10 Fabulous Books by Female Authors from the 2023 Top 100

The results are in, and it’s clear that female authors led the way in our 2023 Top 100 – something we love to see. A whopping 70 of the Top 100 books this year are written by women, including six books in the top 10. There’s a mix of classics, romance and historical fiction, and there’s no doubt that our readers love all of them.

We were thrilled to see Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus take out the #2 spot – a fantastic achievement for Garmus, and a novel well-loved in our office and amongst the BR community.

Australian authors also made their mark, such as Monica McInerney, Rachael Johns, Jane Harper Dinuka McKenzie, Pip Williams and Karen Brooks. Many of these authors are making return appearances in our Top 100 year after year – an impressive achievement!

Here are some of our favourite fiction reads by female authors from the 2023 Top 100:

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Meet the unconventional, uncompromising Elizabeth Zott. Like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later, Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. As her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

Set when the women’s suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It’s a delightful, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape our experience of the world.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult

Mad Honey is a gripping novel of suspense, a poignant love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take. From the New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here and the bestselling author of She’s Not There.

The Godmothers by Monica McInerney

From #1 bestselling author Monica McInerney comes The Godmothers, a moving and perceptive story about love, lies, hope and sorrow, about the families we are born into and the families we make for ourselves.

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This exquisite coming-of-age story, and heartbreaking ode to the natural world, has been embraced by Australian readers. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks

This funny, picaresque, clever retelling of Chaucer’s ‘Wife of Bath’ from The Canterbury Tales is a cutting assessment of what happens when male power is left to run unchecked, as well as a recasting of a literary classic that gives a maligned character her own voice, and allows her to tell her own (mostly) true story.