The Top 100 Books of the 21st Century was a countdown by Australian radio station ABC Radio National over 18 and 19 October 2025.[1] It was the first annual countdown by the nationwide public service radio network. According To Variety, it ”followed a similar structure to triple j’s highly successful Hottest 100 countdowns of music”.[2]
Australian author Trent Dalton's semi-autobiographical novel Boy Swallows Universe was voted into number one,[3][4] while Australian authors Anna Funder and Geraldine Brooks scored the most entries, with three.[5][6]
Background
[edit]In May 2025, Radio National announced a new annual countdown called the Top 100 Books, inspired by Triple J's Hottest 100 music countdown. Each year will feature a different theme, with the inaugural edition focusing on the Top 100 Books of the 21st Century.[7] All books published between 1 January 2000 and 31 August 2025 were eligible for voting, regardless of genre.[8]
Full list
[edit]| Note: Australian authors |
Statistics
[edit]Authors with multiple entries
[edit]| # | Artist | Tracks |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Geraldine Brooks | 15, 46, 89 |
| Anna Funder | 17, 30, 43 | |
| 2 | Trent Dalton | 1, 29 |
| Pip Williams | 7, 91 | |
| Richard Flanagan | 13, 65 | |
| Khaled Hosseini | 22, 49 | |
| Craig Silvey | 24, 25 | |
| Tim Winton | 38, 40 | |
| Madeline Miller | 60, 67 | |
| Helen Garner | 61, 88 | |
| Ann Patchett | 64, 96 |
Countries represented
[edit]| Country | # |
|---|---|
| United States | 38 |
| Australia | 36 |
| United Kingdom | 18 |
| Ireland | 6 |
| Afghanistan | 2 |
| Canada | 2 |
| Sweden | 2 |
| Ethiopia | 1 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Israel | 1 |
| Italy | 1 |
| Japan | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| South Korea | 1 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 |
Reception
[edit]Writing for The Conversation, Melanie Saward found the list lacked diversity.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "ABC Radio National launches Top 100 Books of the 21st Century". www.mediaweek.com.au. Archived from the original on 2025-09-13. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
- ^ McNamara, Lauren (2025-08-31). "ABC Radio National launches 'Top 100 Books' countdown". Variety Australia. Archived from the original on 2025-12-31. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
- ^ "Boy Swallows Universe wins ABC Radio National's inaugural Top 100 Books countdown".
- ^ "Boy Swallows Universe takes top spot in ABC Radio National top 100 | Books+Publishing". Retrieved 2026-01-16.
- ^ "Boy Swallows Universe voted our favourite read of the century". ABC News. 2025-10-19. Archived from the original on 2025-10-19. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
- ^ "Another magical ABC countdown sees Boy Swallows Universe No1 of the inaugural RN Top 100 Books - RadioInfo Australia".
- ^ Books, Anna Levy for ABC Radio National's Top 100 (2025-10-01). "Australia's favourite authors share their top books of the 21st century". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Move over Hottest 100 - this literary countdown is a real page turner". HerCanberra. 2025-09-16. Archived from the original on 2025-11-11. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
- ^ Saward, Melanie (2025-10-22). "The ABC's Top 100 books poll lacks diversity. Here are my 10 First Nations 'books of the 21st century'". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 2025-11-13. Retrieved 2026-01-16.