The Saucy Wenches Book Club

“Dragon kind was no less cruel than mankind. The Dragon, at least, acted from bestial need rather than bestial greed.” Dragonflight , Anne McCaffrey

As a historian, I have learned that, in fact, not everyone who reaches back into history can survive it. And it is not only reaching back that endangers us; sometimes history itself reaches inexorably forward for us with its shadowy claws. ~ The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Favorite Chicagoland Vampires Quotes: Part Deux by: Zee the Terrible and Barbara Bones Collage by the amazing Olga Daniels   Since last we shared our favorite quotes from the highly quotable Chicagoland Vampires series, there have been three books released, with another due this Tuesday. And with all that text there are many more quotes that we fell in love with, so we decided it was time for another round of the torture that is narrowing down the word magic that Chloe Neill weaves, so choose our favorite quote from each. So, follow us through the jump as we pick some amazing quotes from House Rules , Biting Bad , and Wild Things . With some non-spoilery treats from the forthcoming Blood Games as well. Warning: There will be spoilers through Wild Things ! Proceed at your own risk.

“When I was three-and-twenty, I didna understand how it was that to look at a woman could turn my bones to water, yet make me feel I could bend steel in my hands. When I was five-and-twenty, I didna understand how I could want both to cherish a woman and ravish her, all at once.” “A woman?” I asked, and got what I wanted—the curl of his mouth and a glance that went through my heart. “One woman,” he said. He took the hand I laid on his knee, and held it tightly, as though afraid I might snatch it back. “Just one,” he repeated, his voice husky. It was quiet in the barn, but the boards creaked and settled in the cold. I moved a little on the bench, scooting toward him. Just a little. Moonlight streamed through the wide-open door, glowing dimly off the piled hay. “And that,” he said, squeezing my fingers tighter, “is what I dinna ken now. I love you, a nighean donn . I have loved ye from the moment I saw ye, I will love ye ’til time itself is done, and so long as you are by my s...

Collage by the awesome Olga Daniels  Happy Release Day, Saucy Readers! Some of us are equally excited and scared for Silver Shadows today, while others are just excited for Ilona Andrews's next Kate Daniels book, Magic Breaks .  What are you excited about today? Click through to see what we're reading, and share your list in the comments below!

Declan looked back at Jess; she nodded at him and moved around to take centre stage. "I won't take up too much of your time," she said in a loud, clear voice, "And I'm not sure if I will be as eloquent as Dec was yesterday. But the truth is, I am not the victim as some of you seem to enjoy making me out to be." Oh, frig. Here it goes again. Did someone call a national coming out week and forget to tell me? At least they might have notified me it was taking place on my front doorstep. I would have gone round to the back entrance. Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy

One of our mottoes here at the Saucy Wenches Book Club is that reading is sexy, and just the other day I thought why not combine that with one of the topics that we Wenches really, R.E.A.L.L.Y., appreciate... the man candy. I had no doubt that it would be very easy to find a-lo-hawt of that with some online researching - which I was willing to do, you know, for the greater good and all that *wink, wink* - and I figured that it wouldn't be that hard to pick out some eye candy for the occasion, but boy was I wrong. It turned out that I had more, way, way more, than enough material to choose from. It was arousing...ly hard I tell ya! Take a look after the jump to see a small preview of the candy that caught my eye and ear... ... psst, I'm so not going to tell you which ones I've actually seen before and ogled at for x amount of time... for hours months.

"A book is a wonderful present. Though it may grow worn, it will never grow old." ~ Jane Yolen & Robert J. Harris, Girl in a Cage

Well, I know people say that diamonds are a girl's best friend but I strongly disagree. You see, your wench here is a shoe maniac (all 6ft of me), and this FF is dedicated to my humble collection of my darlings. BUT these are not all of them, OH NOOOOOOOO, just the best of. Also, I LOVE boots and sneakers, too. Make no mistake, if it's footwear I <3 it. In order to make this post of a normal length (let's face it, I can make it longer than War&Peace :D), I had to cut my losses. So, boots and sneakers were totally dropped. Follow me through the jump and I'll spill all my dirty secrets about my love of shoes!

In real life, things don't go back to normal at the end of the half hour. Confessing your sins more often damns you than saves you. And no matter how much you wish it were otherwise, you can't just wish away the consequences of your shitty decisions." Dirty Magic ~~Jaye Wells

That's the thing about being a victim; you start to think it'll happen to you on a regular basis. It's living with the reality of your own vulnerability, and it sucks. A Drink Before the War  by    Dennis Lehane Source

Enthusiastic fans await Herself in Portland, Oregon Two of us were ecstatic to realize that we lived close to a scheduled stop on Diana Gabaldon’s recent book release tour in support of Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (MOBY). Plus we were lucky enough to score tickets!! So we’re here to share a little about how exciting it was to finally meet our favorite author face to face. Diana Gabaldon is also a lot of other people’s favorite author! So the lines were long and personal interaction minuscule, yet just watching and listening to Herself tell stories was exhilarating. She is, after all, a master storyteller no matter the medium. Her gestures and expressions add personality and subtext that we can only imagine while reading her interviews online. She is also unfailingly gracious, warm, funny, brilliant, and has the enviable ability to endure long (and what must become, after so many weeks, grueling) fan events without wilting noticeably. After the jump, we’ll tell yo...

“A vampire, like a lady, never reveals his true age.”

Source A few Wenches are still working their way through some pretty lengthy tomes, while others are enjoying lighter fair. New releases from favorite authors, rereads in preparation for new releases, and killing time until the next new release, are the themes of the week.  Click through to see who's reading what, and share your reading list in the comments below!

Tommen did not seem to notice the sudden chill in the air. "Mother, did you see me?" he burbled happily. "I broke my lance on the shield, and the bag never hit me!" "I was watching from across the yard. You did very well, Tommen. I would expect no less of you. Jousting is in your blood. One day you shall rule the lists, as your father did." "No man will stand before him." Margaery Tyrell gave the queen a coy smile. "But I never knew that King Robert was so accomplished at the joust. Pray tell us, Your Grace, what tourneys did he win? What great knights did he unseat? I know the king should like to hear about his father's victories." A flush crept up Cersei's neck. The girl had caught her out... It is not like me to forget myself ..."Robert won the tourney of the Trident," she had to say. "He overthrew Prince Rhaegar and named me his queen of love and beauty. I am surprised you do not know that story, good-daught...

Do you have a lot of books on your e-reader or bookcase waiting to be read? I do, and today I sat down to make a list of them, partially to remind myself about these books that I had wanted to read and had forgotten about. I thought I'd share these books with our Saucy Readers, and I asked a few Wenches what books they were hoarding, too. There's quite the eclectic collection. Dear books: We're sorry we have neglected you. It's not your fault, the blame lies entirely with us.

The purpose of dialogue is to eliminate the barriers between two sides through listening and empathy - which, I've learned, is easier said than done. The willingness to accept another's truth is a huge step to take. It is such a powerful gesture, in fact, that contemplating it can make you want to throw up. At first I felt like a baby learning to walk, realizing little by little that it was OK to let go of the comfort of holding onto what I "knew" to be true. The General's Son by Miko Peled.

"Ernst Neumann. I'm Verin's husband." Ernst's accent placed his origins squarely in the neighborhood of Berlin.  "Why not let Diana go after him, Schatz? That way you can follow.  I know how you hate to miss a good argument.  I will wait in the salon for the others." "Good idea, my love.  they can hardly fault me if the witch escapes from the kitchen." Verin regarded him with open admiration and gave him a lingering kiss.  Though she looked young enough to be his granddaughter, it was obvious that she and Ernst were deeply in love. "I have them occasionally," he said with a definite twinkle in his eye. "Now, before Diana runs off and you give chase, tell me: Shall I take a knife or a gun with me in case one of your brothers goes on a rampage?" Verin considered the matter.  "I think Marthe's cleaver should be sufficient.  It was enough to slow down Gerbert, and his hide is far thicker than Baldwin's---or M...

Some tour stops--from Andy's FB page I find that when I'm feeling happy I want to listen to happy music that I can sing along with. And when I'm feeling down I want to listen to happy music to lift me up.  So a few years a go I was feeling down, when this incredibly happy song came on the radio. It stopped me in my tracks and made me look it up on YouTube right away. That song was Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer. Seeing as that video was uploaded in late 2010, I was pretty late to the party, as usual, but I made up for it by embracing that song as my own, and then proceeding to listen to every Andy Grammer tune I could get my hands on. Needless to say, as this is a Fangirl post, I've been hooked on Andy's music ever since, with its upbeat messages, its encouraging themes, its celebration of love. I'm an unabashed Andy Grammer fan. Come with me through the jump and I'll show you why.

Kai cleared his throat.  Stood straighter. "I assume you are going to the ball?" "I-I don't know. I mean, no. No, I'm sorry, I'm not going to the ball." Kai drew back, confused. "Oh well... but... maybe you would change your mind? Because I am, you know." "The prince." "Not bragging," he said quickly. "Just a fact.”  Cinder , Marissa Meyer

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us. ~ Jane Austen

Click through to see what we're reading this week, and don't forget to share your list, in the comments below!

“...and if he says, ‘Oh, God, oh, God,’ at some point,” I advised, “take note of what you were just doing, so you can do it again next time.” “Do you—does thee—think Denny would take the Lord’s name in vain, even under those circumstances?” “I wouldn’t worry,” I said. “If a man says, ‘Oh, God,’ in that situation, he nearly always means it as a prayer.” ... “A prayer of desperation? Or gratitude?” “Well,... that’s up to you,” I said...

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness : A Review  Natalie. …. Natalie! (Silence) Come on Natalie I know you hear me! (No I don’t!) NATALIE! WHAT!? First, you need to put the book down. Second, you need to get your sweet ass to writing your review so that others can know just how wonderful the highly anticipated third book in the All Soul’sTrilogy by Deborah Harkness is. Third, you are talking to yourself in written form, so everyone can see your inner dialogue, you crazy Wench! Fourth, my/your last point is that you’ve already read the book once, before everyone else has had a chance to, so don’t be greedy. So let your crazy show! THE BOOK IS SO GOOD I DON’T WANT TO PUT IT DOWN! (And I don't care that my crazy is showing one bit!) However for you, lovely readers, I’ve waited until the absolute last minute to do so. I’ve now left the highly dynamic world of Diana and Matthew for you. It is because I love you, ...

Since its founding, Detroit has been a place of perpetual flames. Three times the city has suffered race riots and three times the city has burned to the ground. The city's flag acknowledges as much. Speramus Meliora: Resurget Cineribus : We hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes. Detroit: An American Autopsy ~~Charlie LeDuff

Speramus Meliora: Resurget Cineribus Goodreads I am a product of the Rust Belt, born and raised in the Cleveland area after the collapse of the rubber industry in Akron and near the beginning of the collapse of the steel and automobile industries in the rest of the Rust Belt. So I have a very soft spot for these areas, and the major cities that still support the millions of families who relocated here in the Twentieth Century, looking to make a better life for themselves and their families through hard work and the promise of the American Dream. I absolutely adore the cities of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, but I've been away from the area for over a decade, so I take any opportunity I can to find out what's going on "back home" in these three cities in particular. Cleveland and Pittsburgh seem to be doing well, the latter with a booming healthcare research industry, and the former with a wealth of cultural events and world-renowned attractions. Detroi...

"One friend with whom you have a lot in common is better than three with whom you struggle to find things to talk about." ~ Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Angelina Jolie : Fearless I'll be honest, I hesitated before deciding to do a Fangirl Friday post on Angelina Jolie. For several reasons. She's been talked about a LOT. Too much. The good stuff, the bad, the ugly. Tabloids have long whipped the gullible public into an Angie frenzy (well.. at least those parts of the public susceptible to crap magazines publish, you'll notice it's never as bad in countries where there tabloid mags aren't that widely available) and it can be a bit much. I wasn't ALWAYS a Jolie fan. In fact, I first watched Gone In 60 Seconds when I was a young teen, and wasn't impressed. I did, however, admire her ability to be so uniquely HER in the face of all the prying eyes and wagging tongues. It took me a while to really see beyond her glossy images on every magazine, every crazy rumor, every tattoo. So I'm going to try and tell you why I think she is an amazing woman, and one I admire.

We want to take this opportunity to welcome Jordan Castillo Price to our blog on her blog tour for new release Meatworks . As a fan of Jordan's work I can tell you how happy we are to have her with us. Of course I'm a little pleased that one of the aspects that Jordan has chosen to share with us is an aspect that fascinates me. If you haven't already read Veronica Vishous' review of Meatworks check it out here .  Let's see what Jordan has to share with us after the jump.

And it is awful here, there is no other way to say it. But I believe that Detroit is America's city. It was the vanguard of our way up, just as it is the vanguard of our way down. And one hopes the vanguard of our way up again. Detroit is Pax Americana. The birthplace of mass production, the automobile, the cement road, the refrigerator, frozen peas, high-paid blue-collar jobs, home ownership and credit on a mass scale. America's way of life was built here. Detroit: An American Autopsy ~~Charlie LeDuff

“ Ty sighed, an almost inaudible release of air. The look in Zane’s eyes was something Ty had never seen. It was intense and heated, possessive, filled with emotion that made Ty’s chest hurt all over again, like the first time he’d ever looked into that fire in Zane’s eyes and known that there would be no one else in the world for him. ” Armed & Dangerous by   Abigail Roux Source

We're doing this again?!? As with all avid readers there are more things that I love about books than I can even count, but there are also things that make me want to rip my own skin off when I read them. These are things that can ruin a perfectly good story for me, things that make me not only want to not finish the book I'm reading, but also make me want to avoid anything else that author has written.  I'm going to be doing some bitching in this post, so if you don't want to read about my literary complaints and irritations, you may not want to click through. Otherwise, come along, dear reader.

“People believe, thought Shadow. It's what people do. They believe, and then they do not take responsibility for their beliefs; they conjure things, and do not trust the conjuration. People populate the darkness; with ghost, with gods, with electrons, with tales. People imagine, and people believe; and it is that rock solid belief, that makes things happen.”

Click through to see what's on our lists this week, Saucy Reader!  Then be sure and share what's on your agenda for this week, in the comments below!

We have a treat for you, Saucy Readers! It's just one week until the hotly anticipated release of Deborah Harkness's  Book of Life , the final installment in the All Souls Trilogy , and we're giving you a chance to win a gorgeous hardcover copy of that brand-new release! Natalie has read the book, and won't tell us a thing about it, but she assures us that you won't want to miss out, so enter to win today. And tell your friends to enter, then come back each day to earn more entries. ***US Entries Only, Please!*** a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Lady Lysa would give his lordship her breast whenever he grew overwrought. Archmaester Ebrose claims that mother's milk has many healthful properties." "Is that your counsel, maester? That we find a wet nurse for the Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale? When shall we wean him, on his wedding day? That way he can move directly from his nurse's nipples to his wife's." Lord Petyr's laugh made it plain what he thought of that. "No, I think not. I suggest you find another way..." ~~George R. R. Martin, A Feast for Crows

Here at the Saucy Wenches we believe, wholeheartedly, in the power of reading. It expands minds, takes you places you've never been, allows you to understand people whose experiences are completely different from your own. We love light and fluffy reads every now and again, but the really special books are the ones that change your life, your view of the world, that stick with you for days, weeks, even years after you've turned the last page. That's what we're talking about today: the books that change the way you think about and see the world. So come with us through the jump as we discuss some of the most powerful books we've read.

  I looked at him and said, matter-of-fact, "Mr.Chao can bite my ass." As if made of stone, Mr. Chao's expression remained utterly blank. I got the feeling he would enjoy torturing me. And call me sentimental, but damn it, I liked bringing joy to the world. Second Grave On The Left by Darynda Jones.

“The shelf was filled with books that were hard to read, that could devastate and remake one's soul, and that, when they were finished, had a kick like a mule.”    ― Mark Helprin , Winter's Tale

Ages ago - just ages ago - I read a blog post about a little girl . She was three years old, and was crushed and killed under her little dresser. I have a climber of a child, and the first thing I did when I read this story was to check all my bookshelves. We have six different bookshelves in the house, and I had bolted them all to the walls before my son started walking. They were in tight, everything was okay.

In books we never find anything but ourselves. Strangely enough, that always gives us great pleasure, and we say the author is a genius. Thomas Mann 

“Crowley had always known that he would be around when the world ended, because he was immortal and wouldn’t have any alternative. But he hoped it was a long way off. Because he rather liked people. It was major failing in a demon. Oh, he did his best to make their short lives miserable, because that was his job, but nothing he could think up was half as bad as the stuff they thought up themselves. They seemed to have a talent for it. It was built into the design, somehow. They were born into a world that was against them in a thousand little ways, and then devoted most of their energies to making it worse. Over the years Crowley had found it increasingly difficult to find anything demonic to do which showed up against the natural background of generalized nastiness. There had been times, over the past millennium, when he’d felt like sending a message back Below saying, Look we may as well give up right now, we might as well shut down Dis and Pandemonium and everywhere an...

IN THE LIGHT OF eternity, time casts no shadow. Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. But what is it that the old women see? We see necessity, and we do the things that must be done. Young women don’t see—they are , and the spring of life runs through them. Ours is the guarding of the spring, ours the shielding of the light we have lit, the flame that we are. What have I seen? You are the vision of my youth, the constant dream of all my ages. Here I stand on the brink of war again, a citizen of no place, no time, no country but my own ... and that a land lapped by no sea but blood, bordered only by the outlines of a face long-loved.

Some Wenches are luxuriating in new releases, some are squeezing in a chapter here and there around our busy summers, some of us are exploring fascinating new reads, and some are drowning in mediocre reads we're embarrassed to admit we've read.  Click through to see who's reading what, and give us some suggestions in the comments below!