Happy New Year! As is our tradition here at AWW, before moving forward, we take one more look back on the year that was. For Historical Fiction, 2020 looked like this:
470 reviews on 186 books written by 142 fabulous Australian women!
Top reads for the year were:
The Yield by Tara June Winch 14 reviews
The Silk House by Kayte Nunn 13 reviews
The Women’s Pages by Victoria Purman 11 reviews
Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer 11 reviews
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld 9 reviews
Gulliver’s Wife by Lauren Chater 9 reviews
Riptides Kirsten Alexander 9 reviews
Inheritance of Secrets Sonya Bates 9 reviews
The Daughter of Victory Lights by Kerri Turner 9 reviews
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams 8 reviews
The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester 8 reviews
Finding Eadie Caroline Beecham 8 reviews
The Darkest Shore by Karen Brooks 8 reviews
The Lost Jewels by Kirsty Manning 7 reviews
Letters from Berlin by Tania Blanchard 7 reviews
The Banksia Bay Beach Shack by Sandie Docker 7 reviews
The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan by Lisa Ireland 7 reviews
Where the Truth Lies by Karina Kilmore 7 reviews
The Wreck by Meg Keneally 6 reviews
Stone Sky Gold Mountain by Mirandi Riwoe 6 reviews
Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson 6 reviews
Frequently mentioned authors:
Sulari Gentill had 14 reviews across 8 of her titles: Miles Off Course, Paving the New Road, Gentlemen Formerly Dressed, A Murder Unmentioned, Give the Devil His Due, A Testament of Character, A Dangerous Language, and A Testament of Character.
Darry Fraser had 13 reviews across 3 of her titles: Elsa Goody Bushranger, The Last Truehart, The Good Woman of Renmark.
Alison Stuart had 12 reviews across 3 of her titles: The Postmistress, The Goldminer’s Sister, and Revenge in Rubies (writing as A.M. Stuart).
Tea Cooper had 12 reviews across 4 of her titles: The Other Side of Tom Cat Creek, The Girl in the Painting, The House on Boundary Street, and The Cartographer’s Secret.
Fiona McIntosh had 9 reviews across 3 of her titles: The Champagne War, The Pearl Thief, and The Diamond Hunter.
Ella Carey had 8 reviews across 5 of her titles: The House by the Lake, From a Paris Balcony, The Paris Time Capsule, Beyond the Horizon, and Secret Shores.
Kim Kelly had 7 reviews across 3 of her titles: Walking, Wild Chicory, and Black Diamonds.
Return reviewers:
Mrs B’s Book Reviews 53 reviews
Brenda Telford @ Goodreads 42 reviews
Helen Sibbritt @ Goodreads 32 reviews
Theresa Smith Writes (me) 29 reviews
Ashleigh Meikle – The Book Muse 20 reviews
Jennifer Cameron-Smith 20 reviews
Cloggie Downunder 19 reviews
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out 19 reviews
Cass Moriarty 16 reviews
Claire’s Reads and Reviews 14 reviews
Denise Newton Writes 12 reviews
Kali Napier 12 reviews
Carolyn Scott @ Goodreads 10 reviews
Veronica @ The Burgeoning Bookshelf 10 reviews
Dark Matter Zine 9 reviews
Sharon Hill 9 reviews
Jenny Mustey 8 reviews
Marg @ The Intrepid Reader 8 reviews
Yvonne @ A Darn Good Read 8 reviews
Heidi @ but books are better 7 reviews
ReadRoundOz 7 reviews
Kate @ Booksaremyfavouriteandbest 7 reviews
Eleni Konstantine – Eleni’s Library 6 reviews
Whispering Gums 6 reviews
Angharad Lodwick – Tinted Edges 5 reviews
Kim Forrester @ Reading Matters 5 reviews
Thanks not only to these reviewers but to all of you who have read, reviewed and linked even one historical fiction title into our database. Your ongoing support of the Australian Women Writers Challenge is what keeps us going strong into what is now our 10th year.
Cheers to a New Year! 📚🥂
Until next month…
That’s a LOT of great historical fiction!
It is! Putting this wrap up together has made me want to read so many of these titles I have on my shelf but didn’t get to yet.
As Brona says that’s a lot of historical fiction. It really is a popular genre isn’t it.
(BTW I’m relieved that your counts that overlap my round up are the same! Phew!)
Thanks for the link. There are several books here that I haven’t read yet, that I’d like to – like you.
They are the same? I am relieved also!
Yes, historical fiction really is popular and this doesn’t even include the romance side of it, regency and other romantic historical, etc, that is also booming.
Is it that people want to escape their own times? Strangely I never did really, even in my teens when my friends did.
For me, it’s the history itself. That view into the past that is creatively interpreted as opposed to non fiction/fact based history. I love the little details that good authors put into their historical fiction, the small things about daily life and society, that’s what attracts me the most.
I like it for the light it throws on today I think but also for those daily details.
Great wrap up Theresa 🙂 This is my favourite category for the AWW challenge!
Thank you! And mine too!! 😄