Garden Spells

Garden Spells
by
Sarah Addison Allen
Romance fiction

I read a glowing review of a different Sarah Addison Allen book, but I thought I would go back and read her first book to see what she had to offer.
This book features sisters who grew up in North Carolina. One embraced her family's home and traditions, while the other couldn't wait to "get out of Dodge". Now the prodigal sister has returned, running from her abusive spouse. The sisters both need to break out of their routines and learn to fully live again. One needs to settle down some and one needs to be shaken up some.
The book features some "light" mysticism/mythology about herb lore in a way reminiscent of Sharyn Crumb or Phyllis Whitney.
This is a nice, warm, comfortable book which would be excellent for summer reading - preferably while sitting on a bench in a shady herb garden under an apple tree.

Here are some other books that the author recommends:
http://www.sarahaddisonallen.com/faq.html

Dry Grass of August

Dry Grass of August
by
Anna Jean Mayhew
Young Adult or Adult Historical Fiction

Jubie is a Southern 13 year old in 1954. Her family travels through the South on summer vacation with their "girl" the "mammy", Mary. All kinds of awkward situations arise with segregated hotels, beaches, restaurants, gas stations, etc.
I think the publisher probably saw the popularity of "The Help" and tried to find a book that would appeal to the same population.
I was reading this and a 7 year old girl became fascinated with the cover: It has butterflies coming out of a jar. The cover drew her in and made her ask about it.
Not as substantial as similar books, but the ending gets pretty serious.
Overall it was a pretty good read for teen and adult females.