Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: Other Birds

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: St Martin’s Press 2022

Genre: Magical Realism

Pages: 290

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf - June; BOTM Cleanout

Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It's called The Dellawisp and it's named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother's apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors including a girl on the run, a grieving chef whose comfort food does not comfort him, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn't yet written.

When one of her new neighbors dies under odd circumstances the night Zoey arrives, she's thrust into the mystery of The Dellawisp, which involves missing pages from a legendary writer whose work might be hidden there. She soon discovers that many unfinished stories permeate the place, and the people around her are in as much need of healing from wrongs of the past as she is. To find their way they have to learn how to trust each other, confront their deepest fears, and let go of what haunts them.

Sarah Addison Allen finally came out with a new book! I was so incredibly excited and had to get this one from BOTM as soon as it popped up. This book has all the hallmarks of a good Allen novel: a motley crew of characters, a specific and unique setting, and some just slightly odd magical realism. In this one, we follow the residents of the Dellawisp, both present and past. Of course we know that there are connections between the characters, and thankfully the book reveals all of those connections over the course of the novel. My favorite character was Charlotte. I really loved hearing about her story and seeing her grow and open up to others over the pages. I wish that we had seen more growth from Zoey. She seemed to stay the same throughout the entire story. At times she felt like she was written as a much younger character. I get her shelter background, but I wanted to see a bit more from her coming into her own. Overall, I really loved following these characters. The setting and the magical realism helped keep my attention to an essentially character driven novel. We are discussing this book at book club next week and I cannot wait to hear what everything thought.

Next up on the TBR pile:

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: First Frost

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: St. Martin's Press 2014

Genre: Magical Realism

Pages: 291

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Reduction; 52 Books - W36; Fairytale

It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly.  As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree...and the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before.  And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

I love Sarah Addison Allen's books. Every single one of them is a breath of fresh air. I love diving back into her fairy tale world of subtle magic and great characters. First Frost was a sequel of sorts to Garden Spells. I loved checking back in with Claire and Sydney Waverley 10 years on. And we get a story that revolves around Bay. I sped through this novel not wanting to wait to see how the story progressed. Loved it!

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: Lost Lake

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: St. Martin's Press 2014

Genre: Magical Realism

Pages: 296

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; 52 Books - W24; Monthly Key Word - May (Lost); Lucky No. 14 - Cover Lust

The first time Eby Pim saw Lost Lake, it was on a picture postcard. Just an old photo and a few words on a small square of heavy stock, but when she saw it, she knew she was seeing her future.

That was half a life ago. Now Lost Lake is about to slip into Eby’s past. Her husband George is long passed. Most of her demanding extended family are gone. All that’s left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins succumbing to the Southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own unspoken dreams and desires.

It’s a lot, but not enough to keep Eby from relinquishing  Lost Lake to a developer with cash in hand, and calling this her final summer at the lake. Until one last chance at family knocks on her door.

Lost Lake is where Kate Pheris spent her last best summer at the age of twelve,  before she learned of loneliness, and heartbreak, and loss. Now she’s all too familiar with those things, but she knows about hope too, thanks to her resilient daughter Devin, and her own willingness to start moving forward. Perhaps at Lost Lake her little girl can cling to her own childhood for just a little longer… and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that slipped through her fingers so long ago.

I just love Allen's books.  I always know what I'm getting into when I pick one up: great characters, a bit of magic, and a happy ending.  They're fairly predictable and yet I always get lost in the stories.  I especially loved Devin and the alligator from this story.  Something about the little girl who "sees" more than most of the adults rings true.  I even liked Selma and her part in the resolution of the conflict.  Definitely a go-to feel good read for the week.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: Bantam 2010

Genre: Fiction - Magical Realism

Pages: 270

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Women Authors; Library; 52 Books -- W12; Lucky 14 -- Once Upon a Time

Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, not only wishing to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also dreaming of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

I love Allen's books!  I love her characters!  I love the settings!  I love the storylines!  And I love the magic!  These have become my go-to books for something satisfying yet light.  Sometimes the stories are a bit predictable, but I get into it so deep that I don't care.  I love taking the journeys with the characters.  This particular book was really great.  I think it's my second favorite behind Garden Spells.  I love the duel stories of Julia and Emily.   Both outsiders, they find their place in Mullaby by the end of the book.  It's a great little story.  The ever-changing wallpaper was a nice little touch.  A great bit of magic to liven up the setting.  Allen writes with such atmosphere that I can picture myself right there with the characters.  The town came alive and stayed alive throughout the book.  A great setting really helps set the characters and the overall tone of the book.  I loved it and can't wait to read another by Allen (must pick up Lost Lake!).

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: The Sugar Queen

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: Bantam 2009

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 294

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Genre -- Fairy Tale; What's in a Name -- Kitchen Find; TBR Pile; Dusty Bookshelf

How I Got It: I own it!

Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night…. Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee’s tough love, Josey’s narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them—and who has a close connection to Josey’s longtime crush. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that’s just for starters.

Another entertaining Allen book.  I caught on to the twist early on, but still really enjoyed seeing the plot unfold.  I immediately rooted for Josey and loved Della Lee.  Amazing characters!  And the addition of Chloe was nice.  As the story progressed, you couldn't help but root for Josey and Chloe to get their own lives apart from moms and boyfriends.  It's always nice to see female characters assert themselves for identity.  By the last chapter I was completely in tears, not from sadness, but from happiness at the character growth.  I can't wait to see how the other book club members felt about the book and get Allen's newest book.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: The Peach Keeper

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: Bantam Books 2011

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 282

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Genre - Chick Lit; Monthly Key Word; Mount TBR; Book Bingo - 5 from TBR

How I Got It: I own it!

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather and once the finest home in Walls of Water, North Carolina—has stood for years as a monument to misfortune and scandal. Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite Paxton Osgood—has restored the house to its former glory, with plans to turn it into a top-flight inn. But when a skeleton is found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, long-kept secrets come to light, accompanied by a spate of strange occurrences throughout the town. Thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the passions and betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover the truths that have transcended time to touch the hearts of the living.

This is my second Allen book, and I think I have fallen in love with her everything.  I loved the characters in this one so much.  I connected straight away to Willa and then about halfway through the book, I connected with Paxton.  I love how different and yet how similar their lives are.  Especially fun is the side character of Nana Osgood.  Love her!  She may be old, but don't count her out!  And the plotline is a lot of fun.  I put this in my Chick Lit category for the Genre Reading Challenge, but it's not all about the romance.  Instead we get a great story of two seeming opposite women finding their place in life and with each other.  Romance is the extra bonus here.  I think Allen's books focus more on finding yourself and your place in the world rather than a straight romance.  I love that!  Plus, her writing is beautiful.  Every once in a while, I just love reading a book where everything turns out okay in the end.  It's a nice pick me up.  And I have another Allen book (The Sugar Queen) just waiting to be read!

P.S. We get a cameo from Claire from Garden Spells.  Love it!

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: Garden Spells

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: Bantam 2008

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 290

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Witches and Witchcraft; New Author; TBR Pile; 52 Books - Week 8

How I Got It: I own it!

The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants—from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys—except for Claire’s rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.

I am including this book in my witches and witchcraft challenge, but it's a bit of a stretch.  The Waverleys are witch-like.  They know things and have very specific gifts, but they don't do spells or have unlimited powers.  I see them more as natural witches, in tune with nature and the rhythms of the earth.  That said, I absolutely loved this book.  It's a great story of two sisters finding their places in the world.  It reminded me a lot of Practical Magic, but a much better version.  I felt very connected to Sydney on an emotional level.  I desperately wanted her to find her way in the world and be content.  And Evanelle is a hoot!  Such a great character.  The only thing I didn't love: the quick ending.  You know someone is going to appear before the end of the book, but the appearance and then wrap-up seems a bit too convenient.  I would have liked a bit longer for the conclusion.  But overall, I adored this book.  I want to get to Allen's other books...