It’s the holiday season, so we’ve produced a bumper issue to ensure you’ve got plenty of good reading and good ideas to help you make the most of the holidays.

At this time of the year, one is inclined to over-indulge and we seem to have started early, but it was with the best of intentions. Like all the recipes in our Cooking the Books section we had to taste test Valentina Harris’ Summer Fruit Pie before recommending it. The first pie we made disappeared so quickly that we thought we’d better make it again just to be sure. Some thought we probably should have done a third test, but I was a bit worried that we would never move out of the Cooking the Books section of the magazine and it would be us who would be bumper and not the magazine! Even though we’ve done our best to ensure that the pie lives up to all that it promises, you may find that you will need to make it more than once yourselves!

And if tasting and testing the Summer Fruit Pie doesn’t fill you up completely you might want to tackle Stephanie Clifford-Smith’s article on the cookbooks that are her constant cooking companions. Many of them may well be your cooking companions too, but I guarantee one or two of them will be new to you! And if you can still fit in a few more slices, then you may like to sample our Book Bites this month; both are somewhat piquant and the perfect finishing touch.

And after all that food, no doubt you’ll be in the mood for some relaxing reading and what could be better than spending some time with Tim Winton and Di Morrissey? I know Tim Winton is one of your favourite authors because in 2002 you nominated his book, Dirt Music, as your book of the year. And it would seem Di Morrissey is not far behind as I’ve had many letters and emails from readers telling me how much they enjoy her books. So it’s a thrill to be able to give you this opportunity of getting to know Tim and Di better.

At this time of the year Christmas presents and holiday reading tend to be uppermost in one’s mind, so don’t miss the Word of Mouth section this issue. With 27 pages of reviews you’re bound to find the perfect present/read there – in fact you may find quite a few. I always find it useful to leave the magazine lying around with a few titles asterisked – you never know who may pick it up!

On behalf of all of us here at gr, I wish you a very Happy Christmas, full of good food, good cheer and of course, good reads.