The Saucy Wenches Book Club

It’s the panic that gets you. Makes it hard to trust what you’re seeing. ~ Force of Nature , Jane Harper

The air is different in New Orleans. It holds the scents of fry and the peppery blends the locals drown their seafood in, and the buzzing of cicadas, and the stomps of jazz pianists. It smothers your senses with a slight hint of intoxication, making you want more. Maybe that's why vampires have always loved it here. The Romeo Catchers ~~Alys Arden

Women, on the other hand, had to wield their intellects like a scythe, hacking away against the stubborn underbrush of low expectations. ~ Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

“You’re sexy as hell,” he says. Lots of men have said this to me. They like a woman with no shame. We’re rare, you see, because we’re told to be ashamed of everything every day by everyone. Ashamed to give them what they want, ashamed not to want to give it to them. Ashamed to show our average bodies, ashamed not to have a perfect one. I have no idea how normal women date. The world seems like it’d be an unbearable place for people with real feelings. ~ Victoria Helen Stone, Jane Doe

“Well, that’s simple, Nezra. I ran away from him and swore to him that I’d never do anything he says. You should try it sometime.  It’s called ‘I hate you, leave me alone.’ It gets all the psychos foaming at the mouth for more. Add a little ‘I’ll never love you,’ and bam! Instant crazy.” Sea of Stars ( Kricket #2), Amy A. Bartol

I knew what I had to do — I just didn’t like it. I’d have to blow the remaining two at the same time. Please don’t quote that last sentence out of context. Artemis by Andy Weir

It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches. ― Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches

There are days when I feel so lightly connected to the earth that the threads that tether me to the planet are gossamer thin, spun sugar. A strong gust of wind could dislodge me completely, and I’d lift off and blow away, like one of those seeds in a dandelion clock. ~ Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine , Gail Honeyman

Ah, the constant refrain of Midwestern life. Illness? Offer food. Funeral? Bring food. New baby? Drop off food. Suddenly discover you're some sort of illegitimate secret orphan? Food, food, food.  Half Past ~~Victoria Helen Stone

On a scale from one to ‘invade Russia in winter,’ how stupid is this plan?   Artemis by Andy Weir

“I love you and I love your mother with all my heart. I love this House, as well. It is neither my child nor my wife, but it is...” He seemed to struggle with the word. “It’s yours,” I said simply, and offered him a smile. “And that’s all there is to it.” Wild Hunger , Chloe Neill

Frankly, fictional people appeal far more to me than real people do. In fiction, the choices have to make sense. The timeline proceeds rationally. Emotions are explained to me. Characters feel the way they are supposed to feel in response to the actions of others. Nobody stays in a bad situation because of inertia or low self-esteem. That would make for a truly shitty story. But in real life … God, in real life people so rarely behave in ways that improve their circumstances. Why? Why, why, why? This is one of those things I’ll never understand. All I know is books are better. ~ Victoria Helen Stone, Jane Doe