The Saucy Wenches Book Club

It's hard to believe that I've know the other members of the blog for over four years. In some cases five years via the now defunk Sookieverseblog where we all first meet. The thread that holds us together is of course books. But it's also the ability of the web to allow us to connect on many other levels despite our distances. Whether is politics, family, children, fandoms, TV shows. You name it, it connects us in some way. So I wanted to look at those books that have connected my fellow Wenches to me. Those books that we've loved the same. Even if for a couple of us our books tastes tend to be miles apart at times there is still that thread of connection holding us together despite the dramas of everyday life, the misunderstandings and the joy we take in simply being friends. Our love of books and reading is at times so similar and so diverse. There is the simple joy we feel when one of our friends falls in love with the same book as us. Or when they've recom...

"Who among the Fae likes you enough to do that favor?" I knew the answer to that. No one.  "The one I didn't kill when I demanded it. After I killed the other two." I smiled faintly. One word: badass. I want to be Jericho Barrons when I grow up. Feverborn ~~Karen Marie Moning 

Digger was a little different. All you had to do was promise him the chance to maim something or set it on fire, and he was yours for the weekend. Part & Parcel by Abigail Roux Source

“Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.”

Feverborn release week has come to an end. Those of us who went to NOLA for the release party are home and getting back to real life. A couple of us are starting to dig out from Snowmageddon (sorry, Zee!) and all but two of us are reading Feverborn or suffering it's after-effects. Book hangovers as far as the eye can see. Click through to see who is stuck in the Fever world, and who our rebels are. And give us suggestions! We're wrecked from Feverborn , so we need some suggestions!

Got something you want to say, Rainbow Girl? I knew what he wanted. What he always wants from me: to know that I'm aware and I'm choosing and I'm one hundred percent committed, to him, to life, to myself, to the moment, which doesn't sound like so much but it's a damn tall order. And he wants his name in that sentence somewhere.  I tossed my head and shot him a savage look. Fuck me, Jericho Barrons. You're my world, I didn't add. At least I hope I didn't. I let my lids flutter at the end, half closed, shielding my heart.  ~ Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning

You guys, it's been an insane week. INSANE. There was the Feverborn book launch in New Orleans, which was amazing. Meeting more Wenches, always a treat. AND.. Meeting Karen Marie Moning. Which just about killed me. Some people just RADIATE awesomeness, and I swear.. basking in her presence was an honor. I talked about it a little here , in case you're interested. I did manage to NOT blurt out, awkwardly, how much I loved her and wanted to live in her brain. Barely.  So you can imagine how my emotions were basically all over the place, and kinda overwhelmed by meeting one of my favorite authors, being able to talk to her, and to get a book signed by her. And then... I read Feverborn . Jesus. My poor emotions. They've been through a lot. Click through! Will reference events from Darkfever to Burned . There will be NO plot spoilers from  FEVERBORN ! 

I get now why he fucks with the single-minded devotion of a dying man hunting God. Sex with him is the closest thing to holy I've ever known. Barrons is my church. Every caress, each kiss, a hallelujah. Burn me in Hell if you have a problem with that. He'll be there with me. We won't care. ~ Karen Marie Moning, Feverborn

​I love technology. I wouldn't be here, writing to you at this moment, if it wasn't for technology.​ From cell phones, social media, the internet, video streaming, and e-readers right down to open road tolling, 3D ultrasounds, and laser eye surgery, I love it all! We have come astonishingly far in the last several decades with new developments being made everyday. Obviously, the explosion in technological advances does have its drawbacks, our addiction to it being the main one, the benefits by far outweigh the drawbacks. That's why I'm here today, on this Fangirl Friday. I'm going to tell you why I love technology and all it can do for me, in particular, and mankind, in general. So, keep reading after the jump to hear me rant about technology!!

Readers, you're well aware how we spend a lot of time anxiously awaiting the next Fever book and try to live life as normally as possible while we count down the days to release day. That is definitely how we feel between books. This year, we had even more of a reason to look forward to release day, and we had one hell of an extended weekend. Words cannot describe how amazing it was, but I'll try.  You guys know Karen Marie Moning's Fever series is what bonded most of us for life, so it's not exactly a surprise that we would do everything in our power to somehow make it to the book launches in New Orleans. Head Wench Barb made it for the ICED bash, and this year, a few more of us joined her.  Click through to read just a few highlights from our amazing trip till we do an in depth post! 

“I have seen things. Awful things. Empty coffee cup things.” ~ Darynda Jones, The Dirt on Ninth Grave

It’s Fever release week, Saucy Readers!! For most of the Wenches, it’s all about Feverborn , which released yesterday! We haven’t been simply lounging around waiting, though. Five lucky Wenches joined legions of other fans at the release gala in New Orleans!! And some of us finished our series reread too soon, so we had a chance to discover something fun to kill time with, check out a new author, or grab the latest installment in another popular series. What are you reading this week? Let us know below in the comments!

She threw her head back and laughed. The kid fucking laughed, eyes shining. Like there was no greater adventure she could possibly be on. Like life was turning out to be the most exhilarating, fantastic roller coaster ride she could ever have imagined. Fuck the pain. Fuck the misery. In the middle of the hopeless, brutal hell her short existence on this earth had been, that girl laughed. You don't snuff out a life like that. You honor it. You take measures to protect it, even from itself when necessary, and keep it alive.    ~ Karen Marie Moning, Burned

The cloud passes. The beam of moonlight shines down into the laboratory again. And now there is something new on Frank Einstein’s workbench. Something that wasn’t there earlier. Something that thinks. Something that learns. Something that is . . . alive. ~ Jon Scieszka,      Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor

Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series is a huge favorite for most of the Wenches, and book 8, Feverborn , hits the bookstores T-O-M-O-R-R-O-W. (I’m hoping it automagically downloads to my e-reader at midnight!) Fever has a horde of characters and a complex mythology, and most of us have been rereading all or some of the previous books recently, so that the details and storylines will be fresh in our minds. As Olga says: “It’s crucial, where KMM is concerned, to reread right before the new release. When you think you’re so smart and have everything figured out and known by heart, she proves you wrong. And I love her for it.” A whole slew of things happened in the last book, Burned , with a lot of cliff hanging, and life-and-limb dangling, and jaw dropping there near the end. We’re giddy with anticipation (which is a nice way of saying we’re about to lose our Fever-lovin’ minds) to find out what happens next. So while we were tapping our toes with the infinite patience ...

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” ~ L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between I have been caught again watching a TV period drama and loving it. I may have told you already how much I like historical period dramas, and when they are done properly and the acting is good and believable, they captivate me. A Place to Call Home has captivated me lately, and I’d like to tell you a little about it. I will keep my description short and try not to have too many spoilers, in case you’ll want to watch it. Come with me and you are in for a treat.

"You know, I just don't get it. Every time I solve a problem, the universe lobs another one at me. And it's always bigger and messier than the last. Am I being persecuted?" He smiles faintly. "If only it were that personal. Life fucks you anonymously. It doesn't want to know your name, doesn't give a shit about your station. The terrain never stops shifting. One minute you think you've got the world by the balls, the next minute you don't know where the fuck the world's balls are." "Sure I do," I say irritably. "Right next to the world's big fat hairy asshole, upon which I seem to be stuck in superglue lately, waiting for it to have its next case of explosive diarrhea." He laughs. A bona-fide laugh, and I smile, grateful to have lifted a bit of sorrow from that dark, forbidding countenance. Burned ~~Karen Marie Moning 

Source Happy 2nd Birthday (a few days late) to my dear son, who loves to "read" and be read to. You're going great places, kid. Love you!

Most of the Wenches, myself included, are waiting with baited breath for the release of the latest book in the Fever series, Feverborn . While doing my re-read, I remembered how many amazing characters there are in this series. This world is filled with interesting, well-developed people. So, I decided to poll the other Wenches and find out who their favorites were. But, I gave one caveat. They could NOT say that Mac or Barrons were their favorite. They are, obviously, all of our favorites which would make for a very boring post. And, I have always had a thing for the side characters . Keep reading after the jump to see which characters we chose! Beware, there may be spoliery info if you haven't read Burned yet!

“The cow-shaped cookies have a beef flavoring, the turkey-shaped cookies have a poultry flavoring, and..." Jane held up one of the cookies. "Human-flavored?" Meg stifled a sigh. That would be the first thing on her feedback list: don't make people-shaped cookies. The Wolves were way too interested and all of them leaped to a logical, if disturbing, expectation about the taste.”

Again this week, there's lots of Fever on our reading lists. With exactly one week until release day, the Wenches are scrambling to make sure that the important events are fresh in our minds. Also on our plates are The Martian , Outlander , and some Classic Anne Rice. What are you reading, Saucy Reader?

"Are you sure we can't move it somewhere else?" "It happens here. You will attend." He asks little of me and gives much in return. I can't imagine the world without him and don't want to. Once, I almost destroyed it because I believed him gone forever. "Aye aye, master," I mutter crossly. He smiles faintly. "You're learning, Ms. Lane, you're learning." ~ Burned by Karen Marie Moning

Powerful Quotes from The Fever Series: Dreamfever and Shadowfever Most of the Wenches are knee-deep in rereading the Fever series, as we are wont to do when we are about a week out from the next release. Whenever I am rereading Fever I am always amazed at the depth and power of the words that KMM writes. The initial fantastical story sucks me in, the love story keeps me turning pages, but the depth of the ideas amazes me and touches my heart and soul in a way that few tales do. I've shared with you many of the most powerful quotes from the first three books here . There wasn't room in one post to include all of KMM's wisdom, so here is part two. Alas, there is still not room to get all if it in this post, mostly because Shadowfever is an epic masterpiece, overflowing with brilliance. So click through to read the quotes from Dreamfever and Shadowfever that I carry with me, and look for a part three soon.

"It's only terrorism when they do it to us. When we do much worse to them, it's not terrorism." Noam Chomsky's Media Control : The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda.

Picking seven isn’t much easier 2015 was an interesting reading year for me. Alarmed by the amount of time I’d disappeared into Outlander books over the last few years — not that there’s anything wrong with that! — in 2015 I vowed to read a few other things. I was determined to check some books off my TBR list, surprise myself from time to time, let my intuition guide me to stories that would resonate with Real Life, and last but not least, reward myself by revisiting my other favorite fictional world, the one in Dublin rather than the Scottish Highlands. As I look back at my literary year, I’m delighted to realize that I accomplished all these goals and enjoyed every single book along the way! Except more time to indulge in them I actually survived reading no Outlander books the entire year!! (I’m not going to say how many times I watched the Outlander TV episodes. Or what percentage of my Facebook news feed is Outlander . Or that I plan to reread AT LEAST the first ...

It’s funny how, when things seem the darkest, moments of beauty present themselves in the most unexpected places. Dreamfever, Karen Marie Moning

We have survived another year of book releases. You can see our top ten 2015 releases here , in case you missed it! Now, that we are into 2016, the Wenches are gearing up for this year's crop of new books. There are a lot of new books being added to some of our favorite series' that we are just dying for, and one or two new non-series books as well. A new book in a series is like catching up with an old friend. It is such a delight. Plus, it gives us an excuse to revisit the whole series! Not that any of us really needs an excuse for a re-read. Anyway, keep reading after the break to see which 2016 releases the Wenches are looking forward to!

“If you're going to carry a dagger, you need to learn to use it." I frowned at him. "I know how to use it. I stick the pointy end in things I don't like.”  Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I’d almost burst into tears. I’d seen many things in his eyes in the time that I’d known him: lust, amusement, sympathy, mockery, caution, fury. But I had never seen this. Hope. Jericho Barrons had hope, and I was the reason for it. I would never forget his smile. It had illuminated him from the inside out. ― Karen Marie Moning, Shadowfever

Happy New Year, Saucy Readers! There's a lot of Fever going on around here, with just two weeks until the release of Feverborn! There are a few other choices sprinkled in, but mostly it's Fever time at the Saucy Wenches! What are you reading?

“Oh Jesus!” Kelly cried. “Vegetables aren’t real, guys!”   “Are they figments of your imagination?” Owen asked between sips of his beer. “Like . . . leprechauns and gnomes.”   “Give me a leprechaun salad, hold the veggies,” Nick drawled, and he and Owen tried desperately to avoid eye contact so they could maintain their stern expressions.   “Stop it! This says it’s a culinary term, there’s no such thing as vegetables!” Kelly shook the paper in Eli’s face. “Why would you hand this to me?” Part & Parcel by Abigail Roux

A month or so ago I was on a seminar. A part of the seminar pointed out that people are like cars and you have to fuel your car; ergo, you have to fuel yourself. The woman that held that part of the seminar said that every now and then you have to think about what makes you happy and what are the things in your life that repair you as a person. She wasn't talking about big things, just those little things we do every day that recharge our batteries, drain our anger away, you know, stuff like that. I sat there thinking about this.  My work is stressful at times. I work with kids, and they are great. Sometimes they go a bit cray-cray, but who doesn't. It's the parents that drive me crazy, and my co-workers. Some pretty tough times are behind me. (Long story short: I had just started working and was thrown into the fire from the get go.). And so, I sat there thinking about things and realised I do have some things in my life that save me a little every day, and aft...