The Way Back Almanac 2022 is an almanac and seasonal guide full of practical tutorials and exercises to reconnect with the outdoors, nature, and our relationship with the wider world written and presented by Melinda Salisbury. Due out 10th Aug 2021 from Watkins Publishing, it's 272 pages and will be available in hardcover format.
The chapters are arranged around the yearly calendar and seasons, January through December. Each chapter includes some almanac type information: astronomy, first full moon, other celestial events, seasonal garden tasks, what plants to start, checklists, small indulgent self-care tasks and tutorials and some recipes. There are also plenty of writing prompts to help with journaling and diary-keeping. There are also bits of folklore included and some small rituals and lots of philosophy.
The layout is restful and easy to read with high contrast printing. The art is simple with small line drawings scattered throughout. I found the whole very restful and engaging. This would be a really lovely gift for a journaling or gardening friend. I intend to buy a hardcopy for myself and imagine myself sitting with my morning tea and (hopefully) carving out some time to put pen to paper.
The vegan friendly recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in metric (grams & ml) with American standard measurements in parentheses (yay!). The cooking instructions are easy to follow with alternative presentations listed at the end of the recipe. None of the recipes include pictures.
Five stars. Contemplative, engaging, restful, and worthwhile.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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