2008 Costa Book Awards: Shortlist

Novel
1. The Secret Scripture / Sebastian Barry
2. The Other Hand / Chris Cleave
3. A Partisan’s Daughter / Louis de Bernières
4. Trauma / Patrick McGrath

First Novel
1. The Behaviour of Moths / Poppy Adams
2. The Outcast / Sadie Jones
3. Inside the Whale / Jennie Rooney
4. Child 44 / Tom Rob Smith

Biography
1. Somewhere Towards The End / Diana Athill
2. Bloomsbury Ballerina / Judith Mackrell
3. If You Don’t Know Me By Now / Sathnam Sanghera
4. Chagall / Jackie Wullschlager

Poetry
1. For All We Know / Ciaran Carson
2. The Broken Word / Adam Foulds
3. Sunday at the Skin Launderette / Kathryn Simmonds
4. Salvation Jane / Greta Stoddart

Children’s
1. Ostrich Boys / Keith Gray
2. The Carbon Diaries 2015 / Saci Lloyd
3. Just Henry / Michelle Magorian
4. Broken Soup / Jenny Valentine

The winners in all five categories will be announced on January 5, 2009, while the overall winner of the 2008 Costa Book of the Year will be announced on January 27, 2009