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.

Fiona Hardy is reading The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

When my partner is on school holidays (he’s a teacher), I spend a few days during the week taking myself off to the library in order to write the Great Australian Novel while he wrestles with our kid on his own. Yesterday I took The Old Man and the Sea with me – along with a printed copy of my first draft with plenty of entirely impenetrable notes scrawled all over it. When I took a break for lunch, I had a luxurious cup of tea in a fancy cup and finished a third of Hemingway’s book by the time it was done. At that point, I texted a colleague who I knew had read it and asked if I was missing something. She told me to hold on and that the slow pull would reel me in (fish-based joke not originally intended, but I’ll go with it).

Of course, she was right. That night I finished it heading home on the train. Afterwards, I stared out the window for a while thinking about the old man fishing on his boat, straining against the line as the fish he caught – bigger than any he had ever seen, or knew to be possible – pulled him out to sea. Hemingway’s writing is a little less concise than I’d expected, but as a habitual babbler (this being a strong case to prove it) his ability to tell a story as big as the ocean in a hundred pages is worthy of all the prizes heaped on it.

Nina Kenwood is reading My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of Justine Larbalestier’s My Sister Rosa (due in February). This is such an interesting YA novel, which is something that can be said about most of Larbalestier’s work. She’s a master of bold, original writing. The premise alone was enough to hook me in: the protagonist is a teenage boy who believes his 10-year-old sister is a psychopath. Rosa, the aforementioned psychopathic sister, is a fabulous character, and I was gripped from start to finish by a sense of dread of what she might do next while also, inexplicably, really liking her. It’s Australian so #LoveOzYa fans – read this book.

I also read The Price of Salt, Patricia Highsmith’s novel that the film Carol is based off (some editions of the book also go by the title Carol). Oh boy, I loved it. I was a little thrown at the start – by the book’s tone, and some of the character’s intense, immediate feelings, but somewhere around the halfway point I fell in love with the story, and treasured every page thereafter.

Bronte Coates is reading Now and at the Hour of Our Death by Susana Moreira Marques (translated by Julia Sanches)

I saw this slim novel mentioned on a stack of ‘best books of 2015’ lists, which prompted me to pick up a copy. I’m so glad I did as it’s a compelling, deeply moving read.

Susana Moreira Marques accompanies a palliative care team over several months as they travel to Trás-os-Montes, a forgotten corner of northern Portugal, to care for the dying. Her mission is simple yet deeply fraught: ‘I knock on the door of a man who knows he will die, hoping he’ll tell me how it feels to be a man who knows he will die.’ This book brings together her reflections and notes from these journeys, as well as portraits of some of the people she met (including sections in their own words).

Moreira Marques has crafted a beautiful piece of reportage – part oral history and part travelogue. I already know I’ll be rereading the book again, and soon.

Angela Crocombe is reading From the Cutting Room of Barney Kettle by Kate De Goldi

Kate De Goldi is an extraordinary New Zealand writer who won many awards for her last YA novel, The 10pm Question, and recently released one of our ‘Best ofs’ in middle fiction from 2015, The ACB of Honora Lee.

Her latest book is fascinating reading, particularly for a budding filmmaker, as young Barney is a great director in the making and obsessively follows the instructions found in So, You Want to be a Filmmaker? – a book he bought on the internet for $55. For his latest film, Barney decides to chronicle the characters and their comings and goings on the main street of their small town. There is also a mystery involving a small zine tantalisingly left around the town, that is only addressed to ‘You’ on the front cover. Barney and his sister become obsessed with finding the author. But an earthquake will rock the town and Barney’s beautiful filmic vision will be impacted. This is a gorgeous homage to Christchurch and all that was lost in the 2010 earthquake.

While I found it a little long, I did completely fall in love with the characters and the town that are so beautifully and skilfully drawn within the story. Kate Do Goldi has created something startlingly original once again.

Holly Harper is reading A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

I’ve been meaning to read V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic ever since I set eyes on its gorgeous US cover. After it was named a finalist in the fantasy category of the 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards, I moved it to the top of my to-be-read list.

Kell is one of the last remaining magicians who can travel between parallel Londons. Using his magic, he acts as an ambassador to the ruling parties of Grey London (our own world during the reign of King George III), Red London (a world brimming with magic), White London (a nightmarish vision of power gone mad) and Black London (consumed by magic, now avoided at all costs). After Kell’s powers land him in the middle of a treasonous plot, he teams up with Lila, a wanted criminal on the run.

This is fantasy adventure at its finest: fascinating world building, great characters and heart-stopping action. A Darker Shade of Magic is just so exciting. After writing this, all I want to do is get back to reading it!