The Costa Book Awards shortlist has been announced – so it’s time to get reading
Will any of these be on your Christmas list?
If you’re looking for some new books to add to your shelf, the 2019 Costa Book Awards shortlists have been announced.
The Costa Book Awards is the only major book prize that’s open exclusively to UK and Irish authors. Categories include First Novel, Biography, Poetry, Novel and Children’s Book.
Winners in each category receive a £5,000 cash prize, and the overall winner of the Costa Book of the Year will receive a whopping £30,000.
Category winners are officially announced on Monday 6th January, and the overall winner is announced during a ceremony on Tuesday 28th January.
The full list of shortlisted novels, by category, can be found below. There are twenty shortlisted books in total, so that's plenty of reading to keep you occupied over the festive season!
2019 Costa First Novel Award shortlist
Dairy of a Somebody by Brian Bilston
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
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The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen
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2019 Costa Biography Award shortlist
On Chapel Sands: My mother and other missing persons by Laura Cumming
The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero who Infiltrated Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather,
In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin by Lindsey Hilsum
The Making of Poetry: Coleridge, the Wordsworths and Their Year of Marvels by Adam Nicolson
2019 Costa Poetry Award shortlist
Surge by Jay Bernard
Flèche by Mary Jean Chan
The Mizzy by Paul Farley
Reckless Paper Birds by John McCullough
2019 Costa First Novel Award shortlist
Diary of a Somebody by Brian Bilston
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen
2019 Costa Children’s Award shortlist
Asha & the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan
Crossfire by Malorie Blackman
In the Shadow of Heroes by Nicholas Bowling
Furious Thing by Jenny Downham
These books were shortlisted by 15 judges, who have carefully considered each entry and why it should be shortlisted.
The Costa Book Awards shared a message of thanks for them, which read, 'The biggest thank you must - of course - go to our 15 category judges this year who have all been ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! The most heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for everything you’ve done for us over the past few months 💫⭐️🥰📚'
Lucy Buglass is a Digital Writer specialising in TV, film and lifestyle content and has written for What's On TV, GoodtoKnow and Whattowatch.com. She's passionate about entertainment and spends most of her free time watching Netflix series, BBC dramas, or going to the cinema to catch the latest film releases. In her spare time, she writes film and television reviews for JumpCut Online and her own blog, Lucy Goes To Hollywood.