I loaded it onto my e-reader, sat down with a cup of tea and started reading. My mind was blown. I always knew she could write, but this was crafted. And beautifully so. I felt like I’d just found the next Deborah Levy or Alison Moore. Now it’s finished, she’ll go onto the next stage of editing and shaping it up for literary agents. But I feel incredibly privileged to have had the first glimpse. Finishing a novel is such an impressive achievement; I’m in awe of people that have done it because it takes so much patience and dedication. I remember the late night frustrations and self-doubt, but to persevere and produce a brilliant piece of work is an incredible feat. It makes me think I’d like to achieve something great like that in my lifetime. I just need the self-discipline first!

So here’s to Daisy Johnson, a new talent to watch. Peter Hoeg would be proud.

Not only does the old knight fit the bill thanks to his, ahem, corpulent frame, but he’s a prime example of a character so vibrant and full of potential that they live on beyond the original writer’s work.

Glyndebourne’s programme this year includes Verdi’s comic opera Falstaff. The first performance was on Sunday 19th but it will be available to watch at your local cinema or streamed online on 17th June. Full details here and a snippet of a trailer:

If opera doesn’t happen to be your thing, you could also check out Robert Nye’s imagining of Falstaff’s memoirs instead.

Lesley Crooks, Sales & Digital Manager

Because it is a thing of beauty. Publishers are now paying much more attention to making hardbacks covetable items you will want on your bookshelf. Textured covers, special foils, ribbon markers, and other high-spec finishes that were previously limited to specials limited editions, are now becoming standard practice.

With an ebook you can’t enjoy the rubbery feel of a super-matt cover (my current book fetish) or admire the intricate design on a printed bookcase and suddenly paying extra for the hardback starts making much more sense. James pointed out the new trend he’s seeing (and loving)…super matt with glossy embossing. And indeed, when Rachel Caine and I visited Waterstones in Leicester, the manager there recommended The Shining Girls, by Lauren Beukus, sporting exactly that, a super-matt black background with shiny golden embossed (raised) text. We stroked it admiringly…

Despite the fact that Rachel travels with her ipad, enjoys reading ebooks and was going to be travelling back to Texas with little space in her luggage, the hardback was purchased without a moment’s thought. Hardback 1 – Ebook – 0.

Chiara Priorelli, Publicity & Online Marketing Manager

I was bouncing around the bookshop with glee that there was a third book, but also secretly scolding myself for having lost track of such a great series. The rule isn’t set in stone, but if I like one book by a particular author I will probably like their other books too. I’m all for exciting new authors but I’ve decided I must explore more books by authors I already love, keeping track of their work, otherwise I could end up missing out on a wonderful read like The Prisoner of Heaven. Point in case – I’ve already finished it, and it was awesome.

Sophie Robinson, Publishing Assistant

It was held at the Royal Society and open to the public for, I think, the first time this year. After a lively panel covering everything from organic ships in space within a hundred years, gravitational wave detection, the objects that will define the future, and back to organic ships in space, we got down to the serious business of presenting the award. It went to Dark Eden by Chris Beckett, more on which later.

Walking around the drinks reception afterwards, there were a host of famous faces from the science fiction and fantasy world, authors including Nick Harkaway, Juliet E McKenna, and Jeff Noon, and agents and editors that I recognised from Twitter, though I must admit I was too nervous to speak to any of them, and just stood in a corner quietly drinking until scuttling off home. (We haven’t quite reached the stage where it’s socially acceptable to go up to someone and say, po-faced and deadpan, ‘I really liked your tweet on Wednesday the 24th at sixteen minutes past three’ – but when we have, the world will be a better place.)

The thing about the Clarke Award, what makes it different from many of the other mainstream science fiction and fantasy awards, is that it’s decided by a panel of judges. A lot of the other awards decide their winners by votes from their members, and they often choose superb books, but these books tend to be relatively mainstream. Yet the Clarke Award frequently champions those books which have gone under the radar, often from smaller publishers like we are, and gives them all the recognition they deserve.

Last year’s winner – The Testament of Jessie Lamb, by Jane Rogers – was a book I hadn’t heard of, by an author I hadn’t heard of, and of a type I don’t usually read, Young Adult fiction. Yet I went and bought a copy after it won the award, and discovered a fantastic, brilliant and moving book, that I would otherwise have missed entirely. I’ve yet to read this year’s winner, having relapsed into reading Proust to get through many long train journeys, but it’s another book that had completely escaped my attention, and yet I’m fully expecting it to be as fantastic as The Testament of Jessie Lamb was.

Which just goes to show that sometimes you shouldn’t just stick to authors or books you’ve heard of, in genres or categories that you usually read, but occasionally try something a little different, something you’ve never heard of before, because, every once in a while, it could turn out to be a gem. So why not have a browse through our catalogue, and pick something you wouldn’t usually read but which has got cracking reviews, and you never know, it could turn out to be the best thing you’ve read in ages!

George Alabaster, currently doing work experience at A&B

I’m heading off to San Francisco tomorrow morning (I know, lucky me) and whilst this holiday has been in the pipeline for some time, what with the excitement of the Fall of Night Book Tour which has seen me travelling around the country with Rachel Caine (author of the Morganville Vampires series) this San Fran trip has snuck up on me.

I do know I’ll be having breakfast at Mama’s, trying to book a table at the famed Chez Panisse restaurant (which hopefully will reopen while I’m there after a recent fire) and staying at a lovely B&B in Napa Valley, Hennessey House, which boasts a gourmet breakfast, complimentary afternoon tea and a wine and cheese tasting session in the evening.  You can clearly see where my priorities lie.

But as for preparing for the rest of the trip… luckily, I’ve been able to turn to our own A&B authors for help!

Jacqueline Winslear (author of the Maisie Dobbs mystery series) told me what to pack. She lives in Marin County, just over the Golden Gate Bridge and has confirmed that summer does exist in other parts of the globe. I can confidently put away my puffa coat and pack my sandals.

Rachel Caine recommended a hotel.  She said I should at least visit, or indeed stay at, the Queen Anne Hotel, which apparently is beautiful and one of the few examples of original buildings in San Francisco from the turn of the century.

Michael Bond (creator of Paddington Bear and the author of the Monsieur Pamplemousse series) sorted out a gift for my cousin who I will be visiting. He did me the great honour of signing a copy of The Paddington Bear Treasury for the Very Young for her little daughter.  (Yes, there are certainly wonderfully special perks to working in publishing).

And Laurie R King (author of the Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series) is acting as my city-guide. Her website features useful links about San Francisco, where her other Kate Martinelli series, is set. It even includes Laurie’s  own audio tour of the city!

They’re a useful bunch our authors, and not just because they write wonderful books!

Chiara Priorelli, Publicity & Online Marketing Manager

On Monday night I was lucky to be invited by our distribution friends at Turnaround to go to the Bookseller Industry Awards. Frock donned and sporting heels that kindly decided not to give me any jip, I tripped off to the Hilton Park Lane to join in the general sense of congratulation.

And while I tried to work out who was doing the category announcements (the voice of the National Lottery, I eventually realised), there were some heartening success stories. Foyles snatched the National Bookseller of the Year gong for the second year running. The future of bookselling seems to be in hale and hearty condition if the contenders for the Sue Butterworth Young Bookseller award are anything to go by. And while the libraries sector faces challenge upon challenge, the quality among those shortlisted for Library of the Year title was so strong that the Devon and Dundee services were joint winners.

And to round the night off nicely, my on-going quest for an early Books Are My Bag tote bag was finally successful!

Lesley Crooks, Sales & Digital Manager

A good example of a book that would have stumped me is A Little Murder, by Suzette A. Hill. Fellow author and Guardian crime reviewer, Laura Wilson, aptly describes the new novel as ‘a perfect mixture of funny and acerbic, with a cast of colourful characters and a school of well-deployed red herrings…wholly delightful.‘ And indeed it is. But how do you capture this on a cover – mystery and humour, crime and a bit of fun, all rolled into one?

Well, here’s how…

In order to reveal the thought-process behind the design, here’s what Christina had to say about it:

The cover is ‘two tone’ and features the shadow of the murder weapon in order to maintain a vague sense of stylistic continuity with Suzette A Hill’s  previous Francis Oughterard mystery series whilst still creating a new look. As the book’s cast of characters is quite large I felt there would be no point in randomly choosing one or two for the cover and opted to represent  the murder location instead, something I imagine would be also an easier constant to maintain in future books across the series. The retro typeface points to the action taking place in the 50s.  The full moon was a late addition as a device to make the lovely quote from Simon Brett more prominent but actually works quite well in the context of the image.

So that’s how you do it, people.

Chiara Priorelli, Publicity & Online Marketing Manager

Only the day before this mini-break, I happened to stumble across some Internet gold which made me love the city even more. I Loves the ‘Diff is an online shop celebrating all things Welsh and Cardiffian, and their Taffywood greetings cards, designed to look like Welsh takes on classic novels or films, are genius:

My favourites have to be Cwtch-22, Apocalypse Now In A Minute and From By ‘Ere to Eternity. I’m now racking my brains for Welshified versions of my favourite reads – book puns, anyone?

Sara Magness, Editorial Administrator

I definitely want a print book rather an e-book, as my Sony E-reader is quite hard to read in bright sunlight. I think also a paperback, as they’re easier to read when you’re lounging on your side – which rules out Shift by Hugh Howey and Dan Brown’s Inferno, which are on my ‘to read’ list.

The books I’m reading at the moment won’t do either – our very own Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet is so good I will have finished it by this weekend. And non-fiction book The Emperor of All Maladies is a bit heavy for holiday reading.

So my search begins for an engrossing chunky paperback, perhaps a thriller or Alan Hollinghurst-esqe. I’m slightly kicking myself for not saving Gone Girl for my holidays. Any suggestions?

Sophie Robinson, Publishing Assistant