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.

Bronte Coates is reading Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

I read this YA novel after it was recommended to me by a coworker and (as per the rule of recommendations from my colleagues) I really loved it. Suzette was unwillingly sent away to boarding school when her much-loved older brother, Lionel, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and she’s just returned home for the first time since to enjoy the summer in LA. She’s not only struggling with this newly strained sibling relationship, but also with the emotional fall-out from a nasty incident of homophobia in her final days of term and some brand-new romantic feelings for two different people at the same time. This is a warm and moving novel that touches on a range of big and important topics for teen readers with sensitivity and an open heart.

A couple of years ago now, I wrote about why having thoughtful and realistic depictions of sex in YA books is so important and I’d definitely retrospectively add in Little & Lion to my list of recommendations here. Brandy Colbert takes this theme very seriously and allows lots of breathing space for teens to have their own emotions and thoughts.

Gabrielle Williams is reading No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani (translated by Omid Tofighian)

Behrouz Boochani is a Kurdish Iranian writer, journalist, human rights defender, poet and film producer, who also happens to be in the horrendous position of being held captive on the Manus Island detention facility. Written via text messages sent from the detention centre, Boochani’s book is beautifully written and incredibly sad, as well as a provides important insight into what camp life is like. Poetry features strongly throughout this book, giving the reader momentarily reprieves, before plunging you back into the camp. The fact that Boochani (and others) remains in detention adds to the poignancy and urgency of this work.

Ellen Cregan is watching The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

I, like many many others, have been obsessively watching The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Based on a comics series of the same name, this Netflix fabulous series tells the story of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but not as you might know it – this version of Sabrina is very unlike the long-running nineties TV series. This show is delightfully spooky. The monsters, demons and spirits that Sabrina finds herself coming up against are legitimately terrifying, but not as terrifying as her fellow teenage witches. What I love about this show even more than its creepiness is the Gothic aesthetic. It’s the perfect mix of witchy and kitschy vibes: lots of pentagrams, bundles of herbs, potions and incantations written in blood, but also jukeboxes, old cars and Aunt Zelda’s retro cigarette holder.

Like any great television series, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has the downside of being far too easy to binge. I’m trying to pace myself, but it’s very tricky.

Ulysses Reid is reading Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee

Lenny’s Book of Everything, by award-winning Australian author Karen Foxlee, is a gut-wrenching tale of love, hardship, healing, family, grief and growing up in the 1970s. Featuring lovable characters such as Lenore (or Lenny) Spink, her younger brother Davey, their mother Cynthia, and their wonderful neighbour Mrs Gaspar, this book is sure to take you on a rollercoaster of emotions.

We see Lenny and Davey growing up throughout the years, and their utter elation and wonder which comes when they win a contest for the full Burrell’s Build-It-At-Home Encyclopedia. Throughout all the events of the book, the encyclopedia stays constant. Every week they get delivered a new alphabetic installment for them to love, to learn about, to become obsessed with. In a small apartment, living with only their mother, with their family about to cross over the poverty line, the encyclopedia gives them a glimpse of hope for the future.

However, things take a turn for the worse when Davey’s health gets worse and worse. By the end of the book, I can guarantee that you won’t want to put it down, and you’ll be begging for just a few more pages with the colourful, charismatic, beautiful characters.

Ulysses is a member of our 2018-2019 Readings Teen Advisory Board. Find out more