Shire, Oseman and Zevin shortlisted for Books Are My Bag Awards

Warsan Shire, Alice Oseman and Gabrielle Zevin are among authors shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Reader Awards.

The annual awards, sponsored by National Book Tokens and various publishers, see shortlists compiled by bookshops in the UK and Ireland before being put out to a public vote. The shortlist judging panel comprises David Coates (Blackwell’s Manchester), Alex Call (Bert’s Books), Helen Tamblyn-Saville (Wonderland Bookshop), Juliet Johnson (Foyles Charing Cross Road) and Gaby Lee (Waterstones).

This year’s shortlist has a strong female presence, with the fiction category entirely made up of female authors. In the running are Heaven by Mieko Kawakami (Pan Macmillan), Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson (HarperCollins), Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (Pan Macmillan) and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Zevin (Vintage).

In non-fiction, Stu Hennigan is nominated for Ghost Signs (Bluemoose Books), up against Otherlands: A World in the Making by Dr Thomas Halliday (Penguin), The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye (Penguin) and Without Warning and Only Sometimes by Kit de Waal (Headline).

Shire has been nominated for her début collection Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in her Head (Vintage) in the poetry category. She is up against The Fire People: A Collection of British Black and Asian Poetry by Lemn Sissay (Canongate), Limbic by Peter Scalpello (Cipher Press) and 100 Queer Poems edited by Mary Jean Chan and Andrew McMillan (Vintage).

In YA fiction there are nods for All That’s Left in the World by Erik J Brown (Hachette Children’s Group), I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (Pan Macmillan), The King is Dead by Benjamin Dean (Simon & Schuster) and When Our Worlds Collided by Danielle Jawando (Simon & Schuster).

The Children’s category includes Grimwood: Let the Fur Fly by Nadia Shireen (Simon & Schuster), Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll (Knights Of), Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell (Walker Books) and Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A F Steadman (Simon & Schuster).

McNicoll said:  “I’m staggered and speechless at Like a Charm’s Readers Award nomination. The support from booksellers has been what has kept me going during a very tumultuous two years and I never want to take it for granted. It is also so thrilling to see my fantasy début get this kind of recognition. I’m amazed and emotional.”

Zevin added: “I love shortlists! A longlist is fine, too, and certainly has dramatic tension in its favour. But, if given the option, I will always proceed directly to the shortlist. This particular shortlist is a great honour because it has been chosen by booksellers. I feel I’ve done a good job when I’ve impressed the booksellers.”

The winners will be announced on 8th November at an awards ceremony at Foyles on Charing Cross Road, hosted by Radzi Chinyanganya. Author and journalist Anna James will be providing behind-the-scenes content on the night from her social media channels.