AustLit

'"Baz and my culinary tastes had, like virtually everything in our lives, moved in different directions. He was a meat and three veg kind of bloke. Me, well, I didn't know what kind of bloke I was."

Sean's dad, Baz, believes in making the most of the good things in life - beer, races and footy. Sean is a studious, birdwatching kind of guy. When Sean's mum, Di, starts treatment for cancer, it is cooking, of all things, that brings father and son together. Baz starts whipping up Japanese fish parcels and braised lamb shanks with polenta to tempt Di's flagging post-chemo appetite and Sean is impressed.

'When Baz gets the bad news that a lifetime of drinking and smoking has caught up with him, it's suddenly Sean's turn in the kitchen . . .

'As much about the changing landscape of Australian male culture as it is about losing loved ones, Cooking with Baz will make you laugh and get a lump in your throat, often at the same time. And you'll think about what "family" really means.' (From the publisher's website.)