My second hospital reading was Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells, which I started three times, then ploughed through to the finish. And ultimately wished I hadn't bothered.

Garden Spells was a Tessa recommendation in the beach book category. When I finished it, I said it reminded me of Alice Hoffman. I read my way through her books after being blown away by her atypical At Risk. IMHO she never came close, her other books being basic romance with a touch of magic. Tessa agreed and told me what Hoffman started was now a subcategory of romance novels, all having a magical element. She should have told me before.

Anyway, I agree with Tessa on the book's one strength: there is an amazing apple tree that throws apples at people when it wants them to learn something. That was cool, but not cool enough to carry a whole book—let alone a whole subcategory of literature.

Last edited by humphreysmar; 10/27/09 04:45 PM.
Currently reading: Best American Mystery Stories edited by Lee Child and Otto Penzler. AARGH!