A few weeks ago I wrote about The New York Times' list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. While the list contained some incredible titles, what was missing was any books by Australian authors. Fortunately, Australian bookstore Readings responded with a list of the 30 Best Australian Books of the 21st Century. Here's what they came up with*:
- 30. MJ Hyland - How the Light Gets In
- 29. Peter Temple - The Broken Shore
- 28. Gillian Mears - Foal's Bread
- 27. Jane Harper - The Dry
- 26. Jennifer Down - Bodies of Light
- 25. Pip Williams - The Dictionary of Lost Words
- 24. Tara June Winch - The Yield
- 23. Bruce Pascoe - Dark Emu
- 22. Laura Jean McKay - The Animals in That Country
- 21. Helen Garner - Joe Cinque's Consolation
- 20. Geraldine Brooks - Year of Wonders
- 19. Tony Birch - The White Girl
- 18. Craig Silver - Jasper Jones
- 17. Heather Rose - The Museum of Modern Love
- 16. Melissa Lucashenko - Too Much Lip
- 15. Helen Garner - How to End a Story: Diaries 1995-1998
- 14. Anna Funder - Stasiland
- 13. Trent Dalton - Boy Swallows Universe
- 12. Peter Carey - True History of the Kelly Gang
- 11. Nam Le - The Boat
- 10. Evelyn Arleen - Dropbear
- 9. Chloe Hooper - The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island
- 8. Jessica Au - Cold Enough for Snow
- 7. Kate Grenville - The Secret River
- 6. Richard Flanagan - The Narrow Road to the Deep North
- 5. Robbie Arnott - Limberlost
- 4. Tim Winton - Breath
- 3. Hannah Kent - Burial Rites
- 2. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
- 1. Christos Tsiolkas - The Slap
I love this list! Many of my favourite authors and most beloved titles are on this list, along with many books on my teetering 'to be read' pile. The list is a timely reminder that I haven't read some of the most highly regarded Australian books of the past 25 years and I had best turn my attention to catching up!
* Bold = Read, Link is to my review