Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been seeing favourite reads and best books lists popping up all over social media. So naturally, it’s made me contemplate what my favourite reads and best books are for the year, a task that I quickly realised, is no small undertaking. In an attempt to make this easier and as authentic as possible, I set myself some rules:

1. Has to be Australian
2. Has to have been published in 2017
3. Has to pop into my head without looking at Goodreads

The third rule relates directly to authenticity. If I can remember loving a book without any external reminder, then that’s one of the truest signs of a great book: that it sticks in your mind long after it’s been read.

So here’s my list of top books for 2017, in no particular order and with no apology for the number of titles included:

*The title of each is linked to my review*

 

 

A novel that will squeeze your heart and make you ugly cry as well as weep with joy:
The Greatest Gift by Rachael Johns

 

---

 

A coming of age novel about fathers and their sons with some fascinating history thrown in:
To Become a Whale by Ben Hobson

---

 

A novel to get you thinking about humanity:
The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose

 

---

 

A novel that realistically and beautifully examines the intricacies of motherhood:
A Hundred Small Lessons by Ashley Hay

 

---

 

A crime novel rich in atmosphere that twists and turns you into knots before giving its game away:
The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey

---

 

A novel that intelligently takes a look at the dark side of society and parenthood:
The Way Back by Kylie Ladd

 

---

 

A quietly powerful novel that will haunt you and leave you contemplating Australian society through a different prism:
The Choke by Sofie Laguna

---

 

A novel for every parent:
The Golden Child by Wendy James

 

---

 

A novel that will sweep you up in the history and romanticism of a long ago time:
Beauty in Thorns by Kate Forsyth

 

---

 

An historical novel that examines a deeply sad era within Australian society:
Hello, Goodbye by Emily Brewin

 

---

 

A novel that accurately depicts the highs and lows of a multi-cultural relationship:
Beautiful Messy Love by Tess Woods

 

---

 

A novel that will take you on an unforgettable historical voyage:
Into the World by Stephanie Parkyn

 

---

 

A novel that will repel your senses through an historical retelling of a shocking crime:
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

 

---

 

A novel that will have you in stitches:
Girl in Between by Anna Daniels

 

---

 

A novel that takes a literary look at the history of Australian women writers:
Drawing Sybylla by Odette Kelada

 

---

 

A deeply moving novel that walks the reader through the aftermath of a tragic bushfire:
Ache by Eliza Henry Jones

---

 

A novel that will take you on a journey through Florence and have you believing in the power of love:
The Florentine Bridge by Vanessa Carnevale

---

 

A novel that showcases all the reasons why I love historical fiction:
Her Mother’s Secret by Natasha Lester

 

---

 

A novel that made me long for the days of McLeod’s Daughters:
Dear Banjo by Sasha Wasley

 

---

 

A novel that demonstrates the accessibility of Shakespeare through a modern retelling of the tragedy of Macbeth:
Third Witch by Jackie French

---

 

A crime novel with one of the most unique weapons ever utilised:
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox

 

---

 

A novel that replicates life on an Australian outback station with genuine authenticity:
Ridgeview Station by Michael Trant

 

---

 

A novel that unashamedly tackles a contemporary small town social issue with a proactive intelligence:
Six Ways to Sunday by Karly Lane

---

 

A novel that takes a series to the next level:
Force of Nature by Jane Harper

 

---

 

A book that manages to effectively give a contemporary history lesson of our nation through music:
The Long and Winding Way to the Top by Andrew P Street

---

 

A truly unique historical novel like nothing I’ve read before:
Half Wild by Pip Smith

 

---

 

A novel that turns bushranger lore inside out:
Bridget Crack by Rachel Leary

 

---