Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times.

Today Jonathan fires up Skype and calls Stoker and British Fantasy Award winner Usman T. Malik to discuss living in Lahore during the current times, how it impacts reading, writing and the ability to work, classic horror, the tales of your culture, and much more.

Books mentioned include:

• The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn by Usman T. Malik
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights (in 3 vols) translated by Malcolm Lyons 
• The Merman and the Book of Power: A Qissa by Musharraf Ali Farooqi