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.

Lian Hingee is reading The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

I could wax lyrical for hours about how romance undeservedly gets a bad rap in literary circles (hit me up if you ever want to chat about how it’s one of the most proudly feminist genres on the market, often brilliantly written, impeccably researched, and how gendered all the eye-rolling about it actually is) but instead I’m going to suggest that non-romance readers who want to give the genre a burl should pick up a copy of Jasmine Guillory’s book The Wedding Date. It has a cover endorsement from Roxane Gay, but if that’s not enough to convince you, it’s also diverse, funny, smart, sexy, and just great fun.

After getting stuck in an elevator with a man named Drew, Alexa Monroe agrees to be his fake-girlfriend at a wedding the following weekend (in Drew’s defense, he’s got a pretty good reason to dread going it alone). Drew and Alexa hit it off immediately, but their professional ambitions and the challenges of a long-distance relationship throws a spanner in their budding romance. Will love triumph?

The Wedding Date is a chatty, entertaining read, with realistic characters and a believable premise.

Sharon Peterson is reading The Cage by Lloyd Jones

I’ve just finished reading the new book from Lloyd Jones, who is probably best known for his award-winning 2006 novel, Mister Pip. Jones always has an original story to tell and The Cage is no exception. It is both compelling and disturbing. The story provides an interesting insight into human nature and would be a great one to discuss in book groups – there’s a lot there to analyse!

Ellen Cregan is reading a new music blog

I’ve been enjoying a new music review blog, Difficult Fun.

Difficult Fun publishes one review per week, on a Sunday morning, and aims to publish criticism that is humorous, political and thoughtful all at once. The most recent essay is written by Kimberly Thomson, editor of Swampland (another excellent source of in-depth music writing), and looks at the cult Melbourne band Amyl and the Sniffers, who are bringing Aussie pub rock back into fashion. There’s also an excellent essay on Jen Cloher’s self-titled, critically acclaimed album, written by Difficult Fun’s founder Tiarney Miekus. Both these essays are a great example for what music criticism should be – they consider history, gender roles, politics and of course the music itself. If you’re interested in smart, in-depth contemporary music criticism, you absolutely must check this blog out. I will be closely watching my inbox this coming Sunday for the next essay.

Bronte Coates is reading Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough

I have been wanting to read Erin Gough’s second YA novel since it was mentioned at the Centre for Youth Literature’s 2017 YA Showcase back in late 2016, and so I was pretty excited to get my hands on a review copy this past week. Amelia Westlake is a funny, smart, effervescent and entirely delightful feminist romp that stole my heart from page one.

Will Everhart and Harriet Price both attend Rosemead Grammar – and that’s where the similarity ends. Will (a talented artist who’s passionate about social justice) is always in trouble for something, while Harriet (school prefect and outstanding athlete with top marks) is the perfect student. Prompted by a sexist display by their sport coach, the two of them team up to create a cartoon caricaturing the man’s behaviour and submit it to the school paper under the pseudonym – Amelia Westlake. When no action is taken by the school to investigate the coach’s behaviour, the girls use Amelia Westlake to take on other issues troubling them. As tensions rise throughout the community and the search to discover exactly who Amelia Westlake is intensifies, Will and Harriet start to develop feelings for one another, despite their best efforts!

This book is packed with plenty of humour and attitude, thoughtfully and cleverly skewering a range of issues that impact the lives of teenagers. I loved spending time with Will and Harriet, and I didn’t want to say goodbye to either of them at the end. It’s due for release in April so look out for it next month.