Sarah Addison Allen said it best when she described her books as “Southern-fried magical realism.” That’s an almost perfect description of her work: her novels are always set in the Carolinas and food features heavily in most of them. But it’s the spark of magical realism that keeps readers coming back. Whether it’s the throwing [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

I’ve mentioned repeatedly that both Ani Phyo and Sarma Melngailis have new books coming out. Amazon finally has photos for both, and they are lovely! Ani’s dessert book hits the street at the end of April, and Sarma’s will be available June 30th. I’ll definitely be purchasing them both; even if I weren’t already familiar [...]

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 [...]