What the Wenches Are Reading

“I believe we have an obligation to read for pleasure, in private and in public places. If we read for pleasure, if others see us reading, then we learn, we exercise our imaginations. We show others that reading is a good thing."

[The Guardian, 15 October 2013]” 

― Neil Gaiman




Amanda: I finished up HATE Sex and went back to Outlander. Outlander is one of those books that just feels comfy, like I can leave it and come back and not miss a beat. A scene that I recently appreciated was Jenny dealing with being away from her baby and the uncomfortable feeling that comes with that when nursing. It was so real and familiar from my experience; it's a feeling that you never forget.

Angela: I've read about 40 pages of Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin this week. I've been binge watching The Mindy Project the evenings instead. I really, really love Mindy. Although I have to say Morgan is my favourite character. 

Barb: When we checked in last week I was halfway through Tarryn Fisher's Mud Vein and finished that dark, disturbing, frustrating, heartbreaking book. It was a five star read because it surprised me, made me think, broke my heart, and I'm still thinking about it almost a week later. Major props to Tarryn Fisher for not being afraid to tackle the really heavy, awful side of life. After finishing that I was drifting for a couple of days when Olga suggested I read Reasonable Doubt by Whitney Gracia Williams. I wanted to love it, but didn't, but fortunately it let me let go of Mud Vein. Now I'm reading an ARC of Megan Hart's upcoming Hold Me Close. Megan Hart is everything and this book is killing me in the best possible way. I can't wait to share it with you.  

Care: Well, I'm on vacation this week, which makes keeping up a little more challenging!  This week, however, I finished Stars & Stripes, and also started Touch & Geaux, which is probably a mistake when I'm trying to relax, unwind, and generally not freak out.

Donna: I just finished Kim Harrison's The Drafter, the first novel in her new Peri Reed series. Peri is a drafter, someone who has the ability to go backwards in time about a minute to change an event. Drafting turns her brain into Swiss cheese, and her anchor/partner helps her eliminate the alternate timeline. The premise sounded interesting, but I found I didn't care for the characters and the plot was convoluted. The whole book was a tug of war between Opti and the Alliance, with Peri being the shiny new toy.  

Kathi: I finished Heart of Iron and got all ready to both listen to and read the final book in my 2015 Saucy Wenches Goodreads book challenge — “an old favorite” — then never had any time to begin! One impediment was binge watching The Walking Dead, trying to catch up to the new season, which left little time to dive into a new book. And instead of choosing something easy like Green Eggs and Ham, because it was a big favorite of mine way back so it qualifies, ha ha, I chose my favorite book in high school and college. At some point, I’ll finally get to indulge myself in revisiting it, and let you know what it is and whether I still love it!

Zee:  I haven't been reading for a while, for a lot of reasons, including a weird book funk. But I finally had quiet time, and felt like reading before bed so picked up Leylah Attar's The Paper Swan. Which Barb has been telling me to read for a while now! I LOVE the way she tells stories. Beautiful writing. And while it hasn't really pulled me out of my book funk, I'm motivated to at least try and read Chapelwood and The Devious Dr. Jekyll this week.