By the book: pollies take a novel approach to summer reading

THE book of choice for Australian politicians this year is Anna Funder's novel All That I Am.

121224 n Polies books

THE book of choice for Australian politicians this year is Anna Funder's novel about a tangle of relationships among political activists opposing the rise of Adolf Hitler in pre-war Germany.

Julia Gillard, Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, Schools Minister Peter Garrett and opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull have all read the award-winning All That I Am and it is on the reading list of Tony Abbott, Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten and Finance Minister Penny Wong.

A survey by The Australian of politicians' favourite books of the year and their summer reading lists reveals some common themes. Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, the basis of a new film by Steven Spielberg, is being read by Mr Turnbull and Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop. The Prime Minister read it during the year.

Peter FitzSimons's populist histories are also on many politicians' best books list. His new book Eureka is on Ms Gillard's to-read list, as it is for Health Minister Tanya Plibersek and opposition Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey.

Mr Shorten is planning to read FitzSimons's Tobruk.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Ms Bishop could compare notes on Henry Kissinger's On China, given they both read it this year.

In the past year, Ms Gillard also read Peter Carey's The Chemistry of Tears and re-read Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Ms Gillard also plans to read Chris Masters's Uncommon Soldier this summer.

The Opposition Leader's holiday selections also include Tom Wolfe's Back to Blood and Simon Sebag Montefiore's Titans of History. Wayne Swan is itching to read Neil Young's Waging Heavy Peace and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Mr Turnbull and Kevin Rudd were prolific readers over the year.

Mr Turnbull is planning to finish reading several books while on holiday, including Robert Kagan's The World America Made and John Lewis Gaddis's George F Kennan. He will also be picking-up Alex Tabarrok's Launching the Innovation Renaissance.

Mr Rudd has on his reading list Gordon Campbell's Bible: The Story of the King James Version and Christopher Clark's The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914. He also plans to read two domestic political books: Lindsay Tanner's Politics With Purpose and Maxine McKew's Tales From The Political Trenches. He is now reading his co-authored book, Jasper and Abby and the Great Australia Day Kerfuffle, to granddaughter Josephine in Beijing.