Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films we’re watching, the television shows we’re hooked on, or the music we’re loving.

Gabrielle Williams is reading Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer

A follow up to Greer’s Pulitzer-Prize winning Less, Less is Lost again follows Arthur Less, middlingly successful novelist and indecisive lover as he tries to come to terms with the death of his ex-lover, the poet Robert Brownburn. Although Less is happily ensconced with his current partner, Freddy Pelu, Robert Brownburn’s death creates a financial crisis that Less is determined to address by doing various paid literary gigs across the US.

Accompanied by black pug Dolly, and rusty campervan Rosina, Less goes on an adventure that is at turns rollicking, hilarious, profound and heart-breaking.

Julia Jackson is reading The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris

This latest release from Lindsey Fitzharris is one of those First World War books I'd file under 'quite interesting'.

Rather than give you a blow by blow account of the war, she's honed in on the Dunedin-born Harold Gillies, the ear, nose and throat surgeon who was responsible for quite literally making faces: repairing the awful damage caused by gunfire and mortars on the European battlefields using an interdisplinary approach involving dentists and orthopaedic surgeons. Along with a small handful of people, Gillies was one of the pioneers of maxillofacial surgery and many of his ground-breaking methods remain at the heart of that discipline.

Truly fascinating!

Chris Gordon is reading The Romantic by William Boyd

I’ve just had a history lesson of world events from the late 1700s to the 1800s by reading William Boyd’s The Romantic.

Fans of his past novels will already understand that Boyd’s work is thoughtfully researched and  beautifully crafted. Reading his work is like stepping through a magic mirror and all of a sudden you are there; in this case, amongst the horse carriages, the smoke and over cooked meat.

The Romantic settles on the journey of Cashel Greville Ross from the when he was young until his dying day: a whole life novel. My bloke read it also and commented on how an entire life can be fitted, in the end, into a box of momentums: a scrap of newspaper, a photo, a plaque and a badge. All of these inconsequential objects, held together, are clues used by Boyd to imagine a wild and wonderful life. Consequently, Cashel fumbles his way through various ventures and adventures, continents and wars holding the love of one woman for over 40 years in his heart.  This is the perfect read for those that want to be sure that escape is necessary and that experiences are all that matter.

This novel was a delight to read.