By Marya Zanders

Some fellow readers have asked me about the number of books I review. It’s usually a question of whether I actually read so much. Well, my poor husband, the builder of ever more book cases, will attest to the fact that I am indeed a compulsive reader. I read a lot and can read whilst doing other things, even whilst walking. But you’ll be glad to know that I don’t ever read whilst cycling or driving.

Acquiring so much reading material can be expensive except that there’s online trading. Apart from the cost of postage for the books I send to fellow traders, online trading fills the Zanders’ postbox for free.

Still I’m not as lucky as Chloe Finley in Sarah Addison Allen’s latest book, THE SUGAR QUEEN, Bantam Books. Chloe has books magically appearing out of the air. When she’s angry with her boyfriend, a book called ‘Finding Forgiveness’ keeps appearing. When Chloe wants to buy a house ‘The Complete Homeowners Guide’ suddenly shows up. And books put themselves in Chloe’s path repeatedly, vying with each other for her attention. The only place they won’t follow her is into the bathroom. These magical books fear water. Chloe has so many that she’s had to rent a storage unit to house her hundreds of boxes of books.

Chloe is not the sugar queen of the title, that would be Josey Cirrini. Winter and sweets are two of Josey’s favorite things. Winter in Bald Slope, North Carolina is bittersweet.

There’s snow, enough that Marco Cirrini, Josey’s late father, built his fortune by opening the area’s first ski resort. But Josey has never built a snowman, it’s not allowed.

And the sweets, they taste best when eaten in the privacy of her closet, away from the superstitious eyes of Helena, the maid, and Margaret, Josey’s judgmental mo­ther. Each night Josey escapes to the consolation of her stash of sweets, travel magazines, and romance novels. But the privacy of Josey’s closet is interrupted by Della Lee Baker, a tough waitress, who appears one night and sets up housekeeping in Josey’s closet, becoming part adversary and part fairy godmother. And every one seems to have a secret.

SUGAR QUEEN is a sweet and delightful read, filled with friendship and possibilities, and overflowing with bits of magic. The color red has enormous power, as with Josey’s lucky red sweater, all’s well when she wears it, and the proximity to love can make water in a nearby pot boil or fry eggs still in their carton.

This is probably the first time I’ve reviewed a single book, but, like just one delicious chocolate, THE SUGAR QUEEN proved satisfying all by itself.

I enjoyed Allen’s first book, GARDEN SPELLS, reviewed in the Oct. 17, 2007 edition of The Compulsive Reader, in which the strange backyard tree threw magic apples at unsuspecting bystanders. I can’t wait to see what magic Allen dreams up for her next novel, due out in 2009.