Congrats to Limedragon, Jeanette Juan, Joder, Jason, and Bella F, who all won copies of Sins of the Flesh!

The Deadline Dames are giving away several recent urban fantasies. Contest closes December 19.

M/m romance author Ally Blue’s giving away an ebook of Adder if you answer a question in the comments. Contest closes December 20… and the answer is drums. 😉

Donna’s giving away two copies of Kelly Meding’s Three Days To Dead. Contest closes at midnight CST, December 20. Donna”s also participating in Teresa D’Amario’s blog tour (grand prize is a $50 gift card to an online bookstore), so stop by to get the details on that.

If your kitties need you to win them a postmodern kitty bed, head over to moderncat and leave a comment by December 20.

SciFiGuy’s giving away two copies of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s latest Saint-Germain paranormal romance, Burning Shadows (closes December 21). And you have until December 27 to leave a comment at Vampire Wire for your chance to win one of two copies of Burning Shadows.

Head over to Vampire Wire by December 21 for your chance to win an ARC of Sarah Jane Stratford’s The Midnight Guardian.

Patti’s giving away her copy of Colters’ Woman by Maya Banks. Contest closes December 22. (And she warns everyone that the placement of the apostrophe in the title is critical…)

Anna has a set of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s League novels to give away. Contest winner will be announced December 25.

Jackie of Literary Escapism is giving away several ebook copies of the forthcoming space opera Happy Snak by Nicole Kimberling. Contest closes by December 31. Jackie’s also giving away Judi Fennell’s Mer trilogy plus several other books – this closes December 31, too. You also have a chance to win an ebook of Ningaloo Nights by Tracy Cooper-Posey if you let Jackie and Tracy know what your favorite sort of book is to read at this time of year – this closes December 24.

Donna (Fantasy Dreamer) has her usual great post of free reads, news, and contests.

All Romance eBooks is giving away a different romance title every day during the Christmas season.

TeddyPig featured Cory Doctorow’s recent essay, “How To Destroy the Book”, about how ebooks are replacing copyright with licensing.

Dear Author posted about how delaying ebook releases isn’t going to save the trade publishing industry. BitsBlog also had a really good post about how book publishers are fighting the future. And now that there’s a DIY $300 book scanner, it might be smarter to get legit ebook versions out before pirated versions show up…

CJ posted her first holiday gift giving guide (what not to buy for werewolves this holiday season). She promises that the vampire gift guide will be available soon.

Check out the 11 different crazy bookcases featured at the Huffington Post (you’ve already seen a few featured here).

Is science fiction dying?

Oh dear. Poor Jane Austen. Will it never end?

Awful Library Books found an archaic tome about England this time… And hey! I even remember our reel-to-reel tape player.

It’s possibly wrong how much I love this poster. Do. Not. Sparkle!

I keep adding new holiday music discoveries to the holiday music post if you’re interested.

A new Simon’s Cat episode!

Cute burn alert!

Brainz…

Reading Update
A Note in the Margin by Isabelle Rowan. ebook. Really intense m/m romance about a high-powered businessman who’s been told to take it easy for a year because of his migraines. He’s not doing so well on that until he slowly gets to know a homeless man. (Um, I might’ve sniffled more than once while reading this one.) I liked it. The title’s in reference to reading used books and how sometimes the notes in the margin can provide as much or more insight than reading the “main” story.
Change of Heart by Mary Calmes. ebook. Wow! Excellent m/m paranormal romance about werepanthers. I usually get impatient when there’s some specific language to learn for a paranormal or a fantasy (hello! That’s why I like urban fantasy – our world, not some complicated Tolkeinesque realm/language), but although I was initially a little cranky about it (wait, what the heck does that word mean again? Why do I have to remember some special word?), I got totally sucked into the story and was quickly very fine with everything. Please note that this book (and the Matter of Time books by Mary Calmes) have a yaoi dynamic going, if that squicks you out.
Matter of Time (Books 1-4) by Mary Calmes. ebooks. Ok, Mary Calmes is totally on autobuy for me now. Dang, these were good. I’ve even (mostly) forgiven her for ending each book with a cliffhanger – possibly because I started reading them on the day the final book was released. 🙂 I think that Jory might even give Adrien English a run for his money in the angsty love life and general drama department. Scary, huh? Anyway, my major complaint with this series is that somewhere, somehow, there’s an ebook with an excess of commas… all the commas missing from here.
Death or Life by T.A. Chase. ebook. Ok m/m romantic suspense about a senator’s son whose father hires someone to kill him. I’m pretty sure there’s going to be another book about two of the characters introduced in this one, but I’m not sure I’ll read it.
On Fire, On Fire II: Still Burning, and Joys of the Season (An On Fire Christmas) by Drew Zachary. ebooks. Very, very steamy m/m romances about a college student who hooks up with a firefighter on Canada Day in Victoria. The second book picks up with their lives seven years after the first; unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first because several plot points felt unfinished to me by the end. And then Robert never got to open his present in the Christmas book! Hmph.
Heart Doctor by Drew Zachary. ebook. Sweet, steamy, low-key m/m romance about the head cardiac nurse and the new doctor of cardiology getting to know each other a bit better. A nice break from angst. 🙂
Razor Burn (Romentics) by Scott & Scott. ebook. Hmm. I’m not sure what to say about this m/m romance. I don’t want to tell you to much, because part of what I liked about it was not knowing what was going to happen and having the story unfold and surprise me, even when I was sure I had it all figured out. At points it was a little bit sappy, but I really enjoyed it anyway.
Reckless Passion by Amanda Young. ebook. Maybe it’s just me, but Young’s m/m romances never fully engage me – the writing style doesn’t click for me or something. But! If you’re feeling a sense of deja vu, it’s because this was one of the Slouching Guy covers I featured.
Sammy Dane by Stormy Glenn. ebook. M/m romance about a writer and a cop who hook up at a bar and then it turns out that their brothers (who are a couple) were planning to hook them up. Toss in a stalker just to make things a bit more complicated. This actually had a lot of potential and some serious editing might’ve helped pull it together.
If I Were a Lady… by Bryl R. Tyne. ebook. Ack! Editing! Editing! Editing! Please, by all that is holy, recognize that it’s not optional, especially for a story with potential. This is the first m/m romance I’ve read with a transgendered main character.
Your Cheatin’ Heart (Sylver & Steele) by Mimi Riser. ebook. Hmm. I think this book might be kicking off a new m/m paranormal/scifi series. (Cross dressing shapeshifters! Sentient crocodiles from another planet! Secret organization trying to keep the world safe from sentient crocodiles! Exotic space resort headquarters for secret organization! Shifter vs crocodile shootout, OK Corral style in west Texas!) Unfortunately, this book just didn’t feel quite long enough for the amount of backstory information crammed into it. Also, the “Sylver & Steele” thing seems a bit too reminiscent of Marjorie M. Liu’s Dirk & Steele series, in which shapeshifters, pyschics, and others have formed a secret organization to help keep the world safe…

“I had no idea it would be this exhausting to be the Supreme Softest Panther Princess Kitteh of the Worldâ„¢! Good thing I’m cute even when I’m tired.” -Mayhem