Kara McQueen recently stepped into the role of shop manager at Readings Doncaster. Here, she shares the authors she’d invite to a dinner party, and explains why customer queries make her nervous.

Why did you decide to work in books?

I don’t think I ever consciously decided to work in books – books chose me. I’ve always been an avid reader and one of my very first jobs was bookselling. When I moved abroad after high school, I was lucky enough to get a job in an art gallery bookstore. From there, my passion for art and literature steadily grew. After years working in bookstores, an English literature and writing degree, a Masters in editing and publishing, and a stint in a publishing house, I’ve realised that books and I are intrinsically linked. I can often be heard saying that I prefer books to most humans…

What is your favourite part of your job?

I spend every day engaging with people about books, art, history, culture, politics and discovering what moves them. That’s a fairly wonderful thing to do on a daily basis, don’t you think? I still get a thrill when I can share something that I enjoyed with someone new.

Describe your taste in books.

If I have to distil my tastes I’d say eclectic, yet quite niche. I primarily read literary fiction and artist books, though my mood dictates my book preference much of the time. I like to be entirely immersed in what I’m reading and if I’m not, I become distracted easily. I also enter a mourning period once I’ve finished a book and I grow restless when it comes time to choose something new.

Tell us about a book that changed the way you think.

I can’t limit it to just one. Angela Carter’s short story collection Burning Your Boats is still so magical to me. I’ve reread that book so many times and the margin notes in my dog-eared edition are growing ridiculous. The reaction I had to Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City is the reaction I hope everyone has to a book at least once in their lifetime. Sophie Calle’s Take Care of Yourself made me reconsider the way I interpret, process and document certain events. This list could go on, honestly…

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

The weirdest thing for me is meeting authors and artists that I’ve long admired. It remains such a surreal experience. David Shrigley used to sit and draw customers who wandered through one particular bookstore I worked in. Gilbert & George could regularly be found loitering about in that very same store. David Lynch swept through one day dressed in a dapper suit and sporting his signature coiffed hair. Meeting Dave Eggars and having an entirely normal and unstrained discussion with him is still one of my most treasured bookshop memories.

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

Can it be a large dinner party and can some of my invited guests be already deceased (made alive)? If so, I would invite Donna Tartt, Dave Eggars, Olivia Laing, Lydia Davis, Neil Gaiman, Lenora Carrington, Sophie Calle, Angela Carter, Rebecca Solnit, Clarice Lispector and Joan Didion. What a treat the evening would be!

What is the hardest question a customer has asked you in the bookshop?

Honestly, I’m nervous every time a customer asks me for a book recommendation. A wave of low-level panic sweeps over me as I think through what books I can suggest. For me, it never really gets any easier. Reading is such an individual experience and convincing someone to read something new – while also doing a book justice during your brief synopsis/suggestion – can be difficult. I want everyone to be challenged and thrilled with what I recommend.

What’s the best book you’ve read lately and why?

I didn’t read it all that recently, but one book I’ve not let go of yet is Pond by Claire Louise Bennett. I think particular books are crucial at certain times in your life, and for me, this book came at just that time. I could be heard audibly sighing as I turned pages and whispering in agreement as I read certain lines.

What kind of trends do you see in books right now? Do you have any predictions for the future?

The trends I am particularly fond of – and that I’m encouraging wholeheartedly – is the growing interest in niche, independent, marginalised and translation publishing. I think there is an awareness and curiosity for publishing nowadays, which is wonderful.

What books are sitting on your bedside table right now?

I’m currently reading Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday.

Next up I’ve got (in no particular order): Curtis Sittenfeld’s new story collection You Think It, I’ll Say It, Where Art Belongs by Chris Kraus, The Secret History by Donna Tartt (yes, I know, it’s terrible I’ve not yet read it) and The Importance of Being Iceland by Eileen Myles.

Bookselling is distracting. There is always something newer, bigger and more daring to try than what’s already waiting for you on the bedside table.