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.

Mark is reading In the Morning I’ll be Gone by Adrian McKinty

I’ve just finished Melbourne author Adrian McKinty’s In the Morning I’ll be Gone. The book follows Sean Duffy, a detective with the Royal Ulster Constabulary who’s brought back from disgrace by MI5 to help find an escaped IRA bomber

Duffy is a strong character. He’s gritty, intelligent and cynical about the IRA and its cause. If you like Peter Temple you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

Amy is watching The Returned

I couldn’t stop watching this brilliant French series. The show is set in a small mountain town where one day, a teenager who died in a road accident four years earlier appears on the road and walks back into town, apparently alive and well. And she’s not the only one. Those who have returned try to resume their lives as strange phenomena occur; amongst recurring power outages, the water level of the reservoir mysteriously lowers, revealing the presence of dead animals and a church steeple, and strange marks appear on the bodies of the living and the dead.

This series is a must-watch - compelling, mysterious and atmospheric. The cinematography is simply beautiful, and the score, an original by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, is haunting and perfect. Long-buried secrets are uncovered, and the mystery of why these people have returned deepens. It’s a little spooky, very French, and has twist that could be either incredibly satisfying or just maddeningly weird.

I’d recommend this series to fans of Twin Peaks and any kind of art-house speculative fiction - or simply beautiful French actors.

Bronte is reading Minutes to Midnight by Trent Parke

Late last year Emerging Writers’ Festival director Sam Twyford-Moore wrote a great piece about photography books where he mentioned Australian photographer Trent Parke’s Minutes to Midnight, a photographic account of the author’s two year long roadtrip across Australia. His piece sparked my interest and after investigating Parke a little more, I felt compelled to order a copy of his book despite a $100 price tag.

Beautifully produced with thick, creamy paper and fabric cover, Parke’s images are stunning, striking and all those other words you use to describe having your breath knocked out of you. This is some seriously ‘wow’ stuff for lovers of visual narratives. Parke’s vision of Australia is darkly fantastical with a touch of the supernatural and the voyage you take across the country with him is deeply emotional, fraught with intense romanticism and brooding realism. Highly recommended.