We are thrilled to announce the Better Reading Top 100.

Each year, Better Reading asks Australian readers to vote for their favourite books. Now more than ever, our community of readers have been emailing and messaging and letting us know that they’re eagerly awaiting the release of the 2019 Better Reading Top 100 books.

As Pam from Wagga Wagga said, “We love your list every year… but this year it’s the perfect reading list for isolation. Thank you Better Reading.”

Australians enjoy a mix of genres, as well as international and home-grown authors, but this year they prove they really love Australian authors and Australian stories. As in previous Better Reading polls, Australian icons Tim Winton, Judy Nunn and Bryce Courtenay rank in the Top 100. The most popular authors with three titles on the list each are Jane Harper, Liane Moriarty and Judy Nunn, all Australian.

Once again, debut Australian fiction authors made their mark, big time. The inclusion of Holly Ringland’s The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe, Christian White’s, The Nowhere Child, Dervla McTiernan’s The Ruin, Chris Hammer’s Scrublands, and Lauren Chater’s The Lace Weaver reflects our growing appetite for debut Australian authors.

The poll also revealed:

• More than half the Top 100 are by Australian authors.
• Australians enjoy a diverse mix of literary and popular fiction.
• This year well over half the authors were female.
• We’re still reading the classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
• Australian crime writing is well represented with multiple books by Jane Harper, Dervla McTiernan and Christian White.
• There are four debuts in the top 10 – Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton, The Tattooist of Auschwitzby by Heather Morris, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak.

Cheryl Akle initiated the annual poll in the hope that it would inspire Australians to read and give them some ideas for books they might like to read.

“At first it was because people were always telling me how hard it is to find the right book,” says Akle. “But now it’s all about the list. Our readers love this list… they count how many titles they’ve read on the list. Librarians use the list. I know some book clubs that use the list. There are always excellent books being released but this list is the foundation of great titles from previous years.”

The Better Reading Top 100 list is a great resource for libraries, teachers and gift-givers. But more than that, it’s the annual list readers love.

During these extraordinary times, people are turning to books for entertainment, escape and comfort. With this list of 100 great books, there’s something for everyone. 

Better Reading’s Top 10 reads:

1. Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
3. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
5. The Lost Man by Jane Harper
6. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
7. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
8. Just One Wish by Rachael Johns
9. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
10. Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

Thank you to all who voted, and a huge congratulations to our Top 100 winners who will be receiving a copy of each title on the Top 100 list. The winners are:

• Vivienne Beddoe
• Sarah Little
• Mary  Davidson
• Veronica Morrell
• Maureen Barker
• Ashlyn Wetherall
• Elly Scott

Click here for the Top 100 books, voted by you! Happy Reading everyone!

See the full list here

Check out the list at Big W

Download a PDF of the list here…