Top 50 Australian Books to Read Before You Die

I finally remembered to watch The First Tuesday Book Club on the ABC at the end of last year and enjoyed the episode which covered the top 10 Aussie books to read before you die – as voted by the audience. I’ve been meaning to check the full list and see how I’ve gone so far. 10/50. Pretty appalling. And, it was brought to my attention by Anita Heiss on Twitter that this is the National Year of Reading. She is challenging herself to read a book a week for the year. Her list of 52 books by Aboriginal, Torres Straight and other female Australian writers is further down. Even more appallingly, I’ve only read 2 of them. But apparently, several of these are children’s books, so it may be easier to get through them. Oh, and I’m not making it a challenge to myself to get through all of them this year – but hopefully some of them!

1. Cloudstreet – Tim Winton
2. The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
3. A Fortunate Life – A.B. Facey
4. The Harp in the South – Ruth Park
5. The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay
6. Jasper Jones – Craig Silvey
7. The Magic Pudding – Norman Lindsay
8. The Slap – Christos Tsiolkas
9. The Secret River – Kate Grenville
10. Picnic at Hanging Rock – Joan Lindsay
11. Seven Little Australians – Ethel Turner
12. My Brother Jack – George Johnston
13. My Brilliant Career – Miles Franklin
14. True History of the Kelly Gang – Peter Carey
15. Eucalyptus – Murray Bail
16. Power Without Glory – Frank Hardy
17. The Broken Shore – Peter Temple
18. Monkey Grip – Helen Garner
19. The Riders – Tim Winton
20. The Tree of Man – Patrick White
21. The Fatal Shore – Robert Hughes
22. Unreliable Memoirs – Clive James
23. The Tall Man – Chloe Hooper
24. The Man Who Loved Children – Christina Stead
25. The Dressmaker – Rosalie Ham
26. The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney – Henry Handel Richardson
27. The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith – Thomas Keneally
28. Capricornia – Xavier Herbert
29. Wake in Fright – Kenneth Cooke
30. Ransom – David Malouf
31. The Year of Living Dangerously – C.J. Koch
32. The First Stone – Helen Garner
33. Gallipoli – Alan Moorehead
34. Maestro – Peter Goldsworthy
35. The Monkey’s Mask – Dorothy Porter
36. Wanting – Richard Flanagan
37. Come In Spinner – Dymphna Cusack & Florence James
38. Grand Days – Frank Moorhouse
39. 1788 – Watkin Tench
40. It’s Raining in Mango – Thea Astley
41. Riders in the Chariot – Patrick White
42. Carpentaria – Alexis Wright
43. The Tyranny of Distance – Geoffrey Blainey
44. That Deadman Dance – Kim Scott
45. For Love Alone – Christina Stead
46. An Intruder’s Guide to East Arnhem Land – Andrew McMillan
47. The Life – Malcolm Knox
48. The Watcher on the Cast-Iron Balcony – Hal Porter
49. Here’s Luck – Lennie Lower
50. Visitants – Randolph Stow

The list by Anita Heiss

1. THE BOUNDARY, by Nicole Watson. 
  
2. JUST KIDS, by Patti Smith
  
2. STELLA MAKES GOOD, by Lisa Heidke 
  
4. SOUTHERLY – A HANDFUL OF SAND: words to the frontline ed by Ali Cobby Eckermann and Lionel Fogarty
  
5. UBBY’S UNDERDOGS: The Legend of the Phoenix Dragon, by Brenton E McKenna
  
6. NJUNJUL THE SUN, by Boori Monty Pryor and Meme McDonald
  
7. VIOLIN LESSONS, by Arnold Zable
  
8. UNPOLISHED GEM, by Alice Pung
  
9. THE GRUMPY LIGHTHOUSE, by Terrizita Corpus and Maggie Prewett
  
10. THE MARK OF THE WARGAL, Lorna Little and Janice Lyndon
  
11. FLY TRAP, by Boori Monty Pryor and Meme McDonald
  
12. JUST THE SKIN YOU’RE LIVIN’ IN, by Gayle Kennedy and Ross Carnsew
  
13. JALI BOY, by Ricky Macourt 
  
14. THE CHAINSAW FILE, by Bruce Pascoe
  
15. JINDAH MURRAY WIND DANCER, by Fiona Wirrer-George Oochunyung
  
16. DINGO’S TREE, by Gladys Milroy and Jill Milroy 
  
17. MAMANG, by Kim Scott, Iris Woods and the Wirlomin Noongar Language & Stories Project
  
18. NOONGAR MAMBATA BAKITJ,   Kim Scott, Lomas Roberts and the Wirlomin Noongar Language & Stories Project

19. SEA HEARTS, by Margo Lanagan
  
20. THE FAMILY LAW, by Benjamin Law
  
21. FALL GIRL, by Toni Jordan
  
22. LIFE IN SEVEN MISTAKES, by Susan Johnson
  
23. ANIMAL PEOPLE, Charlotte Woods
  
24. AFTER THE FALL, Kylie Ladd 
  
25. GRACE BESIDE ME, Sue McPherson 

26. MY 100 LOVERS, Susan Johnson
  
27. MARNGROOK: THE LONG AGO STORY OF AUSSIE RULES, By Titta Secombe / Illustrated by Grace Fielding 

28: VULLAH VUNNAH NAH: http://anitaheissblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/review-vullah-vunnah-nah-gunditjmara.html

29: RUBY MOONLIGHT by Ali Cobby Eckermann 
  
30. MY HOME IN BROOME, Tamzyne Richardson and Bronwyn Houston.
  
31. MAZING GRACE, by Dylan Coleman
  
32. YOU’LL BE SORRY WHEN I’M DEAD, Marieke Hardy
  
33. ONE LONG THREAD, Belinda Jeffrey
  
34. THE MARY SMOKE BOYS, Patrick Holland
  
35. DEADLY READERS series, Magabala Books 
  
36. HOT LIKE FIRE, Sherrice Thomas
  
37. From Little Things Big Things Grow / Solid Rock / Black Fella WhiteFella /  My Island Home – published by One Day Hill

38. FANTOME ISLAND, by Kathy Gibson and Jack Bell
  
39. JUST LIKE THAT AND OTHER POEMS, by Charmaine Papertalk-Green

40. Micky O – Determination. Hard Work. And a Little Bit of Magic. by Michael O’Loughlinwith Jim Main
  
41. LOOKING FOR BULLIN BULLIN by Brenda Saunders

42. TWO GREEKS, by John Charalambous
  
43. THE ONLY CONSTANT, by Robyne Young

44. FISHING FOR TIGERS by Emily Macguire

45. COURTING SAMIRA by Amal Awad 
  
46. INDIGO SOLVES THE PUZZLE, by Wendy Fitzgerald and Sophie Norsa
  
47. BEIJING TAI TAI, Tania McCartney

48. TWO MATES, by Melanie Prewett / Illustrated by Maggie Prewett
  
49.  BUBBAY: A CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE, by Josie Wowalla and illustrated by Fern Martins
  
50. THE SUGARBAG, Written by Nola Turner-Jensen / Illustrated by Dub Leffler 
  
51. SOLID ROCK, Puli Kunpunka (Sacred Ground), by Shane Howard. Pitjantjatjara translation by Ruby James and Trevor Adamson. Illustrated by kids from Mutitjulu, Kaltukatjara and Imanpa with paintings by Peter Hudson
  
52. FROM LITTLE THINGS BIG THINGS GROW: the story of an East Timorese Primary School