“The Costa Awards is one of the UK’s most prestigious and popular literary prizes and recognises some of the most enjoyable books of the year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.”
Here are the shortlists for the awards for best novel and best first novel.
Novel:
Bring Up the Bodies (M) 
 by Hilary Mantel
Life! Death! Prizes! (M) 
 by Stephen May
The Heart Broke In (M)
by James Meek
Days of the Bagnold Summer (M) 
by Joff Winterhart

First Novel:
The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder (M) 
by J.W. Ironmonger
Snake Ropes (M)
by Jess Richards

The Innocents (M)
by Francesca Segal
The Bellwether Revivals (M)
 by Benjamin Wood

Last year’s winners were for best novel: Pure (M) by Andrew Miller, and for best first novel: Tiny Sunbirds Far Away (M) by Christie Watson.

Source: http://www.thereader.ca/2012/11/2012-costa-award-finalists.html