Weekend Highlight: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
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It’s time for our weekly highlight. Yes, that book that UTC is dying for everyone to read this week. It’s our recommendation and we are giving you a chance to win it!
New York Times Bestselling novelist Sarah Addison Allen brings the full flavor of her southern upbringing to bear on her fiction -- a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town sensibility. Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sarah grew up with a love of books and an appreciation of good food (she credits her journalist father for the former and her mother, a fabulous cook, for the latter). In college, she majored in literature - because, as she puts it, "I thought it was amazing that I could get a diploma just for reading fiction. It was like being able to major in eating chocolate."
After graduation, her big break occurred in 2007 with the publication of her first mainstream novel, Garden Spells, a modern-day fairy tale about an enchanted apple tree and the family of North Carolina women who tend it. Booklist called Sarah's accomplished debut "spellbindingly charming." The novel became a Barnes & Noble Recommends selection, and a New York Times Bestseller.
After publishing four bestselling books in five years, Sarah took a hiatus when she was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer at age 39. She returned to writing with her 2014 bestselling Lost Lake. She is now in remission. In 2015, she revisited the popular setting of her first book. First Frost continues the story of the Waverely Sisters from Garden Spells.
With 2 million books now in print and translated into 30 languages, Sarah continues to serve heaping helpings of the fantastic and the familiar in fiction she describes as "Southern-fried magic realism." Her books to date are: Garden Spells (2007), The Sugar Queen (2008), The Girl Who Chased the Moon (2010), The Peach Keeper (2011), Lost Lake (2014) and First Frost (2015).
Gosh, we all seem to be admitting our ages…and I hate that I am at the point in life when admitting my age is a “thing”…whodda thunk it? I was kind of hoping I would remain 21 forever. However, I have moved out of that New Adult stage of my life and am now strictly in the Contemporary Romance age zone of 28. I would prefer to be in an Urban Fantasy arena, but I don’t think I own enough black leather. However, I could probably squeeze into some PNR, I am fully prepared to give a horn job to my favourite demon, or suck on my sexy vamps…fangs and I am definitely up for some heavy petting with some fine looking shifters. Than again their’s always Sci Fi…I am fully prepared to do the right thing and help some poor alien race with more 6 packs than a supermarket repopulate their planet. Not that I am loose woman or anything.
Annnnnd I will stop myself there, before I start waxing lyrical about my love of historical romance and fantasy as well; no one needs to know about my elf fantasies. As you can tell, I adore and day dream about most romance genres, and my three big loves are 1) reading about romance 2) writing about romance and 3) talking about romance with my gals. Which, is why I love Under the Covers so much, I get all my bookish needs satisfied and don’t get judged when I talk about my favourite characters like they are real people. Which they are right?
I read all the fantastic reviews for this one a while back and put it on my list, but didn’t get around to it. Thanks for reminding me that I need to read it, Suzanne. 🙂
Esther Gerdzen
7 years ago
Sounds great 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
Laura Lovejoy Brunk
7 years ago
This sounds very good !
EC
7 years ago
How fascinating! 🙂
Amy R
7 years ago
This sounds like a fun read.
Sharyonda
7 years ago
We all wish to be put under Garden Spells!
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Thanks for the review suzanne
I’m really intrigued by this book, thanks Suzanne!
I read all the fantastic reviews for this one a while back and put it on my list, but didn’t get around to it. Thanks for reminding me that I need to read it, Suzanne. 🙂
Sounds great 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
This sounds very good !
How fascinating! 🙂
This sounds like a fun read.
We all wish to be put under Garden Spells!