Category Archives: Contests

Contests, Reading

2008 in Review: Reading

32 Comments

It’s time for the Reader’s Choice Awards over at Urban Fantasy Land! Head on over before midnight on January 30 to vote.

Guess how many buttons are in Sarah’s button box for your chance to win a copy of Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn. Leave your guesses by 5 pm EST, January 19.

Near the beginning of 2008, I joined LibraryThing and started to seriously track my reading for the first time. My goodness. I really had no idea. In 2008, I read 388 books. (If you’re morbidly curious, you can look at the whole list.) I’d say at least a dozen of those were either quite short, or were anthologies in which I only read one or two stories. But still. No wonder my “to watch” piles of dvds and videotapes never gets any smaller!

How did I manage to read so many books? Well, I really do read fast. Always have. Then I took Efficient Reading in college and it turned me into a speed reader. Add to that the fun of slogging through technical and academic prose for my master’s degrees – reading fiction is bliss after that whole academia thing.

I also read while I knit. I’ll pause for some of you to say “Oh, I could never do that!” That’s what I thought, too. Many, many thanks to my friend Lisa for convincing me otherwise. I’ve previously described the process of teaching myself to read while knitting. A good bookholder is critical; Limedragon has a great list of various bookholders and how they worked for knitting.

And then I realized… I have no bookish pictures for my reading post! Eeep! So allow me to present proof that I can toss nearly anything on my floor and get cat photos…

“Hmm. No ‘nip. No pink feathers. This is lame.” -Mayhem

“Mmmm… May doesn’t realize that books can be very tasty, even without ‘nip.” -Chaos

“Hey! I’m hiding here!” -Chaos

“I’m good at hiding. You so can’t see me.” -Chaos

“Hmm. This looks like a trap.” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity

Happy Delurking Day! *hint hint* ;)

84 Comments

Today is Delurking Day!

I’d like to take a moment to thank those of you who comment regularly – you definitely help me feel more connected to the knitting and/or blogging community and I always appreciate your support and insights. If you haven’t commented before, or you don’t comment often, why not give it a shot today? I always reply to comments that have a valid email address. 🙂 (Well, ok, except for the happy birthday comments for Jeanne – she read your comments and definitely appreciated them!)

Limedragon is having a contest – leave her a comment by January 13, midnight CST, and you could win a copy of Blogging Tips: What bloggers won’t tell you about blogging.

Toronto music blogger Frank of Chromewaves is giving away two Phillips GoGear mp3 players – one to a US resident and another (better!) one to a Canadian resident. Contest closes January 17, midnight EST.

Have you heard about the Chunkster Challenge? (A chunkster is a 450+ page book of adult literature – no Twilight, no Harry Potter, no audiobooks.) Amy sums it up nicely and provides a link to the official site. Worth checking out if only for the amusing button.

More on the increased library use during our economically troubled times.

Too bad this lamp/bookmark is only a concept – it’s very clever.

Author Carrie Vaughn has an interesting three-part analysis of urban fantasy. (The link is to part 1.)

If you enjoy reading, erm, “racy” paranormal romances, you’ll probably get a giggle out of this NSFW blog entry.

Playing Tetris can wipe out bad memories?! Is this the future of PTSD treatment?

If you live in the Twin Cities and you’d like to see the Presidential Inauguration on the big screen, the Riverview Theater will be showing it. Admission is free.

Brace yourselves – you’re going to get a cute burn from this one.

“Really, Mom, I love pink feathers, but that little thing is just pathetic.” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Reading, Reviewettes

My kingdom for an inspired title…

36 Comments

It’s January, so it’s time to knit preemie hats for k3tog! Although the blog is gone, you can head over to their Ravelry group.

Kelle’s looking for submissions for Yarnival. Submit soon, because she’ll be publishing on January 15.

I think that Amy’s picture really captures the essence of the Minnesota State Fair experience – what do you think?

The Uptown Mpls Blog’s top 20 pictures of 2008 are worth a look.

Hee hee – did you see xkcd’s guide to converting to the metric system?

Isn’t this a scary thought?!

Too true!

This is how I felt upon returning to my usual work schedule (start at 6:30 am) yesterday morning…

Do not let your kitties read Perry and Emily’s New Year’s resolutions!

Here’s a link to a thoughtful article in defense of buying books. While the majority of my reading material is from the public library, I do purchase some books and I’m making sure to do so from local stores that I want to stay in business.

Literary Escapism’s latest Escapist Newsletter has a truly mind boggling list of urban fantasy/paranormal romance links – upcoming releases, author interviews, and much more.

The bloggers at Book Binge have listed their favorite heroes of 2008 – do you agree or disagree? I left a few of mine in the comments. Flashing back to my crushes on fictional characters thing, I think I have to add Wrath, Zsadist, Butch, and Vishous from the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

If you’re a fan of vampire books, check out The Ultimate VampList – and remember that it’s divided by subject, so if you don’t see an author that you expect, he or she may simply be on a different page.

Reading Update
Lover Enshrined (The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 6) by J.R. Ward. Disappointing. Important to read before the next book comes out this spring, but this book doesn’t have the immersive qualities of the previous five. I think Ward spent too much time on other story elements and not enough time on Phury beyond his addiction issues. (Um, I may also have reread the first four books – at least most of them. Skipped most of the bits about the lessers the second time.)
Dead After Dark by Sherrilyn Kenyon, J.R. Ward, Susan Squires, and Dianna Love. Kenyon’s story about the Were-Hunter Fury was ok, but not great. Ward’s story was set in the same city as her Black Dagger Brotherhood books, but wasn’t about any of the familiar characters.
Zen and the Art of Vampires (Dark Ones, Book 6) by Katie MacAlister. Cliffhanger. You know how I feel about them. Hmph. Plus this book was crazy confusing. I kept reading, hoping for clarity.
Fangs for the Memories (The Young Brothers, Book 1) by Kathy Love. Light paranormal romance about a vampire with amnesia who doesn’t remember that he’s a vampire.
Anyway You Want It by Kathy Love. The first in a nameless series about lampir (energy vampire) brothers who live in New Orleans. (The second book, which I read a few weeks ago, is I Want You To Want Me.)
Megan’s Mark, Harmony’s Way, and Tanner’s Scheme (The Breeds, Books 1-3) by Lora Leigh. Not the best written stuff on the planet, but the premise is intriguing. These are extremely graphic.
Degrees of Separation (Jessie Arnold Mysteries) by Sue Henry. I have to admit to getting this series a bit confused with Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak mysteries! Anyway, in this latest Jessie Arnold mystery, Jessie’s knee is finally healed and she’s back to mushing.

“And now what are you doing, Mom?! You are so weird. Can’t let you out of my sight for a minute, can I?!” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Reading, Reviewettes

A picture of sartorial elegance… not

39 Comments

The sartorial elegance bit? It ran through my head when I was taking out the trash yesterday, wearing my Ruby Sheep PJ bottoms, a black sweatshirt, and a dark red and black plaid wool coat. Hmm. Maybe I’ve been working at home too much… speaking of which, Monday and Tuesday were 17-hour days, so all you get for this post is a contest link, some of my wee book reviews, and a cat picture or two.

Shannah’s having a contest. Let her know what your favorite handcrafted gift was this year, and you could win some sock yarn and a surprise. Contest closes at midnight, January 6.

Reading Update
Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton. This was absolutely delightful. Recommended for knitters who enjoy a bit of fantastical romance. Plus it has a black cat on the cover. How could you go wrong?
Just Desserts by Barbara Bretton. Nothing paranormal or knitting related in this romance, but it was a decent read.
Hex Appeal by Linda Wisdom. The sequel to 50 Ways To Hex Your Lover is another enjoyable read, although there were a number of major inconsistencies that kept jolting me out of the story.
It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons by Franklin Habit. Delightful. This was a birthday present from Deb, but I’ve just been reading a cartoon here and there for the past five weeks, anticipating.
Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, Lover Revealed, and Lover Unbound (The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Books 1-5) by J.R. Ward. Very good vampire romance – I really am not able to put these down. Bits of it seemed reminiscent of the Dark-Hunters. Ward does this sort of cruel but effective bit where she starts gearing up the next book before the end of the current book. She ties up the current story, but you definitely know what the next book’s going to be about and are eager to get your hands on it. Much more effective than a complete cliffhanger, which drives me nuts. Oh, and some of the books (Lover Awakened, Lover Unbound) had me sobbing. Just so you know to have the tissues handy… Also please note that these are very, very steamy and a bit dark.
Sex and the Single Witch by Theresa Alan, Holly Chamberlain, and Carly Alexander. Very light’n’fluffy short stories that were actually a nice break from the intensity of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. However, not particularly recommended.
The Cursed One (The Wild Wulfs of London) by Ronda Thompson. One of the later books in this series about werewolves in England in the early 1800s. I enjoyed it, even though historicals tend not to be a favorite.
Wolf at the Door (The Others, Book 1) by Christine Warren. Can an Irish werewolf and a NYC foxwoman find happiness together? Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld might have been a bit of the inspiration behind this series, but this is much lighter and more chick lit feeling.

“Oh, for fur’s sake, the last thing she needs is more pink feathers.” -Chaos

“Silly big kitty. You can never have too many pink feathers!” -Mayhem

“Unhand my feathers, Mom! Mine! Mine! Mine!!” -Mayhem

Happy New Year! I may or may not post on Friday, January 2. It’ll be a surprise to all of us.

Contests, Knitting, Randonymity, Reading, Reviewettes

Woe of the Toe

24 Comments

Let Eryka know whether or not you attend craft shows and you could win a $25 KnitPicks gift card on December 31.

Thanks (?!??) to Van for alerting me to these fugly holiday sweaters… Swallow all coffee and cereal and brace yourselves before you click, ok?

Office a little quiet before the holiday? Make an origami reindeer from a box to keep yourself entertained.

You can blame all shopping malls on Minnesota. Sorry ’bout that.

Ever wondered what happens to those socks that vanish in the washing machine? Wonder no longer.

Here’s a clever trick to keep that poor right index finger from getting maimed by sharp needle tips.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books is having eight days of giveaways. The first giveaway (not romances!) will probably be over by the time you read this, but there are still seven more on the way.

Apparently “business is booming” at Minnesota’s public libraries due to the recession.

Reading Update
Ghost Moon (The Moon Series, Book 7) by Rebecca York. Enough with the excursions to the parallel universe, please. Thank you.
How To Knit a Wild Bikini by Christie Ridgway. This is the first book in a chick lit knitting series set in Malibu. I’m looking forward to reading the next book!
Backup: A Story of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Although published as a small hardcover, this is really a short story told by Thomas, not Harry.
“A Jaguar’s Kiss” by Lora Leigh, from Shifter. Yes, there were three other stories in this collection of paranormal romance, but I couldn’t get into them. Leigh’s story was ok, but definitely not one of her best.
Playing Easy To Get by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jaid Black, and Kresley Cole. Steamy. Very steamy. I liked the Kresley Cole vampire’n’Valkyrie story the best. The Sherrilyn Kenyon story wasn’t a Dark-Hunter story – it was from her B.A.D. series.
50 Ways To Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom. Vampires and witches and evil bunny slippers, oh my! This was a fun’n’fluffy paranormal romance – the next book is already in my to-read pile. (But please note – it’s really cheating to name a book based on a throwaway line in said book…)
I Want You To Want Me by Kathy Love. Apparently this is the most recent book in a series. Or it might just be the second book in a series. Not exactly easy to figure out. Anyway, this is a story about a sculptor and a lhampir (somehow derived from dhampir?!), set in New Orleans.

Still completely loving MaryLou’s sock pattern and am surviving my first top-down sock experience… mostly.

“But Mom, that’s my favorite bit because it matches me! I don’t understand why you’re cursing at it. And really, I’m not sure I’m old enough to hear language like that.” -Mayhem

And for a little color/preview of coming attractions… (I told May to watch out so MamaTulip doesn’t steal her toy!)  😉

*my toy my toy my toy my toy MY toy MINE MINE MINE* -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Reading

And sometimes the title well runs dry

28 Comments

Life in Minnesota has been very cold and snowy this week. Enough said.

Zonda’s celebrating her third blogiversary with a contest! Leave a comment by December 23 for your chance to win a cool calendar or lovely yarn.

If you have a little time and effort to put into it, you could have the chance to win a Sony ebook reader.

To find more reading-related contests, Literary Escapism and Vampire Wire always seem to have links to a few.

Worth reading: Lilith Saintcrow’s column about urban fantasy, including how the first (but not the recent) Anita Blake novels kickstarted the genre. Not sure which is more over-the-top – the column or the comments!

Huh. Socket antlers. I’d guess they’re not recommended for homes with children or pets…

Look! A holiday greeting from the cats! I never thought of Chaos and Mayhem as deprived… until I saw this. More on the thumb issue… Oh, that reminds me. Recently, I was cutting kitty claws and was grousing to myself (as usual) about how hard it is to trim May’s dewclaws. Why the heck is it so easy to trim Chaos’ dewclaws and so hard to trim May’s?! And then I realized… Chaos has protothumbs, not dewclaws. O noes! (Looking for a good dewclaws link led me to this Wiki article…)

Reading Update
Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson. More nicely done romantic suspense! And even better, it looks like Gibson has other books related to this one.
Shadows on the Soul and Hungers of the Heart (The Guardians of the Night, Books 3-4) by Jenna Black. Ok, I’m obviously totally sucked into this series, no matter what misgivings I have. That doesn’t mean I can overlook the massive plot weaknesses/gaps in the fourth book. Sheesh.
The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist, Book 1) by Jenna Black. This is some pretty extreme stuff. Not sure I want to read more of the series, as this book left me feeling vaguely queasy.
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance. With stories by Lilith Saintcrow, Keri Arthur, and more, this was by far the best short story collection I’ve read in a very long time.
Uncommon Grounds by Sandra Balzo. An enjoyable cozy mystery about Maggy Thorsen, PR executive turned coffeeshop owner. This mystery is set in “Brookhills,” Wisconsin, which is apparently based on the real Brookfield, Wisconsin. I’m the next person on the list at the library for the second book in this series.

“Ends? What ends? I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mom. Were you installing some socket antlers for my further chewing pleasure?” -Mayhem

Contests, Knitting

A radical knitting development!

35 Comments

No, Marina, not that radical. 😉

But first, some announcements.

Check out Eryka’s new Etsy portal for knits called Knitsy.

Trek was hit with a surprise Box Tops for Education request and is begging looking for all the help she can get to fulfill it!

Please let Ms. Concateknit know if you’ve donated to any cause recently. Non-profits such as pet rescue organizations and food banks are seeing a lot of use these days and need all the help they can get. On December 31st, Ms. Concateknit will randomly select a lucky donor to win a New Year’s gift from she and her adorable rescue dogs.

KitKatKnit’s giving away some really ugly Lorna’s Laces (um, can you tell I love the yarn and don’t really want you to enter?!) and other goodies. Leave her a comment by 4:04 PST, December 21, about your favorite holiday candy tradition – and watch this spot for a whole bunch of holiday candy goodness later this week.

Ok, back to the knitting stuff. A few weeks ago, MaryLou asked for test knitters for her gorgeous new Tendrils Rib Socks. I looked at the pictures and saw twisty little stitches. I love twisty little stitches! So I volunteered. MaryLou quickly sent the pattern and I realized… the socks were top-down. Now, I’ve easily knit 70 pairs of socks over the past eight years… and every pair was toe-up. But since being a test knitter means knitting the pattern as written, I forged ahead (with Jeanne snickering in the background).

I dug out two skeins of Original STR in Beryl and cast on. And cast on. And cast on again. Moving right along, I’ve finished the leg and done the heel flap. (I’ll try not to mention the trauma of knitting a heel flap that just… flaps there. Unattached to anything. *shudders* Well, I guess I’ll try not to mention the trauma too many times at least…) My mind boggles at what has to happen next for this to become a sock!

Fortunately, the twisty stitches are making me very happy and I’ll definitely knit this pattern again… toe-up. 😉

“Hmm. I wonder how I can get at those socks again? Mom’s been excessively careful with them since I added four extra ends last week. Curses.” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Reading

Little of this, little of that

26 Comments

Congrats to the various winners of the contest! Prizes are going to Mouse for her Greta and Stanley caption, Jeanne B. for her Chaos caption, and kitkatknit for her combo of both photos caption. Special honourable geek mention to pao for his executable caption.

Author Barbara Bretton is giving away two skeins of light blue Kid Silk Haze because knitting it drives her to distraction. She’ll announce the winner this evening (Thursday, December 11).

If you donate to Toys for Tots by December 20th and let ikisti know, you will be entered in her contest! She reports that the drop boxes are looking pretty empty this year…

How could I resist this silly little quiz? 😉 (We’ll see how much of the formatting remains after I publish this post – I’m having a bit of a fight with the output…)

Which creature of the night are you?

Your Result: Werewolf
 

You are a vicious fighter and a vicious lover, absolutely dedicated to your pack. You are pushed to anger by disloyalty and injustice and have a tendency toward sudden, periodic bursts of wild behavior.
Ghost
 
Cthulu Spawn
 
Sorceror
 
Incubus/Succubus
 
Demon
 
Vampire
 
Which creature of the night are you?

Talk about an amazing cake!

Hee hee. Hmm, does it look like Chaos is moving appliances on the side or what?

Have you heard about Free Shipping Day? If you haven’t, check out the list of online retailers who will provide free shipping if you order on December 18… and guarantee delivery by Christmas.

The perfect t-shirt for my arachnophobic readers? 😉 This martial arts and crafts t-shirt was pretty funny. And how true is this ‘nip t-shirt?!

Reading Update
Billionaires Prefer Blondes and A Touch of Minx by Suzanne Enoch. Rick Addison has made my fictional crushes list. Obviously, I continue to enjoy this romantic suspense series.
Killer Charms by Marianne Stillings. This is related to Stillings’ novel Satisfaction (which I’ve read) and Arousing Suspicions (haven’t read yet).
Magic and the Modern Girl by Mindy Klasky. I was cranky at this book (the third in a series about Washington, DC, witch Jane Madison) for about 90% of it, but the ending finally redeemed things.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Extremely well-done urban fantasy set in a world that’s similar to ours. Recommended if you’re looking for vampire books that are different from the usual.
Suite 606 by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas. Well, at least the Eve Dallas and Roarke (mmmm…. Roarke) story was good. And “Wayward Wizard” by McComas was fun.
Ravish: The Awakening of Sleeping Beauty by Cathy Yardley. This was a good read, but be warned that it is extremely racy.
Secrets in the Shadows (The Guardians of the Night, Book 2) by Jenna Black. Still not the greatest vampire series, but I’m curious to see what happens with the characters.

“What legs? Are you sure I usually have legs?” -Mayhem

Contests

I feel like having a contest

61 Comments

Contest is now closed! Thanks for playing. 🙂

But what sort of contest should I have? Hmm, how about a caption contest? Y’all are good at those! 🙂

Please caption away in the comments to this post. You can caption either or both of the pictures below. Contest closes at 7 pm CST, Wednesday, December 10. Judging may be by funniest captions or by random number, depending on my inclination and if I bully entice Jeanne to help me judge captions. Prizes – some books, some music, some yarn, some black cat paraphernalia. The winner(s) will probably have the option to select from several different things.

This first picture is courtesy of Jeanne and features her cat Greta and one “Stanley.”

You’ve seen the second picture before, but I cleverly didn’t caption it then – so now’s your chance!

Get captioning! *settles back and prepares to giggle*

Contests, Randonymity, Reading, Tunes

And we’ll keep on linking ’til they take our linkiness away

27 Comments

Knit’n’Lit is having a contest – suggest a pattern for one of the listed sock yarns and you could win a mysterious prize. Contest closes midnight CST, December 5.

O noes! Itty bitty kitty vampires! Run away!

I’m pretty sure this isn’t Mayhem. I think things would be a lot messier if she was involved… This lol gave me a flashback to when Mayhem arrived.

What an odd usb hub!

Aquarium Drunkard asked an interesting question yesterday – which sentence from their lyrics would best summarizes a particular band’s entire output? My contribution was for the Mountain Goats – although I’m still thinking about a few other artists. The comments are definitely worth a read!

How to stay in shape while you use your laptop?

Just in case you’ve missed the spiders. 😉

Isn’t this an intriguing bookcase concept?

Remember the very amusing Romance Apologia Scale on the Dear Author blog that I mentioned last week? Yesterday, Dear Author had an excellent (albeit lengthy) post that went further into the attitudes and beliefs behind Romance Apologia.

SciFiGuy.ca lists the forthcoming fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal releases for December.

Reading Update
Succubus in the City by Nina Harper. All about a fashionista succubus living in NYC and hanging out with her demon gal pals. Started out well, stretched on a bit too long, and lost it at the end as it lurched to an abrupt stop with a sequel obviously in mind.
Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld, Book 9) by Kelley Armstrong. Initially, I was disappointed that this was another book about Hope and Karl, but the story sucked me in and got me completely involved.
Valentine’s Day Is Killing Me by MaryJanice Davidson, Leslie Esdaile, and Susanna Carr. Three utterly unparanormal short stories about Valentine’s Day.
Don’t Look Down by Suzanne Enoch. The sequel to Flirting with Danger might not be quite as good as the first book, but it was still darn good romantic suspense. I’ve already started Billionaires Prefer Blondes and A Touch of Minx is on its way to my library as I type. (I just realized that Samantha and Rick remind me a bit of Eve Dallas and Roarke, with dash of Stephanie Plum and Morelli/Ranger tossed in to lighten things up a bit.)
Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer. I’ve read a few of Strohmeyer’s mysteries featuring Bubbles, but stopped reading them partway through one of the books (can’t remember exactly why anymore). This novel was a pleasant surprise.
Beyond Fearless (Beyond, Book 2) by Rebecca York. Paranormal romance featuring psychics – no vampires or werewolves or other things that go bump in the night.
Watchers in the Night (Guardians of the Night, Book 1) by Jenna Black. Not the greatest vampire series I’ve read, but I did get involved in the story and I’m curious to see what happens next.
The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and Linda Winstead Jones. Other than the extremely dorky title, this was a fun collection of cat-related paranormal romance. Mmmm… hunky were-leopards.

“Mom!!! I can’t get this most super cool toy free of the packaging! Help me!” -Mayhem

Ok, sweetie. *rustling and ripping sounds* Hmm, I wonder what Chaos is doing? (Yup, more of that foreshadowing stuff.)