Reading Update
Diving in Deep (Florida #1) by KA Mitchell. ebook. reread. Very good m/m romance about getting a second chance with that guy you had a crush on as a teenager, whoâ€™s grown into an emotionally unavailable adult. I definitely got sniffly on this one.
Collision Course (Florida #2) by KA Mitchell. ebook. reread. Really well done m/m romance about a social worker and a paramedic who has a lot of issues with social workers.
No Souvenirs (Florida #3) by KA Mitchell. ebook. reread. Very good m/m romance about an ER doctor who takes an impulsive dive vacation in Belize when things go awry in his life. He gets to know the dive instructor really well…
By the River (Elementals #1) by Katey Hawthorne. ebook. Good m/m paranormal romance about a guy in his mid-twenties who feels drawn to return to his home town, where he becomes enthralled by a mysterious and naive college swimmer. As MandyM noted, while this was beautifully written, the HFN ending felt very tenuous… as if the “for now” might only be a few minutes or days.
In Search of Saints by Harper Fox. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about an academic who’s been too obsessed by his ex’s betrayal to realize what he has with his new boyfriend.
Inertia (Impulse #1) by Amelia C. Gormley. ebook. arc. Good m/m romance about an isolated handyman who hasn’t been with anyone since he was a teenager and started taking care of his sick grandparents. Then he’s hired to install some shelves by a sexy and strangely skittish accountant who might be flirting with him… While I enjoyed how things developed between the two men, the story seemed to bog down a bit during the last third. And I was a bit surprised when the story ended – it left me with the feeling that this might develop into a serial. 🙁
Dine & Dash (Cut & Run #5.5) by Abigail Roux. free ebook short. Steamy short m/m homecoming scene.
Fireman’s Carry (Carry Me #1) by Charlie Richards. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a gay firefighter who’s recently left his cheating ex and moves in across the street from a straight divorced cop and his kids. I read this after reading a beautifully written book, and the difference in writing between the two was a bit painful. Stalker alert. (So. Tired. Of. Stalkers.)
The Thirteenth Sigil (Section Thirteen Case Files #3) by JL O’Faolain. ebook. So-so paranormal m/m romance continuing the story of Cole, an exiled sidhe who works for a secret, paranormally focused division of the NYPD. The case in this one was pretty weird, the “romance” didn’t really work, and the sex scenes were p0rny and euphemistic. (Check out my status updates at Goodreads for specifics on the last.)
Picking Up the Spare by Heidi Champa. ebook. I read 3/4 of it and was too bored to continue. Plus the name overuse in conversation was irking me.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity and a larch walk into a bar…

July 13, 2012 Chris 14 Comments

Congrats to Melinda, who won Owner of My Heart (Mending the Rift #2) by Valentina Heart!Â Owner of My Heart (Mending the Rift #2) will be released by Silver Publishing on July 14.

Contests

Keira Andrews is giving away an ebook copy of her recent Earthly Desires (with Leta Blake). Closes 12:01 am PDT, July 16.

Armchair Reader Cole is also giving away an ebook copy of The Wish (2nd ed) by Eden Winters. Closes 7 pm CDT, July 20.

Blodeuedd’s giving away a copy of Thunder on the Plains by Rosanne Bittner. Closes July 24. US & Canada.

Fetch Me My Fainting Couch is giving away an assortment of books in her TBR Reduction Giveaway #5. Closes July 31.

Bookity

New releases and more: Literary Escapism (UF/PNR) and Book Lovers Inc (romance etc).

Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

25 bad behaviors that writers should avoid.

I’m pretty sure that the 26th behavior to avoid should be “creating an ‘anti-bullying’ website that outs reviewers you don’t agree with”… Some eloquent words about that complete wtfery from Smart Bitches, Jennifer Armintrout, Stacia Kane, and Fangs for the Fantasy.

“Kurt Vonnegut’s rules for the short story“. (via Wil Wheaton)

“The difference between passive voice and using ‘was’.“

Paperback Writer applies LEGO logic to creating characters.

Some of the predictions Arthur C. Clarke made 50 years ago about technology have turned out to be very true.

Gary Oldman reading from R. Kelly’s autobiography.

Have you ever found reading to be dangerous? (Um, not that I can think of…)

Proofreading marks you might not see from your editor… but maybe you should. 😉

Smart Bitches with some completely “Wha…?” book covers. (NSFW)

Alternate title for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The lawyer who was suing The Oatmeal’s creator Matthew Inman has dropped his suit. The whole thing is so crazy, it’s completely worth a read.

Ebookity

HQBooks helps you find free pdf ebooks – looks like it leans heavily toward tutorials and manuals. (via Lifehacker)

“Using Calibre and sideloading to keep your reading private.“

Ways in which ebooks are not like paper books. (via TeleRead)

Curious which Avenger is getting the most fanfic action? (via The Mary Sue)

Think, Do, Learn, Make

If you’ve ever been curious how dinosaurs had sex… (via Tor.com) (NSFW?)

Check out the original logos from an assortment of tech companies.

Was your password among those leaked this week? Leaked passwords were from Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, Comcast.net, and MSN.com.

Tips on calling 911 in this mobile world.

Joyfully Jay explains how she moved her blog from Blogger to WordPress.

10 ways to repurpose old toys.

Use a mesh file box to store hair appliances in the bathroom.

How to use black cocoa powder.

Google’s new Legalize Love campaign predictably now has anti-gay conservatives talking Google boycott.

More on how bad sitting all day is for you. Exercises to help counter the negative effects of sitting all day.

New research suggests that it’s better to be obese (although not morbidly so) than to be underweight.

The world’s official kilogram is losing weight, which isn’t such a good thing for the metric system.

xkcd explains visual fields.

xkcd has a new blog called “What if?” that should seriously become a physics textbook because it makes physics WAY more interesting than I remember it being in school. To see what I mean, check out the post on Relativistic Baseball.

Scientists believe that many (but not all) recent extreme weather events haveÂ been caused by human-based climate change.

Cookity

Avocado chili brownies topped with avocado tequila ice cream. (via Wil Wheaton)

Gluten-free cherry almond crisp.

Four-ingredient strawberry-orange sorbet. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

Boozy red berry fruit salad. (via The Kitchn)

Polka dot cake using cake pops. (via The Kitchn)

Single-serving microwave peanut butter cake. (via The Kitchn)

Cream cheese filled snickerdoodles. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

Salmon moqueca.

Cheesy quinoa cakes. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

Many grilled cheese recipes. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

BLT with basil mayonnaise and avocado.

Toasted sesame and white bean hummus. (via The Kitchn)

Eight-ball zucchini with eggs baked inside.

Zucchini boats with mozzarella and olives.

Blue potato salad with lemon basil vinaigrette. (via The Kitchn)

Savory tomato salad. (via CRAFT)

Grilled kale salad with ricotta and plums. (via The Kitchn)

15 cold supper salads.

15 summer squash recipes.

Drinkity

5 non-alcoholic summer drinks.

Cappuccino chip frappe.

Blackberry gin fizz. (via Armchair Reader)

Blueberry lavender vodka spritzer.

Crafty

Make a kitty print t-shirt. (via CRAFT)

Turn handwritten recipes into tea towels. (via CRAFT)

Create a string art typography wall hanging. (via CRAFT)

Make mini bottle necklaces. (via CRAFT)

Cool

Quotes from fathers on how having daughters changed their views on what being a man means. (Thanks, Jase!)

Scrabble wall art. (via CRAFT)

A LEGO Rolls Royce engine – watch it in action.

The Hobbit LEGOs. (via The Mary Sue)

Woman in garden with TARDIS.

Very young Indiana Jones and the jungle spider.

Paper mache bust of Dragon Maleficent.

Batmen at the beach.

Batpenguins. (via The Mary Sue)

Scenes from scifi films done as Ottoman miniatures.

Rocket espresso cup.

Cool or Wha…?

Chair with a wolf’s shadow.

Batmobile golf cart.

Swimmable mermaid tails.

HUSH Pod.

Trap door colander.

The Walker Art Center (very near me) is having a film festival of the best internet cat videos…

New York City is going to turn payphone kiosks into wifi hotspots.

You can actually bake cookies in a hot car. (Probably smells a lot better than an air freshener, too.)

Wha…?

Starbucks in a funeral home…

A mayor in Germany has designated “easy” parking spots for women because “men are better at parking than women.” *must control fist of rage*

Insulated paper bag sleeve for drinking your classy beverages… Or maybe you’d prefer a bearded beer cozy?

Naked girl in a hot tub iPhone case… (strangely, SFW)

Gummy bear dress.

What if bananas were added to your favorite fantasy/scifi stories?

LOL

If you can’t decide whether you should knit or buy a gift, check Franklin’s handy infographic!

14 First World problems from the 90s. (Thanks, Jeanne!)

Bad gadget names.

One way to deal with the heat without air conditioning!

Truth in advertising names for junk food.

Choosing a secure name for your pet.

Do cat people have a higher tolerance for pain?

Very Chaos.

Cat lady obstacle course. (Although Chaos and Mayhem do more creative rearranging of the throw rugs here.)

The Simon’s Cat guide to boxes.

Yes!

Teh Cute

Videos: Squeaky black kitten! Baby tigers!

Tiger! Baby snow leopard! Cheetah and baby! Lioness and baby! Tigers! Cheetah and babies! Swan and cygnets! Swan and cygnets! Cheetah and baby! Baby cheetahs! Baby otter! Seal and baby! Kittens! Kittens! Baby lion! Cat! Baby red pandas! Lemurs! Victoria crowned pigeon and baby! Baby tiger! Cat! Baby lynx! Fennecs! Baby human!

Reading Update
Simple Justice (Benjamin Justice #1) by John Morgan Wilson. Very good gay mystery set in the mid-90s about a former newspaper reporter who’s been working the occasional freelance job to make ends meet since it came out he’d fabricated the story for which he won a Pulitzer. When his former editor tracks him down about working on a story, he doesn’t want to… but he slowly gets sucked in.
Revision of Justice (Benjamin Justice #2) by John Morgan Wilson. Very good gay mystery in which Ben gets pulled into researching a Hollywood story that turns out to be very convoluted, but gives him the chance to face some of his own demons… or flee again.
Justice at Risk (Benjamin Justice #3) by John Morgan Wilson. Very good, but very dark, gay mystery in which Ben meets two very different but compelling men, gets some work putting together a documentary on risky sex, and is drawn into investigating yet another convoluted and dangerous situation. This was dark enough that I need to take a bit of a break from the series…
Every Minute (Max & Skyler #3) by Acer Adamson. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance that manages to cover both Max and Skyler meeting, plus meeting each other’s parents.
One Day at a Time by Dawn Douglas. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a DEA agent on assignment to a small town police force who decides to help a cop depressed about having had to kill a teen gang member.
Making Camp by Clare London. free ebook short. Cute short m/m romance about two guys who work together and are attracted to each other, but don’t do anything about it until the Country Mouse asks the City Mouse to go camping with him.
Healer (The Institute #1) by Cassandra Gold. ebook. reread. Very good m/m paranormal romance about a doctor who can heal people with his mind. Bad guys who want to capture him and use his power for their own ends are closing in on him when a purportedly good guy offers him a way out.
Touch (The Institute #2) by Cassandra Gold. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a member of the Delphic Institute who gets captured by a rival organization. When escaping, he takes a hostage and everything starts to change.
Phoenix Rising by Theo Fenraven. ebook. arc. Good m/m paranormal romance about an NYC cop and his partner who are investigating a series of mysterious deaths. When the evidence leads them toward a charismatic singer, things start to get really weird…
Au Bon Pain by Lee Patton. ebook short. Poignant short story about a guy who has the chance to reconnect with his first love – the first love who dumped him and vanished.
The Good Life by Diana DeRicci. ebook. Cute m/m romance about a guy who suddenly finds himself a single parent with a baby daughter when he’d just planned to be the sperm donor. When his best friend offers them a place to live and help with the baby, things get a bit complicated. This had some very oddly phrased bits that seemed to need more editorial attention.
Roadside Assistance by Heidi Champa. ebook short. Pretty good short m/m romance about a week in the life of two friends who carpool together…
Laurel Heights by Lisa Worrall. ebook. Ok m/m romantic suspense two closeted cops who have to go undercover as a gay couple in a small, exclusive gay community in order catch a killer. The plot was implausible, the writing was over-the-top at times, and the epilogue changed it from neatly tied up into a cliffhanger.

“This is my new kitty bed, not a shopping bag! Silly Mom.” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity: Now available in new bite-sized portions! (I have no idea what that means, either)

June 29, 2012 Chris 16 Comments

Congrats to Monica and Alex W, who won copies of Sidecar by Amy Lane! Sidecar is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

Contests

Joyfully Jay’s giving away an ebook copy of Last Stop by Lou Harper. Contest closes 11:59 pm EDT, June 29.

Hearts on Fire Reviews is giving away an ebook copy of Acrobat by Mary Calmes. Comment by June 30.

Melanie’s giving away an eclectic mix of paperbacks as part of her TBR reduction (really there’s something for everyone) – go check out her list and comment by June 30.

Joder’s giving away an ebook copy of I’ll Be Mated for Christmas by Rebecca Royce. Contest closes 11:59 pm CDT, June 30.

Leontine’s giving away an ebook set of the Little Boy Lost series by JP Barnaby. Contest closes on July 2.

Tracy’s giving away the following: Fulfilled by Lynda Bailey (closes 7 pm PDT, July 1); five people will win one of Carolyn Cade’s ebooks (closes 7 pm PDT, July 2); winner’s choice of ebook from Leslie Dicken’s backlist (closes 7 pm PDT, July 3).

Ava March is giving away an ebook copy of her holiday m/m romance, My True Love Gave To Me (Brook Street #0.5). Closes midnight EDT, July 6.

Brief Encounters Reviews is giving away m/m romances by Canadian authors in celebration of Canada Day. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, July 7.

Blodeuedd’s giving away a copy of The Most Improper Sophie Valentine by Jayne Fresina. Closes July 15.

Bookity

New releases and more: Elisa Rolle (LGBT), Tor.com (UF, genre-benders, scifi, fantasy), and Book Lovers Inc (romance etc).

Book and publishing news from Dear Author and, of a more humorous bent, from Smart Bitches.

Lots of links on self-publishing from The Book Designer.

VacuousMinx on genre fiction and guilty pleasure reads.

VacuousMinx’s take on the recent John Simpson fiasco at Goodreads.

Penguin Girl on why you should support your local public library.

LA Witt on how to write out of sequence.

Tam tries to figure out how many publishers of m/m romance there are.

Interesting discussion about m/m romance at Lamda Literary – make sure you read the comments, too. (via Eden Winters)

Retro library posters. (via CRAFT)

Terrifying book cover.

R-rated films as children’s books.

Ebookity

The Digital Reader compares Penguin’s history as an upstart publisher of paperbacks to their stance on ebooks today.

Think, Learn, Make, Do

Why cheetahs are so darn speedy. (Thanks, Donna!)

That fat-free salad dressing may be negating any nutritional benefits from your salad.

If you’ve ever wondered why maple syrup bottles have those tiny, useless handles…

Scientists have developed a way for people to type with their brains, no hands or voice commands required.

How to fix the stupid things you do with your smart phone.

If you’ve ever wondered how a microwave oven works…

Use binder clips (or as one commenter suggests, clawed hair clips) to manage cables.

Kraft’s getting backlash for the very cool Pride Day image it posted. Go buy some Oreos in support!

How are you going to use your Leap Second on Saturday?

Cookity

Nutella milkshakes. (via The Kitchn)

Layered pumpkin cheesecake.

Pie’n’ice cream sandwiches. (via The Kitchn)

Sriracha lollipops. (via The Kitchn)

Gluten-free coconut blueberry pound cupcakes.

Pickled blueberries. (via The Kitchn)

Roasted rhubarb and strawberries.

Southwest chicken chop salad. (via The Kitchn) (Do you have any idea how hungry I get doing these posts?!)

Southeast Asian spicy, tangy, and sweet rojack salad.

Pad see ew. (via The Kitchn)

Southern-styled pickled shrimp.

Steak fajita bowls. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

Non-processed mac’n’cheese for one in the microwave.

6 zucchini recipes.

10 foods to take hiking with you.

10 ways to eat peanut butter for breakfast. (I’m sticking with gf peanut butter toast, thanks.)

20 ways to enjoy summer veggies.

Drinkity

Sparkling strawberry lemonade (with or without vodka). (via The Kitchn)

Cantaloupe margaritas. (via The Kitchn)

Crafty

Personalized Sharpie mugs have great gift potential. (via CRAFT)

Crochet an angler fish.

Crochet a cat cave (English directions at bottom). (via CRAFT)

Sew a geek chic iPad case. (via CRAFT)

Turn rocks into garden markers. (via CRAFT)

Cool

Van Gogh’s Starry Night made from 7000 dominoes.

LEGO Turing machine.

R2-D2 yarnbomb.

Storm trooper chair. (via The Mary Sue)

The second episode of Doctor Whooves.

Superhero tutus.

Bamboo globe light.

Blow bubble snakes instead of merely blowing bubbles. (via Apartment Therapy)

A vintage tv turned into a cat bed (make sure you read the warning in comment #2).

“10 badass LGBTQ characters from television.”

If you use Chrome, you can pick a plot in Australia or New Zealand and build a little virtual LEGO something on it.

Cool or Wha…?

Gotye/Star Wars parody video…

“10 horror movie VHS boxes that scarred me for life.”

Google’s artificial brain likes to watch cat videos.

Wha…?

Let out your inner white trash self.

Osaka, government workers, and tattoos.

People planning to move to Canada because the US is getting universal healthcare… (Thanks, Brigitte! Are you sure you don’t them in Canada? I don’t think we’ll miss them…)

Maybe they should’ve refunded her entire airfare…

Leather chainsaw bag – nope, not a bag for a chainsaw.

Zipper fashion fail.

Jeans with a see-through pocket for your smartphone.

Beer for dogs. (I saw a booth for this stuff at TCPride!)

Possibly you will have nightmares.

Eeeek! And eeeek!

LOL

That’s my kinda grocery shopping.

Indeed. (hover your cursor over the comic for additional text)

Oh, snap!

Hawk fight!

New Simon’s Cat!

But… Chaos hates everyone who isn’t me!

Well, pooey.

Hey, she should just be happy they’re using one of the cat beds.

Teh Cute

Baby tiger! Lion and baby! Tiger and baby! Baby tiger! Tiger and baby! Kitten! Pride pup! Bunny! Jaguar and baby! Baby tigers! Leopard! Lions! Leopard and baby! Baby fennecs! Kitten! Skunk! Kitten! Baby penguins! Skunks! Bunny! Baby onager! Black kittens! Baby otter! Cat and kitten!

Reading Update
Into the Bermuda Triangle (Turbulence #1) by Jordan Castillo Price. free ebook short. serial. 5/13/2012: Very good short m/m paranormal setting the stage for future episodes of this serial about pilots who fly into the Bermuda Triangle. You are definitely left wanting more! 🙂
6/23/2012: I reread this before reading the second installment and am glad I did – not only did I get more out of it than I did the first time, it helped make things in the second installment clearer.
Autopilot Engaged (Turbulence #2) by Jordan Castillo Price. free ebook short. serial. The second installment of this paranormal m/m serial gives us more background on Dallas, how he ended up on this Bermuda Triangle flight, and what he thinks might be going on.
Boystown 4: A Time for Secrets by Marshall Thornton. ebook. Very good gay mystery in which Nick obtains information about a 25-year old murder that has dangerous current implications.
Fire on the Mountain (2nd ed) (The Mountains #1) by PD Singer. ebook. reread. Smokin’ hot m/m romance about two guys fighting forest fires together in the Rockies. I enjoyed the added flashback short story in this edition.
Fourth and Long by Chris Scully. ebook short. Sweet short timetravel romance about a guy whose life started going terribly wrong on the night of his high school prom. He doesn’t expect that to change on the night of his 20th high school reunion.
A Bar Tender’s Tale by Melanie Tushmore. ebook. Good m/m romance about a couple days in the life of a punk bartender as he progresses from a jerk boyfriend to a better boyfriend, even if said better boyfriend moves at a glacial pace.
Second Time Lucky (Middleton #2) by Ethan Day. ebook. Good m/m romance about two guys who run into each other years after things didn’t work out for them for no good reason in college. Can they keep that from happening again?
Bennie’s Wish by Xara X. Xanakas. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a wealthy but wishy washy guy whose friends take shameless advantage of him and constantly put him down, so when a cute guy hits on him, he can’t believe it’s for real.
Half-Baked Promises (Castor Springs #1) by Erica Pike. free ebook short. Pretty good short m/m story about an auditor who has to spend a few days working in the small Texas town where he grew up, although he might never manage to finish the job if that hunky construction worker doesn’t stop making so much noise. This didn’t feel like a complete story – more like the first few chapters of a longer work.
Losing and Gaining by Heidi Champa. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a guy who’s always been obese until finally, at age 25 (two years before the story starts), he decides to reinvent himself by eating better, working out, getting a new job, and changing his name. Too bad you can’t escape the past quite that easily… I thought this had a lot of potential, but I got frustrated with the main character’s doormat nature. People using each other’s names too much in conversation was an additional frustration.

“Why, yes, I am as mysterious as I appear to be.” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Friday is linkity day! Well, except for the next two weeks, when Thursday will be linkity day.

December 17, 2010 Chris 29 Comments

I never heard back from the first winner, so congrats to Juli-Anna, who’s the new winner of A Shifter Christmas (The Lost Shifters, Book 8 ) by Stephani Hecht!

Congrats to Jase, who won Knightâ€™s Fall (Boys in Blue) by Mia Watts! Knightâ€™s Fall will be released December 20 by Total-E-Bound.

Congrats to Tracey D, who won His Christmas Present by Rachel Randall! His Christmas Present will also be released by Total-E-Bound on December 20.

Contests

Janna’s giving away ebook copies of Texan Summer and I’ll Be Home by William Cooper. Comment before December 20 for your chance to win one of the books!

Morning Glow’s giving away a prize pack consisting of a $10 Amazon gift card and two books that MG enjoyed this year: The Sky: The World by Jessica McHugh and No Rest for the Wicca by Toni LoTempio. Winner will be announced December 20.

Blodeuedd’s giving away two copies of The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. Make sure your comment meets the contest requirement and comment by December 20 to enter. US & Canada only.

Sloan Parker’s giving away winner’s choice of the following: one of her ebooks, one ebook from LooseId, or a $10 B&N gift card. She’ll pick a winner for every 50 entries she gets, up to 300 entries or noon EST, December 20.

Cecile’s giving away three copies of The Secret Life of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer, by Lucy Weston. Answer Cecile’s question in the comments by December 22 to enter. US only.

Bookity

New releases and more: Lily (m/m romance) and Literary Escapism (UF/PNR news, contests, etc).

An American Editor links to videos that will help teach grammar.

Jessica of ReadReactReview wonders if commenting on book blogs will survive Twitter, Tumblr, etc.

Do not watch the video for Blank: A Novel if you are especially sensitive to violence against books.

A Christmas tree made from books!

Bookstores converted from other things.

Five kids scifi books that don’t exist… but should.

Writers, go forth and read “The Penmonkey’s Paean”!

Having a fireplace on a bookshelf seems like a really bad idea.

KZ Snow has a very funny post about GoodReads reviews.

Spelling is irrelevant to comprehension.

Ebookity

Is there a precipitous plunge in paper book sales ahead?

Ebooks might’ve changed book gifting, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Marketers are trying to figure out how to include ads in ebooks… (NO!)

Amazon began quietly removing erotica books that included incest from their store and from people’s Kindle libraries. As others have pointed out, it’s a slippery slope, especially since most erotica will be found objectionable by someone.

The end of this AAR post has some links to sources of legal free ebooks.

Snowity

We had a lot of snow and then it got cold. If you missed my photo of what my street looked like after the snow stopped, it’s at the end of this week’s Misadventures post.

You might have seen the video of the Metrodome collapsing. Since their stadium’s all collapsed, the Minnesota Vikings are going to play their last home game on December 20 outside at the U of MN’s stadium. Might be worth watching for the amusement factor…

Neil Gaiman on Minnesota cold and snow.

Carolyn Crane on snow and a car fire.

Think, Do, Make, Learn

What does caffeine actually do to our brains?

You can train yourself to see “impossible” colors.

Another theory on how Stonehenge might’ve been built.

The best science photos of the year.

The ten worst states to retire.

Ten tips to help you stay warm this winter.

Amazing list of IKEA hacks.

Imagining yourself eating more might help you eat less. Apparently, so would not ordering combo meals.

One out of every six people in the US gets a food-borne illness each year.

Make action figures out of construction paper.

Someone has been officially cured of HIV. *thinks about Dan Bern’s song “The Cure for Aids”*

Gift Ideas

Very cool science cookie cutters. (Thanks, Alison!)

Bullet-proof clipboard, anyone?

These recycled camera lens bracelets are pretty cool.

Perhaps knit some small animals for last minute gifts?

Or sew some Harry Potter dolls?

Smart Bitches have some ideas for charitable giving.

Gizmodo gift guides: “grease monkeys“, science and tech toys for kids, people owned by cats, stocking stuffers, and audiophiles.

CRAFT has a gift guide for “crafty photographers“.

Paperback writer with DIY gifts for writers.

Chrissy Munder has some great gift ideas from Michigan.

Cat Grant shows off some Dr. Who goodies, any of which would be a great gift for the aficionado.

Holiday

Simon’s Cat in “Santa Claws”! (Thanks, Juni!)

Check out the 12 Wrecks of Christmas at Cake Wrecks.

Have you watched the Digital Nativity?

Crochet chain Christmas trees are pretty cute.

So are coconut mochi snowmen.

And felt marshmallow men ornaments!

The ten most depressing Christmas songs ever!

Cool

I’d never heard of the archer fish before. (Thanks, Jase!)

Make an entire s’more on a stick!

Very cute knitted video about delivering parcels.

If you’re planning to get cremated, a ghost urn would be pretty cool.

LEGO Terminator!

The intersection of shoe and tree…

Huh

Glow-in-the-dark zombie high heels?

Samurai toothpick holders…

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich wallet…

Now there’s an iPad game just for cats!

A power corkscrew?!

The perfect gift… for serial killers.

LOL

Dr. Who meets Star Wars!

Small, amusing wire sculptures using regular household objects. (Thanks, Jeanne!)

The most hated people on Facebook…

Should you friend your parents on Facebook?

Crazy goats!

This one actually made me sad. 🙁

Cat vs. the internet…

No leeks on the floor, please.

Supposedly dogs are smarter than cats…

Epic yawn!

I’d have to use a silver marker on my kitties’ paws…

Beware the seben dedly lolcats!

Too many purple bows?

Awww…

Teh Cute

Super bunny! (Thanks, Jase!)

Jerboa! Kitten! Cat! Ferret! Kitten and mom! Kitten! Chinchilla! Black kitten! Kitten! Kitten! Feather-tailed opossum! Kitten! Lions! Fox in the snow! Chinchilla! Tigers! Kittens! Kittens! Lamb!

Reading Update
The Match Before Christmas by Eden Winters. ebook. Excellent m/m holiday romance about a contractor who joins an online GLBT dating site several months before Christmas, with the hope that he’ll meet someone and not be alone (well, besides his two black kitties) on Christmas. Anyone who’s ever done the online dating thing will be able to relate to the numerous and discouraging encounters he has before almost giving up on his plan… And my kitties are in the dedication! 🙂
Trust Me If You Dare (Romano & Albright, Book 2) by LB Gregg. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense continuing the madcap and lusty adventures of caterer Ceaser (who really does need someone to keep him out of trouble, possibly by wrapping him in cotton wool and locking him up) and his boyfriend, PI Dan (who would so like to take that job on). *commences waiting for Book 3*
Cameron’s Pride (Thrown to the Lions, Book 4) by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky paranormal m/m romance about a lion shifter without a pride, working as a stripper, and about the rich jerk determined to make that lion his for any amount of money.
Red Lights and Silver Bells (EMS Heat, Book 6) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Very good holiday m/m romance about how important facing emotional demons is to moving on with life.
I’ll Run Away for the Holidays by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Sweet holiday m/m romance about a guy whose best friend guilts him into driving from Florida to her home in Michigan for the holidays… and then he finds out that her younger brother, who made a slobbery (and rebuffed) pass at him several years before, will be joining them for the drive.
Making His List by Devon Rhodes. ebook. Excellent m/m holiday romance about a guy who always keeps the men he dates at arm’s length, and having his young niece and unreliable sister move in with him just give him more excuses to do so. I might’ve gotten sniffly while reading this one. *ahem*
The Reason for the Season by Chrissy Munder. ebook short. Very good short m/m holiday romance about a college student in the UP, trying to get to his sister’s house in Flint for Christmas, who gets a ride from the rideshare board into “snowpocalypse.” I especially enjoyed this story since I was reading it during what the local news stations dubbed “snowmaggedon.”
The Next Twenty by Margaret Mills. ebook short. Very good short m/m holiday romance about a straight guy in his 50s, who discovers that a good friend, freshly retired from the military, is gay and has been attracted to him for years.
Enchanted Grounds by Michelle Moore. ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m holiday romance about a guy who finds a mysterious coffee shop and starts to visit it daily, at the same time that he starts having realistic dreams about sleeping and snuggling with a man he’s never met…
The Wild Side by Janey Chapel. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a college student who agrees to help out a friend by waiting tables over Valentine’s Day weekend. He’s never been interested in seeing the same guy twice… is that about to change?
Vintage Toys for Lucky Boys by G.R. Richards. ebook short. Ok short m/m holiday romance about a guy who brings some old toys into an antiques shop to be appraised… and things proceed a bit too quickly for me to believe. The insight into being transgendered was the best part of the book.
White Out by Heidi Champa. ebook. Ok short m/m romance about a researcher, escaping a broken heart and swearing not to fall in love again, who takes a six-month research position in Antarctica to get away from memories of his ex. (Still haven’t figured out the title, as it didn’t seem to relate to anything in the book other than Antarctica being cold and snowy.)