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.

Ann Le Lievre is reading A Small Madness by Dianne Touchell

I love our Aussie young adult authors and my recent experience of reading Western Australian author Dianne Touchell’s A Small Madness was explosive. This book has made me feel as if my heart has been slammed up against a wall. The central story is of a teenage pregnancy, and the individual paths stumbled along by Rose and her boyfriend Michael against the backdrop of their dysfunctional, over-controlling parents.

When reading A Small Madness I was connected at all levels. I felt I was walking nervously beside the characters, I was scooping up the author’s light touch which is part of her literary style and I was enlightened by her use of language. This is my definite pick for every YA fiction shortlist for 2015. And note, it is a YA book for an any-age reader.

Waiting in the wings is my next Aussie YA. Due out in April is Gabrielle Williams’ The Guy, the Girl, the Artist and His Ex. Didn’t you just love her earlier book Beatle meets Destiny? Another one of my forever YA favourites, and set in Melbourne too!

Alan Vaarwerk is reading Shy: A Memoir by Sian Prior

I’ve been dipping in and out of Sian Prior’s Shy: A Memoir since Christmas, and found myself nodding along in wide-eyed agreement on multiple occasions. I’ve never been satisfied with terms like introvert in articulating my own social anxieties, so Prior’s memoir brings a real sense of clarity to the often ill-defined concept of shyness, with a compelling interplay of lived experience and critical analysis. More than that though, it’s a beautifully-written and thoughtfully-constructed memoir that’s funny, tender and brutally honest.

Nina Kenwood is reading Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

My book club is reading Big Little Lies, a novel I meant to read last year, after several colleagues recommended it to me, but never quite found the time. Well, to be honest, I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure Moriarty’s writing style appealed to me – I read the first few pages of Big Little Lies a while ago and I didn’t warm to it.

However, readers, I was wrong. I’m almost halfway through Big Little Lies now and it’s so much fun. Charming, funny, a little bit dark and twisted. The narrative jumps between three lead characters and often when I’ve encountered this approach in other novels, I found myself skimming through one character’s chapter to get back to a more interesting one (hello, Game of Thrones) but I’m pleased to say that’s not happening in this case – I am equally gripped by all three leads.

And, of course, one of the best parts of finding a new author you like is exploring her backlist. In this case, there are five other Liane Moriarty novels I can read, and also various novels by her sisters Jacyln Moriarty and Nicola Moriarty too!

Bronte Coates is reading Clariel by Garth Nix

As a child and teenager I read a lot of fantasy, including most of Garth Nix’s books. My favourite was Shade’s Children (which is really a bit more sci-fi than fantasy) but I was also a huge fan of the Old Kingdom chronicles. Yet, it’s taken me a while to read his latest foray into that world, Clariel, because I was a little afraid I may have outgrown his work (and wanted to keep my memory intact). Happily, I found myself delving into Clariel with aplomb, even going so far as to read the book while stirring a pot on the stove top. I particularly love how immersive fantasy books are, pulling you right into the worlds they contain, and Nix is no exception. I finished the book with a real hankering to re-read Sabriel and co.