Garden Spells

I would have to say that Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen is quite possibly my favorite book of all time.  If I could have written a perfect book for myself - this would have been it.  A story about sisters with great food, a little romance, a little suspense and some magic thrown in.  I've read it four times now and just thinking about it makes me want to read it again.  (Can you tell I love this book?)

Garden Spells is, as I said, a story about sisters, Claire and Sydney Waverley.  They grew in a fictional NC town, Bascom, where the entire town knows of their Waverly magic.  This magic is in the apple tree in their yard as well as in the Waverly women, whether they like it or not.  Claire embraces her 'magic' and hides from life in Bascom thinking she is content there.  Whereas Sydney runs from Bascom and the Waverly name and all its attachments and chases after life thinking that she will find happiness anywhere else.  Through a number a events Claire and Sydney are reunited in their home in Bascom and together they discover that Bascom has more magic than just their family as wells as learning what it means to be a sister and a Waverly.  And then of course there's Evanelle, who is quite possibly my favorite character, she is a distant relative - a second, third, or fourth cousin - and she too has the Waverly magic and she cracks me up! 

Basically if you have not yet read this book - you need to immediately.  And if you have not read this book, I am jealous of you because you will get to read it for the first time.  There's something about reading a great book for the first time that is like a first kiss - you only get it once but when it's a good one... oh yeah!  I love Allen's writing style so much I've learned to just buy her books and not bother waiting for them from the library, because I love them.  Garden Spells and Sugar Queen are my favorites, but The Girl Who Chased the Moon is a really good one too...  Can you tell I love these books?