Claire Nicholls

The Dry by Jane Harper.

What an important work of crime fiction here in Australia.

Ladies in Black by Madeleine St.

James.

Playing Beattie Bow by Ruth Park.

Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by fellow Miles Franklin winner Shankari Chandran.

Praise by Andrew McGann.

Yes, Cassie's throwing her arms in the air.

I've already got three on my top ten preliminary that you've... And I do have to say, guys, that we are also seeing votes come in for Ghost Cities by Siang Liu and The White Girl by Tony Burch.

Well, I am a proud West Australian, so I wanted to call out a few wonderful West Australian authors that I would love to see championed on this list.

Kim Scott, of course, one of the great writers of the West Australian landscape.

And of course, our very own Tim Winton, who's doing very well in the poll here.

I'd also like to call out a book called Extinctions by Josephine Wilson, which won the Miles Franklin some years ago.

It is a book, and as a West Australian, when you open that, you can feel the sun beating down on you.

You can hear that air conditioner whirring.

I've never had such a kind of transportative experience in picking up a book and feeling like I'm reading my home.

But let me tell you, Kate and Cassie, what's happening in the room.

We have a very strong top five emerging.

Oh, wow.

The Book Thief, right there at the top.