Recently Angus and Robertson conducted a month long poll collecting votes from readers for their favorite books. Of the top 100 books, Australian authors wrote 22%, and many books that made the cut were current titles and vampire themed. Here is a list of the top ten.
Australia’s Top 10 Books for 2010
# 1 - The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer.
What list would be complete without the amazingly popular Twilight series? To make it to number one shows that it is as popular in Australia as it is in the U.S. First published in 2005, Twilight is the story of a human girl who falls in love with a handsome, broody vampire. The series includes New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.
# 2 – The Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling.
First published in 1997 and still hugely popular,the Harry Potter series is the story of the magical adventures of a young wizard and his friends.
# 3 – The Millennium Trilogy, by Steig Larsson.
Author Steig Larsson died of a heart attack shortly after completing the trilogy, so sadly he was unable to see how popular it is. Fist published in 2005, the trilogy includes The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire, and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.
#4 – To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
This classic, Pulitzer Prize winning novel was first published in 1960, tells the story of Atticus Finch, a lawyer defending a black man accused of raping a white women. Told through the eyes of Atticus’ young daughter Scout, To Kill a Mockingbird is still a bestseller almost 50 years since it was first published.
#5 – The Lovely Bones, by Anne Sebold.
First published in 2002, The Lovely Bones is told from the point of view of 14-year-old Susie who was murdered. Susie watches her family from Heaven as they try to cope with her death.
#6 – Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austin.
This classic story, first published in 1813, tells the love story of Elizabeth Bennett and the handsome Fitzwilliam Darcy. In 2009, Steve Hockensmith published Pride and Prejudice and Zombies where Elizabeth must slay the undead during her complicated courtship with Mr. Darcy.
#7 – My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Piccoult.
First published in 2004, My Sister’s Keeper tells the story of Anna Fitzgerald who has been forced to go through countless surgeries and transfusions to provide body fluids and bone marrow to her sister who suffers from Leukemia. When Anna refuses to donate a kidney, she hires a lawyer to help her become medically emancipated from her parents, a decision that shocks and divides her family.
#8 – The Sookie Stackhouse Collection, by Charlain Harris.
First published in 2001, this series tells the story of Sookie Stackhouse, a young waitress with the annoying gift of being able to read minds. When handsome Bill comes into the bar, Sookie is drawn to him, and interestingly she cannot read his mind. It isn’t long before Sookie realizes that Bill is a vampire and that her life may be in danger.
#9 – The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.
First published in 2003, The Time Traveler’s Wife is the unique love story of Clare and Henry. Henry, born with a Chrono-Displacement Disorder, travels time when his genetic clock re-sets. He first meets Clare when she is 6 and he is 36, but eventually they meet in ‘real time’ and fall in love.
#10 – The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.
First published in 2005, The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel Meminger in 1939 Nazi Germany. The story is narrated by Death and he watches Liesel’s life during this tragic time and sees her develop a love affair with books.
This top ten list only scratches the surface of the great books that made this year’s list. For the full list of 100 books, visit the Angus and Robertson webpage. Angus and Robertson state that they had four times the amount of votes for this 2010 poll than they had last year, indicating that Australian’s love affair with books continues to grow.
Roberta Goli - Roberta has a Bachelor of Science Degree (Zoology), has worked with animals for over 10 years and enjoys writing short stories and flash ...
