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.

Ellen Cregan is reading The Book Ninja by Ali Berg & Michelle Kalus

This week I’ve been reading a debut Australian novel from co-authors, Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus. Berg and Kalus are the founders of the Books on the Rail project, which aims to get commuters off their phones and stuck into a book by leaving copies of books on trams, trains and buses all around the city. Inspired by this real-life project, the plot of their novel sees bookseller and failed writer Frankie become a ‘book ninja’ – leaving copies of her all-time favourite books on public transport with the hope of finding a fellow bookworm to date. This process sees Frankie meeting a range of men, including one she never expected to fall for, YA novel-loving Sunny.

Frankie records her experiment on a blog, which becomes wildly popular and sparks the potential for a publishing deal. At the same time, it poses the risk of ruining Frankie’s fledgling romance with Sunny. There are lots of lovely details about Melbourne strewn throughout this novel, and it was great to see the names of familiar places pop up throughout the book. This is a fun and silly romantic comedy that is perfect for any die-hard booklover.

Carrie Croft is reading Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (illustrations by Isabel Roxas)

Whether you believe in fate or just think it boils down to coincidence, this year’s Newberry Medal winner is guaranteed to get you thinking. Available in paperback and as a striking hardcover edition, it’s an insightful and endearing novel about a boy both facing his fears, and finding true friendship. The story’s humane portrayal of each character is moving and illuminating. This is especially evident in its depiction of the deaf, platonic love interest, and more unexpectedly, in its rendering of the school bully (whose bad behaviour sadly parrots his father’s ignorance). I love author Erin Entrada Kelly’s way of illustrating the intimate perceptions characters glean by tuning-in to non-verbal cues. I also love that via the relentless antics of ‘destiny’, and despite the protagonist’s agonising shyness, two adorable individuals ultimately unite. With its steady wisdom and offbeat humour, Hello, Universe is a great novel and an ideal gift for ages 9-12.

Chris Gordon is reading An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

It is such a pleasure when a novel takes over your life and you find yourself carrying the book throughout your busy day, in the hope that somewhere, sometime, you will be able to squeeze in another couple of pages? At the moment, Tayari Jones’ An American Marriage is that novel for me.

Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy are settling into the normality of their life together, when Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Despite their broken spirits, they tell each other that their love is steadfast and will be able to last the distance and tyranny of jail.

I’m not going to go into what happens next because I want you to read this book. I want you to discuss what love and devotion means, how the Black Lives matter campaign is so essential, and how reading literature can make you reflect on your own life. An American Marriage is a novel that will stir you to reconsider your own beliefs and politics, and it provides an intimate view of how other people live. Consider this recommendation my gift you to you on this cold end-of-Autumn day.

Dani Solomon is reading The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (Fighting Fantasy Book 1) by Ian Livingstone & Steve Jackson

I missed Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson’s Fighting Fantasy series when I was a kid, which is a shame because I think I would have loved them. These books have been around since the late 80s and are essentially single player fantasy roleplaying gamebooks, disguised as novels. They have character sheets (and monster stat sheets!) for you to fill out at the back, and there are also random dice printed at the bottom of every page in case you don’t have your own to roll when it comes time to fight reanimated skeletons and/or orcs.

Given the structure of the book, I can’t tell exactly how far into this classic adventure I am. I have found myself drawing the map as I go along, and inspired by the Game Master of my real life tabletop RPG group, I have even busted out the coloured pencils to make it glorious technicolour. I am really having so much fun drawing and recording my stats and inventory as I befriend guards and defeat Minotaurs.

I love stories in all their forms but they do have different effects on you. When you watch TV or films the story happens at you, and when you read books the story happen to you, but when you play RPGs I feel like you happen to the story. I am very much happening to The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

Bronte Coates is reading The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara

Joseph Cassara’s debut novel is my book club pick this month. This story is set in 1980’s New York and is inspired by the House of Xtravaganza which was notably featured in the seminal documentary Paris is Burning. The author has reimagined several real-life people from this time, such as iconic drag queens Dorian, Angie and Venus. Cassara’s prose is passionate and lyrical, and there are some truly gut-wrenching moments here. (If you’ve seen the documentary or happen to know the true story, you already know what some of these moments are going to be.) I’ve also been watching RuPaul’s Drag Race while reading this book, and it’s been incredibly moving to be immersed in these two linked worlds at the same time. In her review of Cassara’s book, my colleague Rose Maurice wrote: ‘Its message for love, understanding and the need to continue fighting against bigotry is important, and urges us to fight for a more understanding and inclusive world.’ I definitely agree.