I’ve swept away the last sugar cookie crumb and crushed cardboard packaging for recycling. My Christmas holidays are finished and a Valentine’s heart wreath adorns my front door. Now what?
It’s time to cozy into the corner of the brown leather sofa, flip on the gas fireplace and escape into fiction. Herb Society of America Librarian Chris Wilkinson has compiled a list of herb-related fiction that spans the decades. Many titles will be available through your local libraries or booksellers. Or members can borrow them from The Herb Society of America library.
Not long ago, Chris added three books to the library that were written by Brian Eastman of the British TV series “Rosemary and Thyme.” These mysteries, shown on PBS, follow the activities of Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The duo operate a gardening consultancy called Rosemary and Thyme. In addition to tackling garden problems, they become amateur sleuths. The TV series ran for three seasons. While the books are available from HSA’s library, the shows can be found on videos at amazon.com and other websites.
HSA has available the Brother Cadfael Chronicles, a series of 20 books about a medieval monk who is an herbalist. They were written between 1977 and 1994 by the linguist-scholar Edith Pargeter under the name “Ellis Peters.”
Chris is a fan of the China Bayles mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert who was once an honorary HSA president. The fictional China Bayles is a former attorney who gets tired of the rat race and moves to a small Texas town where she buys a house and opens an herb shop. The first book was written in 1992 with the most recent published in 2015.
“I also like Edith Maxwell’s Local Foods mysteries about organic farmer Cam Flaherty, who owns a farm share-program. The series is set in New England where Maxwell lives,” says Chris.
Then, there’s the Spice Shop series by Leslie Budewitz. Chris recently met Leslie at a mystery writers’ conference and plan to add the author’s books to her Kindle.
I could easily curl into the comfy couch until Spring Equinox. And, even then have more books on my list. Now, where to start?
Contact Chris for a copy of the fiction list.
