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.

Joanna Di Mattia is reading They by Kay Dick

It really, truly is the case that the less you know about Kay Dick’s tense, haunting, perfectly controlled novella before you start to read it, the better. So I’ll say little more than that and that it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long while. It is as remarkable as the story of its return from 40 years of publishing obscurity is.

First released in 1977 it disappeared and was effectively out of print; impossible to even track down second-hand or library copies of it, until a UK literary agent was browsing in a charity shop during the early months of the pandemic, came across an original orange Penguin paperback, purchased it, read it in the bath and had her mind blown by its brilliance. Lucky for me, for us, she just happened to be the right person to find this tattered copy and lead Dick’s book out of the wilderness, back into bookshops and straight into your discerning hands.

Fiona Hardy is reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Into the Wild is the kind of book I’ve sold countless times and always thought to myself: I really should read this. Last week, when I went away to Phillip Island for a couple of days, I was finally in the right mood: I was visiting somewhere that has a lot of wild places, and wanted to feel more of that vibe (from the comfort of my third-floor apartment accommodation, obviously).

It’s no wonder it’s been selling for decades, frankly: it’s just great. The story of Christopher McCandless, who abandoned the idea of a normal life and spent years living in the wild deserts and parks and forests of the USA, is enthralling, and Krakauer is a natural storyteller. The bones of McCandless’s personal story don’t have much meat on them, but Krakauer follows his paths, meets the people who helped him on his brief forays into civilisation for money or food, and fleshes it out into something both beautiful and bewildering. I know what happens at the end, but I almost don’t want to get there — I just want to ride this story of raw optimism and hope in the most glorious parts of nature as long as I can.

Mark Rubbo is reading What’s the Worst That Could Happen? by Andrew Leigh

Leigh is the Labor Federal Member for Fenner in the ACT and a pretty brilliant person. In his latest book published by the prestigious MIT press he identifies the existential risks facing humanity and what can be done to avoid them. Although the challenges are great there is hope. This is a book for those who care about our future and it’s inspiring that we do have thinkers like Leigh considering what we can do.