I’ve mentioned before how much I love Sarah Addison Allen’s writing. Her books sparkle with magic, yet her characters are realistically flawed. In her latest novel, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, we meet young Emily, who, after the death of her mother, has gone to live with a grandfather she’s never met. A quiet giant, Grandpa Vance doesn’t know how to relate to Emily, and leaves her to her own devices. Adrift in the strange town of Mullaby, N.C., Emily retreats to her mother’s childhood room, where the wallpaper changes according to her mood. Captivated by magical lights in the forest and struggling to fit into a strange small town, Emily slowly begins to uncover the not-so-pretty truth about her mother’s past. Helping her through it are Win, a mysterious, bow-tie-wearing boy she’s ultimately forbidden from seeing, and next-door-neighbor Julia, who bakes away her own heartache, and whose pastries literally draw people to her.

As Emily, Win, Julia and Vance all deal with the demons of the past, they find that it’s not set in stone, and things might not be as bad as they seem. Is it possible that their futures might just be as bright as the mysterious Mullaby lights after all?

In this yoga memoir, author Jessica Berger Gross details how she “lost 40 pounds with a yoga mat, fresh pineapples, and a Beagle-Pointer.” With a subtitle like that, I had to read this book.

It’s a very relatable tale. After a challenging childhood (including an abusive father and an exhausted, cowed mother), college-age Jessica finds herself an overweight, chain-smoking wallflower. Envious of her slimmer, more energetic friends, Berger Gross assumes it’s her destiny to be heavy and sluggish. However, after spending a year in Nepal, finding her true love, connecting with her yoga practice and moving to a house in the mountains, she begins to realize that she can change herself, although she has a few false starts before she finds her path.

She begins writing for yoga magazines, deepens her home practice and starts teaching classes. She attends a yoga retreat with Baron Baptiste. She gets a dog and starts walking her regularly. And she revamps her diet, starting off every day with fresh pineapple (and ending it with a lot of black bean chili).

By taking the advice of her healthier friends, severing ties with her parents and taking control of her destiny, Berger Gross eventually loses the weight and finds her happiness, though not without some struggle and a lot of hard work, proving that none of us is a slave to our past. An inspiring tale, indeed.

In this magical memoir, author Noelle Oxenhandler explores the power (and danger) of the art of wishing. After a series of tumultuous personal events, Oxenhandler finds herself divorced, spiritually bereft and raising her daughter alone in a rental house. Simultaneously envious and suspicious of her friend Carole’s ability to manifest her desires through wishing (a husband! a successful art career! three houses in France!), Oxenhandler decides to research and explore the history and power of wishing.

She embarks on a year-long journey to fulfill three wishes: to find love with a man, to buy a house and to heal her soul and spirituality. She reads all that she can on wishing in its various manifestations (prayer, magic, positive thinking, etc.) as she struggles to reconcile the sacred and the profane (is it okay to ask God for more money?) and magic versus hard work (do shrines, wishlists and ceremonies have any place in modern society?).

To her surprise, her wishes do begin to come true, in a variety of ways. She discovers that she spends as much time wishing for her friends as she for herself, and after a year of startling discoveries, begins to feel comfortable with the blessings appearing in her life. An intriguing, compelling read for believers and non-believers alike.

One really cold evening last winter, I snuggled up with a blanket and a space heater and dove into the debut novel by an author I’d never heard of: Sarah Addison Allen. I devoured the book, Garden Spells, in a matter of hours; it captivated me from page one. Allen’s writing is somewhat similar to that of Alice Hoffman; her characters and settings are real, but her novels contain just the slightest touch of magic. In Garden Spells, two sisters reunite at their childhood home, and find both their gifts and their paths in life. Allen’s second novel, The Sugar Queen, is the story of Josey, a young woman who has lived her entire life under her mother’s thumb. With the help of the mysterious Della Lee, Josey finally begins to blossom into her own woman, finding love and friendship along the way. 

These books are great; everyone who reads them ends up loving them. I highly recommend that you pick one up today!

Eclipse is book 3 in the ongoing saga of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, which I’ve been looking forward to the way most people have been waiting Harry Potter. Meyer’s writing is so captivating, I just get swept away by her stories. In Eclipse, Bella finally graduates from high school, meaning her transformation from human to vampire is imminent. Though nervous, she is prepared, when suddenly things go awry. A series of serial killings in Seattle prompts the Cullen family to suspect that vampires are at work, and it doesn’t take long for them to realize that Bella is at the heart of the matter. Everything must be put on hold until the danger is past.

Further complicating the issue is Bella’s friendship with Jacob Black, who is desperately trying to save her. With her impending transformation postponed, he is certain he has time to change her mind, if only she’d recognize the depth of her feelings for him. Much to her consternation, Bella realizes that a part of her does love Jacob, but at the same time she finally accepts Edward’s marriage proposal.  Now the question is, will she survive long enough to get married…and die? Or will Jacob find a way to keep her from Edward?

Oooo. It’s compelling, chilling, romantic and delicious. I love this series. It’s going to be a long year waiting for the next one, which Meyer says will be the final book of the Twilight saga. I can’t wait to find out what happens, though I know I’ll be sad when it’s over, like saying goodbye to old friends for the last time.