For the last couple of years I’ve been keeping track of the gender statistics of my reading, and (surprise! surprise!) have realised I read many more books by men than by women. I’ve just discovered the Australian Women Writers’ Challenge and signed up for the Miles level of the challenge, which means I undertake to read six books by Australian women and review four of them (though as I normally review every book I read, defining ‘review’ very loosely, that’s not a big deal). The challenge webpage suggests that I tell you the six books I plan to read, but I’m going to leave it vague. The first one will probably be Favel Parrett’s Past the Shallows, but who knows what might happen before I pick it up.
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Currently reading & watching- Unchosen (Julie Gearey 2026)
- Prime Minister (Lindsay Utz & Michelle Walshe 2025)
- Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath (S. Shakthidharan 2025)
- Remarkably Bright Creatures (Olivia Newman 2026)
- The Sheep Detectives (Kyle Balda 2026)
- Belvoir: Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead (Eamon Flack 2026)
- The Cat Returns (Hiroyuki Morita 2002)
- Riot Women (Sally Wainwright 2025)
- Criminal Record, season 2 (Paul Rutman 2026)
- The Lost Continent (Tui T. Sutherland 2019)
Me fail? I fly! 
Oh good for you Jonathan … and welcome to the challenge. I look forward to your reviews and hope you enjoy taking part (and, of course, what you read to take part!)
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You’ve sent me to my book-shelf, Jonathan. Statistics can be interesting, revelatory: An Australian anthology (reflective text) I edited for OUP in Melbourne – “Made in Australia” – published in 1990: 82 individual selections (poetry, prose, extracts, articles) 36 by males; 46 by females (among which total – 17 pieces from Indigenous writers). Used in schools though probably long since disappeared (during all those years I was in Japan)! In a companion volume (anthology only – OUP 1990) “An Arc of Australian Voices” – there were 44 separate titles – 38 writers – 21 titles by females 24 by males (one of the titles a joint effort: ABDULLAH & MATHEW “Grandfather Tiger”).
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I did this challenge last year and it was wonderful. Definitely made me branch out of my comfort zone. I included NZ in my challenge and read Bone People by Keri Hulme. If you haven’t read that, you need to. It’s impeccable!
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Cassie, I’m glad you mentioned Keri HULME. In 1985 I attended several literary events – speakers being writers – Australian and others (A.D. HOPE, Salman RUSHDIE, et al.) organised by Elizabeth WEBBY. Among whom that year’s Booker Prize winner Keri HULME. So impressive. A mate at the time at Canterbury University was working on a Dictionary of Maori (based on historical principles – a la the OED) – and I was reading Patricia GRACE and Witi IHIMAERA among others at the same time… Just last week tidying my book-shelves – picking up Keri HULME’s book – re-reading some of the newspaper & magazine cuttings I had folded into its pages.
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