Claire Nichols

The Top 100 Books of the 21st Century countdown is complete and now it's time to find out the inspiration behind some of Australia's favourite books with the authors: Trent Dalton, Hannah Kent and Barbara Kingsolver. Trent Dalton's debut novel Boy Swallows Universe was voted in as your number one read of the 21st century. A coming of age story, it follows the young boy, Eli Bell, who has a missing dad, a silent brother, a drug addicted mother and a notorious criminal for a babysitter. The novel is made all the more remarkable for how closely it's based on Trent Dalton's own life growing up on the Brisbane fringe. Trent shares his recollections of writing the book with Claire Nichols and what it means to be voted number one in the Top 100 Books.  American writer Barbara Kingsolver's novel Demon Copperhead is a modern day retelling of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the Women's Prize for Fiction and now, it came out at number eight in the Top 100 Books countdown. De

In Gravity Let Me Go, a struggling crime journalist lands the scoop of a lifetime, to the detriment of his loved ones. That's something Trent Dalton understands intimately.

Wondering what to read next? This month's best books include the latest from literary giant Ian McEwan and Buckeye, a multigenerational family saga set in America's Midwest.

From Miles Franklin prize veteran Michelle de Kretster to debut novelist Winnie Dunn, we bring you all six of the shortlisted authors in this round-up of their celebrated books. This year's shortlist features a book set in an Ancient Chinese dynasty, a collection of linked short stories and a debut by the first ever published Australian Tongan novelist. The works traverse topics of migration, home, rebellion and feminist theory and all are in contention for the prestigious $60 000 prize.  The 2025 shortlisted works and authors: Chinese Postman by Brian Castro Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn Compassion by Julie Janson Ghost Cities by Siang Lu Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane The 2025 winner will be announced on 24 July.

A queer thriller, new novels from some of Australia's biggest authors and luminous short stories are all on offer this month in our critics' top picks. They'll take you from South London to New Zealand to a post-apocalyptic future — and beyond.

Newly crowned 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction winner Yael van der Wouden on her celebrated novel The Safekeep.  The win tops off an incredible year for Yael who also made the 2024 Booker Prize shortlist for her debut.  The Safekeep is set in the Netherlands, 15 years after the end of World War II and is about an uptight woman, an unpredictable house guest, loneliness, repression and desire. The novel confronts the prevailing narrative about the Dutch experience of World War II and its treatment of Jewish people. Claire Nichols spoke to Yael at the Sydney Writers Festival.

New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey asks, what if World War 2 had ended differently in her latest novel The Book of Guilt. Plus Kevin Wilson sends his characters on an American road trip in Run for the Hills and Australian author Josephine Rowe on her moving and slender novel, Little World. What if the second world war had ended differently? This idea and more are explored in Catherine Chidgey's latest novel The Book of Guilt which is set long after the end of the war in 1970s England. Catherine is a New Zealand writer best known for her novels The Wish Child and Remote Sympathy which are also about World War 2 and she reveals her interest in this dark period in European history dates to her time at high school.  Run for the Hills is the latest novel by American author Kevin Wilson and it features his trademark quirkiness and heart. It's about a group of newly discovered siblings who take a road trip across the US to confront their father for abandoning them. Kevin says the seeds for this novel were sown

A novel that tricks its readers, another exploring the "incessant gnaw" of grief after death, non-fiction about emigrating to Australia from Gaza, or the vital role of Black media: the powerful books shortlisted for one of Australia's top literary awards.

Here's our wrap of the best books of 2024. Novels by Sally Rooney, Tim Winton and Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey top our critics' favourite reads of the year.

British writer Will Self reveals the extent of his "mother-worship" in his writing which has culminated in his latest novel, Elaine. The book was inspired by his mother's own diaries. Actor and comedian Steph Tisdell has added "novelist" to her resume with her young adult novel, The Skin I'm In, and Kylie Mirmohamadi's novel Diving, Falling is about a grieving woman of a 'certain age' whose life is about to get messy. What would you do if you found your mother's diaries under her bed? British writer, Will Self is the author of many novels including Great Apes, How the Dead Live and Umbrella. His new book Elaine is a no-holds barred novel about his mother. It's based on her actual diaries from the 1950s which divulge details about her mental illness and sex life. Will reflects on the ethics of writing about her diaries (he says go for it) and how his mother fundamentally influenced him as a writer. He also tells Claire Nichols that he regrets his mother never had the opportunity to read any of his novels. St

He's an actor, musician and comic book author — and with the publication of The Book of Elsewhere, Hollywood film star Keanu Reeves is now a novelist, too.

Award-winning writers Ceridwen Dovey and Alicia Sometimes use space as a setting to explore what it means to be human in their new books.

Samantha Shannon has such power as a bestselling writer that she's reissued her fantasy Bone Season series with new edits. In a revealing conversation she tells Claire Nichols what it takes to reach such heights. Samantha Shannon was just 20 when she won a six-figure publishing deal for this series. She also has another series on the go called Roots of Chaos which begins with the bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree. Samantha Shannon spoke to Claire Nichols at the recent Sydney Writers Festival to find out how she's navigated being published from such a young age, the challenge of being compared to J.K. Rowling and the influence of the film DragonHeart on her beginnings as a fantasy author. 

On the list are the latest novel from a Miles Franklin-winning author, a celebration of the nurses on the frontline of the AIDS crisis and a laugh-out-loud foray into lesbian pulp fiction.  

From weird and wonderful stories of sentient space junk to the latest novel from the writer of Crazy Rich Asians, let us show you the best new books we read this month.

Samantha Shannon writes bestselling dystopian and fantasy novels, including The Bone Season series and the sapphic fantasy romp The Priory of the Orange Tree and its prequel, A Day of Fallen Night. Samantha talks with ABC RN The Book Show’s Claire Nichols about writing queer fantasy, fandom, dragons and female desire. (A co-production with Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre and Sydney Writers Festival. Recorded in front of a live audience).

The 28-year-old Sydney writer says Chris Lilley’s Jonah was not a fair representation of her community — and her debut novel seeks to set the record straight.

Crime writer Val McDermid investigates Scotland's most famous female character to reveal a very different Lady Macbeth. And Sydney writer Jonathon Seidler delves into the story beyond the happy ending and how breakups can define a relationship. Crime writer Val McDermid investigates Scotland’s most famous female character to reveal a very different Lady Macbeth.  Queen Macbeth: Darkland Tales is part of a series where well known authors find the truth behind the legends commissioned by the historical fiction publishing house Birlinn. Jonathan Seidler is no stranger to the complexities of modern relationships. A Sydney writer, journalist and columnist, his work is frequently published in journals and newspapers. He has also written a memoir exploring his family history of mental illness. Jonathan's latest is a novel,  All the Beautiful Things You Love which delves into the story beyond the happy ending  - how break-ups can define a relationship. 

The veteran ABC investigative journalist says writing Pheasants Nest was a kind of therapy for the secondary trauma she has experienced on the job.

Get lost in these new books — including a posthumous release from a beloved Australian writer, an insouciant short story collection and a thumping evisceration of British culture.