About

This is the weblog of the 2009 Galaxy British Book Awards, the most prestigious event in the UK book calendar, celebrating the best books and authors in Britain.  J K Rowling, who received her first Nibbie ten years earlier for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and who went on to collect another three over the intervening years, collected her fifth Nibbie last year when she was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Grosvenor House on 9th April. The first ever Galaxy Book of the Year went to Ian McEwan for On Chesil Beach and there was little surprise when Khaled Hosseini stepped up to the stage to collect the coveted Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year for A Thousand Splendid Suns. Catherine O’Flynn was also a popular choice as Newcomer of the Year for the word-of-mouth success of her first novel, What Was Lost. Once again at the Nibbies the array of celebrity presenters was eye-catching in the extreme and right across the spectrum from Lord Attenborough to Geri Halliwell, comedian Alan Carr and actors Ruth Jones and Joanna Page from Gavin and Stacey to David Morrissey, Imogen Stubbs, Marie Helvin. Thre was also a personal message from Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the big screen to the Harry Potter creator: “What you have achieved is indeed magic.”.