The Costa Book Awards (formerly the Whitbreads) always have intriguing shortlists. They seem consistently to catch many of those great books that were passed over by other, bigger awards and this year is no exception. There are five categories - novel, first novel, biography, poetry and children's title. The winners in each category then battle each other for the overall Costa Book of the Year. Here are the nominees:
Novel:
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (I'm thrilled to see this on the list - I wanted it to win the Booker)
The Other Hand by Chris Cleave (note: in North America, this book will be published in February under the title Little Bee).
A Partisan's Daughter by Louis de Bernieres ( a lovely novel that was so overlooked this year - highly recommended!)
Trauma by Patrick McGrath (gripping!)
First Novel:
The Behaviour of Moths by Poppy Adams (published in North America as The Sister)
The Outcast by Sadie Jones (hooray - I loved this heartbreaking book)
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Rosalyn has been raving about this on all year!)
Inside the Whale by Jennie Rooney (a quirky war-time love story that doesn't get resolved until many decades later)
Biography:
Biography:
Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill
The Bloomsbury Ballerina: Lydia Lopokova, Imperial Dancer and Mrs John Maynard Keynes by Judith Mackrell
If You Don't Know Me By Now: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton by Sathnam Sanghera
Chagall by Jackie Wullschlager
Poetry:
Poetry:
The Broken Word by Adam Foulds
Sunday at the Skin Launderette by Kathryn Simmonds (surely the best title of the bunch)Salvation Jane by Greta Stoddart
Children's:
Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray
The Carbon Diaries by Saci Lloyd
Just Henry by Michelle Magorian
Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine
Category award winners will be announced in January, with the overall award announced January 27th.
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