Update 8/5/24 The winners were announced today. Women and Children won the fiction award, and Life So Full of Promise won the non fiction award. Congratulations!
The Age Book of the Year shortlists have been announced.
The judges for the fiction prize were bookseller Mark Rubbo and writer and publisher Louise Swinn. The shortlisted titles are:
Women & Children, by Tony Birch, on my TBR, see my review
Anniversary, by Stephanie Bishop
One Day We’re All Going to Die, by Elise Hearst, see my review
The Idealist, by Nicholas Jose, see my review
Stone Yard Devotional, by Charlotte Wood, see my review
But the Girl, by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu
The books on the non-fiction shortlist, judged by writer Simon Caterson and historian Joy Damousi, include histories, memoirs and essays.
Bennelong & Phillip: A History Unravelled, by Kate Fullagar
Home Work: Essays on Love and Housekeeping, by Helen Hayward
Frank Moorhouse: Strange Paths, by Matthew Lamb (I’m currently reading, it’s excellent.)
Life So Full of Promise: Further Biographies of Australia’s Lost Generation, by Ross McMullin (I’m currently reading the predecessor of this one, Farewell Dear People. Review coming soon.)
Personal Score by Ellen van Neerven
A Brilliant Life, by Rachelle Unreich.
The winners will be announced on May 8.
Last year’s winners were Limberlost by Robbie Arnott, and Wandering with Intent by Kim Mahood. Both were great books, see my reviews here and here.
ANZ LitLovers LitBlog 
I was just thinking about this award the other day so I’m glad the lists are out. I’ve not read any but my reading group will be doing Stone yard… In May or June. Can’t recollect which.
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By: whisperinggums on April 23, 2024
at 9:09 am
I loved Stone Yard Devotional, as time goes by since I read it it’s become one of those books that lingers in the mind.
But The Idealist is very good too, a wonderful book rich in ideas. Jose is a thoughtful, wise author and I’ve a couple more of his on the TBR which I will get to one of these days.
I surprised myself by like One Day We’re All Going to Die, I thought it was going to be one of those dreary narcissistic novels that are everywhere at the moment, but the librarian at Book Chatters was so enthused about it that I overcame my reservations and I’m glad I did.
It’s the power of a personal recommendation that works every time!
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By: Lisa Hill on April 23, 2024
at 10:00 am
I enjoyed Stone Yard (but honestly, enjoy everything Wood writes – it’s a style thing). Was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Anniversary – thought it would be too thriller-y for my liking but no, a true ‘moral’ thriller (just writing my review at the moment).
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By: Kate W on April 23, 2024
at 8:29 pm
I’ll add the link to yours when it’s up on your blog.
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By: Lisa Hill on April 23, 2024
at 10:12 pm