By Maryann Readal
I thought it would be an easy task to gather a list of the best books read by the four online HSA Book Clubs in 2024. But what I learned was that asking book lovers to choose their favorite book is like asking a parent to choose their favorite child – it is a very difficult endeavor.
The Herb Society of America has four active book discussion groups. These groups meet online monthly on different days at different times to discuss an herbal or plant-based book. Some of the books are mysteries, some are non-fiction, some are fiction or historical fiction. Some are even cookbooks. Who knew there were so many different genres of books about herbs! As one member so adequately stated, “The book club has encouraged me to diversify my reading!”
So for all of you book lovers out there—here are the books the four groups liked the most in 2024. They are all great choices to add to your reading list for 2025.
Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers by Marta McDowell. This book piggybacked on an HSA webinar with the author. In her book, McDowell delightedly introduces you to a cornucopia of mystery writers and opens the door to other great reads. Some members mentioned that the illustrations were a great addition to the book. After reading this book, you will want to add new plants (or not) to your garden. You will also want to visit more gardens and read more books about herbs.
Another outstanding favorite book was Eleanor Ford’s The Nutmeg Trail: Recipes and Stories Along the Ancient Spice Route. In this award-winning book, Ford takes you on a journey along the legendary spice route and introduces you to each area’s food and spices. This richly illustrated cookbook and history book will surely tempt you to expand your cuisine repertoire.
Another favorite was Amy Stewart’s The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World’s Great Drinks. In it, Stewart introduces readers to the fruits, flowers, herbs, trees, and even fungi that have been used to create common and bizarre drinks. Readers praised Stewart’s informative and amusing writing style. Stewart reveals interesting plant details in the drinks she writes about.
Travel back in time to the Middle Ages with The Apothecary Rose by Candace Robb, to learn about the use of medicinal plants during this time, and to discover if a deadly herbal potion administered by an abbey’s apothecary was given intentionally or was truly accidental. You get a good feel for the medieval time period with this book. If you like it, there are more to read in this series.
Another favorite book mentioned was Memory of Lavender and Sage by Aimee K. Runyan. It is a sweet, magical, and human story in which you can easily imagine yourself in the lavender fields of Provence. Tempesta, a New Your City food critic, relocates to a small town in Provence and unexpectedly finds purpose, love, and kindness in her life. We all need love, purpose, and kindness.
From a group that favors stories about strong women comes the choice of Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon, an award-winning nonfiction story by Melissa L. Sevigny. The book is about two very strong and determined women who rafted 600 miles in the Grand Canyon to document the plant life along the Colorado River. As serious scientists in 1938, they were the first to document the plant life of the Grand Canyon.
You are invited to join any (or all) of the HSA Book clubs, which have encouraged diverse reading about herbs and generally about plants among group members. The book groups, lists of books, and meeting times and days can be found on the HSA website (https://www.herbsociety.org/) in the Members Only Section. Not an Herb Society member yet? Join us and begin enjoying a life with herbs!
HAPPY READING IN 2025!
Maryann is a member of The Herb Society of America’s Texas Thyme Unit in Huntsville, TX. She is a Texas Master Gardener and a certified Native Landscape Specialist with the Texas Native Plant Society and has received The Herb Society’s Nancy Putnam Award for Excellence in Horticulture. She lectures and writes about herbs and plants and does the herb training for several Master Gardener programs. She gardens among the pines in the Piney Woods of East Texas.
