5 books from Australian Authors you should check out

Read the World #2

Last month we started our Read the World series with the Netherlands, check out the blog here. This month we travel to Australia to discover some authors from Australia’s First Nation people.

Australia has a small but thriving publishing scene. While you’ve probably heard of Australian authors like Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman, and Lynette Noni (who we love!), there’s a treasure trove of stories and diversity across our country.

Australia’s First Nation peoples are the Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders. They have a long history of storytelling, and modern publishing is no exception.

Here’s a few Aboriginal authors you should check out.

The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina

Fiction, SciFi/Dystopian, YA

Ashala Wolf has been captured by Chief Administrator Neville Rose, a man intent on destroying Ashala’s Tribe – the runaway Illegals hiding in the Firstwood. Injured and with her Sleepwalker ability blocked, Ashala is forced to succumb to the machine that will pull secrets from her mind. And right beside her is Justin Connor, her betrayer, watching her every move.

This is book one in Ambelin’s The Tribe series. It tells the story of a world after an apocalypse, where some people have begun to have magical abilities, and are persecuted and detained for it. Ashala Wolf attempts to fight these injustices in her system and save the group of runaways she leads.

If you’re after a dystopian fix with a courageous female lead and a touch of enemies to lovers, this is for you.

Ambelin Kwaymullina is a First Nations writer and illustrator who comes from the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Paris Dreaming by Anita Heiss

Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Adult

Libby has given up on romance. After all, she has her three best girlfriends and two cats to keep her company at night, and her high-powered job at the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra to occupy her day – isn’t that enough?

But when fate gives Libby the chance to work in Paris at the Musée du Quai Branly, she’s thrown out of her comfort zone and into a city full of culture, fashion and love.

Surrounded by thousands of gorgeous men, romance has suddenly become a lot more tempting.

This book is perfect if you’re looking for a light hearted, fun romcom, especially one that includes travel!

Anita is a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales.

Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Various Authors, edited by Anita Heiss

Non Fiction, Memoir, Essays

What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award-winning author Anita Heiss, showcases many diverse voices, experiences and stories in order to answer that question.

Accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside those from newly discovered writers of all ages. All of the contributors speak from the heart – sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.

This groundbreaking collection will enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today.

Contributors include: Tony Birch, Deborah Cheetham, Adam Goodes, Terri Janke, Patrick Johnson, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Jack Latimore, Celeste Liddle, Amy McQuire, Kerry Reed-Gilbert, Miranda Tapsell, Jared Thomas, Aileen Walsh, Alexis West, Tara June Winch, and many, many more.

Growing Up Torres Strait Islander in Australia by Various Authors, edited by Samantha Faulkner

The Torres Strait Islands are an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, a waterway separating far north Queensland and the island of New Guinea.

Non-Fiction, Memoir, Essays

Discover stories of going dugong hunting and eating mango marinated in soy sauce. The smell of sugar cane and frangipani-scented sea breeze. Family, grandmothers and canoe time. Dancing, singing, weaving hats and making furniture from bamboo. Training as a doctor and advocating for healthcare for the Torres Strait. The loneliness of being caught between two cultures. Mission life, disconnection and being evacuated to the mainland during World War II. “Is that really your mum? Why is she black?”. Not being Islander enough. Working hard to reconnect to your roots, and claiming back land and culture.

With contributions by: Ellen Armstrong, Tetei Bakic-Tapim, Jimi Bani, Leilani Bin-Juda, Jillian Boyd-Bowie, Tahlia Bowie, Aaliyah Jade Bradbury, John Doolah, Donisha Duff, Aaron Fa’Aoso with Michelle Scott Tucker, Ellie Gaffney, Velma Gara, Jaqui Hughes, Adam C. Lees, Rhett Loban, Thomas Lowah, Edward Koiki Mabo with Noel Loos, Thomas Mayo, Lenora Thaker, Sorren Thomas, Ina Titasey as told to Catherine Titasey, Lockeah Wapau and Daniella Williams.

To wrap things up, here’s one rec for the fae fans.

Valentine by Jodi McAlister

Fiction, Urban Fantasy, YA

Strange and terrible things begin to happen to four teenagers – all born on the same Valentine’s Day. One of these teenagers is the Valentine: a Seelie fairy changeling swapped for a human child at its birth. The Unseelie have come to kill the Valentine – except they don’t know who it is.

Pearl shares a birthday with Finn Blacklin. She’s known him all her life and disliked every second of it. But now Pearl and Finn must work together to protect themselves from the sinister forces that are seeking them out.

Smart girls and murderous fairies in a small Australian town. Picnic at Hanging Rock meets Holly Black in the Valentine trilogy, as Pearl Linford sets about smashing the faetriarchy.

If you want to read about some fae in Australia, with a girl who knows her pop culture, this book is for you.

Jodi is originally from Kiama, a seaside holiday town on the south coast of New South Wales. Currently, she lives in Melbourne.

Kat, @stars.and.embers on Instagram, loves all things nerdy and fantasy. She is currently writing to you from Naarm/Melbourne.