Top 100 Books of the 21st Century
2025 Australian radio book countdown
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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
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
| Note: Australian authors |
Statistics
Authors with multiple entries
| # | 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
| 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
Writing for The Conversation, Melanie Saward found the list lacked diversity.[9]