And the 2021 FAB Award winner is … Death to Jar Sauce by Nat’s What I Reckon!

Booktopia is thrilled to reveal that Aussie social media star Nat’s What I Reckon has done it again and taken out the Favourite Australian Book Award for 2021! This year’s winning book is Death to Jar Sauce: Rad Recipes for Champions, in which Nat’s What I Reckon continues his tirade against mediocre food and empowers home chefs.

This will be the second year in a row that Nat has won the hearts and minds of Australian readers, following his triumph in the 2020 FAB Award, where he scooped the top prize with his book, Uncook Yourself: A Ratbag’s Rules For Life.

More than 170,000 votes were cast in a record-breaking year for the award, which saw a number of established authors and high-profile personalities battle it out to take the crown. Death to Jar Sauce was up against some stiff competition in the Top 10 from authors such as Liane Moriarty and Matthew Reilly, as well as Aussie rock legend Jimmy Barnes and comedian Christian Hull.

On his win, Nat said: “I remember going to Jamberoo Recreation Park when I was a kid and going on heaps of rides and having the sickest time ever. This feels like going on all the rides at once. Stoked doesn’t even come close to describing how touched I am by everyone’s support.”

Nat will be donating his $5,000 in prize money to Beyond Blue.

Favourite Australian Book

Death to Jar Sauce by Nat’s What I Reckon

The world’s a confusing and chaotic place. We thought lockdown was over . . . it wasn’t. We hoped life would go back to normal . . . it hasn’t.

But Nat’s What I Reckon knows one thing is definitely still true: jar sauce can get f*cked.

So, to help champions keep levelling up their cooking skills and making ripper feeds from scratch at home, Nat has created this collection of 25 sh*t hot recipes that will get you out of a jam.

Buy it here

We’re also very pleased to announce the winners of two additional awards: Booktopia’s Favourite Australian Book Award and Booktopia’s Favourite Australian Debut Book, both of which are judged by Booktopia’s very own team of dedicated book experts.

Both authors will receive $5,000 in prize money for their award wins.

Hannah Kent’s historical novel, Devotion, has been named Booktopia’s Favourite Australian Book for 2021. This novel traces the love story between two young women on a voyage from Prussia to South Australia in 1838. It is a beloved story here at Booktopia in which the natural and modern worlds collide, married with Kent’s signature breathtaking style.

Ben Hunter, Fiction Category Manager at Booktopia, said: “In a time of loathing and isolation, Hannah Kent has provided the perfect literary tonic – inviting readers to contemplate the indelible and eternal energy of love. No other book this year has struck a chord with so many staff members here at Booktopia. We were unanimous in our decision — Devotion is a triumph!”

Booktopia’s Favourite Australian Book

Devotion by Hannah Kent

Prussia, 1836: Hanne Nussbaum is a child of nature – she would rather run wild in the forest than conform to the limitations of womanhood. In her village of Kay, Hanne is friendless and considered an oddity … until she meets Thea.

Ocean, 1838: Forced to flee religious persecution the families of Kay board a crowded, disease-riddled ship bound for the new colony of South Australia. In the face of brutal hardship, the beauty of whale song enters Hanne’s heart, along with the miracle of her love for Thea.

South Australia, 1838: A new start in an old land. God, society and nature itself decree Hanne and Thea cannot be together. But within the impossible … is devotion.

Buy it here

And finally, Booktopia’s Favourite Australian Debut Book has been revealed as Gary Lonesborough’s The Boy from the Mish! The book features a compelling ‘will-they-won’t-they’ romance between two Aboriginal boys, supported by a narrative that mixes sweetness and honesty.

Sarah McDuling, Category Manager for Kids & Young Adults at Booktopia, said: “A warm and tender-hearted debut from a refreshing new voice in young adult fiction, The Boy from the Mish is a queer First Nations novel about self-discovery and first love. Raw in its honesty yet also disarmingly sweet, reading this book was a joyful and illuminating experience. I can’t wait to see what Gary Lonesborough writes next!”

Booktopia’s Favourite Australian Debut Book

The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough

It’s a hot summer, and life’s going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. It’s almost Christmas, school’s out, and he’s hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding the racist boys in town. Just like every year, Jackson’s Aunty and annoying little cousins visit from the city – but this time a mysterious boy with a troubled past comes with them …

As their friendship evolves, Jackson must confront the changing shapes of his relationships with his friends, family and community. And he must face his darkest secret – a secret he thought he’d locked away for good.

Buy it here

Congratulations to all of the 2021 FAB Award winners!

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