Harry casts spell over book awards
Harry casts spell over book awards
Also In The News
|
Sharon Stone may be in her late 40s but she still seems to have what it takes to set male pulses racing. |  |
Thursday, 30, Mar 2006 01:02
Not content with smashing every publishing record in the book and cleaning up at the box office on both sides of the Atlantic, Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has landed another major accolade.
The sixth book in the bestselling series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was named WH Smith book of the year at the British Book Awards last night.
At a glittering ceremony at London's Grovesnor House hotel, Rowling expressed her surprise, a sentiment echoed by many, at how well the schoolboy wizard's jaunts had been received by adults as well as children.
"I’m delighted that Harry Potter continues to give so much pleasure to adults and children, and I’m honoured to receive this award," she said.
"I’m enjoying writing the last book in the series and it’s coming along nicely."
However, in a move bound to lower her stock further in the eyes of the Christian community, with fundamentalist elements in both the UK and US criticising the series for glorifying wizardry, she added: "Jesus Christ, thanks for the royalties."
Other high-profile winners at last night's awards included celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who won an outstanding achievement award for his Jamie's School Dinners book and series; Alan Bennett, who scooped author of the year; and Sharon Osborne, who was rewarded for her best-selling autobiography.
Ashes hero and stand-in England cricket captain Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff won the best sports book award for his autobiography, Being Freddie.
Legendary spy writer John Le Carre would perhaps have been slightly less happy to win the play.com TV and film book of the year award for The Constant Gardener, given that his novel pre-dated the Bafta-winning film by four years.
Award winners in full
W H Smith Book of the Year
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
J. K. Rowling (Bloomsbury)
Reader’s Digest Author of the Year
Alan Bennett (Faber and Faber/Profile Books)
Amazon Biography of the Year
Sharon Osbourne Extreme: My Autobiography
(Time Warner)
Red House Children’s Book of the Year
Ark Angel
Anthony Horowitz (Walker Books)
Worldbooks Crime Thriller of the Year
The Take
Martina Cole (Headline)
Borders/Books etc History Book of the Year
Auschwitz
Laurence Rees (BBC)
Waterstone’s Newcomer of the Year
Marina Lewycka
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (Viking)
Sainsbury’s Popular Fiction Award
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Audrey Niffenegger (Vintage)
Tesco Sports Book of the Year
Being Freddie
Andrew Flintoff (Hodder)
play.com TV & Film Book of the Year
The Constant Gardener
John le Carré (Hodder)
deciBel Writer of the Year
26a
Diana Evans (Chatto & Windus)
Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year
Labyrinth
Kate Mosse (Orion)
Outstanding Achievement Award
Jamie Oliver