Fiction Guide
Choosing fiction for yourself or for someone else is a lot easier if you are familiar with the names of the main authors and have some idea of the kind of books they write. These listings are intended as a short-cut to that knowledge.
Copies are available on request at your local library.
Fiction authors by genre
If you know the type of novels you want (eg crime, historical, romance..) but cannot think of the authors who write them this list may help to jog your memory . . . as well as introduce you to some new writers
If you have some favourite authors but have read most of their books use this list to find your favourites and see who else comes under the same heading
Also writes as . . .
If you have some favourite authors but have read most of their books there may be a whole set of novels under their pseudonym – although these might often be written in a different style
Popular authors
If you’re starting off with no clear idea about what you would like to read or no particular author then the Top 50 Most Borrowed Fiction Authors from Public Libraries is a good place to begin. Thousands of library users have found these authors both enjoyable and addictive!
If you have some favourite authors but have read most of their books try the alternatives to the top 20 authors.
Prize winners
If you’re starting off with no clear idea about what you would like to read have a look at the prize winners lists where you will find the best of the bunch within a wide area of taste – from romantic to highbrow
Fiction authors by genre
Adventure and Thrillers
Tales with fast moving plots, larger-than-life characters and action filled with daring feats.
-
- Geoffrey Archer
- Jeffrey Archer
- Campbell Armstrong
- David Baldacci
- Linwood Barclay
- Stephen Baxter
- Steve Berry
- Alice Blanchard
- Sam Bourne
- Tom Bradby
- Dale Brown
- Dan Brown
- Lee Child
- Tom Clancy
- Stephen Coonts
- Michael Cordy
- Bryce Courtenay
- Clive Cussler
- Nelson DeMille
- Daniel Easterman
- Clive Egleton
- Duncan Falconer
- Dan Fesperman
- Vince Flynn
- James Follett
-
- Ken Follett
- Colin Forbes
- Frederick Forsyth
- Clare Francis
- Scott Frost
- Alexander Fullerton
- Alan Furst
- Lisa Gardner
- David Gibbins
- Robert Goddard
- Robert Harris
- David Hewson
- Jack Higgins
- Stephen Hunter
- Greg Iles
- John Katzenbach
- Raymond Khoury
- Chris Kuzneski
- John Le Carre
- Stephen Leather
- Robert Ludlum
- Michael Marshall
- Richard Montanari
- James Pattinson
- Arturo Perez - Reverte
- Henry Porter
-
- Matthew Reilly
- Stella Rimington
- James Rollins
- Gerald Seymour
- Daniel Silva
- Wilbur Smith
- Nick Stone
- Craig Thomas
- James Twining
- Jeff Abbott
- Harry Bingham
- John Burdett
- Linda Davies
- Brad Meltzer
- Mary Higgins Clark
- Nicci French
- Thomas Harris
- Joanna Hines
- Andrew Klavan
- Julie Parsons
- Thomas Perry
- Gillian White
- Minette Walters
Aga Saga
A phrase from the 1990s – novels based upon middle-class surroundings but with characters not immune to the emotional dilemmas that can confront us all!
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- Judy Astley
- Maeve Binchy
- Charlotte Bingham
- Amanda Brookfield
- Elizabeth Buchan
- Sarah Challis
- Victoria Clayton
- Marika Cobbold
-
- Rowan Coleman
- Annabel Dilke
- Anne Doughty
- Elizabeth Edmondson
- Patricia Fawcett
- Kate Fenton
- Sarah Harrison
- Ann Hood
-
- Kate Jacobs
- Kate Long
- Santa Montefiore
- Charlotte Moore
- Elizabeth Noble
- Rosamunde Pilcher
- Joanna Trollope
- Madeleine Wickham
Chick Lit
Stories written by young women and intended for other young women but many are fun to read whatever age you are!
-
- Louise Bagshawe
- Zoe Barnes
- Candace Bushnell
- Rowan Coleman
- Katie Fforde
- Helen Fielding
- Valerie Frankel
- Linda Green
-
- Wendy Holden
- Lisa Jewell
- Marian Keyes
- Sophie King
- Sophie Kinsella
- Kathy Lette
- Debbie Macomber
-
- Chris Manby
- Jill Mansell
- Carole Matthews
- Adele Parks
- Robyn Sisman
- Elizabeth Young
Chick Lit” for the more mature ladies!
More mature ladies who are juggling the demands of career and relationships – stories with an emphasis on friendship as well as romance.
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- Harriet Evans
- Katie Fforde
- Maeve Haran
- Kate Harrison
- India Knight
-
- Debbie Macomber
- Jill Mansell
- Adele Parks
- Tina Reilly
- Victoria Routledge
-
- Robyn Sisman
- Kate Thompson
- Polly Williams
Crime
Listed below are the numerous subgenres of the crime novel.
-
Amateur Sleuth
- Marian Babson
- Lilian Jackson Braun
- Simon Brett
- Kate Charles
- Agatha Christie
- Harlan Coben
- Natasha Cooper
- Ruth Dudley Edwards
- Dick Francis
- John Francombe
- Frances Fyfield
- Gerald Hammond
- Hazel Holt
- Roy Lewis
- MRD Meek
- Gwen Moffat
- Iain Pears
- Jenny Pitman
- Ann Purser
- Betty Rowlands
- Ian Sansom
- Veronica Stallwood
- Lin Anderson
- Patricia D Cornwell
- Jeffery Deaver
- Tess Gerritsen
- Kathy Reichs
- Karin Slaughter
- Jake Arnott
- Lawrence Block
- James Lee Burke
- Martina Cole
- James Ellroy
- Mandasue Heller
- Bill James
- Simon Kernick
- Roberta Kray
- Elmore Leonard
- Walter Mosley
- Chuck Palahniuk
-
Historical Crime
- Boris Akunin
- Alys Clare
- Lindsey Davis
- Paul Doherty
- Laurie R King
- Alanna Knight
- Deryn Lake
- Edward Marston
- Amy Myers
- Michael Pearce
- Anne Perry
- Ellis Peters
- CJ Sansom
- Steven Saylor
- Sara Paretsky
- Alexander McCall Smith
- Jacqueline Winspear
- Linda Fairstein
- John Grisham
- Jilliane Hoffman
- John T Lescroart
- Richard North Patterson
- Lisa Scottoline
- Scott Turow
- Private Investigators
- Kate Atkinson
- Robert Crais
- Robert Edric
- Liz Evans
- Meg Gardiner
- Sue Grafton
- Laura Lippman
- Catherine Aird
- Jeffrey Ashford
- Jo Bannister
- MC Beaton
- Mark Billingham
- Deborah Crombie
- Judith Cutler
- Colin Dexter
- Elizabeth George
- Caroline Graham
- Ann Granger
- Martha Grimes
-
- John Harvey
- Reginald Hill
- Susan Hill
- Graham Hurley
- PD James
- Peter James
- Quintin Jardine
- Lynda La Plante
- Stuart Pawson
- Ian Rankin
- Ruth Rendell
- Peter Robinson
- Sally Spencer
- Andrew Taylor
- RD Wingfield
- Michael Connelly
- WEB Griffin
- Faye Kellerman
- JD Robb
- John Sandford
- Jon Cleary
- Michael Dibdin
- David Hewson
- Donna Leon
- Henning Mankell
- Martin Cruz Smith
- Jane Adams
- Hilary Bonner
- John Connolly
- Mo Hayder
- Tami Hoag
- Morag Joss
- Val McDermid
- Elizabeth McGregor
- James Patterson
- Manda Scott
- Barbara Vine
- Minette Wa
lters
Fantasy
Fantasy – as opposed to Science Fiction – is based on magic or the supernatural and follows no scientific rules.
-
- Robert Asprin
- James Barclay
- Terry Brooks
- Eoin Colfer
- Stephen Donaldson
- David Eddings
- Raymond E Feist
- Neil Gaiman
- David Gemmell
-
- Terry Goodkind
- Robin Hobb
- Tom Holt
- JV Jones
- Robert Jordan
- Katharine Kerr
- Tanith Lee
- Garth Nix
- Christopher Paolini
-
- Terry Pratchett
- Phillip Pullman
- JK Rowling
- RA Salvatore
- JRR Tolkien
- Harry Turtledove
- Margaret Weis
- Janny Wurts
Glitz and Glamour
Modern novels around big business and entertainment
-
- Sally Beauman
- Celia Brayfield
-
- Jackie Collins
- Jilly Cooper
-
- Katie Price
- Penny Vincenzi
Historical Novels
Fictional characters set against a historical backdrop.
-
- Jean M Auel
- Geraldine Brooks
- Tracy Chevalier
- Bernard Cornwell
- Robert Edric
- Barbara Erskine
- Ken Follett
- Diana Gabaldon
- Amitav Ghosh
-
- Philippa Gregory
- Robert Harris
- Caroline Harvey
- Conn Iggulden
- Christian Jacq
- Kate Mosse
- Sharon Penman
- Edward Rutherfurd
- Simon Scarrow
-
- Manda Scott
- Wilbur Smith
- Reay Tannahill
- EV Thompson
- Kate Tremayne
- Alison Weir
- Robyn Young
Horror
Not for the faint-hearted! Some of these novels can be real chillers….
-
- Richard Bachman
- Clive Barker
- James Herbert
- Shaun Hutson
-
- Peter James
- Stephen King
- Richard Laymon
-
- Graham Masterton
- Phil Rickman
- Peter Straub
Humour
Novels written mainly to amuse
-
- Alan Bennett
- Mavis Cheek
- Jonathan Coe
- Roddy Doyle
- Michael Frayn
- Stephen Fry
-
- Charles Higson
- Tom Holt
- Garrison Keillor
- Marina Lewycka
- John Mortimer
- David Nobbs
-
- Tom Sharpe
- Linda Taylor
- Alan Titchmarsh
- Sandi Toksvig
- Lynne Truss
Saga
Popular genre often set in a historical background and telling the story of 2 or more generations of a family.
-
- Lyn Andrews
- Anne Baker
- Tessa Barclay
- Emma Blair
- Jessica Blair
- Barbara Taylor Bradford
- Anita Burgh
- Alexandra Connor
- Josephine Cox
- Margaret Thomson Davis
- Margaret Dickinson
- Elizabeth Elgin
- Pamela Evans
- Katie Flynn
- June Francis
- Christine Marion Fraser
- Sara Fraser
- Iris Gower
- Pip Granger
-
- Ruth Hamilton
- Rosie Harris
- Lilian Harry
- Billy Hopkins
- Una Horne
- Audrey Howard
- Susan Howatch
- Meg Hutchinson
- Sara Hylton
- Anna Jacobs
- Jeannie Johnson
- Joan Jonker
- Beryl Kingston
- Maureen Lee
- Judith Lennox
- Freda Lightfoot
- Beryl Matthews
- Connie Monk
- Annie Murray
-
- Gilda O’Neill
- Pamela Oldfield
- Lynda Page
- Elvi Rhodes
- Denise Robertson
- Susan Sallis
- Judith Saxton
- Rebecca Shaw
- Mary Jane Staples
- Danielle Steel
- Kay Stephens
- Jessica Stirling
- Rosie Thomas
- Nicola Thorne
- Adriana Trigiani
- Janet MacLeod Trotter
- Elizabeth Waite
- Marcia Willett
Science Fiction
Deals with the possible and is based to some extent on scientific knowledge.
-
- Douglas Adams
- Brian W Aldiss
- Poul Anderson
- Isaac Asimov
- Iain M Banks
- Stephen Baxter
- Greg Bear
- Ben Bova
-
- Ray Bradbury
- Arthur C Clarke
- Philip K Dick
- William Gibson
- Jon Courtenay Grimwood
- Robert Heinlein
- Anne McCaffrey
- Ian McDonald
-
- Richard Morgan
- Larry Niven
- Robert Rankin
- Alastair Reynolds
- HG Wells
- Tad Williams
- Robert Charles Williams
- John Wyndham
Sea Stories
Written against an historical or modern setting. These authors can be found both in the adventure and the war categories.
-
With a Historical Theme
- GS Beard
- David Donachie
- CS Forester
- Alexander Kent
- Jonathan Lunn
- Philip McCutchan
-
- James L Nelson
- Patrick O’Brian
- Dudley Pope
- Peter Smalley
- Julian Stockwin
- Brian Callison
- James H Cobb
-
- Duncan Harding
- Philip McCutchan
- Nicholas Monsarrat
- Dudley Pope
- Douglas Reeman
- Patrick Robinson
- Peter Tonkin
War
In both modern and historical settings. Also worth looking in the adventure & sea categories as there are other authors who set their books against a background of war too.
-
- Frank Barnard
- Francis Cottam
- Bernard Cornwell
- David Fiddimore
- George Macdonald Fraser
- Iain Gale
- WEB Griffin
-
- James Holland
- Richard Howard
- Garry Kilworth
- Andy McNab
- Alan Mallinson
- Robert Radcliffe
- David L Robbins
-
- Derek Robinson
- Chris Ryan
- Alan Savage
- Simon Scarrow
- Terence Strong
- Guy Walters
- John Wilcox
Authors who write under different names
Also writes as… Some authors write under more than one name. Sometimes they write in a different style but you may find some pearls you knew nothing about!
-
- Tessa Barclay
also writes as Jean Bowden - Sally Beauman
also writes as Vanessa James - Mark Billingham
also writes as Will Peterson - Lawrence Block…
also writes as Chip Harrison and Paul Kavanagh - Sam Bourne
also writes as Jonathan Freedland - Barbara Taylor Bradford…
also writes as Sally Bradford - Anita Burgh…
also writes as Annie Leith - Gwendoline Butler
also writes as Jennie Melville - Philippa Carr
also writes as Victoria Holt and Jean Plaidy - Kay Christopher
also writes as Grace Thompson - Alys Clare
also writes as Elizabeth Harris - Michael Clynes
also writes as Paul Doherty - Natasha Cooper
also writes as Kate Hatfield, Clare Layton and Daphne Wright - Bernard Cornwell
also writes as Susannah Kells - Josephine Cox
also writes as Jane Brindle - Elizabeth Darrell
also writes as Emma Drummond - Paul Doherty
also writes as Michael Clynes - David Donachie
also writes as Jack Ludlow - Liz Evans
also writes as Patricia Grey
- Tessa Barclay
-
- Katie Flynn
also writes asJudith Saxton and Judy Turner - Anthea Fraser
also writes as Vanessa Graham - Sara Fraser
also writes as Roy Clews - Frances Fyfield
also writes as Frances Hegarty - Lilian Harry
also writes as Donna Baker - Jack Higgins
also writes as James Graham,Hugh Marlowe and Harry Patterson - Caroline Harvey
also writes as Joanna Trollope - Robin Hobb…
also writes as Megan Lindholm - Victoria Holt…
also writes as Philippa Carr & Jean Plaidy - Evelyn Hood
also writes as Louise James - Meg Hutchinson…
also writes as Margaret Astbury - Louise James…
also writes as Evelyn Hood - Quintin Jardine…
also writes as Matthew Reid - Penny Jordan…
also writes as Caroline Courtney & Melinda Wright - Alexander Kent…
also writes as Douglas Reeman - Dean R Koontz
…also writes as KR Dwyer & Owen West - Deryn Lake…
also writes as Dinah Lampitt - Rosalind Laker…
also writes as Barbara Paul - Richard Laymon…
also writes as Richard Kelly - Freda Lightfoot…
also writes as Marion Carr - Jack Ludlow…
also writes as David Donachie - Jonathan Lunn…
also writes as Daniel Hall
- Katie Flynn
-
- Philip McCutchan
also writes as Duncan MacNeil - Mary Mackie…
also writes as Alex Andrews,Caroline Charles, Cathy Christopher and Susan Stevens - Jenny Melville…
also writes as Gwendoline Butler - Elizabeth Peters...
also writes as Barbara Michaels - Ellis Peters…
also writes as Edith Pargeter - Jean Plaidy…
also writes as Philippa Carr & Victoria Holt - Katie Price…
also writes as Jordan - Douglas Reeman…
also writes as Alexander Kent - Jean Saunders…
also writes as Sally Blake, Jean Innes & Rachel Moore - Judith Saxton…
also writes as Katie Flynn & Judy Turner - Kate Sedley…
also writes as Brenda Clarke - Jenny Siler…
also writes as Alex Carr - Ruth Rendell …also writes as Barbara Vine
- Phil Rickman
also writes as Will Kingdom - Jessica Stirling
also writes asCaroline Crosby& Hugh C Rae - Andrew Taylor
also writes as Andrew Saville & John Robert Taylor - E V Thompson …
also writes as James Munro - Grace Thompson …
also writes as Kay Christopher - Nicola Thorne …
also writes as Rosemary Ellerbeck & Katherine Yorke - Joanna Trollope …
also writes as Caroline Harvey - Barbara Vine …
also writes as Ruth Rendell - Marcia Willett …
also writes as Willa Marsh
- Philip McCutchan
Popular Authors
Top 50 Most Borrowed Fiction Authors from public libraries from July 2006 to June 2007
(based on figures published by the registrar of the Public Lending Right)
-
- James Patterson
- Josephine Cox
- Nora Roberts
- Danielle Steel
- Ian Rankin
- Bernard Cornwell
- Katie Flynn
- Michael Connelly
- Agatha Christie
- Anna Jacobs
- Patricia Cornwell
- Lyn Andrews
- Alexander McCall Smith
- John Grisham
- Ruth Rendell
- Harlan Coben
- Mary Higgins Clark
-
- Jodi Picoult
- Clive Cussler
- Martina Cole
- Jack Higgins
- Jeffrey Deaver
- Terry Pratchett
- Maeve Binchy
- Audrey Howard
- J D Robb
- Joan Jonker
- Tess Gerritsen
- Lilian Harry
- Anne Perry
- Meg Hutchinson
- Quintin Jardine
- Maureen Lee
- Anne Baker
-
- Charlotte Bingham
- Catherine Cookson
- Val McDermid
- Andy McNab
- Kathy Reichs
- Peter Robinson
- Freda Lightfoot
- Emma Blair
- Lesley Pearse
- Katie Fforde
- Virginia Andrews
- Robert Goddard
- Jonathan Kellerman
- Dean R Koontz
- Mary Jane Staples
- Susan Sallis
Most Borrowed Classic Authors
-
- Roald Dahl
- Enid Blyton
- Agatha Christie
- Georgette Heyer
- Beatrix Potter
- Jane Austen
- Daphne du Maurier
-
- Charles Dickens
- C S Lewis
- William Shakespeare
- J R R Tolkien
- A A Milne
- George Orwell
- Thomas Hardy
-
- Charlotte Bronte
- H G Wells
- Ernest Hemingway
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Anthony Trollope
- Arthur Conan Doyle
Some suggested alternatives to the top 20
-
James Patterson
Jeffery Deaver
Heather Graham
Jonathan Kellerman
Michael MarshallJosephine Coxtry
Harry Bowling
Katie Flynn
Sara Fraser
Ruth HamiltonNora Roberts
Virginia Andrews
Janet Dailey
Jude Deveraux
Linda HowardDanielle Steel
Barbara Taylor Bradford
Sara Hylton
Una-Mary Parker
LaVyrle SpencerIan Rankin
Lin Anderson
Gillian Galbraith
Allan Guthrie
Chris PalingBernard Cornwell
William Napier
Simon Scarrow
Jack Whyte
Robyn YoungKatie Flynn
Anne Baker
Josephine Cox
Ruth Hamilton
Lynda Page -
Michael Connelly
James Lee Burke
Harlan Coben
Dennis Lehane
Thomas PerryAgatha Christie
Natasha Cooper
Kerry Greenwood
Catriona McPherson
Jacqueline WinspearAnna Jacobs
Catrin Collier
Alexandra Connor
Katie Flynn
Annie MurrayPatricia Cornwell
Simon Beckett
Colin Cotterill
Lynn Hightower
Peter MayLyn Andrews
Anne Baker
June Francis
Ruth Hamilton
Joan JonkerAlexander McCall Smith
Kate Atkinson
Colin Cotterill
Tony Hillerman
Ian SansomJohn Grisham
Linda Davies
Gianrico Carofiglio
Jilliane Hoffman
Craig Holden -
Ruth Rendell
Morag Joss
Maureen O’Brien
Julie Parsons
June ThomsonHarlan Coben
Jeff Abbott
Linwood Barclay
Michael Connelly
Robert CraisMary Higgins Clark
Mitch Albom
Joy Fielding
Hilary Norman
Julie ParsonsJodi Picoult
Mitch Albom
Barabara Delinsky
Karen Joy Fowler
Elisabeth HydeClive Cussler
Duncan Falconer
James Pattinson
Justin Scott
James TwiningMartina Cole
Mandasue Heller
Roberta Kray
Lynda La Plante
Peter May
Prizewinners
In the UK there are about 30 literary prizes & awards that relate to fiction. Just a few of those are listed here – with the winners from 2000 onwards
Authors’ Club First Novel Award
As it suggests – a prize for the most promising new novel written by British authors
| 2000 | Anne Harries | Manly Pursuits |
| 2001 | Brian Clarke | The Stream |
| 2002 | Carl Tighe | Burning Worm |
| 2003 | Dan Rhodes | Timoleon Vieta Come Home |
| 2004 | Susan Fletcher | Eve Green |
| 2005 | Henry Shukman | Sandstorm |
| 2006 | Neil Griffiths | Betrayal in Naples |
| 2007 | Nicola Monaghan | The Killing Jar |
| 2008 | Segun Afolabi | Goodbye Lucille |
James Tait Black Memorial Prizes
In memory of a partner of A & C Black Ltd, these are the UK’s oldest continuous book awards. There are 2 prizes – best biography & best novel
| 2000 | Zadie Smith | White Teeth |
| 2001 | Sid Smith | Something Like a House |
| 2002 | Jonathan Franzen | The Corrections |
| 2003 | Andrew O’Hagan | Personality |
| 2004 | David Peace | GB 84 |
| 2005 | Ian McEwan | Saturday |
| 2006 | Cormac McCarthy | The Road |
| 2007 | Rosalind Belben | Our Horses in Egypt |
British Fantasy Awards
Winners are selected by members of the British Fantasy Society at their annual convention
| 2000 | Graham Joyce | Indigo |
| 2001 | China Mieville | Perdido Street Station |
| 2002 | Simon Clark | The Night of the Triffids |
| 2003 | China Mieville | The Scar |
| 2004 | Christopher Fowler | Full Dark House |
| 2005 | Stephen King | Dark Tower VII: Dark Tower |
| 2006 | Neil Gaiman | Anansi Boys |
| 2007 | Tim Lebbon | Dusk |
British Science Fiction Awards
Awarded annually after a ballot of members of the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA)
| 2000 | Mary Gentle | Ash: a Secret History |
| 2001 | Alastair Reynolds | Chasm City |
| 2002 | Christopher Priest | The Separation |
| 2003 | Jon Courtenay Grimwood | Felaheen |
| 2004 | Ian McDonald | River of Gods |
| 2005 | Geoff Ryman | Air |
| 2006 | Jon Courtenay Grimwood | End of the World Blues |
| 2007 | Ian McDonald | Brasyl |
Thumping Good Read Book Award
Now discontinued. Formerly awarded by WHSmith’s customers for the most “accessible and page-turning good read”. Recent enough to be of interest
| 2000 | Boris Starling | Storm |
| 2001 | Jeffery Deaver | The Empty Chair |
| 2002 | Mo Hayder | The Treatment |
| 2003 | Harlan Coben | Gone for Good |
Costa Book Awards
5 category of winners – best novel & best first novel
| 2001 1st Novel | Sid Smith | Something Like a House |
| 2001 Novel | Patrick Neate | Twelve Bar Blues |
| 2002 1st Novel | Norman Lebrecht | Song of Names |
| 2002 Novel | Michael Frayn | Spies |
| 2003 1st Novel | D B C Pierre | Vernon Little God |
| 2003 Novel | Mark Haddon | Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time |
| 2004 1st Novel | Susan Fletcher | Eve Green |
| 2004 Novel | Andrea Levy | Small Island |
| 2005 1st Novel | Tash Aw | Harmony Silk Factory |
| 2005 Novel | Ali Smith | The Accidental |
| 2006 1st Novel | Stef Penney | Tenderness of Wolves |
| 2006 Novel | William Boyd | Restless |
| 2007 1st Novel | Catherine O’Flynn | What Was Lost |
| 2007 Novel | A L Kennedy | Day |
| 2008 1st Novel | Sadie Jones | The Outcast |
| 2008 Novel | Sebastian Barry | Secret Scripture |
WHSmith Literary Award
This award looks also to have ceased. Begun in 1959 the winning titles represented the most outstanding contribution to literature. There were no age limits on the author and included foreign works in translation
| 2000 | Melvyn Bragg | Soldier’s Return |
| 2001 | Philip Roth | Human Stain |
| 2002 | Ian McEwan | Atonement |
| 2003 | Donna Tartt | Little Friend |
| 2004 | Richard Powers | Time of Our Singing |
| 2005 | Philip Roth | Plot Against America |
| 2006 | J K Rowling | Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince |
Man Booker Prize for Fiction
Novels must be written in English by a citizen of the UK, Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland
| 2000 | Margaret Attwood | Blind Assassin |
| 2001 | Peter Carey | True History of the Kelly Gang |
| 2002 | Yann Martel | Life of Pi |
| 2003 | D B C Pierre | Vernon God Little |
| 2004 | Alan Hollinghurst | Line of Beauty |
| 2005 | John Banville | The Sea |
| 2006 | Kiran Desai | Inheritance of Loss |
| 2007 | Anne Enright | The Gathering |
Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance
Melissa set up the criteria for the award before she died from cancer in 2006 and her husband launched it in 2007 - novels that can combine the elements of humour and love
| 2007 | Marian Keyes | Anybody Out There |
| 2008 | Lisa Jewell | 31 Dream Street |
Guardian First Book Award
Succeeds the Guardian Fiction Prize & now recognises & awards new writing – both fiction and non-fiction
| 2000 | Zadie Smith | White Teeth |
| 2001 | Chris Ware | Jimmy Corrigan: the Smartest Kid on Earth |
| 2002 | Jonathan Safran Foer | Everything is Illuminated |
| 2003 (non fic) | Robert Macfarlane | Mountains of the Mind |
| 2004 (non fic) | Armand Marie Leroi | Mutants |
| 2005 (non fic) | Alexander Masters | Stuart: a Life backwards |
| 2006 (non fic) | Yiyun Li | 1000 Years of Good Prayers |
| 2007 | Dinaw Mengestu | Children of the Revolution |
| 2008 (non fic) | Alex Ross | The Rest is Noise |
Romantic Novel of the Year
Organised by the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the award is for the best romantic novel of the year by a UK citizen
| 2000 | Maureen Lee | Dancing in the Dark |
| 2001 | Cathy Kelly | Someone Like You |
| 2002 | Philippa Gregory | The Other Boleyn Girl |
| 2003 | Sarah Mason | Playing James |
| 2004 | Jojo Moyes | Foreign Fruit |
| 2005 | Katharine Davies | A Good Voyage |
| 2006 | Erica James | Gardens of Delight |
| 2007 | Rosie Thomas | Iris and Ruby |
| 2008 | Freya North | Pillow Talk |
Crime Writers’ Association
Presented since 1955 by the association, there are awards for different genres of UK crime, thriller or spy writing. Here are listed the main Gold Dagger award and the Silver Dagger runner-ups & the Historical category. From 2006 the Gold dagger becomes the Duncan Lawrie Dagger – just to confuse!
| 2000 Gold | Jonathan Lethem | Motherless Brooklyn |
| 2000 Silver | Donna Leon | Friends in High Places |
| 2000 History | Gillian Linscott | Absent Friends |
| 2001 Gold | Henning Mankell | Sidetracked |
| 2001 Silver | Giles Blunt | Forty Words for Sorrow |
| 2001 History | Andrew Taylor | Office of the Dead |
| 2002 Gold | Jose C Samoza | Athenian Murders |
| 2002 Silver | James Crumley | Final Country |
| 2002 History | Sarah Waters | Fingersmith |
| 2003 Gold | Minette Walters | Fox Evil |
| 2003 Silver | Morag Joss | Half Broken Things |
| 2003 History | Andrew Taylor | American Boy |
| 2004 Gold | Sara Peretsky | Blacklist |
| 2004 Silver | John Harvey | Flesh & Blood |
| 2004 History | Barbara Cleverly | Damascened Blade |
| 2005 Gold | Arnaldur Indridason | Silence of the Grave |
| 2005 Silver | Barbara Nadel | Deadly Web |
| 2005 History | C J Sansom | Dark Fire |
| 2006 DLD | Ann Cleeves | Raven Black |
| 2006 History | Edward Wright | Red Sky Lament |
| 2007 DLD | Peter Temple | Broken Shore |
| 2007 History | Ariana Franklin | Mistress of the Art of Death |
| 2008 DLD | Frances Fyfield | Blood Frome Stone |
| 2008 History | Laura Wilson | Stratton’s War |
Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year
British crime fiction published for the first time in paperback. Began in 2005
| 2005 | Mark Billingham | Lazy Bones |
| 2006 | Val McDermid | Torment of Others |
| 2007 | Allan Guthrie | Two-way Split |
| 2008 | Stef Penney | Tenderness of Wolves |
Orange Broadband Prize
Founded in 1996 this award is open to women authors of any nationality as long as their entries have been published in the UK
| 2000 | Linda Grant | When I Lived in Modern Times |
| 2001 | Kate Grenville | Idea of Perfection |
| 2002 | Ann Pratchett | Bel Canto |
| 2003 | Valerie Martin | Property |
| 2004 | Andrea Levy | Small Island |
| 2005 | Lionel Shriver | We Need to Talk About Kevin |
| 2006 | Zadie Smith | On Beauty |
| 2007 | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Half of a Yellow Sun |
| 2008 | Rose Tremain | The Road Home |
Galaxy British Book Awards
Dubbed the Oscars of the book trade – there are a wide number of categories.
Some of the 2008 winners and short-listed nominees included here
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Galaxy Book of the Year 2008 Winner Ian McEwan On Chesil Beach |
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Book People Outstanding Achievement Award Winner J K Rowling |
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Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year Winner Khaled Hosseini A Thousand Splendid Suns |
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Reader’s Digest Author of the Year Winner Ian McEwan On Chesil Beach Shortlisted
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Sainsbury’s Popular Fiction Award Winner Kim Edwards Memory Keeper’s Daughter Shortlisted
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This page was last updated by Culture, Community & Rural Affairs on 29 July 2010. © Copyright Hampshire County Council 2010.