Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films and TV shows we’re watching, and the music we’re listening to.

Mark Rubbo is reading Spoils by Brian Van Reet

Set in Iraq in 2003 just after the US invasion, Spoils is a moving and complex novel that examines the illogicality of war and allegiances. Van Reet is a veteran of the Iraq war, so brings a special perspective to this complex story. His writing is taut, disciplined and at times brilliant. Within the novel two perspectives compete: a small group of US soldiers and a group of mujahideen. Both are outsiders in Afghanistan and both are riven with internal divisions hidden beneath the surface. The young American soldiers are caught in a struggle that they know is not theirs; some of the jihadists, too, are beginning to question the authority and relevance of their war. Spoils is a taut, terrific book that demonstrates so completely the moral ambiguity of war.

Ellen Cregan is reading Hera Lindsay Bird by Hera Lindsay Bird

I first encountered the incredible Hera Lindsay Bird at 2016’s This Is Not Art Festival in Newcastle. It was the first (and probably only) time I’d almost wet my pants at a poetry reading. The poems of her self-titled poetry collection are both hilarious and sincere – they prod you in all the right places, and leave you feeling giggly and philosophical at the same time. They broach a range of topics, from bisexuality, to dad jokes, to Monica Chandler from the TV show Friends. These are poems to read aloud to your friends (and enemies). Sometimes poetry can be overly ornate, inaccessible, or just a bit stale. This book feels like a cure for that – this is poetry for everyone. Reading this book is a bizarre experience, but one I highly recommend.

Kim Gruschow is reading Gone ‘Til November by Lil Wayne

I have just finished reading the journal of New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne. It was written while he spent 8 months in prison at Rikers Island, New York. Prison being prison, the diary is extremely repetitive. Almost every day winds up with push-ups, prayer, and then sleep, but Wayne’s humor, distinctive smarts and considerate nature feature as much as his daily, beloved ‘dorito burritos’. He has visits from Kanye and Diddy, as well as others, and it truly made me smile to read about Wayne officiating a haphazard same-sex wedding in a prison yard. I always enjoy reading diaries of interesting people and while comforting isn’t the right word here, this was an unexpectedly calming read that I finished very quickly.

Chris Gordon is reading Eyes Too Dry by Alice Chipkin and Jessica Tavassoli

I’ve recently read Alice Chipkin and Jessica Tavassoli’s graphic memoir, Eyes Too Dry, with rapture. What a wonderful exploration of friendship, loyalty and mental health this is. The honesty of the prose and the illustrations allow the reader an intimate view into what it’s like to live with ill friends, as well as to be the ill friend. There is no pity or remorse in this book, but rather, a true story about recovery, responsibility and love. Brilliant and highly recommended.

Jo Case is reading Bette and Joan by Shaun Considine

I’ve just finished watching Ryan Murphy’s deliciously camp (yet affecting) eight-part anthology series Feud: Bette and Joan. This series stars Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange, with Stanley Tucci killing it as Jack Warner. When I get interested in a subject, I tend to disappear down a wormhole. And, I’ve had an appetite for old-Hollywood biographies since I was a teenager, borrowing books on Judy Garland and Ava Gardner from the library. So, of course, I’m now reading the biography that Feud used as its main source material: Bette and Joan by Shaun Considine.

Like so many old Hollywood stars, these icons have had ridiculously eventful lives: dramatic love affairs and multiple marriages, towering insecurities, roles in bona-fide classics (All About Eve, Mildred Pierce), Oscar wins, and a wealth of wonderful one-liners, particularly Bette. ‘The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was when I pushed her down the stairs in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane ‘, she famously quipped. And, also on Crawford: ‘She has slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie.’ So good!