ANZ LitLovers LitBlog

Update 4/6/22: This list was begun in 2009-2010 and badly needs updating.  Hundreds of wonderful books have been published since the list was last updated in 2013.  I’ll get round to sorting it out in due course… I intend to refine it so that it’s not so unwieldy.

Inspired by the Books You Must Read Before You Die phenomenon, ANZ LitLovers is developing its own Must Read list of Australian and New Zealand titles.

The ANZLL bookgroup (the catalyst for this blog) is a ‘broad church’ of well-read people with diverse tastes in reading – so recommendations represent a range of tastes too. They range from ‘a jolly good read’ and ‘couldn’t put it down’ to challenging books that take some time and effort to read.  They include classics which are as fresh today as the day they were written – and those that have not stood the test of time quite so well but remain an interesting window on Australian writing of the past.  There are titles loved by nearly all of us – and those whose merits or otherwise provoked lively discussion!

What makes Australian literature distinctive?  Read Lisa’s interview with Tara from Book Sexy here.

For a completely different sort of list, see A Suitcase Full of Books.

Classics

For those wanting to make a start with the classics, Jane Gleeson-White’s Australian Classics: 50 Great Writers and Their Celebrated Works is excellent.  (See Musings of a Literary Dilettante if you need convincing.) For those who feel a bit daunted by the length of this list, check out the 20 suggestions on my ANZ LitLovers List of Best Australian Books or the suggestions over at Whispering Gums.

Indigenous Authors

I have constructed  a separate page listing literary fiction by indigenous authors of Australia and New Zealand to support an Indigenous Literature Week that I am hosting in July 2012.  For a wider range of indigenous reading choices check out Anita Heiss’s 100 Black Books Reading List.

Multicultural voices

If you are interested in discovering diverse voices in Australian writing, check out the multicultural heritage of the authors I’ve read on my Diversity Page.  In the drop-down Search RHS menu you can also find under the Issues and Themes category, both fiction and non-fiction books that feature Disability; GayLit/LGBTIQ+ and stories of Migration and Refugees. Not all of these are Australian, but most of them are.

Links* in the list below are to Lisa’s reviews  – just one opinion and not to be taken as authoritative – but a search on Wikipedia will lead to more information about almost all of these authors, thanks to a wonderful team of contributors who are building a comprehensive online resource about Australian and New Zealand authors and their work.

Transparency statement: Please note that I receive affiliate payments from Fishpond, see the About page for further information.

*A never-ending, time-consuming and very boring task.  I work at this every now and again but not often enough to get it finished.  If there is no link click through to Fishpond from the logos in the RH menu or to Booko in the blogroll.

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all” –Henry David Thoreau

Nominations so far include the titles below.  NZ titles are in italics.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

LITERARY FICTION (including short stories)

• The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide, see my review
• Serpent Dust by Debra Adelaide, see my review
• Figurehead by Patrick Allingham, see my review
• The Long Hot Summer by Barbara Anderson
• Tirra Lirra by the River by Jessica Anderson, see my ANZ LitLovers review
• Drylands by Thea Astley
• A Kindness Cup by Thea Astley see my ANZ LitLovers review

• Eucalyptus by Murray Bail
• The Pages by Murray Bail, see my review
• Rocks in the Belly by Jon Bauer, see my review
• Bush Studies by Barbara Baynton, see my review
• Robbery Under Arms by Rolf Boldrewood, see my review
• The Cardboard Crown (the Langton Quartet) by Martin Boyd
• A Difficult Young Man (the Langton Quartet) by Martin Boyd
• Outbreak of Love (the Langton Quartet) by Martin Boyd
• When Blackbirds Sing (the Langton Quartet) by Martin Boyd
• Lucinda Brayford by Martin Boyd
• March by Geraldine Brooks
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
• Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks see my ANZ LitLovers review

• True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
• The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey, see my review
• His Illegal Self by Peter Carey
• Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
• The Art of the Engine Driver by Steven Carroll
• Spirit of Progress by Steven Carroll, see my review
• The Time We Have Taken by Steven Carroll
• The Gift of Speed by Steven Carroll
• Prints in the Valley by Robert Carter
• In a Fishbone Church by Catherine Chidgey see my ANZ LitLovers review
• For the Term of his Natural Life by Marcus Clarke see my ANZ LitLovers review
• Slow Man by J.M.Coetzee (yes, we’re claiming books he’s written since becoming an Australian citizen)
• Elizabeth Costello by J.M.Coetzee
• The Pillow Fight by Matthew Condon
• The Trout Opera by Matthew Condon, see my review
• Wake in Fright by Kenneth Cook
• Come in Spinner by Dymphna Cusack and Florence James

• No Barrier by Eleanor Dark
• Night Letters by Robert Dessaix
• Running Backwards Over Sand by Stephanie Dowrick
• Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff
• Keep Him My Country by Mary Durack

• The Company by Arabella Edge
• Oracles and Miracles by Stevan Eldred-Grigg
• Spinner by Ron Elliott, see my review

• The Seal Woman by Beverly Farmer
• Death of a River Guide by Richard Flanagan, see my review
• The Sound of One Hand Clapping by Richard Flanagan
• Gould’s Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan
• Wanting by Richard Flanagan, see my review
• The Glade within the Grove by David Foster
• Sons of the Rumour by David Foster, see my review
• The Book of Emmett by Deborah Forster, see my review
• An Angel at my Table by Janet Frame
• Owls Do Cry by Janet Frame
• To the Is-Land by Janet Frame
• In the Memorial Room by Janet Frame, see my review
• My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
• Such is Life by Joseph Furphy

• Cosmo Cosmolino by Helen Garner
• The Children’s Bach by Helen Garner
• The Spare Room by Helen Garner, see my review 
• Going West by Maurice Gee
• Plumb by Maurice Gee
• Under the Mountain by Maurice Gee
• Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy see my ANZ LitLovers review
• Three Dog Night by Peter Goldsworthy
• Potiki by Patricia Grace, see my review
• Lillian’s Story by Kate Grenville
• The Secret River by Kate Grenville
• The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville
• The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville, see my review
• Siddon Rock by Glenda Guest, see my review

• Love Without Hope by Rodney Hall
• The Last Love Story by Rodney Hall
• Spider Cup by Marion Halligan
• Dissection by Jacinta Halloran, see my review
• Pilgrimage by Jacinta Halloran, see my review
• The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
• There Should Be More Dancing by Rosalie Ham, see my review
• The Scent of Eucalyptus by Barbara Hanrahan
• Power without Glory by Frank Hardy
• Like Being a Wife, by Catherine Harris, see my review
• Of a Boy by Sonya Hartnett
• The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
• The Evening of the Holiday by Shirley Hazzard, see my review
• The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard
• Capricornia by Xavier Herbert
• Poor Fellow My Country by Xavier Herbert
• Orpheus Lost by Janette Turner Hospital
• The Bone People by Keri Hulme
• All the Godwits by Robin Hyde
• How the Light Gets In by M.J. Hyland

• The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimeara

• Napoleon’s Double by Antoni Jach, see my review
• Slow Water by Annemarie Jagose, see my review
• My Brother Jack by George Johnson
• The Shag Incident by Stephanie Johnson
• Life in Seven Mistakes by Susan Johnson, see my review
• An Innocent Gentleman by Elizabeth Jolley, see my review
• The Newspaper of Claremont St by Elizabeth Jolley
• The Well by Elizabeth Jolley
• The Book of Fame by Lloyd Jones see my ANZ LitLovers review
• Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones, see my review
• Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones

• The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith by Thomas Keneally, see my review
• Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally
• The World Beneath by Cate Kennedy, see my review
• The Captive Wife by Fiona Kidman
• The Book of Secrets by Fiona Kidman
• The Vintner’s Luck by Elizabeth Knox
• Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox
• Highways to a War by Christopher Koch

• The Pea Pickers by Eve Langley
• While the Billy Boils by Henry Lawson
• Disquiet by Julia Leigh, see my review
• The Hunter by Julia Leigh
• Vertigo by Amanda Lohrey, see my review
• Gilgamesh by Joan London
• The Good Parents by Joan London, see my review

• Other Halves by Sue McCauley
• My Crowded Solitude by Jack McLaren, see my review
• Fly Away Peter by David Malouf, see my review
• Remembering Babylon by David Malouf
• The Great World by David Malouf
• The Conversations at Curlew Creek by David Malouf
• Ransom by David Malouf, see my review
• In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield, see my review
• Harlequin Rex by Owen Marshall
• Loving Daughters by Olga Masters
• Amy’s Children by Olga Masters, see my review
• Conditions of Faith by Alex Miller
• Landscape of Farewell by Alex Miller, see my review
• Lovesong by Alex Miller, see my review
• The Orchard by Drusilla Modjeska
• Man Alone by John Mulgan
• Barley Patch by Gerald Murnane
• Inland by Gerald Murnane, see my review
• The Plains, by Gerald Murnane, see my review
• Tamarisk Row by Gerald Murnane see my ANZ LitLovers review
• Fredy Neptune (a verse novel) by Les Murray
• Glissando by David Musgrave, see my review

• Death of a Whaler by Nerida Newton, see my review
• The Lambing Flat by Nerida Newton
• The Shiralee by D’Arcy Niland, see my review
• Ice by Louis Nowra, see my review

• The China Garden by Kristina Olssen, see my review
• Come Inside by G.L. Osborne, see my review
• Virtuoso by Sonia Orchard, see my review

• The Harp in the South by Ruth Park, see my review
• Swords and Crowns and Rings by Ruth Park, see my review
• Not Her Real Name by Emily Perkins
• Novel about My Wife by Emily Perkins, see my review
• Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman
• Three Dollars by Elliot Perlman
• Vernon God Little by D.B.C. Pierre
• Coonardoo by Katherine Susannah Pritchard see my ANZ LitLovers review

• The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney by Henry Handel Richardson
• The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson
• Maurice Guest by Henry Handel Richardson, see my review
• On Our Selection by Steele Rudd, see my review

• Benang by Kim Scott, see my review
• That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott, see my review
• Glory Days by Rosie Scott
• The Women in Black by Madeline St John, see my review
• Season of the Jew by Maurice Shadbolt
• A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
• The Far Country by Nevil Shute
• On the Beach by Nevil Shute
• In the Wet by Nevil Shute
• The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead, see my review
• The Little Hotel by Christina Stead, see my review
• Seven Poor Men of Sydney by Christina Stead see my  ANZ LitLovers review
• Jonah by Louis Stone
• Merry-go-round in the Sea by Randolph Stow, see my review
• To the Islands by Randolph Stow, see my review
• Ride on Stranger by Kylie Tennant see my ANZ LitLovers review

• The Philanthropist by John Tesarsch, see my review
• Fugitive Blue by Claire Thomas, see my review
• Everyman’s Rules for Scientific Living by Carrie Tiffany
• A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz, see my review
• The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas, see my review

• Dangerous Desires by Peter Wells
• The Aunt’s Story by Patrick White see my ANZ LitLovers review
• The Eye of the Storm by Patrick White see my ANZ LitLovers review
• A Fringe of Leaves by Patrick White see my ANZ LitLovers review
• Happy Valley by Patrick White, see my review
• Riders in the Chariot by Patrick White see my ANZ LitLovers review
• The Solid Mandala by Patrick White, see my review
• The Tree of Man by Patrick White
• The Twyborn Affair by Patrick White, see my review
• The Vivisector by Patrick White
• Voss by Patrick White, see my review
• Breath by Tim Winton, see my review
• Cloudstreet by Tim Winton see my ANZ LitLovers review
• Dirt Music by Tim Winton
• The Riders by Tim Winton
• I for Isobel by Amy Witting, see my review
• Isobel on her Way to the Corner Shop by Amy Witting
• Bereft by Chris Womersley, see my review
• The Children by Charlotte Wood, see my review
• The Submerged Cathedral by Charlotte Wood
• Carpentaria by Alexis Wright

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

NON-FICTION

1. The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander
2. Bearbrass by Robyn Annear
3. The Fiftieth Gate by Mark Raphael Baker
4. The Tyranny of Distance by Geoffrey Blainey
5. Plenty by Gay Bilson, see my review
6. Foreign Correspondence by Geraldine Brooks
7. Drawn from the Heart: A Memoir by Ron Brooks
8. Dancing with Strangers by Inga Clendinnen
9. Mermaid Singing by Charmian Clift
10. Peel Me a Lotus by Charmian Clift
11. The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway
12. First Lady by Kay Cottee
13. Journey from Venice by Ruth Cracknell
14. Chifley by David Day
15. Curtin by David Day
16. A Fortunate Life by A B Facey
17. Stasiland by Anna Funder
18. Romulus My Father by Raimond Gaita
19. Australian Classics: 50 Great Writers and Their Celebrated Works by Jane Gleeson-White
20. Classics: 62 Great Books from “The Iliad” to “Midnight’s Children” by Jane Gleeson-White
21. Joe Cinque’s Consolation by Helen Garner
22. An Awkward Truth by Peter Grose, see my review
23. A Very Rude Awakening by Peter Grose, see my review
24. Ancient Shore, Despatches from Naples by Shirley Hazzard, see my review
25. 1788 by David Hill, see my review
26. The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper, see my review
27. The Lucky Country by Donald Horne
28. Barcelona by Robert Hughes, see my review
29. Katherine Mansfield, the Storyteller by Kathleen Jones (a British author, but this bio is a must-read, see my review)
30. The Great Shame by Thomas Keneally
31. Te Puea by Michael King
32. The History of New Zealand by Michael King
33. Mary Poppins She Wrote, by Valerie Lewis, see my review
34. The Well at the World’s End by A.J.Mackinnon, see my review
35. On Experience, by David Malouf, see my review
36. Home of the Blizzard by Douglas Mawson, see my review
37. Stravinsky’s Lunch by Drusilla Modjeska
38. My Place by Sally Morgan see my ANZ LitLovers review
39. The Dig Tree by Sarah Murgatoyd
40. The Boyds by Brenda Niall
41. Flavours of Melbourne by Charmaine O’Brien, see my review
42. The Place For a Village by Gary Presland, see my review
43. This Whispering in Our Hearts by Henry Reynolds
44. Stella Miles Franklin, a Biography, by Jill Roe, see my review
45. The Life You Can Save, by Peter Singer, see my review
46. Snake Cradle by Roberta Sykes
47. Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy by Lindsay Tanner, see my ANZ LitLovers review
48. The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift by Nadia Wheatley

DRAMA AND POETRY

1. Glide Time, Market Forces by Roger Hall
2. Poems by Michael Leunig
3. My Country by Dorothea Mackellar
4. Foreskin’s Lament by Greg McGee
5. Fire in the Snow by Douglas Stewart
6. Don’s Party by David Williamson

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS

1. Mr Archimedes’ Bath by Pamela Allen
2. Share Said the Rooster by Pamela Allen
3. Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen
4. Sebastian Lives in a Hat by Kerry Argent
5. Belonging by Jeannie Baker
6. Why I Love Australia by Bronwyn Bancroft
7. Reggie Queen Of The Street by Margaret Barbalet
8. Enigma by Graeme Base
9. Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley by Aaron Blabey
10. Sunday Chutney by Aaron Blabey
11. A Nice Walk in the Jungle by Nan Bodsworth
12. Where does Thursday Go? by Janeen Brian
13. Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley
14. Snap! Went Chester by Tania Cox
15. Hairy Maclary by Lynley Dodd
16. Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear by Matt Dray
17. Collecting Colour by Kylie Dunstan
18. There’s a Hippopotamus on my Roof Eating Cake by Hazel Edwards
19. Ella Kazoo Will Not Brush Her Hair by Lee Fox
20. Possum Magic by Mem Fox
21. Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
22. Amy and Louis by Libby Gleeson
23. Leaf by Bob Graham
24. Let’s Get a Pup by Bob GrahamEmily Culpepper by Roland Harvey
25. The Friends of Emily Culpepper by Ann Coleridge
26. Two Summers by John Heffernan
27. Poetry to the Rescue by Steven Herrick
28. Horrible Harriet by Leigh Hobbs
29. Old Tom’s Holiday by Leigh Hobbs
30. Family Forest by Kim Kane and Lucia Masciullo
31. Milli, Jack and the Dancing Cat by Stephen Michael King
32. Mutt Dog by Stephen Michael King
33. Too Loud Lily by Sofie Laguna
34. Eight by Lyn Lee
35. Emily and the Dragon by Lyn Lee
36. Are We There Yet? A Journey Round Australia by Alison Lester
37. Down the Back of the Chair by Margaret Mahy
38. A Summery Saturday Morning by Margaret Mahy
39. Applesauce and the Christmas Miracle by Glenda Millard
40. Refugees by David Miller
41. Annie’s Chair by Deborah Niland
42. Baby Bilby, Where Do You Sleep? by Narelle Oliver
43. The Very Blue Thingamajig by Narelle Oliver
44. Lizzie Nonsense by Jan Ormerod
45. The Long Red Scarf by Margaret Power
46. My Uncle’s Donkey by Tohby Riddle
47. Irving the Magician by Tohby Riddle
48. The Great Escape from City Zoo by Tohby Riddle
49. The Lorax by Dr Seuss
50. The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan
51. Aranea: A story about a spider by Jenny Wagner
52. The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek by Jenny Wagner
53. Kisses for Daddy by Frances Watts
54. Looking for Crabs by Bruce Whatley
55. Little White Dogs Can’t Jump by Bruce Whatley
56. My Place by Nadia Wheatley
57. Chatterbox by Margaret Wild
58. Creatures in the Beard by Margaret Wild
59. Little Humpty by Margaret Wild
60. Lucy Goosey by Margaret Wild
61. Seven More Sleeps by Margaret Wild
62. The Midnight Gang by Margaret Wild
63. The Pocket Dogs by Margaret Wild

CHILDREN’S NOVELS (These are mostly for older 10+ readers but not Young Adult )

1. TruckDogs: a novel in four bites by Graeme Base
2. Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs
3. Do-Wrong Ron by Steven Herrick
4. Amelia Dee and the Peacock Lamp by Odo Hirsch
5. The Naming of Tishkin Silk by Glenda Millard
6. Sabriel by Garth Nix
7. The Muddle-Headed Wombat by Ruth Park
8. Playing Beattie Bow by Ruth Park
9. Lily Quench and the Dragon of Ashby by Natalie Prior
10. The Wizard of Rondo by Emily Rondo
11. Billy Mack’s War by James Roy
12. Ash Road by Ivan Southall
13. Hill’s End by Ivan Southall
14. To the Wild Sky by Ivan Southall
15. Stella by the Sea by Ruth Starke
16. Midnite by Randolph Stow
17. Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner
18. Dragonkeeper by Carole Wilkinson
19. An Older Kind of Magic by Patricia Wrightson
20. The Nargun and the Stars by Patricia Wrightson

Nominations from non-members are welcome, but fiction nominations must conform to our definition of Australian Literature (see the About page). Please use the comment form below, and please tell me if the author is from New Zealand.

This list was last updated 6/9/13