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.

Paul Goodman is reading by Ayoade on Ayoade by Richard Ayoade

After making a name for himself co-writing and directing the cult UK series Garth Merenghi’s Dark Place, giving an award-winning performance as Moss in The IT Crowd and then going on to make two excellent films in Submarine and The Double, Richard Ayoade released Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey – a sendup of the ‘auteur biography’ that also includes a substantial sendup of himself as a valid artist and believable human.

Organised into 10 interviews conducted by Ayoade, with Ayoade, and several appendices to support some of the brave genius’s extraordinary but undoubtedly legitimate statements, we examine the artist’s legacy of two films and a TV thing and gain insight into the greatest mind not just in cinema today, but arguably of all time for everything.

Fans of Ayoade will get more of what they love: cine-literate silliness and meta-hilarity from one of the most intelligent writers and directors around; for everyone else, let it be an introduction to an amazing and original artist who really should be in your life.

Tracy Hwang is reading The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

In her female-driven retelling of Beowulf, April Tucholke’s dark and gritty fantasy world is atmospherically beautiful. The world-building is reminiscent of Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle in the way it’s sort of subtle, but fantastic. Revolving around a group of female warriors who deal in the trade of death, this is a tale of glory-seeking and heroism. The fierceness of the characters is inspiring and it’s brilliant to see the female characters take centre stage. Perfect for fans of fantasy, who want something a little different and refreshingly feminist.

Ed note: Tracy Hwang is a former member of our Readings Teen Advisory Board.

Bronte Coates is reading The Place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta (available March)

I’m a long-time fan of Melina Marchetta – from when I first cried over Looking for Alibrandi back at school, all the way up to my one-sit adrenaline-fuelled read of her utterly fantastic crime novel, Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil, in 2016. Her new novel, The Place on Dalhousie is due to arrive in bookshops in March and I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy last week. Quite simply, I think Marchetta is one of the best storytellers we have in Australia and here she gives us another character-driven, emotionally resonant and entertaining tale about family, grief and growing up. While the three central characters have aged out of school (one a long time ago now), there is still the feeling of a coming-of-age sensibility around this novel. I loved reading it.

As an added bonus, if you’re a fan like me, you’ll probably also recognise the guest appearance of familiar characters from two of her young adult novels: Saving Francesca and The Piper’s Son.