There are stories, songs, recipes, connections to the natural world and a sense that there are patterns to the year that have been going on for millennia. And so this month we come to glittering, sparkling life, just as nature reaches its most complete hibernation.

It is beautifully laid out with clear printing of the information, and illustrations of the tables – of tide times (with how to work it out for each locality at the start of the book) and phases of the moon. To become a subscriber to Slightly Foxed: The Real Reader’s Quarterly Magazine, please visit our subscriptions page. Lia Leendertz has produced another superb gem of a book in “THE ALMANAC” - A seasonal guide to 2023.Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.

December: “There appears to be something about reaching the deepest depths of the year that inspires us to use up an over-generous proportion of our precious resources in gathering, feasting and celebrating.We know how wonderful it feels deep down inside when we experience a breathtaking sunset, or a magnificent Dawn Chorus, or the colours in the skly when the Sun goes down at the end of the day. Illustrated this year by artist Whooli Chen, this beautifully designed pocket book is ideal to carry around in your day bag for reference, to while away a few minutes or as an indispensable guide with literally everything you could need to know about each month and how the seasons affect them. This is such a brilliant book, it has everything you could possibly want to know about the different months. Metal Sculptor based in Long Bennington, Lincolnshire, using recycled materials to create sculptures for your garden or indoor decoration.

Leendertz’s writing is just lovely (see below) and I’ve appreciated the relevant recipes and folk songs each month. I loved reading this each month and have already been given a copy of next years book, so I'm looking forward to seeing what this has to offer as my companion through 2024. I am not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without my permission. But the author does encourage you to look at what is happening outside, are there buds or bees starting to emerge.For younger bookworms – and nostalgic older ones too – there’s the Slightly Foxed Cubs series, in which we’ve reissued a number of classic nature and historical novels. A Serving of Crime with a Difference - You May Just Discover Something Unique, Different, or Unusual in These 20 Crime Novels. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. This compact and pocket-sized guide has the feel and weight of a traditional almanac, and provides practical information for expeditions, meteor-spotting nights and beach holidays. Written in an accessible style with some super smattering of humour in a conversational tone, readers will find recipes and songs, notable dates and traditions, the zodiac and gardens so that there’s everything from the seas to the skies contained here.

Certainly there is information about the natural world and I loved the concept of following the life of an ordinary garden pond throughout the year, but there’s so much more besides. There are also features on each month's unique nature, such as the meteor shower of the month, beehive behaviour, folklore, seasonal recipes and charts tracking moon phases and tides.

For each month there is a tide timetable for Dover, phases of the moon, a few seasonal recipes, information on the respective Zodiac sign, what you can see In the natural world and what needs to be done in the garden. Such a pleasure to read of the changing seasons and habits of wildlife, and interesting recipes too.