In a quiet little North Carolina town Jim Glass lives a quiet little uncomplicated life, taking pleasure in the company of his three devoted uncles, the warmth of the sunshine, and the comings and goings of trains. With his crystal-clear descriptions of seemingly unimportant occurrences, Tony Earley gives voice to the wonder and magic of childhood. Jim Glass is as endearing a character as Hemingway's Nick Adams, Harper Lee's Scout or EB White's Fern, and Jim the Boy is a quiet little gem of a novel, gorgeous in its wholesomeness and simplicity

"Food is never just food," writes Molly Wizenberg, creator of the award-winning blog Orangette, "it's also a way of getting at something else: who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be." Each of the lovely essays in this charming book explores these themes with honesty, wit, and a great deal of affection. Molly's writing is absolutely beautiful; her lyrical prose is reminiscent of MFK Fisher and Laurie Colwin, and her mouth-watering recipes are straightforward and easy to follow. I didn't know whether to rush into the kitchen and get started on her fresh ginger cake with caramelized pears or to snuggle a little deeper into the couch and savor every paragraph. Whichever you decide, A Homemade Life is a real treat.