Hollinghurst, Moran, French win at Galaxy awards

Alan Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child (Picador) which was controversially omitted from this year's Man Booker shortlist, has been lauded at the Galaxy National Book Awards at a night which saw Jackie Collins, Caitlin Moran and Dawn French winners.

Hollinghurst was awarded the Waterstone's UK Author of the Year Award at the ceremony on Friday night (4th November), beating competition from poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Man Booker winner Julian Barnes.

Goddess of Vengeance author Jackie Collins was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award for a writing career spanning over four decades. She said: "It is always nice to have your work recognised and I am delighted to be the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award—I am a storyteller who is passionate about what I do, so thank you to everyone and keep reading!"

Caitlin Moran, who received the More4 Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year with her feminist bestseller How to be A Woman (Ebury), beating scientist Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe. She said: "Brian Cox may have the Wonders of the Universe to play with—but I had the contents of my bra and pants and, ultimately, they were obviously the more mysterious and awesome. I'm thrilled that I've beaten off Cox to win this prize. Also, winning appears to make me look thinner. Thank you."

Emma Donoghue's Room was a second win for Picador, winning the W H Smith Paperback of the Year, while Dawn French took home the Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year for A Tiny Bit Marvellous (Penguin). She said "I am equally gobsmacked and delighted about this award. Not too shabby considering I'm still not 100% sure where the apostrophe should go."

Claire Tomalin was awarded the Daily Telegraph Biography of the Year for her biography of Charles Dickens (Viking), while cookery writer and chef Simon Hopkinson took home the Food and Drink Book of the Year for The Good Cook (BBC Books).

The inaugural audible.co.uk Audiobook of the Year went to Louise Young's First World War novel My Dear I Wanted to Tell You (HarperCollins) read by Dan Stevens, who plays Matthew Crawley in "Downton Abbey".

Patrick Ness took home the National Book Tokens Children's Book of the Year for A Monster Calls (Walker) while Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Jennifer Egan won the International Author of the Year for A Visit from the Goon Squad (Corsair).

This year’s Galaxy New Writer of the Year Award went to Sarah Winman for her debut When God was a Rabbit (Headline Review), while debut novelist S J Watson beat Martina Cole, Ian Rankin and Robert Harris to Crime and Thriller of the Year for Before I Go to Sleep (Doubleday).

Amanda Ross, from Cactus TV, which staged the event, said: "It was very gratifying to see so many of our TV Book Club picks nominated by the very well qualified 750 strong Book Awards Academy, it gives our picks gravitas, but it was even more thrilling to see two of them win awards. Jennifer Egan's A Visit From The Goon Squad and Emma Donoghue's Room were two of my personal favourites from the club last year, so I'm delighted their wins will bring them to an even wider audience."

The public are now invited to vote online for their Galaxy Book of the Year from the 11 winners. Voting will close on 20th December, with the winner announced on 21st December.

"Booked— tars of the Galaxy National Book Awards" will will be broadcast from 13th November to 18th December on More4.