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 two great teen novels

I always try to read the book before seeing the film and so last weekend I picked up a copy of Becky Albertalli’s YA novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which has recently been adapted into a film named Love, Simon. This novel was an absolute freaking delight – I adored Simon and read the entire thing in a single evening. It’s such an authentic, heartfelt and thoughtful story. And now I’m ready to see the film and be delighted all over again. I also just read Ryan Graudin’s more recent novel, Invictus, which was a recent recommendation by our Teen Advisory Board. Described as Guardians of the Galaxy meets Doctor Who, this was a fantastic time travel adventure and heck of a lot of fun.

Leanne Hall is reading Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

I adore fairy tales in their original forms and equally as imaginative retellings, so I was naturally drawn to Julie C. Dao’s wonderful debut, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, which riffs off Snow White. Dao sets her novel in a fantastical version of East Asia, and focusses on the evil queen character, in the form of a beautiful and low-born young woman, Xifeng. Xifeng is a sympathetic character, troubled by a strange upbringing at the hands of her aunt Guma, clearly affected by some type of magic or witchcraft, and the subject of a prophecy that predicts her ascent to Empress of Feng Lu.

The story of Xifeng’s troubled climb to power is fascinating, strange and bloody; observing the politics of the palace, with concubines, eunuchs, handmaids, civil servants and soldiers, is as enjoyable as watching a dynastic soap opera. I loved Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, and I’m looking forward to the next two books in this trilogy. Dao combines killer storytelling skills with well-crafted language, so if you’re partial to compelling fantasy and twisted magic, you’ll also love this story of a young woman grappling with malevolent powers, both within and without.

Lian Hingee is reading Hey Ladies! by Michelle Markowitz, Caroline Moss & Carolyn Bahar (illus.)

With endorsements from Megan Amran, Mallory Ortberg, and Nicole Cliffe, I was delighted to score a copy of Hey Ladies! by Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss. Told through group emails and text chains, this novel about 8 friends in New York is like Sex in the City meets Younger meets Bridget Jones’ Diary. On crack. And it’s very, very, funny – even though it kind of makes me want to slam my head into a wall.

I hate every single character to varying degrees, though I’m hard-pressed to pick the one I’d most like to throw under a bus. Maybe Jen, the smug married who’s determined to smear her relationship all over the faces of her single friends; or Ali, the frenemy with a serious superiority complex and a habit of using hashtags un-ironically; or Caitlin, the wannabe social media influencer with the Sanskrit tattoo. Okay, it’s probably Caitlin. She signs her emails with: ‘The spirit in me recognises the spirit in you’.

I’m about a third of the way through this book, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Markowitz and Moss continue to skewer and parody these horrible, horrible people. I’m sure they’re going to get their comeuppance and I just can’t wait. #blessed.