Who's your favourite Aussie author?

[Margie]

My favourite Aussie author is without a doubt Keri Arthur. Her urban fantasy stories are amazing. She hits the NY Times best selling lists all the time, but she's a Melbourne gal through and through. My fave series is the Riley Jensen Guardian series. Nothing like a good vampire story set in the familiar streets of Melbourne.

[Libby]

Children & Young Adult
Patricia Wrightson
Mem Fox
Norman Lindsay
J.C Burke


Adult
Richard Flanagan
Nerida Newton
Kate Grenville
Amy Witting
Elizabeth Jolley
Geraldine Brooks
Thomas Keneally
Neville Shute
Tim Winton

& Kate Lance for her nautical tales...

[Robyne]

Hi Kate, I've just. I've spent the last couple of months reading almost only Aussie writers - just because they're fantastic. Steve Toltz - Fraction of the Whole; Michael Meehan - Deception; Steve Carroll - A Lost Life (exquisite); Kate Jennings - Moral Hazard (a gem!)/Snake; Debra Adelaide - A Household Guide to Dying; Tim Winton - Breath (Love EVERYTHING he writes including his short stories; David Malouf - The Complete Stories; Elizabeth Jolley - short stories (but have read a lot of hers in the past). Other favourite Aussie authors include Thea Astley; Robert Drewe (The Rip - short story collection fantastic); Peter Temple - have only read "The Broken Shore" but loved it; Kate Grenville; Olga Masters there are so many! Not Australian but have recently read and enjoyed by Joanne Harris - "The Lollipop Shoes" and "Blackberry Wine."

[Tracey]

Some of my favourite Australian authors:
Peter Carey, Patrick White, Sonya Harnett
Martin Boyd - I love 'A Difficult Young Man'
SA Wakefield - Bottersnikes and Gumbles
Colin Thiele - Blue Fin and Storm Boy
George Johnston - My Brother Jack
and I have to admit I did love reading Carter Brown stories.
Also Kerry Greenwood - Phyrne Fisher mysteries

[[deleted user]]

C.J. Dennis.
Henry Lawson.
Banjo Paterson.
Harry Morant.
Dorothea Mackellar.
Caroline Carleton.
Adam Lindsay Gordon.
& me David J Delaney.
& so, so many more.

[Stuart]

David, A very impressive list indeed! Which I would like to be second, and add a special tribute to the best (in my opinion) modern day poet alive. You! I have read both your books (more than once) and I strongly urge all to experience the magic of--David J Delaney.

Stuart

[[deleted user]]

Thank you so much Stuart & thank you for introducing me to Good Reads. To everyone on Good Reads, I should have placed Stuart at the top of my favorite authors, I have read stuarts book twice & always have it near to refer to when I need a bit of insperation, please take the time to read "Beyond my Control" you will be moved by the achievements of this man.

[Creideamh]

I have so many, but my absolute favorite Australian author would have to be Markus Zusak.

[Lyn]

There are so many Neville Shute is great if you like
stories set in the 1940's plus. Di Morrisey writes
wonderful stories of Australia. Bryce Courtney some I like some I don't. Ruth Park of course
But in general I just love reading

[Diana]

On the fantasy side of things Jane Routley is a great Aussie author, there are 3 books in her Mage Heart series. I enjoyed them worth a read.........
Di xxxx

[Diana]

On the fantasy side of things Jane Routley is a great Aussie author, there are 3 books in her Mage Heart series. I enjoyed them worth a read.........
Di xxxx

[Victoria]

I've recently just read Breath by Tim Winton, it's my favourtie of his books and he is one of my favourite Australian authors. I just love the way he describes and writes about Australia. I also really like Bryce Courtney, James Marsden, Andrew McGahan (might have the spelling wrong), Kate Grenville, Lian Hearn (love Otorio series). Oh and the lady who the Dressmaker. I can't remember her name. Loved the book thief by Markus Zusak. And Peter Temple's The Broken Shore was really good. I'm sure I've missed some others.

[Tiff]

i love trudi canavan and john marsden, both are amazing, oh and melina marchetta :)

[Liz]

I read Caroline Macdonald's The Lake at the End of the World and loved it.

Melina Marchetta (famous for Looking for Alibrandi)

Kate Constable, Juliet Marillier, Marianne Curley, and Garth Nix are fantastic fantasy authors.

And Elizabeth Honey has a fantastic writing voice- it's exactly like a kid's but full of detail and colour. She's this good: I'm almost seventeen and i still haven't grown out of her yet!

John Marsden and Matthew Reilly are fantastic as well.

[Maggi]

Tim Winton, Kate Morton, Robert Drewe, David Malouf, John Marsden, Gabrielle Lord.

[Naomi]

Nick Earls, Traci Harding, Bryce Courtenay, Isobelle Carmody... those are all that spring to mind. :-)

[Jess]

My favourite would have to be Keri Arthur, definately

[[deleted user]]

My favourite author is the poet, academic and critic, Christopher Brennan (1870-1932). Not only has he been a major influence on later Australian poetry, his major work, Poems, has a richness and depth to it that keeps me discovering new things and aspects of the Western esoteric tradition.

Other than that, I love a lot of the poets, especially Tranter, Kinsella, Maurray, Malouf, Zwicky, Tracy Ryan, Gig Ryan, and too many more than I can name in a single post.

[Suzana]

Ainsley you took the words right out of my mouth: Collen McCullough, Bruce Courtnay and Peter Carey, although concerning Bryce, I must - reluctantly - agree.
For Sci-Fi fans I am proud to share my citizenship with one Greg Egan who lives in Perth: his compares well to the best modern sci-fi in the world.
For crime fiction fans, no-one seems to have mentioned Sydney author Peter Corris yet.
This is a bloody great thread I reckon, eh? (lol)

[Suzana]

oh yeah - and Thomas Keneally - how could I forget him?

[Suzana]

My spelling aint top notch today - sorry.

['Aussie Rick']

Hi folks, Like to throw in my two bob's worth for some great Australian authors. I'm afraid my preference is for history so these are my favourites;

Colleen McCullough
Thomas Keneally
Les Carlyon
C. E. W. Bean
Paul Ham
Robert Hughes

[Matthew]

Markus Zusak and Garth Nix. Didn't realise they both were Aussie until I got to that 'about the author' last page. Nice note to finish the book on!

Bit o' trivia: Nix is not a pseudonym. He has frequently been asked this question and said, "I guess people ask me because it sounds like the perfect name for a writer of fantasy. However, it is my real name."

[Books and Brews]

I still love Elyne Mitchell (Silver Brumby), Patricia Wrightson and Ivan Southwall's books.

Also love: Marcus Zusak, Tim Winton and Sean Willams.

Matthew Reilly books make great audiobook 'reads' for long trips, but really woeful 'real' reads.

And I'd like some help: I have a book blog and I'm looking to find some other Australian book bloggers to link with. Drop me a reply or leave a comment on my blog: http://ihatebooks/wordpress.com

best wishes to all,

Amanda

[Laura]

I have to say Peter Carey. Oscar and Lucinda being the pinnacle of a very impressive pile.

I've also read a couple of crime fiction authors lately (I'm a writer and it's a genre I'd like to dabble in so I read them as "research") and discovered a couple of great ones. Anyone read John Cleary (Scobie Malone series for Crime Fiction but he also wrote Sundowners)? How about Peter Corris (Cliff Hardy books)? He's a very short and snappy kind of crime fiction writer - not loads of odd characters and descriptions of architecture.

[Laura]

Cliff wrote: "Kenneth Slessor for his poems 'Five Bells', 'Five Visions of Captain Cook', 'Beach Burial' and a few others; Patrick White for 'Tree of Man' in particular. Charles Osbourne for his books on the op..."

Have I been living under a rock? I just picked up a Patrick White book at a book exchange because it said "Nobel prize winner". I Googled him and found out he's an Aussie. How didn't I know that? I see a couple of you have listed him in your favourites. I'm going to read The Eye of the Stormand I'm hoping I'll find a new great Aussie author.

[wordsareforwriting]

As an avid young reader I loved Gary Crew and John Marsden.

Richard Flanagan is Australia´s best writer hands down.

[Spooky]

I know he's not exclusively an author, but Nick Cave has written two books which are very good.

[Paul]

Carrie Tiffany, Andrew McGahan, Max Barry, Sarah Hopkins, Jim McLoughlin (non-fiction, one book), Melina Marchetta,

[Melanie]

Ive always loved Bryce Courtenay's novels and my favourite was the obne about his son {April Fools Day.}

[John]

MATTHEW REILLY!! I personally think he is by far the best Australian writer. Also Sara Douglas and John Marsden are pretty good too :)

[Jem]

I love Morris Gleitzman and Jackie French (I loved her 'A Rose for the ANZAC Boys') as well as Melina Marchetta.

[hollyishere]

Jaclyn Moriarty

[Dee-Ann]

Colin Thiele and Ivan Southall when I was young
Nick Earls, Richard Flanagan, Colleen McCullough
Tim Winton (esp Cloudstreet), Nick Bland, Paul Jennings, Bruce Dawe (poet), Garth Nix and more ...

[Mandapanda]

I've been happily going through this thread from the beginning and I had no idea so many of my favourite authors even were Australian. It's great! I love Matthew Reilly, Kate Forsyth and oh I used to love Nevil Shute!

[[deleted user]]

Bronwyn Parry is an excellent new Aussie writer for anyone who likes a bit of action/ thriller/ Aussie setting. Well worth a read. Helene young writes romantic suspense based in Australia as well.Lisa Heidke & Phillipa Fioretti both write chick lit/ enjoyable romance. Nicole Alexander writes great Aussie family saga's. A few of my favourites. I love that we have so many great Australian writers in so many different genres.

[[deleted user]]

It is so hard to choose a favourite. I recently read The Secret River by Kate Grenville which I would recommend to everyone to read.

[Colleen]

oooh yes, just posted Kate Grenville elsewhere. I like Ruth Park's works also, and some of Bryce McCourtney's that are not explicit in certain, his earlier books anyhow. Also Kathryn Forsythe, but spare me Mandy, I was always under the impression that Neville shute was British. He wrote quite a number of books regarding Britain as well as A Town Like Alice

[[deleted user]]

You are right Colleen, Neville Shute was British. He was born in London in 1899. He moved to Australia (near Melbourne) in 1950 and died in 1960. (Sorry I felt compelled to find out.) :)

[Colleen]

That's okay, feel better, but he is one of my favourite authors, I love his books and have a collection of them

[Mandapanda]

Let's just adopt him then because A Town Like Alice is one of the most famous Australian novels. All in favour? (show of hands)...

[[deleted user]]

You have my vote. He may've been an Australian citizen when he died. The adoption may have already happened. :D

[Colleen]

Showing my hand, lets adopt him, Wikipedia or a google search might reveal if he was naturalized

[Lauren]

I second all those praising Australian fantasy writers such as Isobelle Carmody, Juliet Marillier (born in NZ but living in Australia with citizenship), Kate Forsyth, Garth Nix,Sara Douglass, Trudi Canavan, Cecilia Dart-Thornton etc.

I also love John Marsden, Markus Zuzak, Melina Marchetta for straddling that young adult fiction/adult fiction line.

[Mandapanda]

Lauren wrote: "I second all those praising Australian fantasy writers such as Isobelle Carmody, Juliet Marillier (born in NZ but living in Australia with citizenship), Kate Forsyth, Garth Nix,Sara Douglass, Trud..."

You're right Lauren, we do have some unbeatable fantasy authors. I've created a shelf in our group for Scifi/fantasy and will move books there as I get the time. They are so good they deserve a shelf of their own.:)

[Murray]

I'm also a Fantasy fan and love Sara Douglass, Isobelle Carmody and Trudi Canavan and I've recently discovered the incredible imagination of Glenda Larke. Larke writes the only truly original fantasy I've read in decades.

[Mandapanda]

Murray wrote: "I'm also a Fantasy fan and love Sara Douglass, Isobelle Carmody and Trudi Canavan and I've recently discovered the incredible imagination of Glenda Larke. Larke writes the only truly original fant..."

Glenda Larke looks interesting. I hadn't heard of her before.

[Lyn]

I would have say my favourite Australian author at the moment is Joy Dettman
I have just read Pearl in the Cage and the sequel Thorn on the Rose, both page turners and fabulous books set in Victoria during the depression and the 2nd World War.
I also enjoy Judy Nunn, Di Morrisey and Geraldine Brooks, but not a Bryce Courtney fan at all
I am looking forward to reading many more Australia authors, now that I have retired and have more time to do so

[Mandapanda]

Joy Dettman is new to me Lyn and her books look great.:)

[Nomes]

I read a lot of the Aussie YA talent.

Jaclyn Moriarty, Melina Marchetta, Sonya Hartnett, Markus Zusac, Steven Herrick and John Marsden are all faves.