The best books of 2024 as selected by Cassie McCullagh, Kate Evans, Jason Steger, Lev Grossman and Michaela Kalowski. Keep scrolling for a full (and somewhat idiosyncratic) list.

GUESTS

Jason Steger, literary journalist. Former literary editor at the Age and SMH; and regular guest on ABC TV's Tuesday Book Club.

Lev Grossman, bestselling American novelist and journalist — whose books include The Magicians trilogy and (his latest), The Bright Sword (an Arthurian tale).

Michaela Kalowski, literary interviewer and the curator of Radio National's Big Weekend of Books

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

(listed according to the person who made the recommendation)

Lev Grossman:

Percival Everett, James

Paolo Bacigalupi, Navola

Tana French, The Hunter

Kate Atkinson, Death at the Sign of the Rook

M.T. Anderson, Nicked

Karl Ove Knausgaard, The Third Realm

Nick Harkaway, Karla's Choice

Cassie McCullagh:

Percival Everett, James

Kaliane Bradley, The Ministry of Time

Francis Spufford, Cahokia Jazz

Ceridwen Dovey, Only the Astronauts

Michaela Kalowski's selection (in categories)

Uplifting (subject matter or style):

Ailsa Piper, For Life

Julia Baird, Bright Shining 

International:

Percival Everett, James

Francis Spufford, Cahokia Jazz 

Australian:

Robbie Arnott, Dusk 

Lexi Freiman, The Book of Ayn

Tim Winton, Juice 

Catherine McKinnon, To Sing of War 

James Bradley, Deep Water 

Julian Borger, I Seek a Kind Person 

Books in Translation:

Greek Lessons by Han Kang

Fantasy:

Kelly Link, The Book of Love

Jason Steger

Uplifting/ positive:

Colm Tóibín, Long Island

Melanie Cheng, The Burrow

Kaliane Bradley, The Ministry of Time

Other highlights

Nick Harkaway, Karla's Choice

Helen Garner, The Season

Samantha Harvey, Orbital

Heather Taylor Johnson, Little Bit

Kate Evans

Positive/ Joy or beauty:

Niall Williams, Time of the Child

Hanif Kureishi, Shattered

Deborah Levy, the Position of Spoons

International:

Francis Spufford, Cahokia Jazz

Alan Hollinghurst, Our Evenings

Richard Powers, Playground

In translation:

Olga Tokarczuk, The Empusium

Australian:

Fiona McFarlane, Highway 13

Dylin Hardcastle, A Language of Limbs

Catherine McKinnon, To Sing of War

Robbie Arnott, Dusk

Inga Simpson, The Thinning

CREDITS

Presenters: Kate Evans, Cassie McCullagh

Producer: Kate Evans, Sarah Corbett

Sound engineers: Craig Tilmouth, Ann Marie Debettencor

Executive Producer: Rhiannon Brown