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Nomes wrote: "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."

Thanks Nomes! I was hoping to start a YA shelf in our group bookshelf and you've given me some great authors to start with. Here are some links to Nomes fave authors for those who love that genre:
Jaclyn Moriarty Melina Marchetta Sonya Hartnett Markus Zusak Steven Herrick and John Marsden

Favourite Aussie author for me would be Elliot Perlman, I've read two of his books and enjoyed his style of writing and subject matter :)

Mandy wrote: "Nomes wrote: "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."

Thanks Nomes! I was hoping..."

awesome. I have a bunch more that I follow and love but was trying to be brief for the sake of choosing a favourite. which, obviously I failed at :)

Nomes wrote: "awesome. I have a bunch more that I follow and love but was trying to be brief for the sake of choosing a favourite. which, obviously I failed at :)"

We really appreciate your enthusiasm Nomes. Come in and post more at any time. :D

Paul wrote: "Max Barry"

Phew! I was worried I'd go this entire thread without seeing his name.

Admittedly I don't read a great deal of Australian literature (and probably don't even notice when I DO), but Max Bary is definitely the name that comes to mind for me. I've only read Jennifer Government by him, but I thought that it was a fun and unique way to explore a dystopia formed of commercialism and privatization. I've been meaning to grab his other novels for literally years now.

What of his works have you read, Paul? I can't find anything by him on your GoodReads shelves.

Stephanie wrote: "I've recently enjoyed books by Cate Kennedy, David Malouf, Alex Miller, Kylie Ladd, Paul Morgan, Christos Tsiolkas and Lian Hearn. We have some great spec fic writers, too--perhaps too many to name!"

It couldn't be too many for me Stephanie. I'm trying to improve the Scifi/fantasy bookshelf so feel free to suggest some of those spec fic writers.:)

Tony Park is Australian though he spends 6 months of the year in Africa - he's the Australian Wilbur Smith, and his books are addictive.

Amber wrote: "Tony Park is Australian though he spends 6 months of the year in Africa - he's the Australian Wilbur Smith, and his books are addictive."

Yeah I just put his latest release Ivory on my TBR shelf. If you like Wilbur Smith you'll love Tony Park.

Catherine Jinks at the moment. The "Inquisitor" and "Notary" were fabulous - helped by my being a student of medieval history. The "Pagan" books were an absolute delight.

I'd have to say my current fav's are Kim Wilkins, a local Brissie girl and Vicky Tyley has written a couple of really great books - definitely one to keep my eye on

Oh we haven't got any Kim Wilkins or Catherine Jinks on our shelves here. Thanks for the heads up Tracey and Louise. :)

I'll expand this out to include New Zealand. So my fave ANZ author is...

Ngaio Marsh, by a country mile.

I am going to speak for both Mandy and myself. Of course we would love to hear about New Zealand Authors.
:)

Gary wrote: "I'll expand this out to include New Zealand. So my fave ANZ author is...

Ngaio Marsh, by a country mile."

I read all her books back in the 80's Gary and I loved them. FYI all things NZ are welcome here! I have to admit I've already 'appropriated' Ruth Park's books for our bookshelf! Hope you don't mind.:)

My favourite Aussie authors would have to be Melina Marchetta, John Marsden, Isobelle Carmody....I am all about the young adult fiction when it comes to Australian authors.

Rachael wrote: "My favourite Aussie authors would have to be Melina Marchetta, John Marsden, Isobelle Carmody....I am all about the young adult fiction when it comes to Australian authors."

Yes we really have some great YA authors in Oz. Feel free to start a thread to discuss YA books with other group members. There seem to be plenty of fans! I'm also working on a separate shelf in our group bookshelf for YA books so check that out for new authors from time to time...:)

Stuart wrote: "I was very impressed by Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang, and just recently Tim Winton's Dirt Music. Dirt Music especially painted a wonderful picture in a seemingly effortless prose"

Dirt Music has to be my favourite Aus book and the CD of music that went along with it introduced me too lots of great artists. That book stays with you, I read it years ago but just thinking about it transports me back into the hot, dusty, lonely world.

Deb wrote: "Dirt Music has to be my favourite Aus book and the CD of music that went along with it introduced me too lots of great artists. That book stays with you, I read it years ago but just thinking about it transports me back into the hot, dusty, lonely world. ..."

Deb, find your way to the Tim Winton thread and add a few comments, we would appreciate your input. :)

Stephanie wrote: "If we're going to expand to include NZ authors, I thought I'd just give a quick thumbs up to fabulous YA author Elizabeth Knox. She's a stunning writer. Australia does have some great YA authors at the moment. Black Dog Books publishes quite a few very strong YA titles by local authors, too...."

Yes you're right does look like a great publisher of kids/YA stuff. If you like that genre check out their website.

Here is a little Elizabeth Knox for all our Kiwi friends.

Hi there, my favourites would have to be Garth Nix and Michael Pryor, and Paul Jennings and Emily Rodda when I was growing up. I have to admit that I don't really read very many Aussie authors :)

George Turner, Australia's greatest ever science fiction write. His novels The Sea and Summer and Genetic Soldier are the best Aussie Science fiction I have read. The Sea and Summer written in the 80's is set in Melbourne which is slowly being inundated by the sea, climate change has caused the world economy to collapse, taking with it much of the technological infrastructure. People are forced to ekk out an existence as best they can, with corruption being the only way to get ahead. Genetic Soldier has a polluted Australia being abandoned for the stars, and left to genetically engineered Aborigines, but then the white man comes back, wanting to re-colonise Australia, things go much differently. Turner wrote on the big issues.

Welcome Graham. We haven't got George Turner on our book shelves, I'm adding him now. I could only find the Genetic Soldier not 'The Sea and Summer'? When I typed it in Drowning Towers popped up.

Gail "cyborg" wrote: "Welcome Graham. We haven't got George Turner on our book shelves, I'm adding him now. I could only find the Genetic Soldier not 'The Sea and Summer'? When I typed it in Drowning Towers popped up."

I think The Sea and Summer was called Drowning Towers in the US. It won the Arthur C. Clarke award under the title of The Sea and Summer so it probably goes under that name in the UK too. Turner won the Miles Franklin literature award (Aust's biggie) in the 1950's before turning to science fiction (because it sold more) later in life.

Kirsty wrote: "Hi there, my favourites would have to be Garth Nix and Michael Pryor, and Paul Jennings and Emily Rodda when I was growing up. I have to admit that I don't really read very many Aussie authors :)"

Thanks for your recs Kirsty. I added Michael Pryor because he wasn't on our bookshelf yet. We're working on our Speculative Fiction bookshelf so hopefully you'll see more and more books there each day.

"Genetic Soldier has a polluted Australia being abandoned for the stars, and left to genetically engineered Aborigines, but then the white man comes back, wanting to re-colonise Australia, things go much differently."

...was that one expanded from a short story and tweaked for the decade it was written in, or am I confusing it with one of Damien Broderick's shorts? Whoever it belonged to, the one I'm thinking of had "Libary" (job title AND personal name) who tells a starship full of returning explorers to piss off because there's no place for them.

Mark wrote: ""Genetic Soldier has a polluted Australia being abandoned for the stars, and left to genetically engineered Aborigines, but then the white man comes back, wanting to re-colonise Australia, things g..."

That's the one.

Graham wrote: "That's the one...."

Graham and Mark, if you know of any SciFi blogs or good sites to source new Aust. speculative fiction I'd be grateful for the direction. Cheers.

Welcome to the group Rich. I can't answer your question, hopefully Nomes or someone else here can get back to you shortly. :)

Rich wrote: "Nomes wrote: "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."

The Book Thief was an incredib..."

I think Tomorrow, When the War Began is a good jumping off point for John Marsden. But I will leave it to someone else to comment on Sonya Hartnett's books. I haven't read them and looking at the subject matter they seem very dark to me for YA novels.

christos tsolkias 'the slap' is probably my favourite aussie book. enjoyed 'breah' by tim winton a lot too

Mandy wrote: "Graham and Mark, if you know of any SciFi blogs or good sites to source new Aust. speculative fiction I'd be grateful for the direction."

I think I'll leave that to Graham, mostly, as he's more current than I am; I think the most recent I've got on my shelves is Aurealis #3 and I've no idea who's credible or not. I kind of stopped reading for a long time when I went back to study, with a few exceptions, and have been struggling to get back to reading as much as I used to - I especially want to look at local stuff, but the web makes it dead easy to get distracted by "Shiny!" from further afield.

Mark wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Graham and Mark, if you know of any SciFi blogs or good sites to source new Aust. speculative fiction I'd be grateful for the direction."

I think I'll leave that to Graham, mostly, a..."

Antipodean SF is an Oz online journal. I had a poem published in it some months ago. Laurel

Laurel wrote: "Antipodean SF is an Oz online journal. I had a poem published in it some months ago...."

Thanks Laurel, I'll have a look.:)

Rich wrote: "Nomes wrote: "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."

The Book Thief was an incredib..."
'Tomorrow when the war began' is a brilliant series from John Marsden..the first one has just been made into a highly successful movie. Make sure you read them in order tho...
Loved 'The Book Thief', by Markus Zusac, and have just received 'The Messenger' as a gift, so can't wait to start that one.

Hi Mandy,

Andromeda Spaceway Inflight Magazine is the biggest selling local speculative fiction magazine. Cosmos magazine is a Aust science mag that contains short stories, which tend to win a lot of awards. is a free online Australian speculative fiction magazine. Most Australian authors of speculative fiction hang around on facebook.

Graham.

Mandy wrote: "Graham wrote: "That's the one...."

Graham and Mark, if you know of any SciFi blogs or good sites to source new Aust. speculative fiction I'd be grateful for the direction. Cheers."

I most recently read Phillip Gwynnes The Build Upthat I thought was great.
A Fortunate Life by AB Facey should be a must read for any Aussie

I also love
Robert G Barret, Keri Arthur Peter CorrisBryce Courtenay; Kathy LetteGretel KilleenMelina MarchettaKerry GreenwoodKerry GreenwoodNick EarlsP.D. Martin Kathryn Fox and I really want to read some of Katherine Howell so I've asked my library to get them in.

Shelleyrae wrote: "I most recently read Phillip Gwynnes The Build Upthat I thought was great.
A Fortunate Life by AB Facey should be a must read for any Aussie

I also love
Robert G Bar..."

That's a great collection of authors Shelleyrae! I can see one or two that I'll have to add to our book shelves. I think Robert G Barrett is here under his pseudonym of Nino Culotta. His daughter, Colleen, is one of the group members!

Mandy wrote: "I think Robert G Barrett is here under his pseudonym of Nino Culotta."

That would be John O'grady (Nino Culotta) or John O'Grady or Nino Culotta

Mr Barrett is a bit younger, I think.

This is Robert G Barrett

Gail "cyborg" wrote: "This is Robert G Barrett

"

Oops! Thanks guys.:)

We've got you covered Mandy. You are doing a great job. :)

Mark wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Graham and Mark, if you know of any SciFi blogs or good sites to source new Aust. speculative fiction I'd be grateful for the direction."

I think I'll leave that to Graham, mostly, a..."

Galaxy Bookshop has a blog and then is also the CSFG - Canberra Science Fiction & Fantasy Guild. Recently attended worldcon - lots of talent there.

I know one of our group members mentioned this last week but I can't find the post now!;P Here's the latest news about Peter Carey's inclusion in the shortlist for this year's Man Booker Prize:

AUSTRALIA'S literary statesman Peter Carey is eyeing off his third Man Booker Prize.
The Victorian born and raisedwriter was last night named among the short list of six authors in the running for the literary world's most prestigious prize for his novel Parrot and Olivier in America.

He won his first Booker in 1988 for Oscar and Lucinda and his second in 2001 with True History of the Kelly Gang. If he wins again he will be the first person in the 42-year history of the prize to win three times. His latest novel Parrot and Olivier in America in America follows the travels of French historian Alexis de Tocqueville around the US in the 1830s.

The winner is announced 12th October. Let's wish him Good Luck!



Author Peter Carey in Victoria Square during the Adelaide Writers Week.

I can only think of Peter Carey at this point of time.

I have read Oscar and Lucinda (twice!) and The True History of the Kelly Gang, and found both to be absolutely brilliant, but I haven't read his latest! I wonder if I should bump that up on my reading list, now that the Booker Prize announcement is impending...

Is there a separate thread on Peter Carey to discuss his work? Particularly his latest book Parrot and Olivier in America. His novels are always so elaborate, vast and filled with interesting passages, reading in a group is so much more rewarding!

Adhityani wrote: "I can only think of Peter Carey at this point of time.

I have read Oscar and Lucinda (twice!) and The True History of the Kelly Gang, and found both to be absolutely brilliant, but..."

Illywhacker is a very good novel of his, My Life as a Fake is good too.

Graham

My current favourite Aussie Author is Geraldine Brooks, 'People of the Book' was a fabulous read.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I thought you might be interested in talking about his Booker Short-listed novel

This is as good a spot as any David. We don't have a Thread specifically for Peter Carey. Thank you so much for posting it.

Janelle wrote: "My current favourite Aussie Author is Geraldine Brooks, 'People of the Book' was a fabulous read."

So ignorant of me! I didn't know Geraldine Brooks is an Aussie author. I have her ebook (March) but I have yet to squeeze it into my long TBR list!

I feel really bad but to my knowledge I have never read a book by an Aussie author. Hangs head in shame.