Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Top 10 on Tuesday: Aussie reads

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Since the last week of May is Australian Library and Information Week, I thought I'd show my Aussie colleagues, authors, and readers some love.  Some of my favorite books just so happen to have been written by Australian authors, so I thought I'd share the wealth!

1) Geraldine Brooks.  Her 2005 novel, March, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  I'm also a huge fan of two of her other novels, A Year of Wonders and People of the Book.  Read her work--she is amazing.

2) The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman.  Australian native Stedman may be rather reluctant when it comes to the limelight, but her first novel is a staff darling here at the Trumbull Library.  On a remote Australian island, a childless couple live a quiet life running a lighthouse, until a boat with a baby washes ashore. 

3) Kate Morton.  I fell in love with her style and story-telling when I first read The Forgotten Garden.  She's a favorite among staff and book clubs here at the library.

4) The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.  This is a title that shows up a lot this time of the year, as it is on many a summer reading list.  Accessible to adults and teens, Zusak's novel finds Death trying to make sense of WWII, relating the story of the story-telling book-stealing Liesel, a young German girl helping her family, the Jewish family they are hiding, and her neighbors. 

5) Peter Carey.  Two time Booker Prize winner.  Finalist for the U.S. National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize.  The man is a legend in his native country, and deserves more recognition here in the states, too.


6) The Hypnotist's Love Story, by Liane Moriarty.  All about the crazy things we do for love, with some really nice plot twists.  You can read my full review here.  Fun, funny, and surprising.



7) If fantasy is your genre of choice, you need to be reading Sara Douglass.  Though she sadly passed in 2011, her series live on and are magnificent. 

8) I think I'd be remiss if I was talking about Australian authors and neglected to mention Colleen McCullough.  Really, The Thorn Birds is timeless.  She writes in other genres, too, including thrillers and historical novels, so try them all!

9) Kate Grenville.  I loved The Lieutenant, and her 2005 novel The Secret River was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. She, like Peter Carey, is hugely popular in Australia and well deserving of a wider readership in the U.S.

10) For teens and adults, John Marsden is definitely one to check out.  My personal favorite would be Letters from the Inside, about two girls who connect through writing letters.


I'm back Thursday with an update on what I've been reading.  In the meantime, enjoy!



*no koalas were harmed in the writing of this post.

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