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.

Robbie Egan is reading Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

I have been reading Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach, a novel of remarkable historical accuracy that details the lives of its characters with an economy and precision that almost belies the lavishness of its achievement.

I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone, so will keep this short. It is Brooklyn, New York of the 30s, and everything about this time and place – the automobiles, the tilt of a gentleman’s hat, the brusque patter, the gender assignments, the distant rumbling of continental war – it all rings wonderfully true. Anna’s dad, Eddie Kerrigan is a bagman. Dexter Styles is a three-quarter-legit mobster. These three worlds collide. We see the Brooklyn Naval Yards, take to the high seas with the Merchant Navy, enter the clubs and apartments, and walk and drive the streets. This novel is visceral and sharp, with a turn of phrase that is whip-crack smart and a rendering of interiority that is subtle and painterly. Motivations ebb and flow moment-to-moment just as in life we know them to.

After A Visit From the Goon Squad I was so excited to get this book, and my only disappointment is that it has ended. Manhattan Beach is a straight up historical novel, rich in detail and hauntingly, thrillingly real. When I closed the book I had a lump in my throat and a flutter in my heart, and was struck by the thought that this is why I read fiction. Jennifer Egan, I am happy to report, is a genius.

Leanne Hall is reading The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

The Pearl Thief is a prequel to Elizabeth Wein’s lauded World War II spy thriller, Code Name Verity, although it can be read as a standalone historical mystery. Code Name Verity centres on the intense and loyal friendship between pilot Maddie and agent Julie, as they participate in treacherous war time missions. It’s a heartbreaker and a favourite, so I was very eager to get my hands on The Pearl Thief.

We meet up with Julie again – younger at 15, but no less audacious and determined – as she returns to her grandfather’s Scottish estate for the last time before it’s sold. Julie walks into chaos and change; her family lives in a few small rooms while the estate is overrun with tradespeople converting the building and grounds into a private school. A young museum curator working on the family collection has gone missing, presumed dead, as has a large amount of pearls that only Julie seems to remember. When Julie is unceremoniously clobbered on the head and put in hospital, she has to wonder if the same person is responsible for all three incidents.

This is an intriguing mystery that unfolds gently, its reading pleasure hinging as much on factual revelations as the dreamy, summer, coming-of-age atmosphere. It’s full of fascinating details about Scottish culture and history: rare freshwater pearls, traditional agriculture, the Scottish Traveller community, ancient boats, peat bogs and pre-war fashions. Julie flirts, kisses, cajoles, investigates, secretly smokes and dances her way through the story, and I could not love her more. It is her loyalty once more, to her family, their legacy, historical preservation and to friends old and new, that provides the backbone to the story.

Mike Shuttleworth is reading Unlocking French by Paul Noble

When a customer bought this book a couple of weeks ago, I thought: ‘Just what I need, Unblocking French!’ Okay, so I misheard the title, but the effect is similar.

Paul Noble’s no-nonsense approach is familiar to anyone who has used the Michel Thomas method. The reader responds to conversational prompts, completing and answering aloud, and building phrases and sentences pretty much from page one.

There are also phonetic examples for pronunciation, which is helpful, but it’s not a particularly technical approach. The words ‘grammar’, ‘conjugation’, ‘tense’ and ‘verb’ are never used. Of course if you need a steeper climb, there is always 501 French Verbs and Schaum’s French Grammar. But as a way starting in French, building confidence or restarting, well, you may be surprised how quickly you learn.