Mr Spitz offers the reader a portrait of an epicure, and of a life profoundly full, blessed and well lived.

ECONOMIST: A new biography of Julia Child

Prior to the next meeting, focused on "Edible Brooklyn: The Cookbook" (Sterling Epicure, 2011), I logged on to the group's page and found evidence of feverish cooking.

WSJ: Recipe for a Better Book Club

The findings echo early results from the decade-long Epicure 2 study, published last month, which also showed improved survival rates for babies born at 24 and 25 weeks, but not for those born earlier.

BBC: Early baby survival 'unchanged'