A Review of A Writers Book of Days by Judy Reeves

 By the end of the first month, it would be a rare writer who wasn’t writing more, even if they don’t decide to specifically do the writing exercises. There are simply so many ideas, so much encouragement, and so much that is evocative and challenging in A Writer’s Book of Days. Sensitive, informative, practical, and fun to read, this is a book to take with you; a portable and inexpensive writing class, and continual source of inspiration.

A Review of Tamasin Day-Lewis’ Simply the Best: The Art of Seasonal Cooking

The book is divided into sections based on the seasons, with brief essays at the start of each, which contain bits of reminiscence on Day-Lewis’ childhood, her experiences with foods, her feelings about and philosophy. Between each season are the columns, each addressing a different food, or local producer, followed by recipes either inspired by her experiences or by the artisan she writes about. There are handmade cheese companies, deer farmers, eel smokers, baby asparagus growers, bread bakers, fishmongers, trips to Italy for hand crafted olive oil, honey, slow food, and truffles, fresh country markets, handmade chocolates, small but perfectly run shops, trips to Ireland, exquisite restaurants, and guesthouses, and home cooked meals.