2021 Reader’s Choice Contest Winners
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Gold Winner
Bea and Bee
Bea loves tending the flowers in her little back yard but what she’d really like is a pet to care for. The yard is too small for a pet, or is it? When Bea finds Little Bee, she finds the perfect pet for her tiny garden. Can Bea convince Mummy to let her keep a pet bee?
Silver Winner
Claron
Tossing her belongings into a suitcase and escaping heartbreak seemed like the best idea for Rhea Conners. She’d simply travel across the ocean to visit her grandfather in Ireland and heal. Then she’d come back. Simple. But what she doesn’t expect is to find solace and healing in the form of the O’Rifcan family. One member in particular: Claron.
Bronze Winner
The Architect
Six sides to a house. Six sides to a story. Six people linked by fate and family. One of them is dead. Is one of the others a murderer? They all have motives. But is that reason enough to kill? It is September 2020, and Covid has swept the world with devastating consequences. In England, after months of lockdown followed by a cautious loosening of restrictions, friends and family are now allowed to gather if they abide by the government’s 'rule of six'.
Gold Winner
The Architect
Six sides to a house. Six sides to a story. Six people linked by fate and family. One of them is dead. Is one of the others a murderer? They all have motives. But is that reason enough to kill? It is September 2020, and Covid has swept the world with devastating consequences. In England, after months of lockdown followed by a cautious loosening of restrictions, friends and family are now allowed to gather if they abide by the government’s ‘rule of six’.
Silver Winner
Cotton Candy
Angie Ross, aged fifteen, sadistic, brutal, evil, wicked... The press had been the first to brand this teenager with all the usual condemnations and who could blame them? But, what drove Angie to commit such horrendous crimes? It was Susan Raynor's job to unravel the human story behind the monstrous act and to assess whether Angie was the sadistic beast that society believed she was.
Bronze Winner
All the Deadly Lies
Homicide detective Jake Carrington takes murder personally… The victim was bludgeoned, stripped, and left for dead. Shanna Wagner deserves justice—and there’s no better cop than Lieutenant Jake Carrington to find her killer. The brutality of the crime reminds Jake of his sister’s murder seventeen years ago, and the remorseless man responsible, now up for parole.
Gold Winner
A Vampire’s Christmas Concerto
When the days grow shorter and dusk comes earlier, we may spend our time decorating with holly and mistletoe, drinking cider, and playing in the snow. But the creatures who stalk the night are in their element—and while visions of sugarplums dance in our heads, they’re lurking in the shadows, knowing there’s nothing so delicious as a vampire’s kiss.
Silver Winner
A Pawn of Fate
Darkness is rising across the lands of A’rth as an ancient power seeks to claim humanity and return it to the void between worlds. From vast forests and snowy vales to burning sands and red mountains, A PAWN OF FATE follows three teens through their battles to save A’rth and its people.
Bronze Winner
Hunter's Moon
A grey tale wrapped around the phases of the Moon. The naked truth about perception aligned with the journey of a Solitary Witch who prefers to fly on her own terms.
Gold Winner
Bea and Bee
Bea loves tending the flowers in her little back yard but what she’d really like is a pet to care for. The yard is too small for a pet, or is it? When Bea finds Little Bee, she finds the perfect pet for her tiny garden. Can Bea convince Mummy to let her keep a pet bee?
Silver Winner
Poppy Ogopogo
Poppy Ogopogo isn't beautiful like the butterflies that live on the shores of the lake. Their mean laughter makes her sad, so instead she plays with her imaginary friends. One day, the butterflies are swept out into the lake. Will Poppy forgive those who hurt her and become a hero?
Bronze Winner
That Pesky Pixie
Deep in the heart of Sorrel Wood hides a school for faerie folk. The fearsome Miss Nightshade is the best teacher around, but has she met her match with the pesky pixie antics of Violet Puddledust?Join Violet and her hedge ogre friend, Bramble Bottomly as they cause magical mayhem.
Gold Winner
Tales of Tucson
Sun, sex and satire. If you were conscious during the eighties, well at least some of the time, into music, hot women, flaunting the law and raucous drug-fuelled love sprees, then these tales might just tickle your tastebuds. A hot and spicy, melodrama under scorching skies, based on fact, crammed with hilarity and pathos, that will beg the question why did you never do this yourself?
Shirley Burly
Meet Shirley: thirteen, half-Turkish, a little overweight and obsessed with Sherlock Holmes. Oh yes, and she’s just been told she's 'on the spectrum.' Together with sidekicks Monty, Napoleon and Jasper, she starts a crime-fighting blog, aimed at her obsessive online fans, called ‘Dear Stalker…’ She’s a different kind of detective with a different skill set. She's about to surprise lots of people, including herself. And still be home in time for tea.
Silver Winner
Covid Blues and Twos
Author’s Note About This Book: Covid Blues And Twos is an erotic novel with adult content and is not suitable for children, the fainthearted and my in-laws. Jessica Taylor is thankful to be in a happy, stable and secure marriage, as the dark clouds of Coronavirus roll-in from the near continent. She came to her husband with baggage, she thought now safely stowed away, and was surprised to receive a message from her old, but still burning, flame - as was her husband.
Bronze Winner
The Killing of Tracey Titmass
Jo Kearns has breast cancer. While juggling her job, her boyfriend and the cancer, she discovers that her home has been invaded by Tracey, her tumour in insidious human form. Jo’s diary tells the story of her battle to evict the malignant Tracey from her house and the disease from her body. Based on Estelle Maher’s own cancer journey, this book is at times hilarious, at times poignant, but always unflinchingly honest and inspiring.
Gold Winner
Claron
Tossing her belongings into a suitcase and escaping heartbreak seemed like the best idea for Rhea Conners. She’d simply travel across the ocean to visit her grandfather in Ireland and heal. Then she’d come back. Simple. But what she doesn’t expect is to find solace and healing in the form of the O’Rifcan family. One member in particular: Claron.
Silver Winner
Love Rises
The first time I saw Anya I was shirtless and holding an axe. It was June, the weather balmy and Anya was beautiful, but that didn’t matter because I was drowning in my own grief. Anya wasn’t meant to be my saviour. I wasn’t meant to be hers.
Bronze Winner
Return to Cheshire Bay
It's hard to start over, and find love, when no one forgets your past. Pregnant and suddenly jobless, Lily is desperate to figure out what she wants from life before the baby comes. Leaving her busy, high-rise life on hiatus, she sets out to the small-town on the Pacific coast determined to fix up the family's summer home and sell it for some much needed cash flow.
Gold Winner
Kisses from Sardinia
Laurie Henry is referred to as an “all-American girl”: an exceptional student raised in central Ohio by hard-working, conservative Christian parents. When she learns a secret about her past, she rebels as only a teenage girl can, marries the proverbial “bad boy”, and has his baby. Just how is it, then, that this struggling single mother on food stamps goes from teary-eyed desperation on the beaches of Emerald Isle, North Carolina, to the verdant green hills of THE “Emerald Isle”?
Silver Winner
Treasure of Indian Music
This book is organized into three parts. Part one addresses the musical terms generally used in vocal & instrumental Indian music. Topics covered include Understanding Indian and Western musical notation method, Signs of Notes used in Indian music, Classical & Non-Classical Indian musical forms, Construction of “Thaat”, Construction of “Raga”, and description of 155 Indian classical “Ragas”
Bronze Winner
Searching for 'It'
Searching for “It” is author Ken Ludmer’s Homeric odyssey that takes us from post-war New York City through the cafés of Beat Generation Greenwich Village, across America to the Rocky Mountains, and beyond. The road warrior therapist talks to us in tales of adventure, stories of transition and pathos, and includes observations on the human condition—all seen through the eyes of a therapist.
Gold Winner
A Witchy Mistake
A high school nemesis. A misuse of powers. An Unexpected Consequence. Sixteen-year-old Charley Cooper is furious when her cousin Danu uses her powers to get back at a high school nemesis without considering the consequences.
Silver Winner
Bone Dragon
A vengeful sorceress with a bone to pick. A forbidden love that could cost the throne. And a magical destiny impossible to avoid. Arthur Pendragon, heir apparent to the throne of Camelot, approaches his sixteenth birthday with dread. The chains of his heritage, chafe. He wishes nothing more than to be a regular youth, free to seek and pursue the pleasures of young love.
Bronze Winner
Lock Down
My superpower? I can't die. You can imagine how much it hurts when they test that out... Phoebe Atkinson has always felt different, but in the typical angsty way most teenagers do. She had no idea just how different until that fateful day she died—and then came back to life.
Gold Winner
Cotton Candy
Angie Ross, aged fifteen, sadistic, brutal, evil, wicked... The press had been the first to brand this teenager with all the usual condemnations and who could blame them? But, what drove Angie to commit such horrendous crimes? It was Susan Raynor's job to unravel the human story behind the monstrous act and to assess whether Angie was the sadistic beast that society believed she was.
Silver Winner
Claron
Tossing her belongings into a suitcase and escaping heartbreak seemed like the best idea for Rhea Conners. She’d simply travel across the ocean to visit her grandfather in Ireland and heal. Then she’d come back. Simple. But what she doesn’t expect is to find solace and healing in the form of the O’Rifcan family. One member in particular: Claron.
Bronze Winner
Covid Blues and Twos
Author’s Note About This Book: Covid Blues And Twos is an erotic novel with adult content and is not suitable for children, the fainthearted and my in-laws. Jessica Taylor is thankful to be in a happy, stable and secure marriage, as the dark clouds of Coronavirus roll-in from the near continent. She came to her husband with baggage, she thought now safely stowed away, and was surprised to receive a message from her old, but still burning, flame - as was her husband.
Jealous Hearts
1838 Sydney is a rough and dangerous place. Bregetta, alone after her mother’s death, falls in love with the serious and charismatic Sergeant Alistair Duncan. He seems to be just in love with her, but outside parties meddle, and they part acrimoniously.
Light My Heart
Her shining light will change both our lives. My life had been on pause since she died. I was still living in the past. Then Sarah showed up.
Sins
St Joseph's Academy.
Prestigious. Religious. Rotten as Hell.
As soon as I set foot in that place, my dream ticket turned into my worst nightmare.
I don't know if I can survive, or even make it out alive.
Because of them.
How to Vanquish a Virus
How to Vanquish a Virus is a funny, fascinating blend of facts, quotes and science stories from the world of health research and science history. In the wake of Covid-19, children and parents are keen to understand – and be reassured about – viruses and other health issues.
Do Chickens Have Lips?
Chicken has a crush on Dolly Duck. She’s pretty and nice and she smells like a pond on a summer day. Egg fancies Dolly’s friend, Eggwina. It will take courage to ask the girls to the square dance at the barn. Will they say“Yes”? And, if they do, Chicken has an even bigger dilemma: When it’s time for a goodnight kiss, what will he do? Chicken is not sure he has lips, and Egg can’t confirm or deny. Will love find a way?
Emerge
They claim she is Immortal. They say he is her equal, the only one who can match her power. But she’s just a normal girl. Until she isn’t.
Collaboration
This is not your typical rock star romance. For one, the “rock star” is a rapper. And not just any rapper. Trace is the hottest ticket in the music industry right now, regardless of which definition of ‘hot’ you choose.
Rat Tales
Had your rabies shots yet? The rats are loose! Rat Tales. Twenty-four 'rat' themed short stories, and the first book in a three-book collection, The Creature Tales.
Break the Stone
Raelyn Bell defies her father’s wishes by investigating the truth of her mother’s death. But if she keeps snooping, it could sever the fragile relationship with the only parent she has left.
Reliance
An eruption on the Sun leaves the Earth powerless, but is it a temporary inconvenience or the start of a spiral into anarchy? Belfast Professor Martin Monroe knows the answers, but once branded a conspiracy nut, he struggles to get anyone to listen to his warnings of the impending disaster. His only friend, Simon Wilson, still coming to terms with the loss of his wife, is the only person who will listen.
Young Fae
What if you find out your whole life has been a lie? Coming of age is supposed to be about the discovery of one's self, but this is a whole new discovery. Asha comes to learn who she really is by facing obstacles and hurdles as she comes to learn magic is really amongst us.
Unearned Grief
Grief is something that can not be avoided. During a lifetime, it will be experienced on various levels. How we respond when it attacks determines our mental outcome. In this book, the author, Kevin Gerrard Ellison, Sr. shares his journey from grief to pain, from healing to wholeness.
Congratulations to all of our finalists whether they received a medal or not. The competition was tough and all of our entries were amazing books by some great authors. Why not add them to your TBR list. And come back next year, so we can do it all again!
