The British Book Awards (sponsored by chocolate maker Galaxy and nicknamed The Nibbies) were announced a few days back. And the winners are:Author of the YearThe award celebrates best selling authors and the shortlist for each category can be found here and pictures of the winners here.
Richard Dawkins - The God Delusion
Biography of the Year
Peter Kay - The Sound of Laughter
Children's Book of the Year
Ricky Gervais* - Flanimals of the Deep
Book of the Year
Conn and Hal Iggulden - The Dangerous Book For Boys
Crime Thriller of the Year
Ian Rankin - The Naming of the Dead
Newcomer of the Year
Victoria Hislop - The Island
Popular Fiction Award
Marian Keyes - Anybody Out There
Sports Book of the Year
Steven Gerrard - Gerrard: My Autobiography
TV & Film Book of the Year
Lauren Weisberger - The Devil Wears Prada
Decibel Writer of the Year
Jackie Kay - Wish I Was Here
Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year
Jed Rubenfeld - The Interpretation of Murder
Lifetime Achievement Award
John Grisham
*I am so out of touch with things British, living here, that I didn't know that Ricky Gervais (who you might have seen in Extras on BBC Entertainment) is also a children's author and the creator of Flanimals. (I love Extras!)
12 comments:
On a completely different note, has anyone here read this book, Where Monsoons Meet: A People's History of Malaysia? Supposedly a progressive take on Malaysian history told as a comic book. Out of print.
That should be "Malaya"
I'd never heard of it before! But I was at a seminar recently where everyone seemed familiar with it (but no one had an extant copy, hmmm).
interesting, amir. i haven't heard of it. it might be an idea to contact the publishers and see if they can help.
and there are some copies on good old abebooks and not too expensive.
That's a different book, actually. Same title but different subtitle, author and decade of publication. The cartoon one was certainly never taught in Malayan schools either; too subversive.
I duly contacted the publisher, who wants to re-release it in time for the Merdeka month.
you sure it isn't an adaptation of the first book? bit silly to give the same title to two totally different books!
keep us informed about the new edition, amir. i'd like to buy a copy and also am happy to blog about it.
amir - i think the 2nd book listed, 1979 edition may be the one you're talking about. but there's just one copy.
and the titles are slightly different
Bib, is Ricky Gervais the same one who acts in and writes for the hilarious TV series "The Office" perchance?
If yes, I'm not surprised. One has to be crazily inventive to pen such a laugh-out-loud series.
probably argus lou. i missed the series. there are big gaps in my education and before we got bbc entertainment i never used to watch tv. now i'm glued!
Argus: Yep, that's Ricky Gervais in The Office (which, by the way, is way better than the American spin-off! Steve Carell can NOT do a Ricky Gervais). It's brilliant, isn't it? He's a legend over here.
Sharon: You MISSED The Ofice?! Blasphemy! :) The only episode of Extras I ever watched was the one with Patrick Stewart, where he made fun of himself as a pervert. Ricky Gervais's humour is...rather unique, I find. My friends have described it as "painfully funny" :P
Re: The List
Where's the punch line?
painfully funny is right. the humour of embarrassment and failure. love it.
"Painfully funny" is so apt, Angry M. Hail my anti-hero, Ricky Gervais! He brings forth the silliness, pettiness and folly in the 21st century office so well. I could recognise myself, my bosses and colleagues in the series. And Gervais has only exaggerated things by a smidgen. (Oh, the horror, yes.)
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