China Bayles' Book of Days [Paperback]

Susan Wittig Albert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2006

A companion treasury from the author of the national bestselling series.

Readers of the China Bayles mystery novels are familiar with the usefulness and wonder of the many herbs the amateur sleuth sells in her beloved Thyme and Seasons shop. Compiled by national bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert at the request of her fans, China Bayles' Book of Days gathers together tidbits and treasures about plants and reveals ways you can put more green into your daily life.

Featuring 365 days of recipes, crafts, gardening tips, remedies, and more, this special volume is a personal calendar of the legends and lore of herbs and also features brand-new essays from the author, clues from China's mysteries, and some special contributions by the irrepressible members of the Myra Merryweather Herb Guild, Pecan Springs's oldest civic organization.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Albert's mystery series featuring China Bayles sets the stage for this celebration of the role of herbs in everyday life. Fans of China Bayles will revel in the way this diary fleshes out their heroine and offers in detail explicit connections between the novels' characters and the real leaves, flowers, and seeds that constitute Albert's well-imagined fictional botanic environment. Albert engagingly shows off her astounding knowledge of herbal lore that extends from the Middle Ages to the present. For example, she explains how beer used to be flavored with rosemary or anise until the introduction of hops in the seventeenth century. She gives instructions for creating a tussie-mussie, an herbal nosegay for fending off unpleasant odors. Further recipes for similar bouquets and for comestibles pepper the text as well. Each day's entry also includes one or more book titles for further exploration of the entry's subject. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Susan Wittig Albert is the author of the China Bayles mysteries and a family-friendly mystery series set in the early 1900s featuring Beatrix Potter. She and her husband Bill co-author a series of Victorian-Edwardian mysteries under the name of Robin Paige.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042520653X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425206539
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Herbs, Spices & Condiments

More About the Author

My husband Bill and I live on 31 acres in the Hill Country of Central Texas, and have longhorn cows, chickens, and geese, as well as the wild things that roam the meadows and woods. Our best buddies are our two dogs (Mr. Toro and Miss Molly Maquire) and our cat, Shadow. I garden for food (passionately) and am concerned about issues of global warming and energy depletion. You can find out more about all this in my memoirs: Together, Alone: A Memoir of Marriage and Place; and An Extraordinary Year of Ordinary Days.

I've been writing professionally for over 25 years, after a stint in higher education as a professor and administrator. When I first started writing full time, I worked in the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series--yep, you got it: I am both Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon! (How cool is that?) In the years I was writing young adult novels, with Bill or by myself, I wrote over sixty books. In addition, Bill and I wrote a series of Victorian/Edwardian mysteries together, as Robin Paige.

I am currently writing two mystery series: the China Bayles herbal mysteries and The Darling Dahlias, about a Southern garden club in the 1930s. You might also enjoy my eight-book series, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. Another in-the-works project: a book about Rose Wilder Lane and her mother, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Writing is not only my work, but my passion, and I am unspeakably grateful for the opportunity to follow my bliss.

I am an active member (and the founder) of the Story Circle Network, an international nonprofit organization that supports women who want to write about their lives. We offer the May Sarton Women's Memoir Award, publishing opportunities, workshops, online classes and writing circles, an editorial service, and lots of opportunities to connect with other women. I am the Coordinating Editor of SCN's book review website (the largest/oldest women's book review site on the Internet) at storycirclebookreviews.org. Check us out!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars china bayles' book of days, March 8, 2007

By 

Beverly K. Credle "bev credle" (hampton, va) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: China Bayles' Book of Days (Paperback)

This book is sheer delight for all China Bayles' fans. I highly recommend it for anyone who shares my passion and hobby of herbs. Each day is filled with magic, useful information, gardening tips, recipes and so much more. I look forward to reading it each day. This is a super gift for friends who share a love for herbs. You will look upon each day of life as a gift and blessing. Thank you. BKC

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feast of herbal facts., January 19, 2007

By 

QueenMummy (Hawthorne, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: China Bayles' Book of Days (Paperback)

I bought this book before Christmas, for me, and wasn't at all disappointed in it. I have always loved the idea of a book one can turn to as the days pass. This one has fascinating facts about herbs and lovely illustrations to boot. I enjoy looking through it as I relax and find the information engrossing.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book of Days by China Bales, January 10, 2007

By 

Dianna R. Collins (Ottumwa, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: China Bayles' Book of Days (Paperback)

Written in an easy to read daily format. You can skip around at will. Fascinating detail of herbs with their lore and uses. She writes anecdotes, recipes and a cornicopia of information to keep you grabbing it at every free moment. And she gives "Read more about it" references. Truly as enjoyable as it is educational.