Shelf Improvement – meet our fiction curator

We’re thrilled to welcome Liese Spencer, joint head of books for the Guardian, as our guest curator for Shelf Improvement – the Guardian Bookshop’s monthly book subscription service.

Liese has selected the books for our hardback fiction and paperback fiction packages in January, February and March 2024, with a selection of Guardian gifts in the first package.

Shelf Improvement is the book gift that keeps on giving. Each month the lucky recipient will receive a surprise book in the post, with three-, six- or twelve-month subscriptions available.

A message from Liese Spencer

Dear readers,

As a child I would hole up in my bedroom and read for hours, losing myself in crime fiction, romance, historical adventures and some quite inappropriately gory horror stories. Fast forward several decades and, as joint head of books at the Guardian, I get sent sack loads of new fiction titles every week, but the thrill of opening that first page never wears off.

Whether it's the subtle psychological drama of a short story, the mind-expanding visions of science fiction or a fresh take on a classic novel, the best writing still feels like magic, transporting me into other minds, other worlds.

So, it's a real pleasure to share some of my favourite recent reading for Shelf Improvement. The books I've chosen for the fiction subscriptions in January, February and March 2024 range over different time frames, genres and subjects, but each, I hope, will introduce you to some unforgettable characters and take you on a journey somewhere new.

Best wishes,
Liese Spencer