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.

Nina Kenwood is reading The Easter Parade by Richard Yates

After reading this terrific blog post by my colleague Jason, I decided I had to read a Richard Yates novel immediately. I’d read and enjoyed Revolutionary Road several years ago but that was as far as my Yates knowledge went. I chose The Easter Parade because I’m quite partial to stories about dysfunctional families.

The Easter Parade follows the lives of two sisters, and from its famous opening line “Neither of the Grimes sisters would have a happy life, and looking back it always seemed that the trouble began with their parents’ divorce" it is clear things aren’t going to run smoothly for Emily and Sarah. Still, I wasn’t quite prepared for how grim this novel got.

I’ll be honest; The Easter Parade disturbed me more than any other book in recent memory. I read the harrowing last third late one night, and I went to bed with the same deeply unsettled feeling I have after watching a horror movie. I can’t quite explain why it upset me so much. It speaks to the power of Yates’ writing that I was so troubled by it and that I still can’t let the story go (and I also can’t wait to read another of his books). A haunting novel, indeed.

Bronte Coates is reading H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

You know that feeling right before you’re about to cry? I’m halfway through H is for Hawk (Helen Macdonald’s award-winning memoir - the first memoir to ever win the Samuel Johnson Prize) and have felt that way for the last 100 pages. In the grips of depression and grief following the sudden death of her father, Macdonald decides to train a goshawk. Her descriptions and insights into falconry and all it entails are utterly fascinating and her developing relationship with Mabel (the goshawk she buys) is incredibly moving. I suspect by the time I finish, this extraordinary memoir (though it’s much more than just Macdonald’s personal story) will be a very late addition to my best books of the year list.

Chris Gordon is reading Jill by Philip Larkin

I’ve just finished reading Jill by Philip Larkin. This is the great poet’s first novel and he wrote it when he was only 21 years old. The story centres on the student’s first year at Oxford and his dismal attempts to socialise into a world that he’s never been part of before. The prose is elegant and sparse. I read this novel because I’m such a huge fan of Larkin’s poetry and every now and then, a few verses of his will lift my spirits. Alas Jill did not have the same affect.

I’m also reading the latest copy of The New Philosopher which is titled The End of Growth (a timely title given the insanity of the festive season in our snug, smug world). And what I’m really looking forward to reading is My Brilliant Friend… I see it there, out of the corner of my eye, waiting for that moment when all is still.

Emily Harms is reading Remembered for a While edited by Gabrielle Drake & Cally Callomon

Remembered for a While is an absolute joy for any Nick Drake fan! Compiled and edited by Cally Callomon and Gabrielle Drake, this is such a beautiful collection of Drake’s handwritten and typed lyrics including the lyrics of some songs for which the music has never been found. A short musical guide to each song’s key and tuning to accompany the lyrics, together with an explanatory interpretation of Nick’s guitar performance, is the result of several years close study by singer-songwriter Chris Healey.

Remembered for a While makes the best keepsake (or gift!) for anyone who appreciates Nick Drake’s writing and music.