FOR the series Bible Readings for Special Times, Rachel Boulding, deputy editor of the Church Times, has contributed Facing Death, a booklet of reflections on scripture and her own experience of having terminal cancer. She has tried to be as honest as she can, and says: “Through no effort or merit of my own, I have found this to be an oddly unexpected time of blessing.” The author hopes that, however read, the pieces will encourage readers in a similar position to talk to those closest about hopes, plans, and fears, as well as to trust in God, from whom all life is a gift. As well as her own thoughts, she brings insights and prayers from others, including John Donne, whose “bracing realism” she admires, and the late Denise Inge (BRF, £3.99 (£3.60); 978-0-85746-564-1).