British Book Awards winners: From first-time writers to a teenage activist and a skincare guru

Douglas Stuart’s dazzling debut won the Booker Prize in 2020 and has now won Overall and Debut Book of the Year at the British Book Awards.

Set in Eighties Glasgow, this is the unforgettable story of young Hugh “Shuggie” Bain, who spends his pivotal years in run-down public housing. Exploring Thatcher’s politics, this is a heartbreaking story of addiction, love and sexuality. Portrayals of working-class families are rarely seen in fiction, so for Stuart to do so in such a powerful way is particularly noteworthy. Following Shuggie and his mother, it’s a story that's hard to forget – it’s intimate, challenging and compassionate.

Read our review of the title in our guide to the best novels of 2020.

Maggie O’Farrell was crowned 2020’s Women’s Prize for Fiction winner for her eighth book, Hamnet, the heartbreaking story behind one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. Through impeccable and emotional prose, it’s a fictional account of the short life of the Bard’s son, Hamnet, who died at the age of 11. At its very core, it’s a novel of love and loss and speaks of grief and how people find their way through it. Written with raw honesty, Hamnet showcases O’Farrell’s versatility. 

Read our review in our guide to what the IndyBest team read and loved during lockdown.

The hype for Delia Owen’s debut novel has been immense – it was one of Amazon’s bestselling books of 2020 and featured in the first season of the Duchess of Cornwall’s book club, The Reading Room. Equal parts murder mystery, coming-of-age novel, and a celebration of nature, it’s set in date-jumbling and tension-building order from 1952 to 1970. The story follows Kya Clarke, from age six to 25, as she grows up in a North Carolina swamp after being abandoned by her family. But, after years of being alone, she pines for touch and love, and as two boys from the local town become intrigued by her, she opens up to the idea of a new life. Then, the unimaginable happens. Driven by character and with a poignant sense of place and time, Where the Crawdads Sing is the story of a community beset by tragedy. Certainly one to add to your reading list.

The latest book to be published under JK Rowling’s pseudonym Robert Galbraith is the fifth novel in the acclaimed Cormoran Strike crime series. Troubled Blood follows Strike and Ellacott as they attempt to solve the mystery of a serial killer that’s more than four decades old.

Taking the crown for non-fiction Book of the Year is an impressive feat for established writers, but winning the category as a teenager is exemplary. Seventeen-year-old author Dara McAnulty triumphed over Sir Captain Tom Moore and Barack Obama for his book Diary of a Young Naturalist.

The title follows the teenage star of BBC’s Countryfile as he opens up about his autism and love for the natural world, providing practical advice, knowledge about British wildlife and hope for the future in this deeply felt memoir.

If you’re a fan of all things beauty, you’re likely to already have Caroline Hirons on your radar. Her no-nonsense approach to everything from SPF to make-up means she’s garnered a cult following. Hirons released this book in the summer of 2020 and it was the first beauty title to top The Sunday Times Bestsellers list in 18 years.

The book provides you with all the knowledge you’d ever need about skincare. In her matter-of-fact way, Hirons puts straight everything that works, and doesn’t, in the world of beauty.

Want to find out if her recommendations work? We tried her skincare routine.

In a year of worrying events, many of us have reached for books and audiobooks for some self help, so it comes as no surprise that Jay Shetty’s manual has been recognised. Think Like a Monk features the popular vlogger and podcaster sharing wisdom he gained when he was a practising Vedic monk. The audiobook is read by the author himself.

For more recommendations, read our guide to the best self-help books.

Essential reading for kids, this title is a revised version of Black and British: A Forgotten History for young readers and provides an invaluable history of Black people's experiences of living in the British Isles. Ranging from the stories of Roman Africans who guarded Hadrian’s Wall, right up to the multicultural society of the present day, it asks thought-provoking questions.

This picture book is set on the last journey of the royal train known as The Highland Falcon and is the latest title in the Adventures on Trains series. Harrison Beck joins his travel writer uncle Nat on a train journey to Scotland, and, when a priceless brooch goes missing, things get even more interesting.