Look for Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Sixth) tomorrow! Although I already have enough new covers of Candy Cane Guy for another post (or two…), we’ll give him a break and meet someone new tomorrow.
Contests
- Chappysmom is having a Chuck (tv show) trivia contest – check out the details and participate quickly, because the deadline to enter is January 15 at noon EST. Prizes include 12 skeins of Sublime yarn, Chuck Season One on Blu-Ray, and a dvd on knitting cables.
- SciFiGuy’s giving away a copy of Nancy Holzner’s new urban fantasy, Deadtown. Contest closes at midnight EST, January 18.
- Anna’s giving away two copies of Cheryl Brooks’ new steamy paranormal romance, Fugitive (Cat Star Chronicles). Leave a comment before January 19 for your chance to win.
- Jackie at Literary Escapism is giving away a copy of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, plus a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (The Deluxe Edition). Leave a comment by January 19 letting her know what classic you think needs to be revamped next. (Me? Wuthering Heights. Only it would have to be something that didn’t bring them back from the dead. Whiners.)
- Marta at Vampire Wire is giving away one set of all seven Kitty Norville novels, plus five copies of the latest release, Kitty’s House of Horrors. For your chance to win, leave a comment (before January 21) telling Marta what supernatural creature you’d like to see doing what job.
Bookity Stuff
- Poor SciFiGuy! His nearly completed weekly urban fantasy update vanished into the ether – but he rallied and put it together again. Thank you, Doug! What would we do without our weekly dose of contests, interviews, free reads, fun stuff, and more?! Also, don’t forget to check out Donna Fantasy Dreamer’s list of the new urban fantasy and paranormal releases for this week.
- Last week was CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. Lots of ereaders were on display. Lots and lots. Probably too many for the market to support. Dear Author focused on some of the ebook software, rather than the hardware, from CES.
- Rich Adin speculates that we’re accepting declining literacy as the norm. One TeleRead article suggests that publishers need to address consumer complaints about ebook quality, while another suggests that lower quality may become the new norm. (Here’s some kitteh editing humour, just to break up the gloom and doom a bit.)
- Less gloomily, TeleRead links to a very comprehensive guide to finding free (legal) ebooks.
- TeleRead also has a good beginner’s guide to using Calibre, an open-source ebook management tool. I don’t actually use Calibre to transfer books to my Astak (because the Astak’s directory structure isn’t maintained when using Calibre), but I do use it to normalize file names and convert formats.
- MrsGiggles wonders why, if most romance readers are straight women, do the covers of so many recent romance novels feature scantily clad women? Over on Speak Its Name, Tracey comments on naked headless male torsos on m/m books.
- Fun – a book cover archive… not for ebooks, alas. (I was hoping it would be a good research tool for my Misadventures series.)
Randoms
- Eww – make sure you clean your reusable shopping bags regularly, ok?!
- Oh, look, you can make your own Twinkies (hmm, nice that this is right after the fitness item). Since the cake recipe only has 1/3 cup of flour, it should convert to gluten-free quite easily. Hmm.
- This link is here for no other reason than that I thought the picture was cute.
Humorous Bits
- Gizmodo speculates that printers were sent from hell to make us miserable.
- A little Harry Potter humour.
- Apparently you shouldn’t leave unattended black kitties around impressionable kittens. Or around dogs.
- Or is it that you shouldn’t leave unattended black kittens around other kittehs?
Reading Update
True Colors by Clare London. ebook. This turned out to be a very good and intense m/m romance after a sort of shaky start – I almost put the book away because there were so many different people introduced in the first few pages and I couldn’t figure out who was important and who was peripheral. But in the end? Totally redeemed, because Clare London deftly tied in those seemingly extraneous introductory bits.
Broken by Dawn Kimberly Johnson. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about a guy who was seriously injured when his partner was killed during a gay bashing two years before the story starts.
Miss Me? and 
Coming Out for Christmas (Miss Me, Book 2) by Mel Spenser. ebook and ebook short. Miss Me? is a decent m/m romantic suspense about Andy, a librarian who gets involved with Nick when Nick is in the library looking for cookbooks. Both of them then have to deal with a dangerous stalker who’s been harassing Andy for the last year. In Coming Out for Christmas, Ryan, one of Andy’s relatives, is staying with Andy and Nick over his college’s Christmas break when he realizes he’s gay. Miss Me? is definitely the stronger of the two stories.
Giving Thanks by Maura Anderson. ebook short. Ok Thanksgiving m/m romance about a couple dealing with the after effects of one of them coming out to his family and getting punched by his dad.
Bittersweet by Maura Anderson. ebook short. Very good m/m romance about a chocolatier making chocolates for a bridal shower who becomes fascinated by the man of honor when he picks up the chocolates. Both Bittersweet and Giving Thanks are also part of the Hot Comfort collection (next). (I already had these shorts when I won Hot Comfort over at Reviews by Jessewave last month.)
Hot Comfort by Luisa Prieto, Kimberly Gardner, Jet Mykles, and Maura Anderson. Collection of food-related m/m romances, with a cover that might look a little familiar. 😉 Although I already had the Maura Anderson and Jet Mykles stories, I hadn’t read the delightful “Cooking with Ergot” by Luisa Prieto (who signed my copy of Hot Comfort!) nor the very enjoyable “The Shape of a Heart” by Kimberly Gardner.
One Way Street by Laney Cairo. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a closeted Aussie rules footballer who gets really sick and turns to the guy he left without a word the previous year.
No One But You (Shining Victory, Book 2) by K.C. Kendricks. ebook. Whoops. I haven’t read the first book. Oh well. I’m not sure that would have helped me be less annoyed by the guys in this May-December m/m romance.
Give Me One Night by K.C. Kendricks. ebook. This was another m/m romance that I was “meh” about – the insta-love didn’t work very well for me. Plus I still had some big questions left at the end, things that really felt as if they needed to be tied up before the story ended but weren’t.
Beautiful Disaster by J.M. Snyder. ebook. Pretty good m/m romance about two guys who are in a pop duo.
Just Friends by Anne Thomas. ebook. Surprisingly good, slightly kinky m/m romance about a guy who’s had crush on his best friend for a while, then follows him to a leather club… I picked up both this and Beautiful Disaster when they were Amber Quill Press Daily Deals – I’m much more willing to try a book that I’m not sure I’ll like or that might be a bit outside my comfort zone when it’s 75% off.
Taming the Wolf and 
Unleashing the Jaguar (Animal Attraction, Books 1 & 3) by Michelle Houston. ebook shorts. Look! Do you recognize those abs and that towel on Unleashing the Jaguar?! Darn it. I missed this one before. Anyway. I read the second book (Embracing the Leopard) last summer, but it doesn’t matter, since these are all completely unrelated, other than all being short m/m romances about shapeshifters finding their mates and all inspiring the same “ho-hum” response from me.
The Wolfe Proxy by T.D. McKinney and Terry Wylis. ebook. While the storyline for this m/m romance had potential, the intermittently overdone writing kept pulling me out of the story as I flinched at particularly florid phrasing. Add insta-love, and… *sigh*
Weighted Measure by Chris Owen. ebook short. Nicely done m/m romance short about a computer geek who nearly lives online trying to find balance with a drummer who nearly lives out and about.
“Whoa. That must’ve been some of the spiked ‘nip the big kitty was talking about.” -Mayhem
Woah, Mayhem! Did your mom give you the “hard” stuff to keep you from bothering her?
You know, I have NEVER had a Twinkie. Ever. I must be what? One of 15 people on the North American continent?!!
.-= Brigitte´s last blog ..Well Hello There! =-.
Good thoughts on the shopping bags.
.-= trek´s last blog ..Baby, it’s cold inside =-.
I am washing all of my reusable shopping bags today.
Poor kitty with the golden eyes…stay out of the hard stuff.
.-= margene´s last blog ..At the Moment =-.
Oh, wow about the reusable shopping bags. I’m not worried yet because like the article said you have to actually remember to take them with you into the store. But that’s a good tip that apparently not a lot folks think about. Probably since we live in such a disposable world.
Thanks for the linkage and shout-out! 🙂
Looks like you had a pretty good reading week, hope the rest of the week is the same.
.-= Donna-FantasyDreamer´s last blog ..Wanted: Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh =-.
Hey, loving this linky schema. And wow, our shopping bags are really grody. I never thought they’d be bacterial, though! Yikes! You are a font of info, dude.
.-= Carolyn Crane´s last blog ..Some things nobody told me about being a debut author =-.
Nice organizational skillz on display! A+
Shopping bags. Who knew you could wash them? The ones I have (cheapo) seem to be made of plastic gauze or something – will they survive the wash? I suppose I’d better try!
.-= wren´s last blog ..My next story, heaven help me =-.
Thanks for the link, Chris!
Thanks for all the linkety-links! Loved the lolcatz!
.-= Patti´s last blog ..Waiting on Wednesday – True Blood Edition =-.
Chris- Can we look forward to a gluten-free Twinkie review?
.-= Lorraine´s last blog ..You Don’t Want To Know =-.
I am very concerned about my shopping bags now…I think a shot of lysol should do the trick since they’re not “laundry friendly”
Dang that is a ton of links! I have a canvas bag I use, which I just throw into the washer every week or two. But I don’t buy meat, which helps a lot!
.-= Seanna Lea´s last blog ..knit, knit, knit =-.
The subheadings rock!
The printers sent from hell bit is so true! Michael told me that printer ink costs more per milliliter than cobra venom extracted by hand from live cobras.
Easy does it, May!
.-= Brenda´s last blog ..FO: Norfolk Island Pine Cowl =-.
Seriously? I am already gone. My Chuck Love knows no bounds….
Oh my linkity link link! Thanks for all the infor and the sub links! =)
I love the picture of the kitties… Welcome to the dark side, lol! I love that place! And basement kittie has me scarzed!!!! **Hiding behind my blankie**
Where is Princess Panther to the rescue!!!
OH crap.. she is tipsy on Spiked Nip!
Hope you having a great day hon!
Love the links! Though I’m scared that there’s that many covers with Candy Cane Guy. I wonder what his profits from that photo are?
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Kreativity, I Can Haz =-.
Mr. Guy said huh, I told you so re. the washing the grocery bags. i only think of washing them when they are truly filthy or something broke. i attributed his desire to wash them as some sort of OCD.
.-= Mary Lou´s last blog ..Since You Asked =-.
Finally – I have been unable to get on here since forever…
Anyhow – I have read quite a few on your books list this week..
Loved BROKEN – Also Anderson works, like her style as well – tattoo guy didn’t do it for me though…
I loved WOLF PROXY – it is so in the vein of Mills&Boons – and I loved it…. I will admit I was caught up in the sisters story a bit too much though…
I am going to go read some of those discussion .. thanks for the link..
I so agree with you – too much Ereaders at CES….
Is that spiked nip still around – for shame…Kitty Mommy..
E.H>
.-= Erotic Horizon´s last blog ..Discussion Point – What’s with all the Twinks =-.
The organization of this post warmed my librarian heart!
.-= janna´s last blog ..Extended Christmas Knitting =-.
Hey Chris:
Thanks for all the linkety. I’m interested in the new e-readers coming out on the market. I’m afraid to read the one about the reusable shopping bags though – eww is right!! We have to use them here or we get charged a nickle per plastic bag.
You sure read a lot! I’ve been at work late every night this week.. ack
Vacation in February – 4 weeks to go!!
L
.-= Lea´s last blog .."Sleep No More", by Susan Crandall – Review =-.
I’m so impressed. You’ve packed quite a bit of info in your post. Loved the links.
As for my reusable bags, no worries as I’ve never remembered to take them to the store with me.
Looks like you did a fair bit of reading. I’ve read a few of those and pretty much enjoyed them.
.-= Lily´s last blog ..Reviews: Dakota Rebel and J.M. Snyder =-.
I can haz kitteh! I luvz I can haz kittehs! REALLY.
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Candy =-.
Nice organization! Every now I then I used subheading and then I don’t. 🙂
Okay there’s something really wrong about healthy (okay semi-healthy) Twinkies.
.-= Sydney´s last blog ..Snow Days =-.
I can understand why chocolate is recession-proof. I was itching for some this afternoon after a high-stress morning!
.-= mrspao´s last blog ..Big Cat-Little Cat Bonding =-.
Oh, I love my pedometer 🙂 I’ve started using one on Jan 1st and the first couple of days I barely made it to 5000 steps a day (and I walk a lot as I have to walk 1 km to the bus stop in the mornings and back in the evenings). Now on Friday I did 13721 steps or 10+ km!!!! I have taken to doing 4-5 km during my lunch breaks. The past 2 days I’ve not walked a lot as I’m sick, but I can’t wait to get back to the fields around my office to walk again 🙂
.-= Eva´s last blog ..Winter wonderland… =-.