My lovely book-gifting mother gave me a nice, healthy stack of books for Christmas and among them was The Sugar Queen . I read and loved Sarah Addison Allen 's first novel, Garden Spells , last year on the recommendation of my good friend Michelle . Incidentally, I actually gave my mom Garden Spells for Christmas so there was some fun karmic reciprocity goin' on there. Garden Spells was the perfect autumn read and I finished it itching to get my hands on Allen's second book, which, as it turns out, is the perfect winter read. I love it when my book and the season serendipitously mesh. Set in a small ski resort town in North Carolina with magical snowflakes falling and the smell of peppermint in the air, I had no interest in resisting its spell. I just sat back and let The Sugar Queen carry me away for a couple of wintry nights. Josey Cirrini loves candy. And I mean Josey LOVES candy. Sweets, snacks, baked goods of any kind. She keeps them in a stash in her closet and ...