Cozy Mysteries discussion

Our featured author for Oct is Susan Wittig Albert. The author also recently joined our group and has agreed to stop by. I'd like to thank her from the group for agreeing to talk to us.

http://www.susanalbert.com/ is her official website.

Here are here books. Sorted by series. (In 2 posts)

The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter
http://www.cottagetales.com/books/

#1 The Tale of Hill Top Farm
#2 The Tale of Holly How
#3 The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood
#4 The Tale of Hawthorn House
#5 The Tale of Briar Bank
#6 The Tale of Applebeck Orchard
#7 The Tale of Oat Cake Crag (Sep 7, 2010)
#8 The Tale of Castle Cottage (September 2011)



The China Bayles Herbal Mysteries
http://www.abouthyme.com/China/index....

#1 Thyme of Death
#2 Witches' Bane
#3 Hangman's Root
#4 Rosemary Remembered
#5 Rueful Death
#6 Love Lies Bleeding
#7 Chile Death
#8 Lavender Lies
#9 Mistletoe Man
#10 Bloodroot
#11 Indigo Dying
#12 A Dilly of a Death
#13 Dead Man's Bones
#14 Bleeding Hearts
#15 Spanish Dagger
#16 Nightshade
#17 Wormwood
#18 Holly Blues
#19 Mourning Gloria (April 2011)



Extra's: (Desciptions off author's official website)
An Unthymely Death and Other Garden Mysteries - These are the China Bayles short mysteries originally written for the Country Living Gardener web site, complete with recipes, crafts, herb lore, and other herbal goodies!
Murder Most Crafty - Anthology of 15 new stories of criminal handiwork and the art of deduction, by 15 of your favorite mystery authors, featuring 14 popular sleuths PLUS a China Bayles short story, "The Collage to Kill For."
China Bayles' Book of Days - 365 Celebrations of the Mystery, Myth, and Magic of Herbs. Featuring recipes, crafts, gardening tips, remedies, and more, this special volume is your personal calendar to the legends and lore of herbs. It also features brand-new essays by Susan, clues from China’s mysteries, and some special contributions from the irrepressible members of the Myra Merryweather Herb Guild, Pecan Springs’s oldest civic organization. Celebrate each day of the year by discovering your own personal place in the green, growing world!



The Darling Dahlias
http://www.darlingdahlias.com/books/

#1 The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree (Jul 6, 2010)

CONTINUED...

The Robin Paige Victorian-Edwardian Mysteries
by Bill & Susan Albert writing as Robin Paige
http://www.mysterypartners.com/Robin/
*NOTE: Series Complete

#1 Death at Bishop's Keep
#2 Death at Gallows Green
#3 Death at Daisy's Folly
#4 Death at Devil's Bridge
#5 Death at Rottingdean
#6 Death at Whitechapel
#7 Death at Epsom Downs
#8 Death at Dartmoor
#9 Death at Glamis Castle
#10 Death in Hyde Park
#11 Death at Blenheim Palace
#12 Death on the Lizard



Nonfiction:
- An Extraordinary Year of Ordinary Days (will be out in early Sept 2010 from the University of Texas Press)
- Together, Alone: A Memoir of Marriage and Place
- Writing from Life
- Work of Her Own: How Women Create Success and Fulfillment Off the Traditional Career Track
- Starting Points



Edited Anthologies
- What Wildness Is This: Women Write about the Southwest
- With Courage and Common Sense: Memoirs from the Older Women's Legacy Circles

I'm so glad Susan showed up! I think it might have helped my suggestion of her as an author of the month along!

She was already on my short list of authors to feature but it did move her up the list. :)

Well, I've got The Tale of Hill Top Farm and Thyme of Death, so I'll keep them for October ;)

I have a couple of her books too that I haven't read yet, so I'll also save them for October.

Thanks for the early posting of information; really helps to prepare or purchase for reading in the months ahead.

Your welcome Tammy. I'm aiming for at least a month ahead but since the author agreed to join our discussion posted this one earlier yet. I know it can take awhile sometimes to find the books.

Fabulous author to feature!! Her herb shop series is what got me hooked on reading cozy mysteries! In fact, it's still one of my favorite series to keep up with. I do have a couple of the Beatrix Potter books so I'll put them in the pile for October.

I'm going to read: Finished the book 10.25. I was glad to revisit a favorite author from my past.


Holly Blues

I think I'm going to try

I read last month and am definitely interested in reading more of her work.

Will read .

I'm going to try Thyme of Death.

I too am going to read Thyme of Death. Can't say I'm looking forward to liking it though...as there are 17 more to find if I do:) Based on the reviews I've seen on here and amazon I guess I might as well resign myself to loving the series and prepare to clear space on the shelves of my TBR pile.

Oh, I hear you. I've got books in boxes under the bed and stored in my son's empty dresser not to mention the bookshelves and baskets full of books everywhere. It won't stop me though. If I love the series, those books will be mine.

Now you have me wondering if I really want to find Thyme of Death, since it is now a 19-book series, LOL. Perhaps I'd better stick to the first two Beatrix Potter books I found, for now. Only eight books there, lol!

I am going to read

Heather L wrote: "Now you have me wondering if I really want to find Thyme of Death, since it is now a 19-book series, LOL. Perhaps I'd better stick to the first Beatrix Potter books I found, for now. ..."

I've already ordered it from PBS. So I guess my fate is sealed! LOL

Leslie: Glutton for punishment, are ya? LOL

Leslie wrote: "I too am going to read Thyme of Death. Can't say I'm looking forward to liking it though...as there are 17 more to find if I do:) Based on the reviews I've seen on here and amazon I..."

It's a great series, Leslie, and I'm sure you'll love it! THYME OF DEATH is the only I've never read, so I plan to read it in October.

I love the China Bayles series; it's the only series I've read by SWA. I've got Wormwood in my TBR pile so I'll save for October. Plus it will fill Kentucky for my USA challenge. :)

Suzanne wrote: "I love the China Bayles series; it's the only series I've read by SWA. I've got Wormwood in my TBR pile so I'll save for October. Plus it will fill Kentucky for my USA challenge. :)"

What is SWA???

Susan Wittig Albert

Yeah!!! I love the Beatrix Potter Books and The China Bayles series. So, I think I will try the Bishops Keep for Oct. since I have not read any of those yet.

Actual pictures of Hilltop Farm. Pictures of Peter Rabbit's garden as well. Charming, no wonder Beatrix fell in love with it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45777493...
http://www.suite101.com/content/hill-...

I've got my copy of Thyme of Death ready for October. Just half a month to go! Can I hold on long enough, I wonder?!

I just found my copy (hardback) of Dilly of a Death. It has a few tiny spots on the side (I must've spilled coffee at some point) but basically it's in good shape if anyone wants it on swap. : ) I love all the China Bayles books - just don't have room to keep them all. LOL (But you should feel encourage, Susan - I buy them all as soon as they come out! And I bought all the Robin Paige novels too!

This gives me motivation to get back to reading The Cottage Tales series. I plan to read . I'd also like to read .

I just sorted through a pile of books and found that I have , the next Robin Paige book that I needed to read. Maybe I'll get that one read too.

I've got and ready to go for Oct.

I'll read The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood
I enjoy this whimsical series.

I read Thyme of Death and didn't care for it,s o I'm not pursuing that series.

I have read all of the Robin Paige books and LOVED them. Those of you just getting started on them have a very pleasant journey ahead!

I haven't read any of her books. I'm always excited to discover a new author! I'm planning to read and .

I have read all the China Bayles books up to Wormwood. I liked all the books except for Nightshade. That book really irritated me. Fortunately the next book Wormwood was good. I haven't read any of the other series.

Paula wrote: "I have read all the China Bayles books up to Wormwood. I liked all the books except for Nightshade. That book really irritated me. Fortunately the next book Wormwood w..."

The only book in the China Bayles series I haven't read is THYME OF DEATH. I liked NIGHTSHADE, but didn't care for WORMWOOD. I didn't like the changing story points between the past & the present. I liked the newest one, HOLLY BLUES.

Why can't I find Thyme of Death in eBook format for my Nook??? Any help would be appreciated.

Wow! It's wonderful to find so many old and new friends here at Cozy Mysteries! Thanks for inviting me. As you can see by my book list, I'm up to my eyebrows in cozies, both edgy and experimental cozies (like some of the China Bayles/Pecan Springs books); ultra-cozies (like the Cottage Tales); and historical cozies (the Darling Dahlias). The Robin Paige Victorian/Edwardian series that I wrote with Bill is cozy, to the extent that we don't spill blood on the pages.

I'll be here answering questions as long as you ask them.

A bit of by-the-way info: WORMWOOD (which some of you liked) recently won the International Herb Association's Book Award. What they liked about the book: the Shaker herbal lore and history that forms the book's backstory.

Susan wrote: "Wow! It's wonderful to find so many old and new friends here at Cozy Mysteries! Thanks for inviting me. As you can see by my book list, I'm up to my eyebrows in cozies, both edgy and experimental c..."

I liked the setting for WORMWOOD. My family lives in eastern KY, so I've visited the KY Shaker Village a couple of times. And then there's also the fact that there are NO bad China Bayles books.....just some are better than others! My personal favorite is BLOODROOT. I like the little "woo woo" factor that's part of the story. That one is followed closely by WITCHES BANE, LOVE LIES BLEEDING, LAVENDER LIES, MISTLETOE MAN and BLEEDING HEARTS.

Melodie wrote: "I liked the setting for WORMWOOD. My family lives in eastern KY, so I've visited the KY Shaker Village a couple of times. ..."

I've visited there too, Melodie--a lovely, serene place. I first thought of using it as the setting, but since bad things were going to happen to good people in the book, I thought it better to create a fictional setting. BLOODROOT is also a favorite of mine. I tend to like the books that are dense and layered, with a lot of back story that plays in and out of the front story.

Welcome Susan and thank you for dropping in. I hope we get good discussions going here in Oct. :)

I'm looking forward to starting the Beatrix Potter Tales series. Way back when, lol, I decorated the nursery completely in Beatrix Potter designs. Wasn't easy to find but was beautiful. Over time I got rid of all of it except for the children's china tea set which I had purchased while stationed in Germany. I just couldn't part with that.

I've read all of Susan's series to date except the Beatrix Potter (have read 3), so will be catching up in that series during October, including the latest one. If you haven't read her non-fiction, I recommend those, too. I'm looking forward to the discussions here with Susan, and am glad I found this group.

I've been meaning to read the China Bayles series so this will get me started with

It had been a while since I read Bloodroot so I had to read the reviews to remind me of the story. Yes, one of my favored China Bayles books. Wormwood was really good. The Shaker story was interesting and of course the lessons on herbs are always appreciated.

I just got a copy of Writing From Life:Telling Your Soul's Story, and am planning on reading it. I am also going to read Wormwood. It is the only China Bayles book I have yet to read.

ஐ Briansgirl "Book Sale Queen"ஐ wrote: "Way back when, lol, I decorated the nursery completely in Beatrix Potter designs. Wasn't easy to find but was beautiful. Over time I got rid of all of it except for the children's china tea set which I had purchased while stationed in Germany. I just couldn't part with that. ..."

Beatrix would have loved to hear about that wallpaper! She got into a fuss about some wallpaper designs she did NOT like. Unfortunately, her publisher didn't cash in on possible spin-offs--so she got left behind on that. But she did oversee (in the 20s) the design of a tea set. She loved things like that. I'm glad you still have yours!

Donna wrote: "...If you haven't read her non-fiction, If you haven't read her non-fiction, I recommend those, too."

Thanks for that, Donna. The non-fiction usually gets overshadowed by the fiction, but in many ways, it is closer to my heart, especially the latest book,

The physical book is beautiful (which is a great delight to me) and the subjects are revealing (at least I think so). 2008 held many lessons for me, and the book shares all of them. I didn't hold anything back.

Bloodroot was the first that I read and I really liked it. I have Mistletoe Man and Bleeding Hearts both sitting on my TBR shelf to read.

Just to clarify things, there is no specific time for a chat with Susan. I sent out an event notice to let everyone know that she's agreed to join us for our featured author month of Oct. Post questions as you read the books here in the thread and she'll answer them when she gets a chance. Since this is the first time we've had a featured author join us, I wanted everyone to know she was here.

(I'm new to sending out event notices but I didn't see how to leave the time blank so set it for noon. I did learn that if I set it for the last day of the month the notice will stay visable all month to remind us. If you set it for the first day of the month it disappears that day.)

OK, that makes sense. I'm looking forward to it.

Just finished Holly Blues. Excellent. I've now up-to-date on the China Bayles series. I enjoyed each one. I'm on the waiting list at the library for Darling Dahlias. Been there for the past 6 weeks but my turn will arrive this month.

Nice to know that there's a long waiting list, Vicky--but I'm sorry that it's taking so long! Glad you liked Holly Blues.

Hi Susan :)

I've read Bloodroot and really liked it. I do have Spanish Dagger lurking in the bins, too. BN didn't have Thyme so I'll need to hit online sources and get to it by the end of the month. Too many good challenges going on in all the groups this month.