Outtakes from a Marriage by Ann Leary

This was a modern day take on marriage and motherhood, with fame thrown in.

Julia is married to tv star Joe. It’s the eve of the Golden Globes and Julia accidentally dials Joe’s voice mail and hears a message from another woman. This propels her to become a husband-stalking, botox-injecting crazy woman. It’s an amusing tale, although the ending did bring me up short, as I expected more resolution but I have an inkling of what will happen. (I liked my stories all wrapped up with a neat bow.)

The author clearly knows her subject (her husband is Denis Leary) and she is a wonderful writer – great descriptions and characterizations. I enjoyed the story and Julia’s character.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

I recently listened to the second novel by this author (Sugar Queen) and really enjoyed it. So I decided to read her first novel, which was equally enchanting.

The Waverleys are a curious family with their mysterious garden in Bascom, North Carolina. Claire is a successful caterer who prepares dishes made with her mystical plants. Her elderly cousin, Evanelle is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. Then there’s Claire’s rebellious sister Sydney, who fled Bascom at 18. But she’s back, with her daughter Bay in tow, and turns Claire quiet life upside down.

I enjoyed this – it’s a quick read and features some of the same plot elements as The Sugar Queen (the magic, the star crossed lovers, the house that is almost a character itself, absent fathers).