Find out who the winners of the Costa Book Awards 2014

Phew... After several months of having to keep schumm about which book my fellow Costa judges and I picked as our overall winner in the First Novel category, I'm finally allowed to reveal that it's the brilliant Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey. Reading through the 90 plus books entered for this category in the Costa Book Awards 2014 with me were novelist Maggie O'Farrell and Joe Haddow, who produces Simon Mayo's Book Club on Radio 2. We argued plenty during our judging session (in a good natured way, of course) but one thing we agreed on was how much we all loved Elizabeth Is Missing. This very special book about an elderley woman with dementia who is convincved something has happened to her best friend defies classification. It's clever, moving, very funny and gripping from start to finish.

Other shortlisted books include the innovative How To Be Both by Ali Smith and H Is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald, a gorgeously-written memoir about loss. The poetry category was won by a joyful collection of poems called My Family and Other Superheroes from teacher Jonathan Edwards and the children's prize was taken by Kate Saunders for Five Children On The Western Front.

Look out for the overall winner on 27 January...