British Book Awards

Some books to add to the reading list:

It was Ian McEwan's day at last. Unexpectedly overlooked by both the Man Booker and Costa Prizes, his latest best-selling novel, On Chesil Beach, finally came up trumps on the awards circuit - picking up two honours at the same ceremony.

J K Rowling stole the main headlines - given an outstanding achievement award and praised by the Prime Minister - On Chesil Beach was named Galaxy Book of the Year at the British Book Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

In an otherwise bad year for the author - the film adaptation of another of his novels, Atonement, was snubbed at this year's Oscars, McEwan himself was also Reader's Digest Author of the Year.

Though the awards run by the publishing trade, known as the Nibbies, do not have the same literary prestige as the Man Booker and Costas (formerly the Whitbreads), they are the only awards voted for by both the book-buying public and publishers and booksellers.

To win the author of the year title, McEwan beat the veteran novelist Doris Lessing who was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who appeared in Atonement, accepted the book of the year prize on MeEwan's behalf.

One of the night's major prizes, the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year - named in honour of the power of their Channel 4 books programme to promote reading and book sales - was won by Afghanistan-born writer Khaled Hosseini for his novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

His second book, written after the success of his debut novel the Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which is set in Afghanistan, has sold more than 700,000 copies, making it the best-selling book of the year so far.

Presented with his prize by David Morrissey, Imogen Stubbs and Marie Helvin, Hosseini said: "It's a tremendous honour for me to have won and to see that A Thousand Splendid Suns has been so warmly received in the UK."

The award was decided entirely by public voting. Lloyd Jones's novel Mister Pip, came second and Blood River, an account by Tim Butcher, Middle East correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, of retracing the steps of the 19th century explorer, Henry Morton Stanley, along the entire length of the Congo river, was voted third.

The TV and radio presenter Russell Brand won the Tesco Biography of the Year for My Booky Wook.

The American crime writer Patricia Cornwell won the Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year.
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman picked up the Play.com Popular Non-Fiction Award for their travel book, Long way Down, about their 15,000 journey on motorbikes from John O'Groats to Cape Town.

The Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell presented the best-selling children's author Francesca Simon with the WH Smith Children's Book of the Year for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman.