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.

Kara Liddell is reading Pitch Dark by Renata Adler

I’m currently reading Renata Adler’s Pitch Dark, suffice to say it’s incredible and I can’t believe it has taken me this long to discover it. After a recommendation from a fellow bookseller during a recent trip to New York – and a continuing (and growing) obsession with NYRB publications – I picked up a copy. It’s repetitive, fragmented and jarring to read and it can be difficult to get into. Once you find your stride, though, you’re done for.

Pitch Dark will leave you breathless with the most singular and shattering lines of prose. I’m finding I often need to put it down to mull over what I’ve just read. It’s the story of a nine-year love affair, but that description alone is an injustice to the book. Just read it, you’ll see what I mean.

Mark Rubbo is reading The May Beetles by Baba Schwartz

I’ve just finished reading this memoir from Baba Schwartz. I was intrigued to read it – not only because of its striking cover and high production value – but also because it was written by the mother of a long-time friend of mine, Morry Schwartz. Morry is the publisher of Black Inc, The Monthly, The Quarterly Essay and The Saturday Paper, and The May Beetles is his mother’s first book. Under the circumstances, I was prepared for the book to be ‘worthy’, but I was surprised by the vibrancy and quality of the prose and ended up devouring the story in a single sitting.

Baba grew up in a small town in Hungary. In many ways, it was an idyllic time spent with her loving Jewish family in a harmonious, peaceful community. But this community was shattered when the 3,000 Jewish people who resided within it were rounded up and sent to Auschwitz. Baba survived but many of her family and friends didn’t. Even though she lived with tragedy, she remained positive and optimistic: hate just wasn’t part of her make-up.

There have been many holocaust memoirs but this one, in spite of the horrors it recounts, will inspire and reward any reader.

Isobel Moore is reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I’ve been craving a really immersive, chunky read for a few weeks now, and so picked up the first book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series. It’s super fun – very enjoyable and richly detailed in a way that feels almost hypnotic. Gabaldon’s writing actually reminds me of Enid Blyton’s descriptions of mealtimes, except for that the former’s descriptions are all of herbal medicines (one of our main characters, Claire, is a nurse) which is vastly more enthralling than it sounds.

I’ve also recently read book two (A Decline in Prophets) and book three (Miles Off Course) of Sulari Gentill’s Rowland Sinclair mystery series. I read the first book earlier this year, loved it, and am now struggling to pace myself regards the whole series. These novels are so good and I want to read all of them immediately… But I’m excruciatingly aware that I’m already halfway through the series and should probably take my time so I can savour them. Write faster Sulari!

Nina Kenwood is reading Skylarking by Kate Mildenhall

I read Skylarking in one sitting. It’s a debut novel, set in the 1880s, centred on the friendship of Kate and Harriet, two teenage girls living on a remote Australian coast. Skylarking feels fresh and modern in its tone, and Kate is a fascinating character, with desires and concerns as relevant as any teenager’s in contemporary fiction. The story builds steadily towards a climatic event, and the journey in getting there is extremely enjoyable, and very readable. Kate and Harriet’s friendship was very real to me – I saw my teenage self in Kate’s self-doubt, and I lived her small triumphs and failures alongside her. This is a truly lovely Australian novel and the ending, when you get there, is unexpected and heartbreaking.