Why am I laughing at myself? Well, if you remember from all my whining, last winter was bitterly cold. And gosh, my car just never seemed to warm up on my way to and from work. I resorted to wearing big ol’ winter boots any time the temperature dipped below +15F. When I had my car in for its annual oil change (synthetic oil, plus I don’t drive very much) last week, I asked about the heat. Turns out that the thermostat was stuck open. One new thermostat later and my car is toasty warm again. D’oh! Why didn’t I take it in last winter?!

Ali’s having a recipe contest and is looking for recipes containing cranberries or sweet potatoes. Write a blog post with such a recipe, or leave her a comment with a recipe or a link to a recipe by midnight CST, November 28, and you could win some gorgeous skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca yarn.

Don’t forget your Black Friday Bingo card before you go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving! Actually, if you’re braving the madness, make sure you do your homework first so that you actually get deals and don’t just get caught up in it all.

CursingMama has some great information on how the online world makes her “real” world better.

Hmm – this could be either Chaos or May… Oh oh. Eeek! This must never happen.

If you read romances, you can find out where you fall on the Romance Apologia Scale. Hee hee – this is my favorite question from it: “Is that a naked man on the cover of your book? 1. Is it? I hadn’t noticed. A friend recommended it to me.” Suuuuuuuuure. Uh-huh. 😉

Reading Update
Get a Clue by Jill Shavis. Completely non-paranormal trashy romance. Heavy on the trash. So-so.
The Undead Next Door (Love at Stake, Book 4) by Kerrelyn Sparks. This one read like it was hard work to write. That’s not really a good thing.
The Rogue Hunter (Argeneau Vampires, Book 10) by Lynsay Sands. Sexy vampires at a lake cottage two hours north of Toronto – and possibly the first ever instance of a vampire jet-skiing/sea-doing.
Mysteria Lane by MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Grant, P.C. Cast, and Gena Showalter. Unsurprisingly, this is the sequel to Mysteria (the mythical Colorado town, which “was ‘accidentally’ founded by a random act of demonic kindness”).
Satisfaction by Marianne Stillings. Another completely non-paranormal book of romantic suspense. Not bad. Not great.
Flirting With Danger by Suzanne Enoch. Now this is how romantic suspense should be! Here’s hoping that the sequels (Billionaires Prefer Blondes and Don’t Look Down) are as good. Please note that Enoch seems to write mostly historical romances, if you’re looking for her books. Not my cup of tea, those.
Blood Lite: A Collection of Nerve-Jangling Tales with a Humorous Bite by the Horror Writers Association. The story by Jim Butcher (a Harry Dresden tale) was my favorite. The stories by Charlaine Harries, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Kelley Armstrong were ok, although not part of their “worlds.” Many of the others were disappointing. Please note that a familiarity with the Cthulhu Mythos might help with several of the stories.
Howling at the Moon (Tales of an Urban Werewolf, Book 1) by Karen MacInerney. The surprisingly good story of a fashionista auditor who was born a werewolf. Poor thing – when she transforms, her back legs are all bare from her shaving them as a human…

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the US! (And happy regular old rest of the week and weekend to everyone else.) SoC will be taking a long holiday weekend – back on Monday!

“Mmmm… I hope Mom brings home a turkey for us to catch and eat! I bet that’d be real tasty.” -Mayhem

To donate to a good cause (to help defray a little girl’s medical expenses) and for the chance to win a very nice sock yarn prize package in doing so, go read about Pennies for Bella and donate before December 5.

Well, since the photos of the things that I want to blog about are all on my main laptop, which I’m backing up in one of the slowest backup processes ever, I’ll have to see what I can scrape up here…

Looking for non-gift card gift ideas? Or inexpensive electronic gifts you can make?

Obsidian Kitten has a great post of cool cat-themed items. Beware – I ended up buying a whack of holiday cards because of her post!

O noes!

Here’s an article with one writer’s thoughts on why lolcats resonate with so many of us.

Hmm. The Gap is selling argyle-patterned Electra cruiser bikes for the holidays. Might go nicely with your Starbucks cabled mug (I couldn’t find that mug in their online store, so have linked to a lovely example).

How megapixels are like cupcakes. Sort of.

What a cool bookcare… although I doubt how useful it actually is.

Check out Book View Cafe, which is an intriguing (and free) online publishing venture from such authors as Ursule K. Le Guin, Vonda N. McIntyre, Laura Anne Gilman, and more.

Take a peek into an authentic 19th-century vampire killing kit.

Reading Update
Mysteria by MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Grant, P.C. Cast, and Gena Showalter. This was a fun collection about the Colorado town of Mysteria (very near Denver), which “was ‘accidentally’ founded by a random act of demonic kindness.”
Edge of the Moon (Moon Series, Book 2), Moon Swept (Witching Moon and Crimson Moon, Moon Series Books 3-4), and New Moon (Moon Series, Book 6) by Rebecca York. I’m not reading these werewolf books in perfect order, which gets a little confusing, since the series is about various brothers and cousins.
Demon Bound (The Guardians, Book 7) by Meljean Brook. A solid read – you’ll enjoy it if you’ve enjoyed the rest of the series.
How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire, Vamps and the City, and Be Still My Vampire Heart (Love at Stake, Books 1-3) by Kerrelyn Sparks. How could I resist the cheesy titles?! If you like the light’n’fluffy tone of Erin McCarthy’s Vegas Vampires series, give this series a try.
Espresso Shot (Coffeehouse Mystery #7) by Cleo Coyle. This cozy mystery series is set in a lovely Greenwich Village coffeehouse. Not paranormal at all, yet still recommended. 😉

A puzzle – where do speed bumps go for the winter? (Please note that this was from mid-October – we no longer have any leaves!)

“Quick! I just saw those speedbumps headed thataway! Hee hee.” -Chaos

I was glad to hear from so many people who wear seatbelts after yesterday’s post! Thanks for all your comments. The accident is definitely something I think about around this time of year.

Not that you can tell, but I’m plodding along on my very large super secret project. Such projects are the death of knitbloggers, aren’t they?

Wendy’s giving away a lovely skein of sock yarn – leave a comment by 4 pm EST, November 11 (aka today) for your chance to win.

Stephanie of On the Needles is having a stash sale you might want to keep an eye on.

A ferret in a bib!

What would Photoshop look like in real life?

It’s Litter Week over at ModernCat. They’ll compare natural litters, discuss various litterbox gadgets (watch for giveaways), and even talk about toilet training your cat…

Who can relate to this lolcat, eh?! Hmm, I think this one was enacted in my home when Mayhem arrived.

If you’re a fan of The Matrix (the first one – you know, the one that was good), you’ll probably get a kick out of the spoof – If The Matrix ran on Windows. (Depending on how your browser is configured, the video may very well start when you click on that link.)

Reading Update
Weddings from Hell by Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey, and Kathryn Smith. Four solid stories about weddings gone paranormally awry…
Necking by Chris Salvatore. Very enjoyable vampire chick lit.
What Dreams May Come by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Rebecca York, and Robin D. Owens. Three pretty cheesy stories about “magical romance.” No Dark-Hunters here, alas.
Reflections & Dreams: Reflections / Dance of Dreams (Stanislaski Saga) by Nora Roberts. Hey, I had this in my queue at the library when I was on my big Nora Roberts kick and it just showed up.
Really Unusual Bad Boys by MaryJanice Davidson. They are pretty unusual, but not very bad at all. They might even be a bit more cuddly and well-mannered than bad, actually.
The Vampire Shrink (Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist) by Lynda Hilburn. This was very well-written (if a bit uneven at times) and had an intriguing premise – I have the next book in my library queue already. Please note that this book is absolutely crawling with vampires. 😉
The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo. This posthumously published novel is very dark and intense. Recommended – but don’t expect it to be an easy read.

“Hmph. That big kitty thinks he’s such a badass, just because he can leap like a real panther. I’ll show him badass.” -Mayhem

I was trying to see if I could make it to November 1… Maybe next year!

Check out the huge’n’scary’n’black’n’purple spider in Sydney’s neighborhood! Eeek!

Author Kim Harrison is having a Halloween costume contest. You have until November 17 to submit your photo entry for a chance to win assorted goodies, such as a copy of Harrison’s forthcoming Rachel Morgan novel.

Only a few days left to participate in Obsidian Kitten’s contest!

Black kitties. Gotta keep an eye on them is all I’m saying…

Love Natalie Dee’s “Why you should learn how to knit” cartoon. Heh.

Hmm. Definitely a unique take on bookmarks…

Reading Update
Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kenner. A pretty amazing cast (Simon R. Green, Donna Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, and more) writing stories about werewolves and Christmas.
My Immortal (Seven Deadly Sins, Book 1) by Erin McCarthy. I enjoy McCarthy’s humorous works, such as her tales of the Vegas Vampires, but had a lukewarm reaction to this book about temptation, demons, and lust, set in New Orleans. (It was completely vampire free, however.)
A Curious Affair by Melanie Jackson. Although it’s categorized as paranormal romance, it’s pretty light on the paranormal (the protagonist can talk to cats) and heavy on the mystery and sleuthing. (Also completely vampire free!)
Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. I received this as an Early Reviewers copy via LibraryThing, so you get a bit more of a review than usual. 🙂 Free-Range Knitter is a collection of essays, split into seven parts as if it were a knitting project: casting on, knitting two together, yarn overs, left-leaning decreases, making one, continuing to knit even, and casting off. Each part begins with an essay about how a friend or family member knits, which then leads to deeper insights. Pearl-McPhee’s trademark knitting humour is evident throughout the book, and some of the essays will be familiar to regular readers of Pearl-McPhee’s blog, Yarn Harlot, but rest assured that the book includes plenty of extremely readable and thought-provoking new material. I found myself repeatedly setting this book aside, taking short breaks so I could savor it and look forward to the next part. I also kept trying to figure out what blend of essayists I could use to describe the feel of the book – I think Elizabeth Zimmermann meets Aldo Leopold, with a dash of Bill Bryson is probably the best I can do! (Even more vampire free than A Curious Affair!)
Knit Two: A Friday Night Knitting Club Novel by Kate Jacobs. I received this as an advance copy from the publisher – according to Amazon.com, it’ll be available November 25. So yes, you get more of a review for this book, too. This is set five years after The Friday Night Knitting Club. I didn’t enjoy the first several chapters, which seemed chaotic, what with reintroducing the characters and updating us on the intervening five years. I had a related complaint about the beginning of Jacobs’ novel Comfort Food and its similar chaotic flurry at the beginning. But, as with Comfort Food, once I got past the somewhat rough start, the story quickly drew me in and immersed me. At times, the narrative style felt choppy and seemed to interfere with the flow. And I found myself annoyed with various characters off and on. I also thought I had the ending all figured out… and I didn’t. If you enjoyed The Friday Night Knitting Club, you’ll definitely want to read the sequel. (No vampires in this one, either!)

For those of you who were curious about what yesterday’s tissue paper snack might’ve been wrapped around, it was a wrist strap from splityarn for my camera.

“Wasn’t that strap thingy wrapped in more tissue paper? No?! Hmph. Too bad – it was tasty stuff.” -Chaos

Stephania’s having a contest – leave her a comment about the etsy/Ravelry/elsewhere crafter who particularly inspires you, and you could win a skein of her hand-painted sock yarn. Contest closes midnight, November 7, PDT.

Hee hee – have you seen the “Ye Olde Google Charts” sailing directions for Columbus?

In the future, will your plants be wandering around, competing with your kitties for the sunny spots? (I’m sure Mayhem won’t take any crap from the plants – I can hear the *crunch crunch crunch, nom nom nom* now.)

Hmm… here’s a nice IKEA hack that creates a cat friendly charging station.

If you haven’t switched to Google Reader from Bloglines, maybe this article about Bloglines’ failure to update and further failure to communicate what’s up will inspire you. The article includes information on how to export your blogs from Bloglines and import them into another feed reader – very easy. I ran Google Reader and Bloglines in parallel for a month or so earlier this year, and Google Reader was definitely more reliable. (Interestingly, it appears Bloglines fixed the update issue and communicated about it not long after Lifehacker posted about the problem.)

Megabus is coming to Minneapolis – a ticket to Chicago starting for less than $11? Same amount of time as the train or driving? And free wi-fi? Hmm…

Have paranormal romances killed off the contemporary romance? The folks over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books weigh in.

If you’re a fan of Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series, Caine’s agent has a Weather Warden short story posted on her blog.

I only found out about Saturday’s Readathon on Friday (from Nicole), so I didn’t participate this time. But there’s another one coming up in April. Cursingmama and I are already in training!

Reading Update
Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr. This is the tattoo-focused sequel to Wicked Lovely – much of it won’t make sense unless you read that book first. It was good, but it bothered me – not quite the same squinky feeling that, say, reading the Twilight novels gave me – but definite discomfort. And the ending was odd – it felt as if there was a chapter or two missing before the final two chapters.
Hot Spell by Emma Holly, Lora Leigh, Shiloh Walker, and Meljean Brook. I picked this up for “Falling for Anthony,” which is the first tale of the Guardians. I also read the stories by Leigh and Walker – the stories were ok, but I’m not inspired to check out anything else they wrote. Speaking of Meljean Brook, she’s having daily contests until November 4, when the seventh Guardian novel, Demon Bound, is released.

Cockatiels at Seven (A Meg Langslow Mystery) by Donna Andrews. Yet another madcap installment in the Meg Langslow series, featuring a borrowed toddler, a boa constrictor, dancing poodles, wayward sheep, and missing Gouldian finches. My only complaint was the book’s abrupt ending – things were definitely left hanging.
Blood Drive and The Watcher (The Anna Strong Chronicles, Book 2-3) by Jeanne C. Stein. Being the further adventures of newly turned and reluctant vampire, bounty hunter Anna Strong.
A Rush of Wings by Adrian Phoenix. A very dark and suspenseful first novel – I’ll definitely read the next book when it comes out later this year. (Note that I kept reading even though I am not a fan of novels with serial killers in them.) (Sorry, CarrieK, there are vampires in this one, too.)

“Why do you think I’d be a good spokescat for Caribou Coffee’s Obsidian blend, Mom? Are there spiders in it?” -Mayhem

Click the picture to discover the answer to the spokescat question…