsewhere. I’ll do my EOY summary in a week or two and see what, if anything, has changed.
So your answer is roughly what I thought Bill. I look forward to your summary. Always interesting.
And I do enjoy your African posts, especially the recent one in which you felt I saw you had been touring around the continent until you reached a country in which the author had to hide from genocidal maniacs.
Did I miss that one, Melanie and Bill? Sounds interesting!
Rawanda,1994 – Not My Time to Die
Thanks Bill …
Like Bill, I recognise few of these books/authors and thought I was fairly switched on!
I have, however, read the Michelle de Kretser, which will likely be on my favourite books of the year list, and the Jessica Tu, which definitely won’t be!
Thanks kimbofo. I have Theory & Practice, but it won’t be in this year’s reading schedule. I am greatly looking forward to reading it though. Oh, and I’m with you and Bill, About half of these authors/titles were new to me.
Hi Sue, I have already The Burrow, Theory and Practice, Stone Yard Devotion, and Rapture, all of them I would recommend. Juice, was disappointing, a depressing read. I know I am receiving Dusk as a present. I also have a wish list for my library for many of the books from the above lists!
Thanks Meg… you have picked the ones that most interest me and must of which I expect to read … except I am uncertain about Juice. It was given to me to read by someone who didn’t enjoy it. I’ll be interested to hear which ones you read.
Hi Sue, now in Tasmania for Christmas, and found another list which will interest you: Fullers Bookshop Summer Reading Guide. Face Book knows where I am!!
Thanks Meg … I’ll see if I can find it. Haha, re Facebook!
I have read exactly none of these books. So many of them out there, so few years left to read them in!
Thanks for the reminder about the years Jonathan! These new books are getting away from me too, and yet I keep reading! How does that happen??
I can see where you felt you had to limit this to novels only, despite also enjoying other formats/categories, and I’m sure other readers will have found it’s great fun to scan all these. I’m sure I would face the same challenge limiting/listing Canadian novels. But, my Canadian reading has decreased a little in recent years while focusing more on other projects so, much as you’ve described for Bill, I find myself slightly out of step with recent publications here in a similar way to what he’s noted. However, I have been so enjoying reading beyond my usual borders (literary borders, not necessarily geographic ones, but sometimes both), that I now wonder whether I’ll ever return to my majority-CanLit ways.
Oh I’m very out of step with recent Australian publications Marcie as you can see from how few of these favourites I’ve read! I will always want some focus on AusLit but would be happy for that to be less than it often is. It’s hard though when local authors get such little attention and want and deserve that. I wish I could read and review faster and/or that I could find more time to read!