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.

Lian Hingee is reading The Murdstone Trilogy by Mal Peet

The late, great Mal Peet has been one of my favourite authors since his award-winning YA novel Keeper unexpectedly managed to instil an interest in football in this decidedly non-sporty reader. He started writing at 52, went on to win numerous awards including the Carnegie and the Guardian, before tragically passing away earlier this year at the age of 67. The Murdstone Trilogy is both his final book, and his first written for the adult’s market.

It’s the story of Philip Murdstone, an author whose preferred genre of ‘Sensitive Dippy Boy’ books are languishing on the shelves at bookshops in favour of blockbuster fantasy novels with Quests and Realms and Names-With-Unexpected-Apostrophes. After penning the dream that came to him after spending a drunken night in a stone circle Philip finds himself the author of the newest publishing sensation, but has he unknowingly entered into some kind of Faustian deal? And how on earth will he write books two and three?

The Murdstone Trilogy is an affectionate, but genuinely funny satire of the fantasy genre and is full of sly sideways nudges for genre readers, publishing peeps, and book-lovers in general.

Mark Rubbo is reading Barbarian Days by William Finnegan

Finnegan is a staff writer for the New Yorker; winner of many awards, he has reported from hotspots around the world. He grew up in Los Angeles near the beach and when he was 13 his family moved to Hawaii and since an early age he was a committed surfer. Surfing informed his relationships with the world and with people; after getting an undergraduate degree, he and a friend spent an extended time travelling the world looking for waves.

This is a book about a young man coming of age, learning about himself and about the importance of friendship. You don’t have be into surfing to enjoy this wonderful book, just exquisite writing!

Amy Vuleta is reading Bream Gives Me Hiccups and other stories by Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg, star of a whole lot of cool movies you’ve probably seen, has written a collection of stories, Bream Gives Me Hiccups and other stories. And it’s really good!

I admit to being a little dubious at first, and some of the stories seem light and maybe even a bit too frivolous on the surface, but as I read on, they gathered the kind of momentum and depth that can only be achieved by a writer who knows precisely what they’re doing. Also, the stories are funny! The opening section, ‘Restaurant Reviews by a Privileged Nine Year Old’, reveals an insightful and bold young character and the nuances of his relationships with his friends and parents. Moreover, it does this with such humour and tenderness delivered with deliberate irony.

The stories are all quite short, and they vary in form from letters, to text-message or e-mail exchanges, to first-person stream-of-consciousness and narrative stories, so it’s an easy book to read all at once, or to dip in and out of. Eisenberg writes characters with really strong voices and has put together an impressive and really quite unique collection of stories here that will make you laugh!

Chris Gordon is gathering Christmas gifts

Every single year, for as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of creating wonderful gifts for those I love best. I love the idea of handmade gifts because I do believe that time is the best gift we can give. Also, Christmas seems to become more commercial every year and I want my kids to know that this season is not just about the latest computer game, or the latest Apple product.

Every year I have this dream, and every year I have failed to create it. This year I’m not going to kid myself and I’m going to accept that those I love best will not be receiving gifts made my yours truly, but instead, books. (Wonderfully wrapped books, I will note.) However, to not completely lose the genesis of my ideology, I’m going to favour books that encourage action. Two have caught my eye this week.

The Maker: Beyond Decorating: Crafting a Unique Space by Melbourne craftswomen Tamara Maynes is not only a beautiful object in itself, but it does it inspire you to reconsider items in your home, to rediscover objects with a twist of twine here and there and to make the time to make the statement. Produced in mute tones of decadence this book is a generous tome for those with crafty intentions. The other is The Australian Native Garden by Angus Stewart and A.B. Bishop. This books is for those who aspire to a landscape full of native birds, flowers and smells. Each chapter shows you how to turn your garden into a sustainable glorious terrain from the soil up.

Stella Charls is reading My Misspent Youth by Meghan Daum

I’ve been eagerly waiting for Meghan Daum’s My Misspent Youth to come back into print for a year now. I first discovered this American author and essayist after her most recent essay collection, The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion came out last November surrounded by a great deal of buzz. Daum has been credited with skillfully combining Joan Didion’s piercing insight with Nora Emphron’s sense of humour. The Unspeakable considered a variety of subjects (parental death and the decision not to have children among others) in a fresh and provocative way, and is completely compelling to read.

Daum published My Misspent Youth fifteen years ago, and this collection has become a cult classic when it comes to capturing the ambitions and axieties of twenty-somethings at the turn of the century. I’ve only read the titular essay so far, but I’m aiming to finish this incredible collection before Daum visits Melbourne for The Wheeler Centre’s Interrobang festival next weekend.

Alan Vaarwerk is reading An Astronaut’s Life by Sonja Dechian

Without really meaning to, I’ve found myself reading a fair bit of short fiction recently around technology and climate change. The stories I’ve found most effective are those that aren’t didactic or bogged down in science, but rather treat their various dystopian scenarios as given, almost tangential to the plot itself. Sonja Dechian’s An Astronaut’s Life is an excellent example of this – covering disease epidemics, a future of endless rain and a theme park for extinct species, it’s by no means a science fiction collection – I heard Dechian speak about her book recently at a Readings event, and she emphasised her goal foremost was to explore the very familiar ways her characters grapple for normality and connection in a changing world. Like other debut collections such as Nic Low’s Arms Race and Steven Amsterdam’s Things We Didn’t See Coming, An Astronaut’s Life is sharp, innovative, and remarkably sure-footed.

Jan Lockwood just saw Florence and The Machine live!

So my family and I went to see Florence and The Machine (FATM) at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl recently and it was magnificent. I’ve been a fan of Welch since the extraordinary debut Lungs, released in 2009, and all three FATM albums have been on high rotation in my house in the lead up to (as well as since) the gig last week. Seriously, what a woman, what a voice! FATM are definitely one of those outfits who reproduce their recorded sound when they perform live and I was not disappointed.

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, released earlier this year, was a slow burner for me, but don’t you find these are the ones that grab you deepest and stay longest? So many of the tracks appeal individually, but the collection as a whole really shines. While my sister-in-law felt she’d heard the same song for one and half hours (she still appreciated the performance), this album has now become my favourite of all three and, dare I say it, my favourite album of the whole year.

Nina Kenwood is reading Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This is the YA book everyone is talking about right now. Written by a talented Melbourne duo, and set in space (and the future), it’s a story told very cleverly through a series of documents, chat forums and more. I’d heard the book was addictive, fast-paced and fun to read (which it is!) but no one had told me how scary it is. I’ve stayed up late reading Illuminae for the past two nights, and I’ve had stressful dreams for two nights running. There’s some seriously creepy stuff in here. I’m about halfway through and feeling very concerned for the two main protagonists (both of whom I love.) When I first started reading, I thought I would struggle to connect to the characters because of the unorthodox format, but that hasn’t been the case at all. The buzz around this terrific novel is completely justified.

And, finally, I know what I will be listening to all weekend – Adele’s new album 25 has just arrived and I can’t wait to hear it from start to finish.