Alice Swan, Associate Publisher (Children’s)

I’m recommending:

I have been recommending Songlight by Moira Buffini (Faber) to anyone who will listen . . . it is a book in a class of its own and is the perfect holiday read because it is SUCH a page turner. Set in a far-flung future where some human beings have developed telepathy, it has layer upon layer of irresistible plot and becomes cinematic in its scope. It’s fiercely political, it’s deeply romantic and, despite its setting, it gets us to ask vital questions of the here and now. The icing on the cake is that the writing is utterly exquisite. It’s the first book in what promises to be the trilogy of the decade!

I’m looking forward to reading:

I have started and am very much looking forward to reading more of Clear by Carys Davies. Recommended to me numerous times, it has the precision and beauty (and lovely short length!) of a Claire Keegan. Set on a remote Scottish island in the 1800s, it is a drama of both minute and epic proportions. It will leave you both afraid of and yearning for a simple life.

Mo Hafeez, Commissioning Editor, non-fiction

I’m recommending:

The Naked Don’t Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins (Fitzcarraldo). In Afghanistan, a young man named Omar takes the decision to flee his own country, bidding farewell to his family and friends; Aikins, a Canadian-American journalist, joins him to traverse the underground refugee trail from Kabul to Athens, Greece. As they fall in with other refugees, smugglers and activists, attempting to cross borders and avoid those who would rather see them abandoned or dead, a vision emerges – that of the reality that millions of refugees have faced within the last decade. Defined as much by empathy and hope as it is by fear and desperation, this is a truly outstanding work of non-fiction that sheds light on one of the major issues of our time.

I’m looking forward to reading:

How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti (Vintage). I recently tagged along with some friends to hear Sheila Heti speak at the Southbank Centre in the wake of the publication of her latest book, Alphabetical Diaries (Fitzcarraldo). What struck me most was how she intentionally – and playfully – blurred the lines between non-fiction and fiction, between what constitutes a story and what constitutes ‘a life’, and asked whether this difference actually means anything substantive. Having never read Heti before, I asked one of my friends for a recommendation. She pointed me towards this, her breakthrough novel, which follows the narrator, Sheila, as she unpicks her life as a twenty-something woman in an attempt to answer that titular question.

Jess Kim, Deputy Marketing Director

I’m recommending:

Two perfect summer escapes, one non-fiction, one fiction: All That Glitters by Orlando Whitfield (Profile) (messy, caustic male friendship; massive international art fraud; the heinously uber-wealthy) and The Unwilding by Marina Kemp (4th Estate) (sun-bleached Sicily; feral, toxic siblings; hidden family secrets). Very different reads, both hugely engrossing and fun.

I’m looking forward to reading:

The first half of this year is just a countdown to 1 August, when Dinner is published (Penguin). Meera Sodha is regarded with godlike status in my household and her first three cookbooks are a battered, splattered set of religious texts.

Rachel Darling, Trade Marketing and Product Manager

I’m recommending:

The Last Sane Woman by Hannah Regel (Verso). Weaving together the stories of a young woman in the present day struggling to reconcile her creative ambition with real life and two friends in the 1970s and 1980s who she discovers through letters in a feminist archive. The gap between our dreams and our failings has never felt more realised than in this beautiful, heartbreaking and mesmerising novel.

I’m looking forward to reading:

Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott (Faber). Originally published in 1929, Ex-Wife has been described by Monica Heisey as a ‘forgotten classic: darkly funny and startlingly contemporary’ and by our in-house team as ‘a 1920s Sex and the City’, so I cannot wait to dive into this summery reissue when it comes out in August.

Sara Helen Binney, Crime Editor

I’m recommending:

I recommend The Revenge of Rita Marsh by Nilesha Chauvet (Faber). It’s about a vigilante predator-hunter who finds her work coming a little close to home, and not only is it a perfectly crafted thriller about unabashed female darkness and the potential for violence we all carry with us, but Rita’s voice still haunts me: sparky, wry, brilliant – and morally dubious.

Katie Hall, Marketing & Brand Director

I’m recommending:

This summer I’ll be recommending Mark O’Connell’s A Thread of Violence (Granta). The true story of O’Connell’s encounters with convicted killer and local celebrity Malcolm MacArthur, it’s a fascinating portrait of the killer and his crimes but also of what it is to write about those things. (N. B. if you’ve already read and enjoyed it, then I’d recommend Janet Malcolm’s The Journalist and the Murderer (Penguin) instead, which is 10/10 for the same reasons).

I’m looking forward to reading:

I’ve been in a big, bad reading slump all year and I’m relying on Private Rites (4th Estate) to pull me out of it this summer. No pressure, Julia Armfield.

Angus Cargill, Publishing Director, Crime/Fiction

I’m recommending:

I can’t wait to read Book Two of My Favourite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics). Published eight years ago, Book One was so, so good – a historical, cross-genre masterpiece (with a backstory almost as fantastic). If you’ve any interest in graphic novels – and/or works that are fearless and brilliant – just get it!

I’m looking forward to reading:

Secondly, a book with no words – which, like Emil Ferris’s work, was all drawn in biro pen: Mollie Ray’s silent debut graphic novel, Giant (Faber). I fell in love with this on the first few pages a couple of years ago and it’s been fascinating seeing the whole book come together – the debut of a seriously exciting young talent.

Ruth O’Loughlin, Publishing Manager

I’m recommending:

I’m recommending All That Glitters by Orlando Whitfield (Profile). I completely inhaled this incredible story. It takes a fascinating look at the opaque and frankly insane art market, and Whitfield brilliantly tells the gripping tale of his friend Inigo Philbrick’s extreme chutzpah, which eventually landed him in a US prison for fraud. It is one of those books that you can’t stop thinking about when you have to do other things (sigh) and can’t read it.

I’m looking forward to reading:

Long Island by Colm Tóibín (Pan Macmillan) – I loved Brooklyn when it came out many years ago and I’m excited that there is a recently published sequel, which sounds like a stunning literary tear-jerker (that should be a hot new genre, surely?) If the dazzling praise is anything to go by, we’re in for a treat.

Jude Gates, Operations Director

I’m recommending:

I’m currently reading Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury Publishing). It’s the seventh book in the series and I am completely invested in the outcome of this world-spanning epic! The court is spread across continents, the queen is missing and dark forces are gathering. This is a massive 900-page thumper to end the multi-million-selling fantasy Throne of Glass series, and I couldn’t be happier in my choice of escapism.

I’m looking forward to reading:

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (HarperCollins). I first read this collection of short stories in my teens when it all seemed like the most distant of science fiction, but Asimov, known for his correct predictions, is certainly worth a re-read right now. I find the exploration of future possibilities through fiction utterly compelling and am looking forward to seeing how the stories affect me 35 years later.

Ruby Bamber, Sales Operations Manager

I’m recommending:

I’ll be recommending In the Fold (Faber) all summer long. For anyone who might have missed it the first time around, this is perfect, caustic, all-enveloping Rachel Cusk. I’ll read nearly anything about remote country houses, bohemian families or complicated failing relationships, but this one combines all three and is exquisite.

I’m looking forward to reading:

I’m really looking forward to reading the latest of R. V. Raman’s Harith Athreya mystery series, The Last Resort (Pushkin Press). Set in a luxury Keralan resort, this is Agatha Christie meets The White Lotus, and I’m going to sit on a beach and work out whodunnit . . .

Louise Brice, Rights Agent

I’m recommending:

I defy you not to completely fall in love with Glasgow Boys, Margaret McDonald’s glorious YA debut (Faber). This life-affirming, heart-soaring dual narrative stars two gorgeous boys – Banjo and Finlay – whose journey will stay with you long after the last page.

I’m looking forward to reading:

I know I’m late to the party, but I’ve just bought a copy of In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (Profile). I’ve had so many recommendations – time to take the plunge and see for myself.

Natasha Brown, Project Manager/Editor

I’m recommending:

I’m recommending Songlight by Moira Buffini (Faber). It’s the perfect book for absolutely everyone and will be taking the world by storm in August. I don’t think I can really do it justice in a few sentences, but if you love a dystopia, then it’s the new Hunger Games; if you love fantasy, it’s the new Game of Thrones; if you love a bit of literary fiction, then every sentence is a joy; and there’s also a good chunk of romance for us romantasy lovers.

I’m looking forward to reading:

I’m reading the new ‘director’s cut’ version of The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (Bloomsbury). I love this series, and as an editor I’m looking forward to reading the rewritten novels and seeing what Shannon has changed as well as squealing over the bonus content. I did also buy the extra-beautiful versions of the first two books from The Broken Binding, but those are simply for looking at . . .

Phoebe Williams, Marketing Manager

I’m recommending:

The Gentleman from Peru by André Aciman (Faber). If, like me, you’ll take any excuse to escape to Italy, then The Gentleman from Peru should definitely be on your radar. No one writes Italy like André Aciman and this time we’re on the Amalfi Coast to follow a group of American students and their encounter with a mysterious hotel guest. The perfect one-sitting read to sink into on a summer’s afternoon.

I’m looking forward to reading:

I’ve had my eye on Strange Sally Diamond (Penguin) for a while. Liz Nugent’s latest crime novel promises to be an addictive, original and haunting page turner with an unforgettable protagonist at its heart. Now I’ve got my hands on the paperback edition, it’s sitting firmly at the top of the TBR pile for my next holiday.