AWARDS - FROM THE GONCOURT FOR PETS TO THE BAD SEX.

A jury including the literary provocateur Michel Houellebecq has handed out a prize dubbed the "Goncourt for pets" to a novel about a hunt gone wrong.

Awarded by the French animal protection group 30 Millions d'Amis, "The Hunting Party" by 42-year-old Agnes Desarthe tells of a young man who is injured during a hunt, and while he awaits rescue falls into "conversation" with a wild rabbit about the meaning of life -- both animal or human. More

A memorial stone to writer and scholar CS Lewis (1898-1963),  best remembered for writing The Chronicles of Narnia, series  that has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, is to be placed in Poet's corner in Westminster Abbey Poet's Corner. More

For the first time ever two graphic novels have been shortlisted  for a prestigious Costa Book Award.

Nominated in the 'novel' category, Days Of Bagnold Summer by Joff Winterhart, is the story of a heavy metal-loving teenager forced to spend all summer with his mother and the other, nominated in the 'biography' category, Dotter Of Her Father's Eyes by Mary M and Bryan Talbot,  is a graphic novel biography of James Joyce's daughter.

The other books shorlisted for the £30,000 full prize to be announced on the 29th of January 2013 are ....

Novels

• Hilary Mantel for Bring Up The Bodies
• Stephen May for Life! Death! Prizes!
• James Meek for The Heart Broke In

First Novel

• JW Ironmonger for The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponde
• Jess Richards for Snake Ropes
• Francesca Segal for The Innocents
• Benjamin Wood for The Bellwether Revivals

Biography 

• Artemis Cooper for Patrick Leigh-Fermor: An Adventure
• Selina Guinness for The Crocodile By The Door: The Story Of A House, A Farm And A Family
• Kate Hubbard for Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household

Poetry 

• Sean Borodale for Bee Journal
• Julia Copus for The World’s Two Smallest Humans
• Selima Hill for People Who Like Meatballs
• Kathleen Jamie for The Overhaul

Children's

• Sally Gardner for Maggot Moon
• Diana Hendry for The Seeing
• Hayley Long for What’s Up With Jody Barton?
  Dave Shelton for A Boy And A Bear In A Boat. More

And finally ..... 

It's that time of year again, Yep, its time for the Bad Sex Awards (established "to draw attention to the crude and often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel – and to discourage it"). shortlist and ....

The two authors heavily tipped to take this years most coveted award have failed to make it even to this stage as neither JK Rowling for her first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy, nor EL James for her Fifty Shades trilogy has been nominated BUT the following have ....

• Back To Blood - Tom Wolfe
• The Yips - Nicola Barker: She smells of almonds, like a plump Bakewell pudding; and he is the spoon, the whipped cream, the helpless dollop of warm custard.
• The Adventuress: The Irresistible Rise And Fall Of Miss Cath Fox. - Nicholas Coleridge: In seconds the duke had lowered his trousers and boxers and positioned himself across a leather steamer trunk, emblazoned with the royal arms of Hohenzollern Castle. 'Give me no quarter,' he commanded. 'Lay it on with all your might.'
• Infrared - Nancy Huston
• Rare Earth - Paul Mason
• Noughties - Ben Masters: We got up from the chair and she led me to her elfin grot, getting amonst the pillows and cool sheets. We trawled each other's bodies for every inch of history.
• The Quiddity Of Self - Sam Mills
• The Divine Comedy - Craig Raine. More

I've included what I think are the 3 most funny/least sexy extracts, to view simply highlight OR to view more click on the link to the article.

And the winner is - drum roll please ...........

Infrared by Nancy Huston.

(Click HERE to read an extract.)