Costa Book Awards 2008 - the shortlists

The shortlists were announced yesterday.  The award winners in all five categories will be announced on 6 Jan 2009, with the announcement of the overall 2008 Costa Book of the Year announced later on 27 Jan 2009.

First Novel
Poppy Adams, The Behaviour of Moths
Sadie Jones, The Outcast
Jennie Rooney, Inside the Whale
Tom Rob Smith, Child 44

Children’s
Keith Gray, Ostrich Boys
Saci Lloyd, The Carbon Diaries 2015
Michelle Magorian, Just Henry
Jenny Valentine, Broken Soup

Biography
Diana Athill, Somewhere Towards the End)
Judith Mackrell, Bloomsbury Ballerina
Sathnam Sanghera, If You Don’t Know Me By Now
Jackie Wullschlager, Chagall

Novel
Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture
Chris Cleave, The Other Hand
Louis de Bernieres, A Partisan’s Daughter
Patrick McGrath, Trauma

Poetry
Ciaran Carson, For All We Know
Adam Foulds, The Broken Word
Kathryn Simmonds, Sunday at the Skin Launderette
Greta Stoddart, Salvation Jane