Claire Atherfold is the Children’s Book Buyer at our newly renovated State Library bookshop. Here, she shares what books are on her TBR pile, and which authors she would invite to a dinner party.

Why did you decide to work in books?

Books have always been a large part of my life. From a very early age I have memories of my mum reading to me, and of totally getting lost in the tales and adventures, placing myself in the story. I also guess you could say it was in the blood – Mum was a librarian and passed her passion for the written word onto me.

Describe your taste in books.

Eclectic. I love a good story, so literary classics, fiction, science fiction and fantasy (for adults and children) definitely appeal. On the other hand, I also really enjoy learning about art, history, cultural studies and natural history. The wonderful thing about working in a bookshop is that all of these books are right there at your fingertips, so it is extremely easy to delve into one and then the other, or find something completely new that you haven’t even heard about before.

What is your favourite part of your job?

Discovery. There is always another book out there to read, learn from, share. It’s the perfect place to find out about the next big thing or the long-forgotten favourite that a fellow staff member or customer might mention. As a buyer, I also get front row seats to the new items the publishers present, which is great fun.

If you were going to host a dinner party with authors, who would you invite?

Margaret Atwood, Terry Pratchett. Michel Faber, May Gibbs, Beatrix Potter, Michael Palin, Thomas Hardy, Denise Mina, Aldous Huxley and Ray Bradbury.

What is the weirdest thing to happen to you in a bookshop?

One of my best and wackiest moments from the book industry would have to be when Michael Palin from Monty Python sang the ‘Spam’ song to me as he signed books at an event I was working in Edinburgh, Scotland. Such a fun, weird and surreal moment.

If you were cursed to be trapped inside the world of a book, which one would you pick – and why?

The first book to come to mind when I read this question and the one, that I kept going back to is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. If I was going to be stuck in a book, then why not one full of crazy characters, adventures and nonsense? It certainly wouldn’t be boring and there’s a good chance it would be hilariously fun.

What books are sitting on your bedside table right now?

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
Everything I’ve Never Said by Samantha Wheeler
Ways of Seeing by John Berger