Here we present their top three selections for a sun, and literature, soaked festive season.

David Marr, Quarterly Essay On Politics and Prejudice: "I always enjoy David's work – one of Australia's best progressive political and social commentators."

Peter FitzSimons, The Great Aussie Bloke Slim-Down: "An early start on my 2017 resolutions - a book that hopefully will help me lose weight written by a very good bloke and fellow republican."

Sue Townsend: The late chapters of the Adrian Mole series: "I first read the secret diary of Adrian Mole as a teenager in the 1980s (and) looking forward to catching up with his later life."

National Library of Australia director-general Anne-Marie Schwirtlich

Geordie Williamson (editor), The Best Australian Essays 2016: "Because each annual instalment is packed with variety, intensity and intelligence bringing a range of subjects into focus."

Don Watson (editor), A Single Tree: Voices from the Bush: "Although I enjoy being in the bush, I know that I am an alien in it and will learn from this selection of the writing of an astonishing roll call of authors who have been moved to love, despair and everything in between by their time in the bush."

Claudia Hyles, So You Can See in the Dark and Other Indian Essays: "Because we are lucky enough to be travelling to India with Claudia soon!"

Canberra Business Chamber chief executive Robyn Hendry

Hannah Kent, The Good People: "Her debut novel Burial Rites was an extraordinary piece of work for any debut, but I'm also reading the follow-up, because I'm keen to support young authors and particularly young female authors."

Steve Lewis and Chris Uhlmann, The Shadow Game: "It's the third in their series and follows the Marmalade Files and the Mandarin Code, I loved the Secret City series, and where the television series had the drama the books are somewhat tongue-in-cheek, so I'm keen to the final in the series."

Jose Saramago, Seeing: "He was the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature for Seeing, so that alone makes it worth reading and it's a novel with political insight."

CMAG senior curator of visual arts, Deborah Clark

Richard Begbie, Cotter: "It's by a local author and it's about a friendship between Garrett Cotter and a Nagambri aboriginal elder, it's a 19th century story of our region."

Dominic Smith, The Last Painting of Sara de Vos: "It's about a woman who was admitted to one of the Dutch Guilds in the 17th Century, an astonishing thing at the time, but it's also a story about a forgery and a missing painting, and I love the combination of mystery and art."

Jennifer Ackerman, The Genius of Birds: "I'm doing an exhibition called Aviary next year, so I thought I'd find this inspiring. I love (that) in Canberra we practically live in an aviary, its a fantastic place if you're interested in birds. This author has dealt with a range of birds, and looks at how many rival primates in intelligence."

University of Canberra's 50/50 by 2030 Foundation director Virginia Haussegger

Elena Ferrante, The Story of the Lost Child: "I read a lot of non-fiction, but recently I've been reading a lot of fiction at night, and the Elena Ferrante series particularly - it's the fifth in her series, and I've found them a great escape, so that's the first one I'll be tucking into."

Helen Garner, Everywhere I Look: "It's a collection of essays and memoir, she's my favourite author and I've been reading her since I was at university. She covers topics that others are really afraid, that really penetrate the human condition in all its raw experiences, which is something I admire and that has inspired me in my own work."

Clementine Ford, Fight Like a Girl: "I'm going to read this book because every few days someone asks me if I've read it yet, and I'm amazed at how many people have read the book and I admire her bold and courageous feminism."

Australian National University academic and Climate Council commissioner, Dr Will Steffen

Richard Fidler, Ghost Empire: "This is the fascinating history of the city of Constantinople (Istanbul), from its foundation by Roman Emperor Constantine to its demise over 1000 years later. It is a beautifully written book that gets behind the scenes to chronicle the ebb and flow of power in the Roman Empire and its aftermath."

Fritjof Capra and Pier Luigi Luisi, The Systems View of Life: "The application of complex systems approaches to the origin and evolution of life is what this book is all about. It is a bit challenging in places in terms of its complexity, but the book is wonderfully expansive - everything you wanted to know about life itself but were afraid to ask."

Paul Theroux, Deep South: "This well-known American travel writer turns his talents onto his own country, taking a series of road trips through the deep South. He meets the locals and recounts their own stories of a land that is full of paradoxes and divisions, trying to make sense of a part of America that visitors almost never see and, if they do, have trouble comprehending."

Canberra Theatre music programmer and event coordinator Karina Leotta

Rosie Waterland, The Anti Cool Girl: "I've actually read this one already and it's everything it promises to deliver: hilarious and clever, also scary how many parts you can relate to (I'm questioning my anti-coolness)."

Clementine Ford, Fight Like A Girl: "Clementine's writing doesn't hold back, I think I'll learn a lot from this book and it'll be a must read for everyone (not just feminists and not just women)."

Holly Throsby, Goodwood: "Fitting in with the cool girl theme of my picks. I've chosen this because it's Holly Throsby's first novel and I'm hoping I love it as much as her music."

Libraries ACT director Vanessa Little

Robyn Cadwallader, The Anchoress: "(By) a local author who spoke at the inaugural Canberra Writer's Festival this year. She made the book sound so evocative and thought provoking that I bought it for my sister-in-law, who has in turn highly recommended it to me."

Graeme Simsion, The Best of Adam Sharp: "I loved The Rosie Project and while I understand this is a very different approach to the Rosie books, I love Graeme's wit. I knew Graeme back in his IT days and I enjoy putting together the author of the books with the man that I worked with."

Mark Colvin, Light and Shadow: Memoirs of a Spy's Son: "Who doesn't like a bit of intrigue and we live in the city of spooks, don't we?"

Ms Little also made some recommendations from her reading throughout 2016, including Abigail Tartellin's Golden Boy, a novel about an intersex teenager, his family and its secrets.

"It has many strong themes about differences, diversity, choices, and humanity and I have been captivated by it," she said.

"This year I also read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

"Sometimes you read a book that has you soul searching about how you would behave, given the same circumstances.

"This book explores the human spirit and the choices made in the worst of times.

"It describes both the beauty of the French setting and the ugliness of its deprivation during the war. I was completely engrossed in the story and its conclusion."

Ms Little also recommended readers crack open a copy of Truly Madly Guilty, by Liane Moriarty, "because every summer holiday needs some dark satire".

Correction: An earlier version of this article had outgoing National Library director-general's Anne-Marie Schwirtlich reading list attributed to her replacement, Marie-Louise Ayres.