Want to read more diversely this year? Make a start with one (or more) of these thirty great novels from First Nations Australians and writers of colour from around the world.
1. Fierceland by Omar Musa
This sprawling drama about reckoning with the damage done by your family was shortlisted for the VPLA Prize for Fiction and voted one of Readings' ten best Australian fiction books of 2025.
2. Pictures of You by Tony Birch
Tony Birch is a beloved figure in Melbourne's literary scene, and this collection brings together some of the very best short stories from across his career.
3. Bugger by Michael Mohammed Ahmad
Miles Franklin shortlisted author Michael Mohammed Ahmad explores vulnerability, violence and power in his important new novel, dealing with the difficult realities of childhood sexual abuse.
4. Ghost Cities by Siang Lu
Surreal, allegorical and funny, Siang Lu's Miles Franklin Award-winning second novel is a must-read for fans of Haruki Murakami and Italo Calvino!
5. Secrets by Judi Morison
This is a moving family saga dealing with racism, trauma, addiction and incarceration; Morison doesn't shy away from the hardships her characters have endured but demonstrates that healing is always possible.
6. Learned Behaviours by Zeynab Gamieldien
This powerful book explores race and class in modern Australia, and combines elements of a murder mystery, a coming-of-age drama and a love story. The result is an unputdownable book that will stay with you long after the last page.
7. Desolation by Hossein Asgari
Dealing with disillusionment, hope and the tragic downing of Iran Air Flight 655, this is a moving novel that looks at the positive and negative potential of stories, in the separate but intertwined fields of literature and politics.
8. Palaver by Bryan Washington
This novel about an estranged mother and son coming face to face again after ten years is a life-affirming tale of family, forgiveness, and healing past wounds.
9. How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley
A cheeky yet unflinching look at generational trauma and colonial violence, which boils over in a homicidal act of teen rebellion. This is a truly memorable new novel!
10. Translations by Jumaana Abdu
A moving debut exploring grief, friendship and family, set in rural New South Wales during a tense, dangerous fire season; Translations comes highlighly recommended, on the shortlist for both the 2025 Stella Prize and The Readings New Australian Fiction Prize!
11. The Pearl of Tagai Town by Lenora Thaker
Lenora Thaker's debut is a stunning historical novel about a Torres Strait Islander girl determined to fight the prejudice levied against her and the other residents of their far north shanty town.
12. The Woman Dies by Aoko Matsuda, translated by Polly Barton
The fifty-two stories in this unique collection explore the sexism and prejudice faced by women in Japan, creating a kaleidoscopic blend of humour and surrealism, grounded in important social critique.
13. Compassion by Julie Janson
An intense, literary exploration of the lives of Aboriginal women in 1800s New South Wales, Compassion tells the story of one of Janson's own ancestors who became an outlaw on the Australian frontiers.
14. The Burrow by Melanie Cheng
This is an immersive family drama set in Melbourne's Covid lockdowns, exploring the tensions and hopes simmering beneath the surface between mother and daughter, husband and wife.
15. Heat and Light by Ellen van Neerven
Heat and Light was Ellen van Neerven's first book, and though since their debut van Neerven has published poetry, memoir, and edited multiple collections of First Nations writing, for those new to their work, there's no better place to start than this collection of three powerful stories (also available in UQP's First Nations Classics series).
16. When the Museum is Closed by Emi Yagi, translated by Yuki Tejima
A joyful queer romance with a touch of magical realism, and with same depth as Emi Yagi's first novel, Diary of a Void, this book is both playful and thoughtful.
17. The Sunbird by Sara Haddad
This is a moving, contemporary parable about a woman who was forced out of her village in Palestine as a child, and still dreams of returning to her homeland. There's also a beautiful, illustrated version for young readers, out now!
18. Anam by André Dao
Anam is a novel that blends fiction and essay into an eye-opening story of memory, family and colonialism that our reviewer described as both 'challenging' and 'profoundly beautiful'.
19. The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen by Shokoofeh Azar
This beautiful new book from the Iranian-Australian author of The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree spans fifty years of life in Iran, following the 1979 revolution.
20. Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn
This is an immersive coming-of-age story that delves into the pains and pleasure of growing up between two cultures, and broke ground on its publication in 2024 as the first Tongan-Australian novel.
21. Always Will Be by Mykaela Saunders
In this collection of speculative short stories, Mykaela Saunders imagines an alternate future for her Tweed Goori community and celebrates Goori ways of being, knowing, doing, and becoming.
22. Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Atmospheric, tender and full of the small frictions that exist within families, this exploration of mother-daughter relationships won a slew of awards when it was released in 2022 (including The Readings New Australian Fiction Prize) and it was voted into the top ten of Readings' Best Australian books of the 21st century!
23. Melaleuca by Angie Faye Martin
A detective has to face her unpleasant past and the secrets hidden in her hometown in this gripping crime debut looking at violence against First Nations women.
24. Plains of Promise by Alexis Wright
Most Australian readers will already be aware of Alexis Wright's epic novel Praiseworthy which won multiple awards in 2024 including the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin literary award. But for those intimidated by the 700-page tome, or who are keen to explore Wright's backlist, Plains of Promise is less massive but just as impressive! Checkout the 25th anniversay edition, or the beautiful copy from First Nations Classics.
25. After Story by Larissa Behrendt
Alternating between the perspectives of a mother and her adult daughter, as the two confront painful memories of a lost daughter and sister, this is an emotional, thoughtful and ultimately hopeful look at family and homecoming.
26. Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
This is another multi-award winner that you may already be familiar with – but if not, know that this epic interweaving of Aboriginal stories, generations apart, comes highly recommended!
27. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
This unique speculative novel from critically acclaimed Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka follows a dead war photographer's quest to contact the person he loved most, and hopefully dismantle a polticial regime at the same time.
28. Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor
Exploring art, faith and race, this is a beautiful modern love story about a black painter and a white priest who fall in love over a sweltering summer in New York.
29. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
A hybrid of historical fiction and fantasy, this Australian novel plays with readers' expectations and our understanding of history to create an entirely unique retelling.
30. Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin
This tense, propulsive novel looks at the intersection of class and race in modern-day America, and shows how hard it can be just to keep afloat, let alone succeed.
