Michelle Wyatt is a TV producer who lives in Melbourne. Her memoir Not Right in the Head (Allen & Unwin) is a funny and moving account of her family's experience of caring for her mother after she developed Alzheimer's.
THE NEW PONY
Blanche Chenery Perrin
As a child all I ever wanted was a pony, so my father would read this book to me – a little Golden Book published in 1961 – every night. The story is about a boy who quickly learns that looking after his new pony is hard work. Despite its powerful message, I was convinced I could handle the work – how hard could it be? Every birthday I would march out to our modest-sized suburban backyard, bitterly disappointed there was no pony standing with a bow around its neck. That book taught me about disappointment at an early age. When I turned 25, I bought that damn pony, and discovered little Harry was right – ponies are a lot of work.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Harper Lee
This is a book I can read over and over and every time I come out the other end with something new. It is a beautiful piece of literature, with the powerful theme of good versus evil and portrayal of a parent's struggle in raising children in a world where social conscience is not always rewarded. The book is as relevant a piece of writing now as it was when it was published over 50 years ago.
KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL
Anthony Bourdain
I read this book when it was released 16 years ago and consider it the precursor to the celebrity chef era. It was an insight into an underworld nobody should be privy to – although at times it's hard to decide if you are reading fiction or non-fiction – and as funny as it was confronting. It changed the way I order food in a restaurant. I never order the chef special, I rarely eat the bread and I sure as hell don't ask for my meat well done!
LUCKY MAN
Michael J. Fox
I love a good biography and that's what I expected in this book. What I got was an honest and often witty account of a man's struggle with a debilitating disease. I realised it's OK to be honest and sometimes cheeky about a subject that most would treat as taboo. It inspired me to tell the story of our family in the way I wanted to tell it – honest with a good dose of humour.
