I first knew I REALLY loved reading when I had my photo taken for my local newspaper in grade 3 for reading the most books in the state for the MS Read-A-Thon...and I was like...doesn't everyone read this many books!? 

Apparently not! So yes, safe to say, I really love words and how they can be strung together to transport you somewhere else....and I love getting lost in the world of fiction. I have kept my love of reading up and it's still my favourite escape from the world to this day at age 45....so I think I'm in like grade 40 now? 😉

I often post a pic of what I'm reading on my socials and thought I would make a list of the best fiction books I have read this year in case you needed a bit of Summer reading or perhaps some gift ideas.

The bulk and first part of this list contains books that have been first published in 2021 or 2022 and all read by me since January this year. I've also categorised them into contemporary fiction, crime fiction and literary fiction.

There is another mixed group of genres that make up the end of this list and they have been published between 2013 and 2020 but they are books I have also read this year so I wanted to include them too! This part of the list mostly came about because once I had read a new book from the first part of this list, I had to source more by the same author! Never was I disappointed!

I've given a few key words about the content and I've also bolded the author's name if they have written other books that I've also loved so I don't think you can go wrong trying any books by these authors! You will find many Aussie authors as I love supporting the incredible home grown authors we have here down under.

These 50 books were my favourite reads of this year and I can honestly say that all of them were page-turners and were very much enjoyed by me so I hope you will love them too.

So without further ado....

Contemporary Fiction

1. All That's Let Unsaid by Tracey Lien (2022, Australian, family, suspense, heartbreaking, culture, community)

2. Dinner With The Schnabels by Toni Jordan (2022, Australian, family, love, marriage)

3. The Couple Upstairs by Holly Wrainwright (2022, Australian, mystery, regret, love, lockdown)

4. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller (2021, American, family, regret, betrayal, love, secrets)

5. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (2021, Australian, family, suspense, tennis, mystery)

6. Again Rachel by Marian Keyes (2022, Irish, family, addiction, relationships, love)

7. The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth (2021, Australian, family, parents, mystery)

8. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth (2022, Australian, marriage, suicide, mystery, secrets)

9. Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane (2021, Scottish, friendship, relationships, romance)

10. The Time of My Life* by Myf Warhurst (2022, Australian, autobiographical, music, nostalgia, Aussie nostalgia) *The only non-fiction book on this list!

11. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2022, American, tennis, ambition, success, drive)

12. The Seven Skins of Esther WIlding by Holly Ringland (2022, Australian, joy, grief, courage, transformation, sisters)

13. The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding (2021, Australian, family, lies, secrets, marriage)

14. Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (2021, American, love, relationships, authors, Black identity, artistic)

Crime Fiction

15. Treasure and Dirt by Chris Hammer (2021, Australian, Outback, mining, murder)

16. The Club by Ellery Lloyd (2022, British, luxury, elitist, ambition, murder, wealth)

17. The Mother by Jane Caro (2022, Australian, Sydney North Shore, family, mothers and daughters, suspense, murder)

18. The Whispering by Veronica Lando (2022, Australian, rainforest, mystery, murder) 

19. The Wrong Woman by J.P. Pomare (2022, New Zealander, thriller, murder, missing girls, mystery, small town)

20. The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse (2021, British, mystery, suspense, murder, hotel, isolation)

21. Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter (2022, American, prom, murder, mystery, justice)

22. Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor (2022, Australian, school friends, small town, murder, community, mystery)

23. Wake by Shelley Burr (2022, Australian, drought, murder, family, mystery, unsolved disappearance)

24. We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz (2021, American, murder, backpacking, best friends, loyalty)

25. When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham (2021, Australian, police, friendship, murder, thriller, suspense)

26. The Bay by Allie Reynolds (2022, Australian, beach, surfing, mystery, murder, backpackers, friendship)

27. The Housemate by Sarah Bailey (2021, Australian, mystery, murder, journalism, podcasting, share housing)

28. Stone Town by Margaret Hickey (2022, Australian, small town, murder, mystery, suspense)

29. Twelve by Robert Gold (2021, British, small town, murder, journalism, community, mystery, secrets)

30. Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz (2021, New Zealander, murder, New York, mystery, unlikely connections)

31. Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (2022, Australian, murder, mystery, family, funny, a very clever and different slant on murder mysteries)

32. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (2021, American, mystery, fraud, stepmother, relationships, secret past)

33. The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan (2022, Irish, lawyers, law student, death row, mystery, thriller, suspense, secrets)

 Literary Fiction 

34. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (2021, Irish, travel, desire, friendship, relationships)

35. Honeybee by Craig Silvey (2020 but won best fiction in the Indie book awards and Dymocks book awards for 2021, Australian, LGBTIQA+, friendship, life affirming, loyalty, true self, unlikely connection, life changing)

36. Three Sisters by Heather Morris (2021, New Zealander, third instalment of The Tattooist of Auschwitz trilogy, Nazi Germany, sisters, family, historical, courage, love, relationships, promises)

37. Still Life by Sarah Winman (2021, British, Tuscany, war time, art, love, historical, life changing)

Books written by some of the above authors I also read this year!

38. Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare (2018, New Zealander, crime fiction, kidnapping, amnesia, suspense, thriller, mystery, murder)

39. The Clearing by J.P. Pomare (2019, New Zealander, crime fiction, cults, grooming, murder, rural Australia, betrayal, suspense, thriller)

40. Silver by Chris Hammer (2019, Australian, crime fiction, murder, journalism, mystery, seaside town, cult)

41. The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth (2019, Australian, contemporary fiction, marriage, relationships, suspense, mystery, murder, family)

42. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey (2009, Australian, literary fiction, outcasts, murder, mining town, coming of age, secrets, mystery, cultural, family, friendship, life changing)

43. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017, American, contemporary fiction, Hollywood, movies, ambition, forbidden love, friendships, relationships, marriage, secrets)

44. Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019, American, contemporary fiction, music, bands, singer, the seventies, relationships, forbidden love)

45. The Nowhere Child by Christian White (2018, Australian, crime fiction, disappearance, trauma, cult, conspiracy, thriller, mystery)

46. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (2013, Australian, literary fiction, Iceland,1800's, murder, execution, based on a true story, survival, betrayal)

47. Insidious Intent by Val McDermid (2017, Scottish, crime fiction, psychological thriller, murder, serial killer, realtionships)

48. The Good Mother by Rae Carins (2020, Australian, crime fiction, relationships, motherhood, secrets, betrayal, suspense, love, action, IRA)

49. The Searcher by Tana French (2020, Amercian-Irish, crime fiction, small town in Ireland, disappearance, mystery, community, relationships)

50. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (2020, New Zealander, contemporary fiction, marriage, relationships, mental health, separation, commitment)

 

Phew! Well that was a fun list to make and I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of anything you get to read this Summer!

There is so much to be gained from reading....a break from screens (and technology trying to highjack our brains!) and most of all reading relaxes the nervous system so a great way to ease anxiety and stop worrying for a minute as you lose yourself in a story!

Happy reading,

Alisha x

I first knew I REALLY loved reading when I had my photo taken for my local newspaper in grade 3 for reading the most books in the state for the MS Read-A-Thon...and I was like...doesn't everyone read this many books!? 

Apparently not! So yes, safe to say, I really love words and how they can be strung together to transport you somewhere else....and I love getting lost in the world of fiction. I have kept my love of reading up and it's still my favourite escape from the world to this day at age 45....so I think I'm in like grade 40 now? 😉

I often post a pic of what I'm reading on my socials and thought I would make a list of the best fiction books I have read this year in case you needed a bit of Summer reading or perhaps some gift ideas.

The bulk and first part of this list contains books that have been first published in 2021 or 2022 and all read by me since January this year. I've also categorised them into contemporary fiction, crime fiction and literary fiction.

There is another mixed group of genres that make up the end of this list and they have been published between 2013 and 2020 but they are books I have also read this year so I wanted to include them too! This part of the list mostly came about because once I had read a new book from the first part of this list, I had to source more by the same author! Never was I disappointed!

I've given a few key words about the content and I've also bolded the author's name if they have written other books that I've also loved so I don't think you can go wrong trying any books by these authors! You will find many Aussie authors as I love supporting the incredible home grown authors we have here down under.

These 50 books were my favourite reads of this year and I can honestly say that all of them were page-turners and were very much enjoyed by me so I hope you will love them too.

So without further ado....

Contemporary Fiction

1. All That's Let Unsaid by Tracey Lien (2022, Australian, family, suspense, heartbreaking, culture, community)

2. Dinner With The Schnabels by Toni Jordan (2022, Australian, family, love, marriage)

3. The Couple Upstairs by Holly Wrainwright (2022, Australian, mystery, regret, love, lockdown)

4. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller (2021, American, family, regret, betrayal, love, secrets)

5. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (2021, Australian, family, suspense, tennis, mystery)

6. Again Rachel by Marian Keyes (2022, Irish, family, addiction, relationships, love)

7. The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth (2021, Australian, family, parents, mystery)

8. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth (2022, Australian, marriage, suicide, mystery, secrets)

9. Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane (2021, Scottish, friendship, relationships, romance)

10. The Time of My Life* by Myf Warhurst (2022, Australian, autobiographical, music, nostalgia, Aussie nostalgia) *The only non-fiction book on this list!

11. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2022, American, tennis, ambition, success, drive)

12. The Seven Skins of Esther WIlding by Holly Ringland (2022, Australian, joy, grief, courage, transformation, sisters)

13. The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding (2021, Australian, family, lies, secrets, marriage)

14. Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (2021, American, love, relationships, authors, Black identity, artistic)

Crime Fiction

15. Treasure and Dirt by Chris Hammer (2021, Australian, Outback, mining, murder)

16. The Club by Ellery Lloyd (2022, British, luxury, elitist, ambition, murder, wealth)

17. The Mother by Jane Caro (2022, Australian, Sydney North Shore, family, mothers and daughters, suspense, murder)

18. The Whispering by Veronica Lando (2022, Australian, rainforest, mystery, murder) 

19. The Wrong Woman by J.P. Pomare (2022, New Zealander, thriller, murder, missing girls, mystery, small town)

20. The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse (2021, British, mystery, suspense, murder, hotel, isolation)

21. Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter (2022, American, prom, murder, mystery, justice)

22. Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor (2022, Australian, school friends, small town, murder, community, mystery)

23. Wake by Shelley Burr (2022, Australian, drought, murder, family, mystery, unsolved disappearance)

24. We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz (2021, American, murder, backpacking, best friends, loyalty)

25. When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham (2021, Australian, police, friendship, murder, thriller, suspense)

26. The Bay by Allie Reynolds (2022, Australian, beach, surfing, mystery, murder, backpackers, friendship)

27. The Housemate by Sarah Bailey (2021, Australian, mystery, murder, journalism, podcasting, share housing)

28. Stone Town by Margaret Hickey (2022, Australian, small town, murder, mystery, suspense)

29. Twelve by Robert Gold (2021, British, small town, murder, journalism, community, mystery, secrets)

30. Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz (2021, New Zealander, murder, New York, mystery, unlikely connections)

31. Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (2022, Australian, murder, mystery, family, funny, a very clever and different slant on murder mysteries)

32. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (2021, American, mystery, fraud, stepmother, relationships, secret past)

33. The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan (2022, Irish, lawyers, law student, death row, mystery, thriller, suspense, secrets)

 Literary Fiction 

34. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (2021, Irish, travel, desire, friendship, relationships)

35. Honeybee by Craig Silvey (2020 but won best fiction in the Indie book awards and Dymocks book awards for 2021, Australian, LGBTIQA+, friendship, life affirming, loyalty, true self, unlikely connection, life changing)

36. Three Sisters by Heather Morris (2021, New Zealander, third instalment of The Tattooist of Auschwitz trilogy, Nazi Germany, sisters, family, historical, courage, love, relationships, promises)

37. Still Life by Sarah Winman (2021, British, Tuscany, war time, art, love, historical, life changing)

Books written by some of the above authors I also read this year!

38. Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare (2018, New Zealander, crime fiction, kidnapping, amnesia, suspense, thriller, mystery, murder)

39. The Clearing by J.P. Pomare (2019, New Zealander, crime fiction, cults, grooming, murder, rural Australia, betrayal, suspense, thriller)

40. Silver by Chris Hammer (2019, Australian, crime fiction, murder, journalism, mystery, seaside town, cult)

41. The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth (2019, Australian, contemporary fiction, marriage, relationships, suspense, mystery, murder, family)

42. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey (2009, Australian, literary fiction, outcasts, murder, mining town, coming of age, secrets, mystery, cultural, family, friendship, life changing)

43. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017, American, contemporary fiction, Hollywood, movies, ambition, forbidden love, friendships, relationships, marriage, secrets)

44. Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019, American, contemporary fiction, music, bands, singer, the seventies, relationships, forbidden love)

45. The Nowhere Child by Christian White (2018, Australian, crime fiction, disappearance, trauma, cult, conspiracy, thriller, mystery)

46. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (2013, Australian, literary fiction, Iceland,1800's, murder, execution, based on a true story, survival, betrayal)

47. Insidious Intent by Val McDermid (2017, Scottish, crime fiction, psychological thriller, murder, serial killer, realtionships)

48. The Good Mother by Rae Carins (2020, Australian, crime fiction, relationships, motherhood, secrets, betrayal, suspense, love, action, IRA)

49. The Searcher by Tana French (2020, Amercian-Irish, crime fiction, small town in Ireland, disappearance, mystery, community, relationships)

50. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (2020, New Zealander, contemporary fiction, marriage, relationships, mental health, separation, commitment)

 

Phew! Well that was a fun list to make and I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of anything you get to read this Summer!

There is so much to be gained from reading....a break from screens (and technology trying to highjack our brains!) and most of all reading relaxes the nervous system so a great way to ease anxiety and stop worrying for a minute as you lose yourself in a story!

Happy reading,

Alisha x