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.

Nina Kenwood is reading Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance

I’m obsessed with the US election at the moment, to a probably unhealthy degree. I listen to podcasts about it (my favourites are Slate’s Trumpcast and NPR’s Politics Podcast), read almost every article that crosses my path, and spend far too much time on the Hillary Clinton subreddit. I am eagerly awaiting the slew of books that will invariably be written on the topic post-election, but until then, a book that I’m interested to read right now is J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy.

This memoir of growing up poor in the Rust Belt of Ohio is currently a bestseller in the US, and reviewers and readers alike have noted how it provides an intimate and empathetic look at ‘hillbilly culture’ and offers insight into why white people living in poverty in the US might be so drawn to Trump and his terrible ilk. Vance has become something of an unofficial spokesman for the white working class during this election cycle, and his book looks like a fascinating and highly relevant work of non-fiction, in the tradition of Deer Hunting With Jesus.

Bronte Coates is reading The Island Will Sink by Briohny Doyle

If you enjoy inventive literature with rich world-building then you should seek out a copy of The Island Will Sink. I read Briohny Doyle’s debut in a few short sittings last week, and found myself completely sucked into the world she’s so cleverly built within its pages. Her depiction of a near-future is challenging and provocative, and it’s one that will definitely get you thinking about present-day concerns. I particularly loved how closely Doyle entwined the digital and physical realities, playing around with ideas of place, memory and family dynamics. The Island Will Sink is politically-charged, intellectually-stimulating fiction.

Ellen Cregan is reading Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. by Viv Albertine

I have been meaning to read Viv Albertine’s memoir since it came out two years ago. As a fan of The Slits, I was excited to be given a behind-the-scenes view of her musical career.

The book is written entirely in the present tense, which is an interesting choice for an autobiography. The decision helps the reader really feel like they are a part of the scene themselves, and it also makes Albertine’s anxieties and disappointments more relatable. The descriptions of London’s early punk scene are excellent – almost like punk bingo with Sid Vicious, Mick Jones, Vivienne Westwood, and many, many more appearing at various points. Ultimately though, it’s Albertine’s honest appraisal of her life after the break-up of The Slits (covering her career, marriage, numerous rounds of IVF, eventually motherhood) that is proving to be the most fascinating and engaging part of the memoir.

Chris Gordon is reading An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire

This week I realised that almost everyone I know at Readings had read Emily Maguire’s latest novel – except for me. So I picked up a copy, and I reckon that An Isolated Incident deserves a round of applause for just being a good old-fashioned yarn. Maguire’s writing is fast-paced – even racy at times – as she tells the story of a country town rocked by violence and fear. It’s such a treat to read a crime fiction that is not belittling of the woman characters in any way, or scornful of their behaviour. I’m about half-way through and am trying to figure out who the murderer is before all is revealed. I think I have a pretty good idea and suspect that tonight I’ll be staying up a little bit too late to find out whether I’m correct.

Alice Chipkin is reading Darling Days by iO Tillett Wright

I’m excited to have gotten my hands on a copy of iO Tillett Wright’s memoir this week. I’ve been following iO’s work as a photographer and LGBTQ civil rights campaigner for the past few years; I’m even the proud fangirl and owner of a t-shirt from their Self Evident Truths project. This project involved collecting 10,000 photographic portraits of Americans who identify as anything other than 100% straight, in order to challenge narratives of sexuality and gender-based discrimination.

Another reason I’m excited about the memoir is because iO writes beautifully and has a compelling story to tell. Opening in New York in the 80s and 90s, Darling Days tracks their eccentric childhood, growing up with a protective (yet negligent) mum in the midst of drug-addled, punk-edge and art-making worlds. I’m keen to sink my teeth into it over the weekend!