Cultural Life: Kamila Shamsie, author

Books

I've just finished Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall', which is such a magnificent evocation of a man (Thomas Cromwell) and an era (the Boleyn period of Henry VIII's reign) that I find I'm unable to do what I usually do as soon as I've finished a novel – i.e. pick up another one. It seems unfair to ask any novel to follow on from that.

Television

The Ashes. Though I'd be watching a lot more of it if cricket was still on the terrestrial channels.

Dance

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley and the Monks from the Shaolin Temple: it's a dream combination, and the resulting performance of 'Sutra' at Sadler's Wells didn't disappoint.

Film

The Pakistani director Mehreen Jabbar's film 'Ramchand Pakistani' is finally getting a theatrical release in the UK next week – just anticipating its arrival on these shores made me re-watch the DVD version, which I bought in Karachi. It's a beautifully told story of a father and son who end up in prison after accidentally crossing from Pakistan into India.

'Burnt Shadows' is out now. Shamsi will read her short story from the 'Ox-Tales' compilation at London Literature Festival on 14 July ( www.londonlitfest.com) You can read it online at www.independent.co.uk/ox-tales