Australian Women Read

In 2025, I read 210 books by Australian women, and may not have read as diversely as I wanted based on a focus for judging reading. That said, I did manage to get in as many diverse books as possible, where I could see or knew that the author was disabled, Indigenous or LGBTQIA, or from another race or background. And because many of these were also review books, I sometimes only had available publicity or other information to work from to determine identities. I did read a lot of kids books this year as well, and I think Australian women overall come up with some fantastic stories. There were some that I really wanted to get to and didn’t. Hopefully in 2026!

I write roundups that are broad and focused, and split them into men, women, Australian, non-Australian, children’s, young adult, adult, LGBTQIA, Disabled and co-authored books. There is also a post with everything and a summary at the end. So if people want to look at something in particular, they can.

1. Searching for Treasure by Johanna Bell and Emma Long
2. First Chapters: Your Kid’s Next Read Summer Series – Dani Vee, Riley’s Failproof Guide to Breaking a School Record
3. A Killer Among Friends by Andrea Barton
4. Chickenpox by Remy Lai
5. Panic by Catherine Jinks
6. Salty by Sandi Parsons
7. The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter
8. Catherine Wheel by Liz Evans
9. Legend of the Lighthouse Moon by Helen Edwards
10. Riz Chester: The Evidence Track by RA Stephens
11. The Spirit Circle by Tara Calaby
12. Safe Haven by Shankari Chandran
13. How to Be Normal by Ange Crawford
14. The Other Shadow by Tania Ingram
15. Original Twin by Paula Gleeson
16. Shattered by Juanita Kees
17. Hello Butterfly by Leanne Frost
18. Kitty and Cadaver by Narelle M Harris
19. Down the Track by Stella Quinn
20. The Mail Train Murders by Kay Duke
21. Square Me, Round World: Stories of Growing Up in a World Not Built for You by Chelsea Luker and Eliza Fricker
22. A Good Kind of Trouble by Brooke Blurton and Melanie Saward
23. The Whispering Palms by Annette Leigh
24. Bravepaw and the Rotwood Mire by L.M. Wilkinson and Lavanya Naidu
25. Clutterbugs by Maura Pierlot and Maya Bora
26. Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox
27. Little Bones by Sandy Bigna
28. The Search Party by Hannah Richell
29. Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson
30. The Bank by Miriam Verbeek
31. The Buried Life by Andrea Goldsmith
32. Epically Good Greek Myths by R.A. Spratt
33. Sunny at the End of the World by Steph Bowe
34. Parrot Palace by Susanne Gervay, Pooja Mathur and illustrated by Sarah Tabassum
35. Lest Tides Turn by Phillipa Nefri Clark
36. Spirit of the Crocodile by Aaron Fa’aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White
37. Moonboy by Anna Ciddor
38. The Potent Perfume by Helen Goltz
39. Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald
40. Bold Ben Hall by Sophie Masson
41. The Missing Book by Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern
42. The Secret Ingredient by Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern
43. Between Husbands and Wives by Susannah Glenn
44. Wilder Zoo: Neeka and the Missing Key by Tina Strachan and illustrated by Max Hamilton
45. Bin Chicken Goes for Gold by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh
46. The Paradise Heights Craft Store Stitch-Up by Kate Solly
47. Missing by Nicole Morris
48. Volcano by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft
49. Jo and the No by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Judy Watson
50. Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History by Melissa-Jane Fogarty, illustrated by Dylan Finney
51. Crimes of the Cross: The Anglican Paedophile Network of Newcastle, its Protectors, and the Man who Fought for Justice by Anne Manne
52. The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale
53. Better Days by Claire Zorn
54. Myrren’s Gift by Fiona McIntosh
55. Stories from Magic Beach by Alison Lester and Robert Connolly
56. The Masterpiece by Belinda Alexandra
57. How to Sail to Somewhere by Ashleigh Barton
58. Black Silk and Sympathy by Deborah Challinor
59. The Paperbark Tree Committee by Karys McEwan
60. The Thylacine and the Time Machine by Renée Treml
61. The Crag by Claire Sutherland
62. Frog Squad: Sink or Swim by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Shiloh Gordon
63. A Dance with Murder by Elizabeth Coleman
64. The Colt from Old Regret by Dianne Wolfer and Erica Wagner
65. The Thinning by Inga Simpson
66. Seven Wherewithal Way: Into the Faerie Realm by Samantha-Ellen Bound
67. Woodwitch by Skye McKenna
68. A Shadow at the Door by Jo Dixon
69. Every Last Suspect by Nicola Moriarty
70. Kip of the Karoo by Emma Gourlay
71. Me and You by Ellie Royce
72. My Cousins, My World by Sharara Attani and Michelle Pereira
73. Blood Moon Bride by Demet Divaroren
74. Bone Lands by Pip Fioretti
75. Splinters by Rachel Delahaye
76. Bitroux: High Country by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes
77. Ella at Eden: The Missing Piece by Laura Sieveking
78. Into the Wild by Hayley Lawrence
79.  Our Dance by Jacinta Daniher and Taylor Hampton, illustrated by Janelle Burger
80. The Only Branch on the Family Tree by Sherryl Clark
81. The Chilling by Riley James
82. On Gallant Wings by Helen Edwards
83. How to Train Your Dragon School: Doom of the Darkwing by Cressida Cowell
84. With Winter Comes Darkness by Robbi Neal
85. Stinkbug by Sinéad Stubbins
86. Poppy’s Monster by Shelly Higgs
87. The Potion Experiment by Elle McFadzean
88. Anzac Girl: The War Diaries of Alice Ross-King by Kate Simpson
89. Looking for Eden by Caroline Overington
90. The Surface Trials by HM Waugh
91. To the River by Vikki Wakefield
92. The Edge Of Everything by Miranda Luby
93. Williow Bright’s Secret Plot by A.L. Tait
94. The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucia Osborne-Crowley
95. A Loo of One’s Own: A Mostly True Tale of Australia’s First Female Parliamentarians by Eleri Harris
96. This Dream Will Devour Us by Emma Clancey
97. The Last Egg by Sofie Laguna and Jess Racklyeft
98. The Girls Who Changed the World: Ming and Maria Explore the Universe by Jackie French
99. Down the Rabbit Hole by Shaeden Berry
100. Wait Here by Lucy Nelson
101. Shadow City by Natalie Conyer
102. Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
103. Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter
104. Somewhere Lost by Just Write for Kids and Friends
105. The Girl and the Ghost by Jacqueline Harvey
106. Woman, Missing by Sherryl Clark
107. Wombat Dreaming by Caz Goodwin and Zoë Bennett
108. Shadows of Winter Robins by Louise Wolhunter
109. Gone by Glenna Thomson
110. R.I.P Nanny Tobbins by Lucie Stevens
111. Sidney of Sydney by Sue Whiting and Liz Anelli
112. Music Camp by Penny Tangey
113. In Bad Faith: Inside Australia’s ultra-Orthodox sect and the brutal betrayal it tried to hide by Dassi Erlich
114. Golden by Jade Timms
115. What I Would Do to You by Georgia Harper
116. Everglade: Rise of the Witch by Kitty Black
117. Red River Road by Anna Downes
118. The Year We Escaped by Suzanne Leal
119. Shmoof by Heidi McKinnon
120. The Girl in the Painting by Dee White, illustrated by Sarah Anthony
121. The Enchantment of Gold Eagle by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Stephen Michael King
122. Made of Steam and Stardust by Bianca Breen
123. The Creeper by Margaret Hickey
124. Edie Tells a Lie by Ingrid Laguna
125. The Lies We Tell Ourselves by Maura Pierlot
126. Into the Mouth of the Wolf by Erin Gough
127. The Mushroom in the Sky by Jackie French
128. Peculiar Parents by Stephanie Owen Reeder and Ingrid Bartkowiak
129. Breaking School Rules is Easy by Rosie Schonell
130. Ella at Eden Super Special: Paris Adventure by Laura Sieveking
131. When Dark Waters Burn by Zena Shapter
132. Friday Barnes: In Plain Sight by R.A. Spratt
133. Neeka and the Storm by Tina Strachan, illustrated by Max Hamilton
134. Lady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
135. Hedgehog or Echidna? Animals Who Are the Same but Different by Ashleigh Barton and illustrated by Amandine Thomas
136. A Gift from the Birds by Caroline Stills
137. My Name is Jemima by Olivia Muscat, illustrated by Allison Colpoys
138. Mango and Hopscotch: The Inspiring Story of a Brave Kangaroo and her Joey Rescued from the Floodwaters by Sophie Cunningham, illustrated by Anil Tortop
139. Moonlight and Dust by Jasmin McGaughey
140. Danger Road by A.L. Tait
141. Vesper Jones and Marshmallow by Karen Hendriks, illustrated by Francesca Corso
142. Secret Keeper by Di Walker
143. The Set-Up Girl by Sasha Vey
144. High Wire by Candice Fox
145. Oceanforged #1: The Wicked Ship by Amelia Mellor
146. Looking Out and Beyond by Toby Hammserschlag
147. Raising Readers: How To Nurture a Child’s Love of Books by Megan Daley
148. The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester
149. The Pull of the Moon by Pip Smith
150. Drift by Pip Harry
151. Our History:  A House Divided by Clare Hallifax
152. Bert’s Adventure in Bubbly Forest by Nicole Steyn
153. Song of a Thousand Seas by Zana Fraillon
154. Thunderhead by Sophie Beer
155. Promises and Other Lies by Sue Whiting
156. Flip by Rebecca Fraser
157. Bin Chicken Lights Up the Night by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh
158. Koala Fairies by Anna Pignataro
159. I Believe in You by Dani Colvin
160. 11 Ruby Road 1950 by Charlotte Barkla
161. This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska
162. How Big Is Love? By Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler, illustrated by Jade Goodwin
163. Evie P and Me by Petra James and illustrated by Andrew Joyner
164. The Peach King by Inga Simpson, illustrated by Tannya Harricks
165. Naynay and the Mermaid by Tasma Walton, illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis
166. Seawitch (Hedgewitch #3) by Skye McKenna
167. Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar
168. Liam the Chid and the Kangaroo Warriors by Meredith Downes
169. A Guide to Falling off the Map by Zanni L Arnot
170. Mega Rich Guinea Pigs by Kate and Jol Temple
171. Mooshy Crackerjack’s Big Day by Suzanne Patterson and illustrated by Maia Batumashvili
172. Dogs with Jobs by Max Hamilton
173. The Callers: The Hidden Forest by Kiah Thomas
174. Maisy Hayes is Not For Sale by Allayne L Webster
175. The 12 Birds of Christmas by Jodie McLeod, illustrated by Eloise Short
176. Catch by Sarah Brill
177. Worst Pets Ever: Locked Up by Eva Amores and Matt Cosgrove
178. Millie Mak Makes Her Mark by Alice Pung and illustrated by Sher Rill Ng
179. There’s a Prawn in Parliament House by Annabel Crabb, illustrated by First Dog on the Moon
180. The Messy Bath Monster by Tina Wilson, music by Matt Ottley
181. The Story Writer’s Handbook: Adventures in Creative Writing by Katrina Nannestad, illustrated by Cheryl Orsini
182. The Keeper of the Octopus by Neridah McMullin
183. Frances Bloom by Katrina Nannestad, illustrated by Marina Zlatanov
184. Do We Deserve This? by Eleanor Elliott Thomas
185.  Spud and Snowball and the Fancy Fish by Judith Rossell
186. Stonewitch (Hedgewitch #4) by Skye McKenna
187. The Friendship Book by Zanni Louise, illustrated by Nicky Johnston
188. Where Would You Go by Alison Lester and Jane Godwin and the children at Yalingu Yirramboi – the Royal Children’s Hospital School
189. The Wintrish Girl (Talismans of Fate #1) by Melanie La’brooy
190. Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens, illustrated by Estee Sarsfield
191. Whatever the Weather, We’re In This Together by Jessica Braithwaite and Rebecca Ralfe, art by Laura Bee
192. This is Us: Essential Poems for Young People by Libby Hathorn and Jude Fell, illustrated by Tull Suwannakit
193. What Have They Done to Liza McLean? by Amy Doak
194. A Murder Is Going Down by Kate Emery
195. Juniper’s Painting by Catherine Bauer, illustrated by Jennifer Horn
196. The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe by Karen Foxlee
197. All Shall Mourn by Ellie Marney
198. Slashed Beauties by A Rushby
199. giwang by Belinda Bridge, illustrated by Peta-Joy Williams
200. Space Demons by Gillian Rubinstein
201. The Dictionary People: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary by Sarah Ogilvie
202. The Girl and the Ghost: Family Secrets by Jacqueline Harvey
203. Someone Like Me: An Anthology of Non-Fiction by Autistic Writers edited by Clem Bastow and Jo Case
204. Travelling Bookshop #6: Mim and the Mother Muddle by Katrina Nannestad
205. Alice-Miranda on Holiday by Jacqueline Harvey
206. The Tempus Imperium by Juliet A Paine
207. The Flower Garden by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Lucia Masciullo
208. Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead by Jacqueline Harvey
209. Alice-Miranda at Sea by Jacqueline Harvey
210. Growing into Autism by Sandra Thom-Jones