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    15 Books Written By Australian Women That You Need To Put On Your Reading List

    Some of Australia's strongest voices are female.

    Clare Aston
    by Clare Aston

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

    Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article may contain images of deceased persons.

    1. Miles Franklin

    Public Domain / Via commons.wikimedia.org, Allen and Unwin / Via amazon.com.au

    Some people say that Miles Franklin is the Australian version of Scarlett O'Hara.* Author of My Brilliant Career, Miles Franklin wrote about poverty, boredom and the trials of living remotely in Oz. True to her Aussie roots, she was a classic battler, struggling to make a living out of writing, eschewing marriage and travelling the globe. Franklin believed in creating unique Australian literature and when she died, her will was set up to produce Australia's biggest writing prize: The Miles Franklin Literary Award.

    *Me — I say that.

    Buy the paperback edition of My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin for $13.45, or get the Kindle edition for free from Amazon Australia.

    2. Jackie French

    Instagram: @jackie_french_ / Via instagram.com, Instagram: @jackie_french / Via instagram.com

    Jackie French came to speak at my high school once and started off her speech by imitating the wombats she shares her backyard with. Of course, I immediately fell in love.

    Writing over 140 children, adult and non-fiction books, Jackie French is an Aussie literary staple. She has been the Australian Children's Laureate, the Senior Australian of the Year and is the director of The Wombat Foundation — which raises funds for her favourite critters that inspired her famous children's book: Diary of a Wombat. The third book in her Miss Lily's series: The Lily in the Snow, was published earlier this year and it's a series that EVERYONE should get around.

    Buy the paperback edition of The Lily in the Snow by Jackie French for $16.70, or get the Kindle edition for $9.99 from Amazon Australia.

    3. Kate Forsyth

    Instagram: @kate_forsyth_ / Via instagram.com, Instagram: @jkbookish / Via instagram.com

    Writing might definitely be in Kate Forsyth's blood: She is the direct descendent of Charlotte Warren Atkinson — the first woman to ever publish a children's book in Oz! Kate's books weave history in with fairytales and makes the perfect read if, like me, you want an intelligent retelling of all your childhood faves.

    Five-time winner of the Aurelia Award, Forsyth's books are simply awesome. She is one of Australia's greatest story tellers with her works being recognised with numerous awards and international acclaim, including Bitter Greens, which won the 2015 American Library Association award for Best Historical Fiction. Her latest book, The Blue Rose, brings together all my favourite things: Love, history and a damn good story.

    Buy the paperback edition of The Blue Rose by Kate Forsyth for $16, or get the Kindle edition for $9.99 from Amazon Australia.

    4. Melina Marchetta

    Instagram: @thebookshopbowral / Via instagram.com, Instagram: @anopenbookshelf / Via instagram.com

    Melina Marchetta's books are a high school staple that you can read over and over again — like I do every year. She used to be a teacher at Sydney Boys High School until 2006, so it's understandable how her books wormed her way into my oh-so-teenage-angst heart. Melina Marchetta taught a generation how to feel, and I for one, thank her. When she reopened the world of Saving Francesca seven years later, with the novel The Piper's Son, you bet my heart bled.

    Buy the hardcover edition of The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta for $18.61, or get the Kindle edition for $12.99 from Amazon Australia.

    5. Liane Moriarty

    Getty Images, Instagram: @oxfamcolchester / Via instagram.com

    If you don't know who Liane Moriarty is, you probably still know the TV show based off her book: Big Little Lies. She's the first Australian author to have a debut novel at number one on the New York Times best seller list. I mean, come on — that's pretty special. Her father encouraged to write from an early age, commissioning a novel from her with a $1 advance. To be honest, that $1 book is still probably good enough to get a TV deal from Reese Witherspoon. If you want to catch up on her other works, Nine Perfect Strangers is her latest book published in 2018.

    Buy the paperback edition of Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty for $10, or get the Kindle edition for $9.99 from Amazon Australia.

    6. Jaclyn Moriarty

    Instagram: @jaclynmoriarty / Via instagram.com, Instagram: @readwalkchalk / Via instagram.com

    There must be something writerly in the Moriarty blood — Liane's sisters are both published. Jaclyn Moriarty is the author of the cult classic Ashbury-Brookfield books. If you didn't spend part of year ten pouring over Finding Cassie Crazy, then I highly recommend heading to your local bookstore and reading it RIGHT NOW! If you don't want to live your high school years (R.I.P. plaid skirts) Jaclyn has started writing adult fiction with her new book, Gravity is the Thing.

    Liane and Jaclyn's sister, Nicola is also an author — I am patiently waiting to be adopted into the Moriarty family so that some of their skills rub off on me.

    Buy the paperback edition of Gravity is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty for $22.99, or get the Kindle edition for $14.99 from Amazon Australia.

    7. Dr Anita Heiss

    Getty Images, Instagram: @bookishbron / Via instagram.com

    If there's anyone to fangirl about in this list, it is Dr Anita Heiss. Not only is she an author — she also runs marathons, is an Ambassador of the GO Foundation, Worowa Aboriginal College and the Sydney Swans. Being a proud member of the Wiradjuri Nation, Dr Anita Heiss is also an advocate for Indigenous literacy and is a Lifetime Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Her memoir, Am I Black Enough For You?, was a finalist in the 2012 Human Rights Award.

    Dr Anita Heiss is now my new idol. Her fiction is also amazing and Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms is definitely something that you should add to your wish list.

    Buy the paperback edition of Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms by Dr Anita Heiss for $22.99, or get the Kindle edition for $14.99 from Amazon Australia.

    8. Helen Garner

    Nicholas Purcell / Via textpublishing.com.au, Instagram: @lauraelizabethwollett / Via instagram.com

    Helen Garner is litera(ture)lly a badass. Most of her works, such as The First Stone and Monkey Grip, have caused both backlash and praise. She writes true-crime, fiction (that some say is auto-biographical) and is an outspoken feminist. If you ever want to learn how to deal with hard issues — read Garner. Trust me — she's seen, and dealt, with it all.

    Buy the paperback edition of Monkey Grip by Helen Garner for $14.90, or get the Kindle edition for $16.19 from Amazon Australia.

    9. Jennifer Rowe

    Crime Line / Via amazon.com.au, Instagram: @matilda_bookshop_kids / Via instagram.com

    I was today years old when I found out that Emily Rodda was an alias doe Jennifer Rowe. I was a huge fan of Rowan of Rin, some might even say that I was a liiiitle obsessed. However, you might not know Jennifer Rowe as Emily Rodda because she even has another name: Mary-Anne Dickinson. Under her three names, she has been published in multiple countries and languages with her latest book, His Name Was Walter, hitting shelves earlier this year. Honestly, I'm just waiting for her to reveal that she's been publishing under a fourth name as well.

    Buy the paperback edition of His Name was Walter by Emily Rodda for $14.21, or get the Kindle edition for $11.99 from Amazon Australia.

    10. Thea Astley

    Text Publishing / Via textpublishing.com.au, Text Publishing / Via textpublishing.com.au

    Literary extraordinaires still have to get in line and be humbled by Thea Astley. She has won enough awards to fill a book, including four Miles Franklin Awards (remember them?), the Patrick White Award and was also an honorary recipient of a doctorate from the University of Queensland. Meanwhile I went to university for seven years (and counting) and am nowhere near close to a doctorate. Her last novel Drylands declares at the front that it is a book, "for the world's last reader," and I'm not crying, you are.

    Buy the paperback edition of Drylands by Thea Astley for $12.95, or get the Kindle edition for $10.36 from Amazon Australia.

    11. Isobelle Carmody

    Instagram: @isobellecarmody / Via instagram.com, Instagram: @alyshaking_author / Via instagram.com

    If you ever feel like you've not accomplished anything, just know that Isobelle Carmody started work on her insanely popular series, The Obernewtyn Chronicles when she was just 14. Excuse me as I burn the two pages of fantasy notes that I tried to keep when I was that age out of extreme shame. She's the fantasy queen of Australia's literature culture and if you're looking at starting something new, you can't go wrong with the first book in her series.

    Buy the Kindle edition of The Obernewtyn Chronicles: Books 1–6 for $39.99 from Amazon Australia.

    12. Alexis Wright

    Instagram: @giramondopublishing / Via instagram.com, Giramondo Publishing / Via amazon.com.au

    Alexis Wright is an Aboriginal Australian who seriously deserves your attention. When the Northern Territory Intervention was introduced, she spoke out against it — giving voice to the oppression of Aboriginal Australians. She wrote about the topic in her novel, The Swan Book, which sets Aboriginal Australians in the future, still living under the Intervention. She won the Miles Franklin Award for Carpentaria and her most recent book about the life of an Aboriginal Leader, Tracker, has won the Stella Prize. Get around Alexis Wright people — you could definitely learn a thing or two.

    Buy the paperback edition of The Swan Book by Alexis Wright for $24.99, or get the Kindle edition for $12.99 from Amazon Australia.

    13. Bri Lee

    Instagram: @bookshelf_ladder / Via instagram.com, Allen & Unwin / Via allenandunwin.com

    Bri Lee is close to becoming the person I wish I was. Exploding onto the Australian writing scene in 2018 with Eggshell Skull — a memoir about her own experience of working in the Australian legal system and then coming back as a complainant. She talks sex, consent, female empowerment and honestly I am obsessed with both her and her ~vibe.~ Definitely someone you should have on your bookshelf, and her new book, Beauty is coming out soon too.

    Buy the paperback edition of Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee for $23.75, or get the Kindle edition for $3.19 from Amazon Australia.

    14. Cath Crowley

    Instagram: @theyoungersun / Via instagram.com, Macmillan Australia / Via amazon.com.au

    Cath Crowly is in DEEP with the literature scene. Apart from being a prolific author, she also teaches creative writing at RMIT, visits schools to give lectures, runs writing workshops and conducts online writing sessions. She also runs writing and wellness retreats and honestly — just reading about it makes me feel exhausted. Talk about giving back to your community! Her novels include Graffitti Moon, Words in Deep Blue and Take Three Girls, which was co-written with Fiona Wood and Simmone Howell.

    Buy the paperback edition of Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowly for $16.75, or get the Kindle edition for $9.99 from Amazon Australia.

    15. Joan Lindsay

    Public Domain / Via commons.wikimedia.org, Instagram: @shelfobsessed / Via instagram.com

    If you've ever been wrapped up in the TV and movie adaptions of Picnic At Hanging Rock, it's time to pick up the book. Joan Lindsay wrote it as a work of fiction but people quickly decided that it was fact. Lindsay spent her life travelling, painting, reading and generally just enjoying herself. If you ask me, we could all stand to take a leaf out of her book.

    Buy the paperback edition of Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay or $12.50, or get the Kindle edition for $12.01 from Amazon Australia.

    Oh, and if you're one of those people that prefers to ~listen~ to your books, you can grab them from Audible Australia! Plus the first one's free (and who doesn't love a freebie?).