Aussie Readers discussion

With July already here it's time to reflect on all the books you have read so far this year and try and come up with your top 5 - 10 International books for the 2023 halfway point. By international we mean books written by authors who are not recognised as Australian by either birth or adoption.

The books don't have to be released this year but only to be read. We will have another thread at the end of the year so we can see how many from this list have stood the test of time.

To get things started - here is my list:

The Furies by John Connolly

Truth or Dare by M.J. Arlidge

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway

Who Cries for the Lost by C.S. Harris

The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths

Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts

The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker

My International top 10

The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner

The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor

River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer

Murder in Manhattan by Verity Bright

The Nantucket Inn by Pamela M. Kelley

Drowning by T.J. Newman

Just a Regular Boy by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Murder Among the Roses by Liz Fielding

Angels Fall by Nora Roberts

The War Pianist by Mandy Robotham

1. The Winter Garden by Alexandra Bell

2. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

3. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

4. The Painted Man AND The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett (Equally great, don't make me rank them!)

5. The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence


And my current read Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes by Elizabeth Lesser is looking like a 5-star so it'll bump everyone down from Peter Brett.

My best international reads so far this year - in no particular order:
Desert Star by Michael Connelly


Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus


The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman


The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith


Book Lovers by Emily Henry


Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune


Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

The ten best for me so far....

A Winter Grave by Peter May

Ashes in the Snow by Oriana Ramunno

No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

Who Cries for the Lost by C.S. Harris

Drowning by T.J. Newman

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes

The People Watcher by Sam Lloyd

Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado

The All-American by Susie Finkbeiner

The audiobook of The Hoarder by Jess Kidd is my standout so far this year, but others I've really enjoyed are:

The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili
Slough House by Mick Herron
Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak
Wolf Pack by Will Dean
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Starfish by Lisa Fipps

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong

Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body by Sara Pascoe

No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

There are some great reads here! Can't believe we're more than halfway through the year. My top international reads (fiction/nonfiction) so far:

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

When You're Ready, This Is How You Heal by Brianna Wiest

The Haunting of Borley Rectory: The Story of a Ghost Story by Sean O'Connor

Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases by Paul Holes

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

My Favourite International Reads of 2023 so far:


The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
The River's Song by Suchen Christine Lim
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexievich
In the Company of Men by Véronique Tadjo
The Girl in the Painting by Renita D'Silva
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar