The Costa Book Awards honour some of the most outstanding books of the year written by authors based in the UK and Ireland. There are five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book – with one of the five winners chosen as Book of the Year.
Dominic Paul, Managing Director of Costa said: ‘There’s genuinely something for everyone in our shortlists this year: books which will make you laugh and books which will make you cry; books which will make you think; books which you’ll read late into the night; and, most of all, books which you’ll want to recommend and pass on to others.’
Here are the shortlistees in each category.
Best Novel
- The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
- The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman
- Normal People by Sally Rooney
- From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan
Best First novel
- Pieces of Me by Natalie Hart
- An Unremarkable Body by Elisa Lodato
- The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
- Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
Best Biography
- To Throw Away Unopened by Viv Albertine
- The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es
- The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
- The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah by Benjamin Zephaniah
Best Poetry
- Us by Zaffar Kunial
- Assurances by J.O. Morgan
- Soho by Richard Scott
- Three Poems by Hannah Sullivan
Best Children’s books
- The Colour of the Sun by David Almond
- Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay
- Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen
- The Skylarks’ War by Hilary McKay
The category winners will be announced 7 January 2019, with the Book of the Year winner to be revealed on 29 January 2019. Read more about the Costa Book Awards here.
