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.

Baz Ozturk is reading What Are you going Through by Sigrid Nunez

I’m enjoying this novel about a woman dealing with a friend who’s coming to terms with terminal cancer. Enjoying doesn’t seem like the right word because it sounds heavy, and it is! But only in subject-matter. Yes, it’s sad, and even bleak in parts, but it’s actually a comic novel.

The voice of the book is neutral, restrained, urbane, yet playful and dryly funny. Mixed in with the central story of the incredibly tough request the narrator’s dying friend asks of her are the stories of other friends, acquaintances, writers and artists whose thoughts, opinions and life experiences she listens to and contemplates.

There’s heaps here to chew on about death, ageing, friendship, women and art, impending doom - the absurdity of life in general. It’s easy to see why Nunez is critically acclaimed. She has a clear-eyed intelligence and she’s compassionate without being sentimental. This book is a solid achievement. It’s light in tone, nicely slim and an easy read, but it’s forceful. It hits pretty hard.

Lian Hingee is reading The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Richard Osman’s debut The Thursday Murder Club was a cozy crime read that provided a perfect antidote to all the misery and uncertainty of 2020/21. With Omicron breathing down my neck I couldn’t wait to dive back into the world of Cooper’s Chase and lose myself in the sequel, The Man Who Died Twice.

Elizabeth – the Thursday Murder Club’s mysterious and enigmatic leader – drags the team not-at-all unwillingly into another twisty mystery when her ex-husband comes to her for help after a covert MI5 operation goes wrong. There’s mobsters, and corrupt bankers, and teenage hoodlums, and spies and blood diamonds and lots of cups of tea. The Man Who Died Twice is just as entertaining and funny as its predecessor. The mystery is just as compelling, the pay-off as satisfying, the characters as relatable, and I loved discovering more about Elizabeth (who, in my head is definitely played by Helen Mirren). Highly recommended for anyone wanting to escape from real life.

Lucie Dess is reading The Good Times of Pelican Rise: Save the Joeys by Samone Amba

This week I had such a fun time reading The Good Times of Pelican Rise: Save the Joeys.

The bushfires have been raging in Victoria and Sunday Moon is feeling helpless watching the news every night and seeing all the animals in trouble. So with the help of her after-school care friends, Sunday sets out to save as many joeys as she can.

This is such a sweet middle grade book about young activism, friendship and growing up. I can’t wait to read more in the series. Perfect for ages 9+.