Winner of the Costa Book of the Year - just announced
Poet Jo Shapcott has won the 2010 Costa Book of the Year for her collection Of Mutability, her first new work in over a decade and in part influenced by her experience of breast cancer. This is the second consecutive year a collection of poetry has won the Costa Book of the Year. Christopher Reid took the prize last year for A Scattering, a tribute to his wife Lucinda Gane following her death in 2005.
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The Costa Book Awards, formerly The Whitbread Awards, established in 1971, have the single aim of celebrating the most enjoyable books of the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.
It is the fifth year of Costa sponsoring this prestigious award.
The Costa Book Awards recognise the most enjoyable books in five categories - First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book - published in the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.
The category winners were announced on 4th January 2011.
Costa First Novel Award
Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai
Costa Novel Award
The Hand That First Held Mine
by Maggie O'Farrell
Costa Biography Award
The Hare with Amber Eyes
by Edmund de Waal
Costa Poetry Award
Of Mutability by Jo Shapcott
Costa Children's Book Award
Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace
These now go on to battle for the prize of overall winner, which will be announced at a ceremony on 25 January 2011.
The judging panel for the 2010 Costa Book Awards includes author Adele Parks, broadcaster Anneka Rice, The Sunday Times Literary Editor Andrew Holgate, biographer Caroline Moorhead OBE and broadcaster Lorraine Kelly.
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Kishwar Desai 
