A few good reads

The most realistic 'novel' I have read in a while is Helen Garner's The Spare Room. It is written in the first person, from Garner's point of view, and reads like a memoir but apparently is fiction. It tells the story of a terminally ill friend who comes to visit Helen while she follows some kooky cancer treatment. Helen thinks the regime is ridiculous and the 'doctors' are ripping off her friend and tries to stand up for her while all the time her friend is trying to live in denial of her forthcoming death. If you know anyone with cancer, it might be an emotional read.

A new book just out from Blue Bottle Books is Take Heart by Kate Hurley and is a book of stories and thinking about living with children with disabilities. Yours truly contributed a page to it. It is worth a read, and may be something good to have on a church bookshelf or hanging around to give to families with a child who struggles.

Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley is a short, easy read taking on the big issue of work and family balance. Subtitled Who Wins when Family and Work Collide, it clearly states the problems, the causes and the solutions. His big message is to do your your job and love your family, not the other way around. I loved it.