Each week our amazing staff bring you a sample of the books or music they're immersed in.

Joanna Di Mattia is reading Absolutely & Forever by Rose Tremain

Over the past three months, I have read one great book after another. I recently finished Rose Tremain’s latest novel, Absolutely & Forever, which has continued this golden streak.

This is a book of young passions written with the insight of age, told from the perspective of Marianne Clifford, a teenager growing up in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, who falls ‘absolutely and forever’ in love with Oxford-bound Simon Hurst. He reciprocates her feelings and she believes, with the drama that only a 15-year-old can attach to such things, that they are destined to spend their lives together. Heartbreak follows and Marianne believes she’s been consigned to the ‘love asylum’ for the rest of her life. But of course, there is much more to her story and Simon’s than that.

Tremain’s novel impressed me with the energy and intelligence of its narrator’s voice and with the way it captures the intensity of young love and lessons about life, hard earned. Absolutely & Forever begins as one kind of book then turns into another. I loved how it surprised me. It’s a unique book – beautiful, funny, and very moving.

Yasmin Baker is reading Murtagh by Christopher Paolini

I was 9 years old when Eragon first came out, and it is a series I hold very close to my heart. It was one of the first fantasy series I ever picked up and ignited my love for dragons, elves, magic and adventure. I longed to have a dragon of my own, and I owe a lot of my love of reading to this series.

Picking up Murtagh at the age of 30 has given me a lot of nostalgia. It's been so wonderful to be back in this world and to revisit characters that are familiar to me. I always wanted to know more about Murtagh and it's been so lovely to find out what happened to this character a year after the war between Eragon and Galbotorix.

Jennifer Varela is listening to The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

I recently listened to The Woman in Me by Britney Spears. This audiobook shares the heartbreaking truth hidden behind the sell-out tours and residencies of a pop star who had nearly everything taken away from her, disguised under a 13-year conservatorship to protect her wellbeing. It reveals Britney’s journey to self-healing, telling her truth on what life was like pre-stardom, heartbreaks, failed relationships, and the fight to keep her children. Britney’s freedom is just the first step to regaining her title as one of the best performers on this planet.

Michelle Williams takes a compassionate approach to narrating The Woman in Me, she guides the listener through the emotions that Britney experienced and at times making it feel as if you are actually hearing Britney herself. The audiobook is available through Readings on Libro.fm.

The Woman in Me is also available in hardback and can be purchased online or at one of our shops.