The Saucy Wenches Book Club

"But then I do think New Year's resolutions can't technically be expected to begin on New Year's Day, don't you? Since, because it's an extension of New Year's Eve, smokers are already on a smoking roll and cannot be expected to stop abruptly on the stroke of midnight with so much nicotine in the system. Also dieting on New Year's Day isn't a good idea as you can't eat rationally but really need to be free to consume whatever is necessary, moment by moment, in order to ease your hangover. I think it would be much more sensible if resolutions began generally on January the second." Bridget Jones's Diary , Helen Fielding

Source Smack in between the two holiday weeks in the Western World, some Wenches are squeezing in reading time, and some are too busy enjoying family, or maybe food comas. A few old favorites, including a literary indulgence or two, some new finds, and preparation for the final installment in a Wench favorite are occupying us this week. Click through to see what's captured our attention, and share what you are reading in the comments below. It's almost 2014 and we need to iron out our TBRs, so give us some suggestions!

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person died for no reason.”

The Holiday season is the perfect time to indulge & the Wenches love the sugar rush we get from man candy, and fangirling. And who among us hasn't enjoyed browsing through all of our old Man Candy  posts ? As we come to the end of this year, I thought it would be fun to look back at the men that dominated our fantasies (NC-17 rated or otherwise) in the past year! Of course it is! So here's a list of men who made our 2013 a little more attractive. Click through to drool with the Wenches!

Source I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something. So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever. ~ Neil Gaiman, Neil Gaiman's Journal

I touched my glass to Ian's with a rueful grin.  "Merry Christmas, cousin." He winked. "You'll never be quit of me now, Reaper." That was probably true. And since it turned out that we were related, I'd felt obligated to get Ian a Christmas present.  A chunk of coal sat in a brightly wrapped box under the tree, his name written in big bold letters on the front of it. Ian might be family, but he still had been a very  naughty boy this year. Home for the Holidays by Jeaniene Frost

This Friday, I'm not going to gush about a person or a band that I love, this time I'm going to gush about a season... the Christmas season. People who know me are well aware of how much I love Christmas time and all the preparation leading to it, some have even started calling me Jóla-Beta (Christmas-Beta) when I get into the holiday spirit. It's usually in August when I start thinking "Ooh, December will be here before we know it! I must start making gifts!" And I'm that... adorable... person on Facebook who puts up statuses like "Yay, it's Friday!... Oh, and just so you know it's only 88 days until Christmas!!" (Which starts here on December 24 at 6 pm) I can't for the life of me understand why some people don't like those statuses... muhaha. So yeah, I love Christmas! You could even call me a Christmasaholic, and let me tell you few of the reasons why, after the jump.

I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to every-body! A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo! ~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

I love Christmas and I love books, so I thought I would pick out a few Christmas gems that us Wenches love to read around the holidays. You probably know all of them and have read them many times, well, except maybe the last one, The Yule Lads: A Celebration of Iceland's Christmas Folklore but let me know if you do! And tell us what your favorite Christmas books/stories are! Click through to see our favorite Christmas stories!

“I never believed in Santa Claus. None of us kids did. Mom and Dad refused to let us. They couldn't afford expensive presents and they didn't want us to think we weren't as good as other kids who, on Christmas morning, found all sorts of fancy toys under the tree that were supposedly left by Santa Claus. Dad had lost his job at the gypsum, and when Christmas came that year, we had no money at all. On Christmas Eve, Dad took each one of us kids out into the desert night one by one. "Pick out your favorite star", Dad said. "I like that one!" I said. Dad grinned, "that's Venus", he said. He explained to me that planets glowed because reflected light was constant and stars twinkled because their light pulsed. "I like it anyway" I said. "What the hell," Dad said. "It's Christmas. You can have a planet if you want."   And he gave me Venus. Venus didn't have any moons or satellites or even a...

Surprisingly, this week, most of us have gotten a lot of reading done! Which is one of the best Christmas gifts one can get really. We have a few big releases coming up in January 2014, and a few us are rereading (while wondering why it would ever end!) a beloved series in preparation. Head Wench Barb was lucky enough to receive an ARC (from one of our absolute favorite authors, she's a bit of a superhero over here) that I would chop off a finger for (not kidding...) and there's a few brand new names on our lists! Angels, apocalypses, vampires and distant, dystopian futures, we've got a foot in almost every world this week! Click through to see what we've been reading! The Wenches wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Season's Greetings! 

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,  stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”  ― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Source Happy Holidays to all of you Saucy Readers out there!! And, a very Happy Birthday to my little brother, John!

We all know how it is at the end of a year. Relief that it's over, and some apprehension and hope concerning the next one. Mostly, we're just grateful we survived with most of our sanity intact.  Thankfully, the Wenches have had a (mostly) great 2013 when it comes to what we've been reading. At the dawn of a new year, we thought it was apt that we'd reminisce about some of the best books we've read and loved this past year. You know, the ones we fell in love with almost immediately. The ones we might have reread almost obsessively. The ones we would recommend to everyone we know.   So we all got together and put them in a list for you.   Click through to see which books the Wenches picked as their favorite reads of 2013! (There will be SPOILERS!)

"'Twas the Night Before Christmas" By Clement Clarke Moore   'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled down for a long winter's nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his co...

Generally speaking, "in" did not play with the big boys. In fact, it barely had much of a definition at all, and, in the course of its working life, was usually nothing but a bridge, a conduit for the heavy lifters in any given sentence. There was, however, one context in which that humble little two-letter, one-syllable jobbie was a BFD.  Love. The difference between someone "loving" somebody versus being "in love" was a curb to the Grand Canyon. The head of a pin to the entire Midwest. An exhale to a hurricane. Now I know why he... As Blay sat on the floor of the exam room with Qhuinn's loose-as-a-goose body in his lap, he couldn't for the life of him remember what Layla had said next. Had it been "loves you"? In which case, well yeah, he knew that the guy loved him as a friend and had for decades. And that didn't change a thing. Or had it been the addition of the "in." ~J.R. Ward, Lover At Last

"If we can’t write diversity into sci-fi, then what’s the point? You don’t create new worlds to give them all the same limits of the old ones." Jane Espenson  ( interview )

Source. Professor Nicole D. Peeler is an Assistant Professor of English at Seaton Hill University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She teaches both graduate and undergraduate classes, and teaches one of the only MFA’s specializing in Popular Fiction in the country. She received a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from Boston University and her Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in 2008. This is terribly impressive, but barely scratches the surface of the Nicole I have come to know (and fangirl over). Click through to read more.

I sighed and put the photo away. "You can't smoke crack. You're dead. And even if you weren't, I'm not gonna score for you. I'm a cop." "You so full of shit. You ain't no cop neither." "Would I be wearing this fucking suit if I wasn't a cop?" "I don't know. I always thought you sold cars or somethin'." ~~Jordan Castillo Price, Body and Soul, PsyCop #3

"The finest of pleasures are always the unexpected ones." --- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Or don't let the door smack you on the way out. The year is quickly drawing to a close and as with most things we love looking at what has  happened in the previous twelve months and what to look forward to in 2014. It's been a year of book highs and book lows for the Wenches. One book series that united us ended in a sea of pus. Yet we discovered new series and expanded on the love we already had for other series we were reading. Let's take a look at what we are relieved to say goodbye to and what we can't wait for next year. Check after the jump.

With a certain amount of forethought, Mrs. Bug, Brianna, Marsali, Lizzie and I, had made up an enormous quantity of molasses toffee ,  which we had distributed as a Christmas treat to all the children within earshot. Whatever it might do to their teeth, it had the beneficial effect of gluing their mouths shut for long periods, and in consequence, the adults had enjoyed a peaceful Christmas. THE FIERY CROSS , Diana Gabaldon,

It's that time of the year again! Like most people, the Wenches have been busy with pre-Holiday prep! But most of us have still managed to find time to read (even if it's just a few chapters.)  We've been making progress with some of our favorite series, reading a lot of great novellas and short stories, and getting around to new recommendations from friends, readers and other Wenches! It's always great having fun, new options to fall back on once we're done with a book/series.  Click through to see what we've been reading this week and let us know in the comments below if you've managed to make time for any books, old or new, this (busy) week!!   

“…Something isn’t right with you and this property. Strange things happen around it. I don’t know what is going on, but I will find out. You could make it easier on yourself by coming clean.” “Sure. This is a magic bed-and-breakfast and the two guys in my kitchen are aliens from outerspace.”  ~ Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

... Rusted Veins , Close To You , & "High Stakes"! by: Zee the Terrible and Barbara Bones We have been pretty lucky in our reading this year. Not only have we been getting more of (some of) our fave characters, we've even discovered some new ones! And most of our favorite authors have been kind enough to help us pass time between releases with short stories and/or novellas! Or in one case, help ease the ending of a brilliant series! We thoroughly enjoyed these forays into our favorite worlds, and being reminded of why we absolutely adore both the authors and the books.  We love authors! So we picked three of the best ones, and reviewed them just for you! Just in case you needed a reason to pick them up! 

"Mmphm. Aye, well, I've always been fond of Saint Guignole, myself." I could see the glint in his eye, but couldn't resist. "And what's he the patron of?" "He's involved against impotence." The glint got stronger. "I saw a statue of him in Brest once; they did say it had been there for a thousand years. 'Twas a miraculous statue—it had a cock like a gun muzzle, and—" "A what?" "Well, the size wasna the miraculous bit," he said, waving me to silence. "Or not quite. The townsfolk say that for a thousand years, folk have whittled away bits of it as holy relics, and yet the cock is still as big as ever." He grinned at me. "They do say that a man w' a bit of St. Guignole in his pocket can last a night and a day without tiring." "Not with the same woman, I don't imagine," I said dryly. "It does rather make you wonder what he did to merit sainthood, though, doesn...

"Look," she said, making the conscious decision to wrench herself  back before her frustrated wolf took control and she found herself feasting on male lips currently thin with anger, "it's nothing personal. I'm generally a bitch." According to Martin, she was one with a stone heart. Riaz snorted, "Nice try, but I've seen you with others in the pack." He took another step toward her, invading her space and her senses, the scent of forest serrated with a sharper edge that was pure furious wolf. "I've even seen you smile. How about you crack open one for me?" Eyes of dark gold drilled into hers. Hell if she was going to allow him to walk all over her. "Get out of my face." "You sure you want me to?" he asked, a dangerous angle to his jaw, "Maybe the reason you react like a hissing cat around me is because you want me even closer." She sucked in a breath. Riaz's eyes widened. Nalini Singh ...

Nick tried to verbalize what he was feeling, but he didn't even know what it was. It was so much more than just sex. "Kels," he finally managed.  "No, don't do that! We only have two nights and we're supposed to be having hot monkey sex! You can't back out on me now!"  Nick burst out laughing, covering his face with one hand. "'You feel like home'! You can't have hot monkey sex after that!"  Bait & Switch , by Abigail Roux

So, a few days ago yours truly got the ARC of this book from the amazing Ilona Andrews. Many of you have probably read the story online as free fiction, but now you’ll be able to enjoy it as a book/e-book. I must say I was really happy to hear that this amazing story will be published as a real book. The reason being that I truly enjoyed the story online and couldn't wait for each new chapter. I would check my e-mail daily to see if there was any news in Ilona's newsletter. But, enough of this. Let's go to the story. The short synopsis says: „ On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent gu...

“Oh, my sweet summer child," Old Nan said quietly, "what do you know of fear? Fear is for the winter, my little lord, when the snows fall a hundred feet deep and the ice wind comes howling out of the north. Fear is for the long night, when the sun hides its face for years at a time, and little children are born and live and die all in darkness while the direwolves grow gaunt and hungry, and the white walkers move through the woods." - George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

"You can...call me Da," he said. His voice was husky; he stopped and cleared his throat. "If--if ye want to, I mean," he added diffidently. "Da," she said, and felt the smile bloom easily this time, unmarred by tears. "Da. Is that Gaelic?" He smiled back, the corners of his mouth trembling slightly. "No. It’s only...simple." And suddenly it was all simple. He held out his arms to her. She stepped into them and found that she had been wrong; he was as big as she’d imagined--and his arms were as strong about her as she had ever dared to hope. ~ Diana Gabaldon, Drums of Autumn

Woman Reading by a Paper Bell Shade by Henry Robert Morland At the start of 2013, the Wenches shared our hopes and dreams for the year to come. Well, maybe not our deepest hopes and dreams. We shared a few of the books that were on our To-Be-Read (TBR) lists, the ones we hoped to read over the next 12 months. Many of us have TBR lists longer than the Great Wall, to be sure. But back in January, the Wenches singled out those special few that we were going to push to the top of the list. Those books that held the most promise and excitement, those books we hoped would carry us away to far off lands, or far off times, those books that would introduce us to new characters who would take over our imaginations, those books we were sure would sneak into our consciousness as we went about our real life business, counting down the hours or minutes until we could get back to our newest adventure. Okay, maybe I got a little carried away. How carried away? Wellll... you'll have to c...

He stopped walking and kissed her. Hard. Hard enough for her to forget the cold wind and the stupid song in the background. Hard enough for her to practically forget her own name. She wrapped her arms around his neck and strained on her tiptoes, afraid she'd fall over if he let go of her. Except he wouldn't . He never would. That was Fact and Truth, and she believe it, trusted it, more than she'd ever trusted anything in her entire life. Close to You: A Downside Ghosts Story ~~Stacia Kane

Source As the holidays creep ever closer the Wenches are fighting to fit some reading time into our busy schedules, thankful that our latest new releases are novellas letting us visit our favorite worlds without having to make long-term commitments. Dangerous Women and Kicking It appear on our list more than once this week, along with a couple of old favorites and new-found treasures. Click through to find out what we're reading (or watching!) this week, and tell us what you're reading in the comments below.

Roads go ever ever on, Over rock and under tree, By caves where never sun has shone, By streams that never find the sea; Over snow by winter sown, And through the merry flowers of June, Over grass and over stone, And under mountains in the moon. Roads go ever ever on Under cloud and under star, Yet feet that wandering have gone Turn at last to home afar. Eyes that fire and sword have seen And horror in the halls of stone Look at last on meadows green And trees and hills they long have known. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Source

My Top Ten Anti-Heroes In the nearly three years that my reading list has been filled to overflowing with urban fantasy titles, I have learned several things about myself and my worldview that I didn't realize or think about before. Like my deep love of kick-ass heroines, my joy in reading profanity sprinkled in books, and how much I adore sharing a reading experience with friends. But nothing has been so crystal clear as realizing how much I love a great anti-hero. Humans are flawed creatures, each of us containing good and bad all packaged within the same unstable wrapping, and that's what I like to see in my heroes. I don't want heroes who always know what the right thing to do is, and always do exactly that. I don't want to read about characters who have no struggle with inner demons, who always follow social norms exactly, who are always virtuous, idolize their mothers unconditionally and have equal room in their hearts for both cats and dogs. Those character...

    “He isn't what he's pretending to be with her. I watch him all the time. I'm going to be there when he stops pretending. I'm going to be her bulletproof vest, her shield, her fallen fucking angel, whether she wants one or not. He's pretending he's almost human. He's no more human than me.”  - Christian MacKeltar    Karen Marie Moning, Iced .

Kelly looked up when he spoke. He stood and wrapped Ty up in a hug, holding on to him with the same kind of anguish he'd held on to Nick with last night. Nick met Zane's eyes, nodding at him. There really wasn't anything they could say. Nick stood to shake his hand, though, but Zane surprised him by stepping closer to hug him. "Please bring him back alive," Zane whispered as he clung to Nick. Nick nodded jerkily.  "I promise." ~Abigail Roux, Shock & Awe (A Sidewinder Story)

Source "Books are the way that we communicate with the dead. The way that we learn lessons from those who are no longer with us, that humanity has built on itself, progressed, made knowledge incremental rather than something that has to be relearned, over and over. There are tales that are older than most countries, tales that have long outlasted the cultures and the buildings in which they were first told." Neil Gaiman, for the Guardian . 

Lorelei Gilmore was one of the most iconic TV mothers in history (at least from my perspective). Lorelei would not have been such an iconic role with just anyone portraying her. Lauren Graham gave that character a life and personality that few could have accomplished. That role is the one that introduced most of us to Lauren Graham. And, I for one, am forever grateful. Lauren Graham is an amazing actress and woman. She's someone I aspire to be when I grow up, regardless of the fact that I just turned 30. So, for my turn on Fangirl Friday, right after the jump, I'll be flailing about Ms. Graham and hopefully convincing you to love her too! I mean really, who wouldn't?

He pushed a red and black shoebox toward me, containing my very own pair of heavy black steel-toed shoes. I hadn't been so happy to put on a pair of shoes since I found a pair of peep-toed Manolo Blahniks at a sample sale for fifty dollars. These beauties were solid and held the promise of strength. I loved them instantly. I handed back those canvas slippers with a huge smile on my face. Now I was a for-real hardened con. I felt infinitely better. ~~Piper Kerman, Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison

“There were two kinds of students who liked the library: those who devoured one book after another and those who savored the same book repeatedly. Now she understood those rereaders differently ... she realized it was not the rereading that led to fresh insights. It was the rereader-- because when a person is changing inside, there are inevitably new things to see.”  ----Rachel Simon The Story of Beautiful Girl

This year I started serving as a moderator in our Goodreads book club . It's been a crazy, fun ride. I've learnt a lot and can't wait to continue in 2014. What it has rewarded me with is a whole bundle of new series/books, heroines, heroes and new worlds to discover. Because, as you all know, your to be read list can never be too long. So, I've been on the urban fantasy ride this year. A couple of the Goodreads group members kept mentioning this series called October Daye . In my head I was thinking "October Daye who?" and "What's so great about this Tybalt guy?" So I decided to give the series a go and I am so glad I did. Check after the jump for why this series is so good and why I think the October Daye series is worth checking out. Mildly spoilery.

I GIVE humble and hearty thanks for the safe return of this book which having endured the perils of my friend's bookcase, and the bookcases of my friend's friends, now returns to me in reasonably good condition. I GIVE humble and hearty thanks that my friend did not see fit to give this book to his infant as a plaything, nor use it as an ash-tray for his burning cigar, nor as a teething-ring for his mastiff. WHEN I lent this book I deemed it as lost: I was resigned to the bitterness of the long parting: I never thought to look upon its pages again. BUT NOW that my book is come back to me, I rejoice and am exceeding glad! Bring hither the fatted morocco and let us rebind the volume and set it on the shelf of honour: for this my book was lent, and is returned again. PRESENTLY, therefore, I may return some of the books that I myself have borrowed.” ―   Christopher Morley ,  The Haunted Bookshop

Source. Most of the Wenches have had a  long weekend with family and friends! (Which I'm sure our readers understand) But most of us did make some time to read. Naked werewolves, sexy Master vampires, dangerous women and an assortment of other characters, old and new, have been keeping us occupied.  Click through to see what books we've been reading this week!

“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani When this challenge came up I became a bit anxious, what if I get a book I can’t read? Or one I won’t like? I hate it when I have to be negative. After all, someone invested time, engaged a mind and did his/her best to bring a story to life, who am I to judge it? I have not been able to write a story (yet). Life went on and I confess I forgot this post idea, until about a month ago when we got a reminder that this year is about to end. Hesitantly I asked Barb for her book recommendation and she came up with this one, and I knew I had a real challenge on my hands. This story centers on 35 year old spinster Ave Marie Mulligan, her life story and fight to find a sense of self amid life in a small Virginia coal town. From Goodreads: Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the tiny town of Big Stone Gap is home to some of the most charming eccentrics in the state. Ave Maria Mulligan is the town's self-proclaimed spinster, a...