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 Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

I’d heard Weetzie Bat referred to as a cult classic YA book for years, and always thought ‘I should read that’ but never quite got around to it. The recent news that Weetzie Bat is being made into a film, 25 years after its first release, prompted me to finally pick it up.

Firstly, this book is completely bonkers. (In a mostly delightful way.) Francesca Lia Block’s use of language is amazing – I could read her descriptions all day long – and the amount of sheer plot that gets covered in such a short book is fascinating. I’m not sure how I feel about a lot of those plot developments, but I can understand why this book was such a big deal when it came out. It pushes boundaries, and goes to some strange, magical places, and does it all with confidence and flair.

Stella Charls is reading Single, Carefree, Mellow by Katherine Heiny

In 1992, the age of 25, Katherine Heiny had a short story published in the New Yorker. Despite causing quite a stir in the publishing industry at the time, she’s only now delivering on all that promise: her debut short-story collection has been described as ‘Cheever mixed with Ephron’. I read and loved Australian short story writer Abigail Ullman’s debut Hot Little Hands earlier this year, which similarly focused on women on the cusp of adulthood and their relationships, so I’m really looking forward to reading Heiny’s collection over the weekend. I’m also thrilled that Single, Carefree, Mellow also includes that story from 22 years ago, “How to Give the Wrong Impression”.

Bronte Coates is reading Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories by Elizabeth Strout

I’ve been meaning to read Olive Kitteridge for a while now. My colleague Nina gave it a ’rare A+ grading’ in her books spreadsheet and I’ve heard wonderful things about the mini-series adaptation, but wanted to read the book before dipping into that. I finally picked it up last week and on finishing the last few pages, I found myself completely (though quietly) devastated. Each of the 13 stories that form this novel (all of which are set in the coastal town of Crosby, Maine and feature the titular character in some way) are a bit like beautifully-crafted monuments to the everyday heartbreak of life. And the effect of reading these monuments, one after another, was astonishing. Strout’s prose reminded me of Marilynne Robinson, whose books I fell in love with last year.

Following Olive Kitteridge (and in complete contrast to that novel) I’ve also just made a foray into Ellie Marney’s Sherlock-inspired YA trilogy. The first book, Every Breath, is fast-paced, sassy and unbelievably fun and I can’t wait to get stuck into book two.