I started Garden Spells (by Sarah Addison Allen). It's a complete 180 from Scorpia, and a completely different type of book than I usually read. I'm leading my first book club this summer, and I felt like I should use something kind of breezy, light, and fast to read. The group is full of women, too, so I wanted something with female leads. I think as the book club progresses, I'll always pick "themes." I decided on a food theme this time so that our first meeting will also include a potluck. In my experience, sharing food makes everything more comfortable (and more fun). It also gives people something to be proud of if they aren't necessarily "skilled" readers.
Garden Spells tells the story of two sisters, Claire and Sydney, who are sharing a home for the first time in ten years. Through various changes in their present lives, and experiences in their past, they're learning how to live with each other and themselves. Of course, you have to throw in drama like gay relationships, domestic violence, sexual intrigue, and single parenthood. Add a dash of Southern culture and a sprinking of romance, and you've got Garden Spells. Oh, and Claire and Sydney have slightly magical gifts: Sydney can change people and read people through their hairstyles, and Claire has the power to influence mood through cooking with flowers from her garden. They're strange magic indeed, but it keeps my fantasy-loving self amused.
Claire's time in the kitchen has made me eager to cook (and eat) as well. Garden Spells is filled with recipes for savory and sweet dishes, but it's the desserts that make my mouth water. I've read the novel in the morning after baking a coffee cake, and in the evening with freshly made chocolate silk pie.
No comments:
Post a Comment