What the Wenches Are Reading

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"A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people." Will Rogers
And you get both with the Wenches!

Click through to see what we've been reading this week. And share what you've been reading in the comments below! 

 Angela:  It was time for me this week to try to get another challenge book from my 12 month challenge off my list. So I picked up A King’s Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman (my favourite historical writer of all time. If you haven’t read her you should). The book continues on from Lionheart and follows the story of Richard I King of England when he left the Holy Land after the Third Crusade and was taken prisoner by Leopard V, Duke of Austria and then handed over to Heinrich VI, the Holy Roman Emperor. Fascinating and Penman can always weave a tale that keeps me enthralled.

Anne:  I finished up Ball & Chain in my Cut & Run reread. I sped through Cross & Crown, which I enjoyed immensely, again. I'm now onto the final Cut & Run book, Crash & Burn. I'm a little more than a third down with it and I just came to the startling and horrifying realization that I've been repressing one of the more tragic twists of the book. Now, I'm devastated all over again. I'm approaching the 40% mark on Written in my own Heart's Blood. I'm enjoying that one quite a bit. I just came across George Washington, Charles Lee, and the Marquis de Lafayette. My little Hamilton obsessed heart leapt with joy.

 Barb: Folks, I got nothing. I haven't had a reading slump this bad in quite some time. I even gave up on the audiobook I was listening to on my commute. Turns out, US Foreign Policy is boring as hell. Who knew? Here's hoping my brain wants to read something over the next week. 

 Care: Well, I've been traveling again! On our six hour drive to our family camping, we listened to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and please, let me tell you how completely trippy it is to be reading Sticks & Stones while being poured on in a tent, camping yourself!!

 Donna:  I’m back from holidays and didn’t get near as much reading time as I’d hoped. Since my holidays weren’t really a vacation, and were spent helping my parents move across the country, I guess that’s not too surprising. However, I was able to finish Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling. I’m sure there are many adults who love the world of Harry Potter just as much as I do. It was a pleasure spending a few hours with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a host of other characters, both old and new.

 Kathi:  This week I finished The Historian! I could NOT put it down. Such a mesmerizing story — carefully crafted, meticulously written, artfully layered, and sloooowly revealed. It’s such a treat for me when a classically trained writer chooses to write about fantastical subject matter — Vlad Dracula, in this case — and this was indeed a treat. Not recommended when you’re looking for something quick and directly to the point, because it is wordy —it has lots of good words, the best words — but to (heavily) paraphrase what Wench Shau told me, some books are long because they weave a complex and multifaceted tale, and they are entirely worth reading all those words. Highly recommended for when you have minimal distractions and lots of time to savor.      

 Merit:  This week I read Day Zero (The Arcana Chronicles #3.5) by Kersley Cole.  This novella is a synopsis of most of the Arcana characters, telling their life stories before the Flash, the solar flare that brought the apocalypse upon Earth, and what happened to them on day zero, the day of that global disaster. Their stories also outline their icons, skills, and powers. It was also good to refresh my memory, because I read the last book, Dead of Winter, at the beginning of 2015. I’ve just started book #4, Arcana Rising, and already this gruesome, fascinating world sucks me in.

Zee: I have been weirdly busy, and there hasn't been enough peace and quiet in my life to read. But I just picked up Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and NEED to read it asap! Wench Angela was talking about how much she loved And Then There Were None and that makes me want to reread it for the millionth time too. Let's hope I can get some reading in soon.

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