Smack and Gabi kicked off their new year with their 2nd annual reading retreat, during which we escape town to curl up next to a cozy fire in a fancy lodge and read books all weekend.  Gabi burned through a lot of short romantic cuties and started a science fiction duology with incredible worldbuilding despite one major flaw.  Smack partook of a smattering of genres, including a mind-blowing historical fantasy novel that takes place in Medici Florence, an installment in an urban fantasy series with weather magic, and a somewhat outdated historical romance.  We polish things off by admiring the questionable dimensions of the lodge and a disturbingly large resident spider, prompting an honorable mention of a terrifying horror rec from Smack for the next spooky season.

Books discussed this episode include:

• Secrets and Scrabble series by Josh Lanyon
• Cautionary Tails series by Lana Kole
• Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves (Edge Worlds #1) by Meg Long
• Lent by Jo Walton
• Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine
• The Spymaster’s Lady (Spymasters #1) by Joanna Bourne
• From Below by Darcy Coates