The list of Radio National’s Top 100 Australian Authored Books, as voted by listeners, is shown below. I voted in the poll. You could vote for ten books. Four of the books I voted for are in the top 100 (in green). I have also read eight other books on the list (in red).
Of the books I had read, I wasn’t that impressed with three: The Secret River, due to its use of the harsh convict life as an excuse for the slaughter of Indigenous Australians; The Power of One lost its bite after I read that Bryce Courtney had manufactured his history to make it seem autobiographical; and Eucalyptus failed to impress me. I also question A Fortunate Life’s inclusion as questions remain about the authenticity of his experiences in Gallipoli, which I discussed in a post I wrote many years ago.
I am disappointed that only one science fiction novel made the list, Juice by Tim Winton, which is hopefully more a result of Radio National listeners’ demographics than of the favourite books of Australian readers as a whole. I thought Juice was a very good dystopian novel.
I have read one book in John Marsden’s Tomorrow series.
I have six other books on the list on my bookshelves and will endeavour to read them over the next year or so.
1 Cloudstreet Tim Winton 1991
2 The Book Thief Markus Zusak 2005
3 Boy Swallows Universe Trent Dalton 2018
4 Burial Rites Hannah Kent 2013
5 A Fortunate Life A.B. Facey 1981
6 Tomorrow, When the War Began John Marsden 1993
7 The Dictionary of Lost Words Pip Williams 2020
8 The Narrow Road to the Deep North Richard Flanagan 2013
9 The Secret River Kate Grenville 2005
10 The Dry Jane Harper 2016
11 Possum Magic Mem Fox and Julie Vivas 1983
12 Dark Emu Bruce Pascoe 2014
13 Looking for Alibrandi Melina Marchetta 1992
14 Year of Wonders Geraldine Brooks 2001
15 The Slap Christos Tsiolkas 2008
16 Wild Dark Shore Charlotte McConaghy 2025
17 Storm Boy Colin Thiele 1964
18 My Brilliant Career Miles Franklin 1901
19 Magic Beach Alison Lester 1990
20 Wifedom Anna Funder 2023
21 My Place Sally Morgan 1987
22 The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book Maryanne Blacker and Pamela Clark 1980
23 Stasiland Anna Funder 2003
24 The Power of One Bryce Courtenay 1989
25 Seven Little Australians Ethel Turner 1894
26 Picnic at Hanging Rock Joan Lindsay 1967
27 The Harp in the South Ruth Park 1948
28 Mad Mabel Sally Hepworth 2025
29 The Happiest Refugee Anh Do 2010
30 My Brother Jack George Johnston 1964
31 Monkey Grip Helen Garner 1977
32 Animalia Graeme Base 1986
33 Breath Tim Winton 2008
34 The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion 2013
35 Lola in the Mirror Trent Dalton 2023
36 Limberlost Robbie Arnott 2022
37 I Can Jump Puddles Alan Marshall 1955
38 Joe Cinque’s Consolation Helen Garner 2004
39 Big Little Lies Liane Moriarty 2014
40 Oscar and Lucinda Peter Carey 1988
41 Dirt Music Tim Winton 2001
42 The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie May Gibbs 1940
43 People of the Book Geraldine Brooks 2008
44 True History of the Kelly Gang Peter Carey 2000
45 All That I Am Anna Funder 2011
46 The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough 1977
47 Playing Beatie Bow Ruth Park 1980
48 Where is the Green Sheep? Mem Fox and Judy Horacek 2004
49 The Female Eunuch Germaine Greer 1970
50 Mao’s Last Dancer Li Cunxin 2003
51 The Light Between Oceans M.L. Stedman 2012
52 Horse Geraldine Brooks 2022
53 Stone Yard Devotional Charlotte Wood 2023
54 Schindler’s Ark Thomas Keneally 1982
55 The Magic Pudding Norman Lindsay 1918
56 The Cook’s Companion Stephanie Alexander 1996
57 The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Holly Ringland 2018
58 The Yield Tara June Winch 2019
59 The Happiest Man on Earth Eddie Jaku 2020
60 The Man From Snowy River Banjo Paterson 1890
61 Too Much Lip Melissa Lucashenko 2018
62 Are We There Yet? Alison Lester 2004
63 Question 7 Richard Flanagan 2023
64 Damned Whores and God’s Police Anne Summers 1975
65 Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens Shankari Chandran 2022
66 Carpentaria Alexis Wright 2006
67 Voss Patrick White 1957
68 Unreliable Memoirs Clive James 1980
69 A Town Like Alice Nevil Shute 1950
70 Diary of a Wombat Jackie French and Bruce Whatley 2002
71 The Tree of Man Patrick White 1955
72 This House of Grief Helen Garner 2014
73 Scrublands Chris Hammer 2018
74 The Fatal Shore Robert Hughes 1986
75 The Bookbinder of Jericho Pip Williams 2023
76 The Natural Way of Things Charlotte Wood 2015
77 The Broken Shore Peter Temple 2005
78 Power Without Glory Frank Hardy 1950
79 Johnno David Malouf 1975
80 For the Term of His Natural Life Marcus Clarke 1874
81 We of the Never-Never Aeneas Gunn 1908
82 Eucalyptus Murray Bail 1998
83 Wombat Stew Marcia K Vaughan and Pamela Lofts 1984
84 Shantaram Gregory David Roberts 2003
85 The Dressmaker Rosalie Ham 2000
86 The Lost Man Jane Harper 2018
87 The Trauma Cleaner Sarah Krasnostein 2017
88 Juice Tim Winton 2024
89 Edenglassie Melissa Lucashenko 2023
90 Puberty Blues Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey 1979
91 Where the Forest Meets the Sea Jeannie Baker 1987
92 The Tall Man Chloe Hooper 2008
93 The Man Who Loved Children Christina Stead 1940
94 The Spare Room Helen Garner 2008
95 The Museum of Modern Love Heather Rose 2016
96 RecipeTin Eats: Dinner Nagi Maehashi 2022
97 Devotion Hannah Kent 2021
98 The Arrival Shaun Tan 2006
99 The 13-Storey Treehouse Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton 2011
100 Round the Twist Paul Jennings 1990