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Congrats to Annie, who won If It Flies (Market Garden #3) by L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov! If It Flies will be released by Riptide Publishing on March 11.

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Work continues to be busy and mentally exhausting. Someday… someday this project will be deployed. Hopefully during my lifetime.

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Contests

• Wrapped Up in Books is giving away an ebook copy of Honour by AF Henley. Closes March 11.

• Pants Off Reviews is also giving away an ebook copy of Honour by AF Henley. Closes March 13.

• Blodeuedd’s giving away Cover Me, Hot Zone, and Under Fire by Catherine Mann. Closes March 17.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Rarely Dusty Books (m/m romance), Pants Off Reviews (m/m romance), Elisa Rolle (LGBT), Tor.com (PNR, UF), and Fiction Vixen (romance & UF).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• Becky Black has m/m-themed writerly links.

• Lisa at the Novel Approach wonders if reviewers should be giving separate ratings for content and for editing.

• Vacuous Minx on the death of grammar in fiction.

• Vacuous Minx explains why she’s been reading fewer m/m books.

• Jessewave points out the increasing number of poorly written m/m books.

• “What was the first novel ever written on a word processor?” (via Gizmodo)

• Now that I think about it, the Dragonriders of Pern series was probably my first exposure to same-sex couples in fiction, too. Read the comments for some good SFF recommendations with queer characters.

• “Makers of Fifty Shades of Porn parody countersue Universal, claim the book is public domain because fanfiction”.

• “17 overly optimistic book titles”.

• “8 bookstores in barns”.

Ebookity

• TeleRead wonders if the abundance of free ebooks is devaluing books. Definitely read the comments.

• TeleRead also wonders why so many ereading apps are only on a single platform.

• Books vs ebooks infographic.

Do, Think, Make, Learn

• 13 buildings made of ice. (Yes, Minnesota is represented.)

• Why Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

• Neil deGrasse Tyson was on the Daily Show this week.

• “Penguins are actually colder than their Antarctic surroundings”.

• Will we end up with gluten-free shampoo labels in the US? (I know the science on this gets weird, in that gluten molecules are too large to be absorbed through skin, but I also know that I get itchy if I accidentally buy shampoo/conditioner without looking at the label and it turns out to have gluten in it. YMMV.)

• Foods (and vitamins) not worth buying. (via Lifehacker)

• A baby might have been cured of AIDS. (via Gizmodo)

• Kitchen gadgets you can replace with a stand mixer.

• The TSA is relaxing restrictions on sporting goods and small pocket knives.

• Beware the hair dryer of infinite power!

• 20 unusual holidays to celebrate this month.

Cookity

• 15 whole-grain breakfasts.

• 10 egg-free, grain-free breakfasts.

• Avocado and egg breakfast pizza.

• Stacked breakfast enchiladas. (via The Kitchn)

• Raspberry breakfast quinoa. (via The Kitchn)

• Brown rice congee with shiitake mushrooms and greens.

• Sweet potato salmon cakes.

• Baked feta with olives, tomatoes, and eggs. (via The Kitchn)

• Saffron chicken salad. (via The Kitchn)

• Espresso protein shake. (via The Kitchn)

• Peanut butter and jelly muffins. (via The Kitchn)

• Gluten-free versions of Girl Scout cookies.

• S’mores blossoms. (via The Kitchn)

• Pancakes and bacon cookies. (via The Kitchn)

• Rainbow mini doughnuts. (via CRAFT)

• Two-ingredient cookies. (via Lifehacker)

• 10 citrus desserts.

• Clementine cocktail.

Crafty

• Knit an alien facehugger. (Requires Ravelry account.) (via CRAFT)

Cool

• Illusion-knitted Rubik’s Cube.

• Magnetic periodic tables of herbs and spices.

• TARDIS vending machine. (via The Mary Sue)

• Spiderman blood donation poster – love the “pointless concern” below the pic! (via The Mary Sue)

• Dr. Seuss themed cakes.

• Fun with Star Wars LEGOs.

Cool or Wha…?

• Waffle wedding cake.

• Cat pizza. (via Smexy Books)

• Turkish oil wrestling. NSFWish. (Thanks, Bron!)

• Unicorn Farts lip balm.

• Yoda hoodie.

• Wooden spoon stylus.

Wha…?

• LEGOs shut down a highway for a few hours.

• Very specialized kitchen gadgets.

• Ear wax vacuum.

• Fingertip shaped tacks.

• “Gollum” sings “Mad World”.

LOL

• A bit of humor from the Seattle Police Department. (via The Mary Sue)

• A good day for an introvert.

• Poor Larry.

• Inside a cat’s brain.

• Oh oh…

• Places cats sleep that they shouldn’t.

Teh Cute

• Cat! Pine forest fox! Kitten! Jaguar and babies! Baby jaguar! Maned wolf and babies! Cat! Kitten! Baby muntjac! Snow leopard and baby! Kitten! Black kitten! Baby polar bear! Kitten! Baby koala! Baby Nabarlek! Otters! Baby foxes!

Reading Update

• Hockey fics… and no one is surprised at all. 🙂

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“Hmm. I wonder what this thing tastes like?” -Mayhem

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Congrats to Mammarella, who won Chrysalis Cage (Travelers #5) by Becky Black!

Congrats to Kelly, who won Velocity (Impulse #3) by Amelia C. Gormley! Amelia will release Velocity on March 2.

Congrats to Michelle (Mi), who won The Fight Within (The Good Fight #2) by Andrew Grey! The Fight Within will be released by Dreamspinner Press on March 4.

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Contests

• The Novel Approach is giving away an ebook copy of Velocity (Impulse #3) by Amelica C. Gormley. Closes March 1, 11:59 pm PST.

• Pants Off Reviews is giving away an ebook copy of Too Good To Be True? by Chris T. Kat. Closes March 3, 11:59 pm EST.

• Hearts on Fire Reviews is giving away winner’s choice of an ebook from Clare London’s backlist. Comment before March 4 to enter.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Fiction Vixen (romances), Literary Escapism (UF/PNR), and Tor.com (genre benders, scifi, fantasy).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• Becky Black on the right attitude with which to approach edits.

• Lillian Francis on the perception that all m/m romance is p0rn.

• Turn old hardcovers into a lamp. (via CRAFT)

• Altered book art.

• 7 “screw you” book dedications.

• Smart Bitches take a look at animals badly photoshopped onto book covers.

• “10 reasons that introverts and books are BFFs”.

• Beware stray books!

• Part V of the Romance Reader Workout.

Ebookity

• TeleRead’s posting a chapter-by-chapter guide to using Calibre, the free ebook management program.

• Dear Author on used digital books.

Think, Do, Learn, Make

• Some of February’s food and drug recalls.

• Do you know the four basic Chicken McNugget shapes?

• There’s now a statue of Rosa Parks in the US Capitol Building. (via The Mary Sue)

• If you’ve ever wondered how many unique English tweets are possible…

• The anti-piracy “six strikes” program is looming.

• Today is the Fourth National Day of Unplugging. (via TeleRead) If you’re in the US and reading this on Friday, March 1, you’re failing at the whole unplugging thing as badly as I am. 🙂

• “Your cat is literally making you crazy”.

• 10 points from Time’s analysis of why Americans pay so much for healthcare.

• The difference between celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and wheat allergy. (Thanks, Brenda!)

Cookity

• Sweet potato, kale, and black bean hash. (via The Kitchn)

• Vegan lentil shepherd’s pie with parsnip and potato mash.

• Roasted winter vegetables with miso-lime dressing.

• Coconut milk soup with wild salmon, winter squash, and kale.

• Twice baked potato with egg on top. (via The Kitchn)

• Smashed potatoes with gouda and horseradish.

• Spicy chicken lettuce wraps. (via The Kitchn)

• Radish cake. (via The Kitchn)

• 25 ways to use sriracha. (via mental_floss)

• 11 dishes for a Mediterranean diet.

• 10 easy supper side dishes.

• “Make my heart pound” cake. (via The Kitchn)

• Best cocoa brownies.

• Avocado chocolate mousse.

• Guinness chocolate cheesecake. (via The Kitchn)

• Chocolate coconut Chex mix. (via The Kitchn)

• 5 ways to eat buckwheat for breakfast.

Crafty

• Needle felt a Dalek. (via CRAFT)

• Crochet a cat bed. (via CRAFT)

• The actual cost of a handknit. (via knittyBlog)

Cool

• Hockey hugs!

• LEGO Hockey Hall of Fame. (via Puck Daddy)

• Short film shot from an airplane window.

• BBC zombie PSA/promo.

• 9 fun snowpersons. (I saw the best snow sculpture in a yard in my neighborhood! I must walk over there during the day to get a picture – it’s a massive Easter Island head. It takes up most of the yard!)

• “One ring cake to rule them all“. (via The Mary Sue)

• Star Wars plushies.

• Pixar Trek.

• Weeping Angel doll.

• Geeky socks. And geeky shoes.

• Absolutely amazing LEGO model of Hogwarts.

• Calvin and Hobbes in the real world. (via Tor.com)

• Mugtails.

Cool or Wha…?

• TARDIS fez.

• A Princess Bride board game?

• Belgian stamps that smell and taste like Belgian chocolate.

• Ready to go for a cruise on the Titanic II?

Wha…?

• Sharpened steel throwing cards.

• Gun-shaped alarm clock.

• Dinner mixes from Larry the Cable Guy.

• Toaster bacon, coffee-flavored Jell-O, “Funky Fries”, and Gerber pureed meals in a jar… for adults.

• Thermochromic jeans…

• 23 really scary runways.

LOL

• Oscar-worthy autocorrects.

• Can’t you hear the sugar rush, just from looking at these cereal boxes?!

• Awesome post title: “Wegmans and King Arthur recall flour due to infestation of blue balls”.

• One reason Chaos doesn’t get to sleep in my bedroom…

• That flip-flop is toast.

• This is why Chaos can’t free feed.

Teh Cute

• Red panda and babies! Kittens! Hummingbird! Kitten! Mouse deer and baby! Kittens! Lynx! Baby penguins! Meerkat and babies!

Reading Update

• H0ckey fics! 🙂

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“…zzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Mayhem

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Congrats to Morgana, who won Duet (2nd ed) by Eden Winter! Duet will be released on February 18 by Dreamspinner Press.

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Contests

• Tracy’s giving away ebook copies of Because of You and Anything for You by Jessica Scott. Not sure when this closes.

• Armchair Reader Cole is giving two people the chance to win three of Kim Dare’s coming soon or backlist ebooks. So is Joyfully Jay. Both close February 16.

• Pants Off Reviews is giving away an ebook from Megan Derr’s backlist. Closes 11:59 pm EST, February 17.

• Blodeudd’s giving away The Night Is Mine and I Own the Dawn by ML Buchman. Closes February 24. US & Canada.

• Blodeuedd’s also giving away a copy of X Marks the Scot by Victoria Roberts. Closes February 25. US & Canada.

• Two paperback copies of Kaje Harper’s The Rebuilding Year are up for grabs at Goodreads. Closes February 28.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Fiction Vixen (romances) and AAR (romances).

• Bookish news and more from Dear Author.

• Make sure you read Val’s warning post before you sign up for Bookish.com…

• Sloan Parker on the rules of storytelling.

• Charlie Cochet concludes her series on writing historical m/m romance.

• VacuousMinx with the second part of how much promo is too much, specifically focusing on blogs this time.

• And a repeat post from VacuousMinx on m/m and gender politics.

• Orannia’s curious how editing issues affect your enjoyment and rating of books.

• Josh Lanyon on m/m going mainstream.

• The Harry Potter books are getting new cover art.

• “9 very specific rules from real libraries“.

• Part IV of the Romance Reader Workout.

Ebookity

• “Some thoughts on piracy“.

• Many, many thoughts on what a national digital library endowment might look like.

• “How to download properly formatted fanfiction the easy way“. (Read the comments for additional tips.)

Think, Learn, Make, Do

• “Can an Increase in Celiac Disease Be Attributed to an Increase in the Gluten Content of Wheat as a Consequence of Wheat Breeding?“

• “Bee City: A kooky, sweet educational film“. (You can watch it for free.)

• What would the images look like if the Hubble telescope was pointed at the Earth?

• Find out how many heartbeats various species have during their lives.

Cookity

• Italian-style eggplant “sausages”. (via The Kitchn)

• Tri-color slaw with lime dressing.

• 6 warm salads.

• Winter fruit salsa.

• Peanut butter breakfast bites. (via The Kitchn)

• Ganache-topped cheesecake bites. (via The Kitchn)

• Double-chocolate cherry quinoa brownies.

• Chocolate molten lava cakes. (via The Kitchn)

• Salted dark chocolate popcorn.

• 5 truffle recipes.

• 9 chocolate cake recipes.

Gluten-Free

• Red velvet cheesecake protein shake. (via Gluten Free Blog from Triumph Dining)

• Red velvet pancakes. (via Gluten Free Blog from Triumph Dining)

• Dairy-free fudge. (via Gluten Free Blog from Triumph Dining)

• Chocolate bombs (cookies). (Scroll way down.)

• 10 gluten-free chocolate desserts.

• BLT chicken salad. (via Gluten Free Blog from Triumph Dining)

Drinkity

• Cupid’s cloud cocktail. (via The Kitchn)

• Blackberry margarita. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

• 5 winter liquors.

• 8 bubbly cocktails.

Crafty

• Arm knitting. (via Lifehacker)

Cool

• LEGO iPhone cases.

• Linkity from kmkat.

• Doctor Who cookie cutters.

• Narnia-esque kids’ play area.

• Firefly paintings.

• Stop motion film about the water cycle. (via CRAFT)

• Noirish superhero posters.

Cool or Wha…?

• The Canadian government on zombie invasion…

• Chicken & waffles or sriracha potato chips, anyone?

• Game of Thrones plush toys.

• Astronaut sheets.

• Evil Dead cross stitch sampler.

• LEGO coffee mug.

Wha…?

• Vibrator with up to 16 gb of storage…

• “Chubby Checker suing over male endowment app for obvious reasons“.

• Winged wetsuit.

• Toilet paper tree.

LOL

• Hockey Valentine comic.

• A British columnist watches hockey on tv and is baffled. (via Puck Daddy)

• 14 love-related autocorrect failures.

• 15 request-related autocorrect failures.

• Make your own conversation hearts – includes goth (anti-Valentine’s) version.

• “You can’t take the sky from me…”

• Truth. (Hover your cursor over the comic for additional text.)

• “One woman’s struggle to use her penis pan“. (via Smexy Books) (NSFWish)

• One of the many reasons Chaos isn’t allowed in my bedroom overnight.

• Oh oh…

• Conceptual hobbit-themed litterbox…

Teh Cute

• Kittens! Baby red pandas! Baby lions! Cat and kittens! Penguins! Baby lion! Kitten (that totally looks like Chaos’ tail)! Jaguar and baby! Baby lions! Kitten! Baby snow leopard! Otter and babies! Penguins and babies! Otter!

Reading Update

• Look! Over there! Didn’t distract you? Hmm, how about some hockey hugs – amusingly slashy. 🙂

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I see your butt, Mayhem! 🙂

“No, you don’t!” -Mayhem

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Congrats to Crissy, who won Shadow Memory by Jennifer Brooks!

Congrats to Donna, who won Once a Brat by Kim Dare! Once a Brat will be released by Riptide Publishing on February 11.

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Contests

• Joyfully Jay’s giving away an ebook copy of Losing Better by Katey Hawthorne. Closes 11:59 pm EST, February 8.

• The Novel Approach is giving away an ebook copy of Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin #1) by Jordan L. Hawk. Closes 11:59 pm PST, February 9.

• Kay Berrisford’s giving away an ebook copy of Chrysalis Cage (Travelers #5) by Becky Black. Closes February 10.

• Babes in Boyland is giving away an ebook copy of Champion by Jet Mykles, Metal Heart by Meredith Shayne, The Wretched 1.1 by BL Morticia, and Moonstruck by Piper Vaughn & MJ O’Shea. Closes 9 pm CST, February 10.

• Babes in Boyland is also giving away an ebook copy of The Last Grand Master by Andrew Q. Gordon. Closes 9 pm CST, February 11.

• LA Witt is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card, as well as a number of m/m romance ebooks (various subgenres). Even if all the ebooks have been claimed in the comments, you can still comment to win the gift card until midnight CST, February 13.

• Blodeuedd’s giving away a copy of Once a Bride by Jane Ashford. Closes February 18.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Pants Off Reviews (m/m romance), Rarely Dusty Books (m/m romance), Literary Escapism (UF/PNR), Tor.com (PNR),  and Fiction Vixen (romance).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• Apparently in the UK, books can now be prescribed instead of medication for various mental health issues.

• Pants Off Reviews has fanfiction recommendations.

• “Can Barnes & Noble be saved?“

• Charlie Cochet continues her guide to writing historical m/m romance with part four (details).

• “When we defend romance reading as escapism, the critics win“.

• Sunita wonders how much author promo is too much.

• Orannia’s curious about when other readers give up on a series.

• Becky Black shares writerly links.

• Lousy book covers. (Thanks, Emanuela!)

• The four writer personality types. (Thanks, Bron!)

Ebookity

• Amazon just got a patent “on the idea of a marketplace for ‘used’ digital content”.

Think, Do, Learn, Make

• Neil deGrasse Tyson on how much Thor’s hammer would weigh.

• 18 complex scientific ideas explained using only the 1000 most frequently used words.

• When will the bandwidth of the internet exceed that of FedEx?

• The iron is being replaced by a cat in future editions of Monopoly.

• You might want to rinse off that can of soda before you drink it…

• As of August 1, there won’t be any Saturday mail delivery in the US.

• Celebrities and athletes who eat gluten-free.

• 20 unusual February anniversaries and holidays.

Cookity

• 10 dinner recipes using chicken breasts.

• Red beans and rice.

• Lemon-herb hummus. (via The Kitchn)

• Baba ghanoush.

• Avocado-stuffed eggs.

• Salad tacos. (via The Kitchn)

• Mathematically perfect nachos.

• Cauliflower pizza crust. (Thanks, Strive Bst!)

• Garlicky cauliflower steaks with lemon and parsley. (via The Kitchn)

• French silk pie.

• Almond joy butter. (via The Kitchn)

• Buckeye brownies. (via The Kitchn)

• Intensely chocolate sables. (via The Kitchn)

• Baked Nutella ravioli. (via Smexy Books)

• 10 Nutella recipes.

• 10 muffin recipes.

Drinkity

• The midwinter warmer cocktail.

• Orange old-fashioned.

• Spicy grapefruit margaritas. (via The Kitchn)

Crafty

• Ah, vintage knitting pattern books, how you amuse.

Cool

• If you saw my non-contest post yesterday, you’ve already seen what you can do with the Pulp-O-Mizer Cover Maker. 🙂 (via The Mary Sue)

• Crocheted TARDIS blanket. (via The Mary Sue)

• Wire bonsai trees.

Cool or Wha…?

• A most magical wedding…

• Presidential Monsters. (via Tor.com)

• The Avengers mashed up with… The Breakfast Club.

• Death Star lollipops.

Wha…?

• Toilet-paper holding iPad stand.

• Turn your smartphone into an archery simulator.

• Desktop washing machine.

• Tiny roomba-esque robot for cleaning a tablet or smartphone screen.

• Fake newspaper meant to take the place of an umbrella.

LOL

• xkcd takes on the “Would you jump off a bridge if your friends did?” parental response. (Hover cursor over comic for additional text.)

• 25 funniest autocorrects from January 2013.

• Upside Downton Abbey – a spoof by Sesame Street.

• A new Simon’s Cat that’s strangely reminiscent of trying to feed Chaos…

• Cat lying position terminology.

• “The Internet Person’s Workout“.

• Cat tea…

• Eeek! Sofa bison!

• Poor doggy.

Teh Cute

• Kitten! Cheetah! Takin and baby! Kitten! Kitten! Fennec! Zebra and baby! Black kitten! Fennec and babies! Baby penguin! Lioness and babies! Baby penguins! Baby lion! Baby cougars! Baby panda! Kitten!

Reading Update

• Erm. *looks shifty* How about a fun hockey video?! Not a fan of the team, but I do love this video called The Datsyukian Deke. 🙂

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“So… tired…” -Mayhem

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Congrats to Carey, who won A Volatile Range (Stories from the Range #6) by Andrew Grey! A Volatile Range will be released by Dreamspinner Press on February 4.

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Contests

• Wrapped Up in Books is giving away an ebook copy of Wide Awake by Kade Boehme. Closes 9 pm CST, February 2.

• Joyfully Jay’s giving away an ebook copy of How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by JC Lillis. Closes 11:59 pm EST, February 2.

• Joyfully Jay’s also giving away an ebook copy of winner’s choice from JL Merrow’s backlist. Closes “around lunchtime” GMT, February 4.

• Kay Berrisford is giving away an ebook copy of Christmas Magic by Pelaam. Closes February 5.

• Blodeuedd’s giving away a copy of The Wicked Wedding of Miss Ellie by Jayne Fresina. Closes February 7. US & Canada.

• The Babes in Boyland 2nd Annual Valentine’s Day Lovefest contest runs through February 15, with all sorts of prizes.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Elisa Rolle (LGBT), Literary Escapism (UF/PNR), Tor.com (fantasy, UF, genre-benders, sci-fi), and Fiction Vixen (romance).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• Bookity links from Smart Bitches.

• Charlie Cochet’s series on writing historical m/m romance continues with setting.

• Tidbits from Neil Gaiman.

• Tam wonders how others use Goodreads and shares how she does.

• Fictional libraries. (via mental_floss)

• Tetris shelves. (via Lifehacker)

• Best way to spend a day. 🙂

• “15 colorful entries from Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words“.

• 7 different takes on Pride and Prejudice…

• The third part of the Romance Novel Reader Workout!

Ebookity

• What have publishers actually accomplished by using DRM?

• De-DRMing Kindle ebooks.

Think, Learn, Do, Make

• On being a female hockey fan. (via Puck Daddy)

• Fascinating tale of how a typo in an online game cost thousands of dollars in the real world.

• “Chicken and egg problem surprisingly complex“.

• Twinkies for sale.

• How a Cessna would fare elsewhere in our Solar System.

Cookity

• Ranchero breakfast tostadas. (via The Kitchn)

• Corn tacos with roasted winter vegetables and red cabbage slaw.

• Brussels sprouts hash. (via The Kitchn)

• Beef and lentil chili. (via The Kitchn)

• Salted caramel oatmeal. (scroll down for English) (via The Kitchn)

• 10 winter comfort foods.

• 10 cabbage recipes.

• Low-carb, gluten-free “bread”.

• Baked whole grain chai cake donuts.

• Vegan chocolate cake.

• 15 quick desserts.

• The Thin Mint Cocktail.

Cool

• Doctor Who definitions from the Bloggess.

• Clever TARDIS cosplay. (via The Mary Sue)

• Mini David Tennant.

• Illusion knitted TARDIS scarf. (via The Mary Sue)

• New Zealand’s making a Doctor Who commemorative coin.

• Math, science, and embroidery.

• Snow sculpture of Batman fighting a shark. (via The Mary Sue)

• Scifi gargoyles.

• Tour the Grand Canyon, virtually. (via Gizmodo)

• Watch Paperman, an animated short nominated for an Oscar.

• “If Downtown Abbey were a Super Nintendo game“.

• Rotary phone flashback. (Hey, I work in telecom, what can I say?)

• Hockey hugs!

Cool or Wha…?

• R2-D2 heels.

• Can’t say I’ve ever seen these cycling outfits on the bike trail…

• 12 weird radiators.

Wha…?

• Tentacle toilet plunger?!

• Utility ring.

• Another for the moldy tampon files… o.O

• A funeral procession that went through a Burger King drive-thru.

• Kemp’s dairy products promo.

LOL

• Ah, Wikipedia… (Make sure you hover your cursor over the comic for additional text.)

• “Politically (Auto)Incorrect“.

• Problem-solving in Middle Earth. (via The Mary Sue)

• LEGO cakes…

• If winter is getting you down…

• Also applies when a cat is sitting on your lap.

• A cat using the Force…

• Chaos would be perfect for this!

• Oh, kitties.

• Zodicat.

Teh Cute

• Meerkat and baby! Black cat! Baby bat-eared fox! Baby bat-eared foxes! Lynxes! Bat-eared fox and baby! Kitten! Baby lions! Baby lions! Baby lion! Baby lions! Lions! Tiger! Kitten! Fox! Baby fishing cat! Kitten! Kitten! Baby red panda!

Reading Update

• *waves*

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“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Mayhem

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Congrats to Linda C, who won Christmas Hopes by Anna Lee!

Congrats to Teresa, who won a signed paperback copy of Forever in One Second, by Finn Marlowe!

Congrats to beccafh, who won Trick of Time by JL Merrow! Trick of Time will be released by Carina Press on January 28.

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Contests

• Joyfully Jay is giving away False Assumptions by Zach Sweets. Closes 11:59 pm EST, January 26.

• Joyfully Jay is also giving away After the End by Alex Kidwell. Closes 11:59 pm EST, January 27.

• Becky Black’s giving away an ebook copy of her forthcoming Chrysalis Cage. Closes 8 pm GMT, January 29.

• Blodeuedd’s giving away a copy of For the Love of the Goblin Warrior by Shona Husk. Closes February 5.

Bookity

• New releases: Fiction Vixen (romances)

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• Charlie Cochet on writing atmosphere in historical m/m romance novels.

• Reimagined covers for the Oz books.

• The Hobbit picture book.

• Jane Austen spellcheck.

• “13 teen death novels from the ’90s that actually exist“. (Thanks, Bron!)

• More cover model poses reimagined from Jim C. Hines (the links to the poses are by the fundraising targets). (via Smart Bitches)

Ebookity

• Who reads ebooks? infographic.

Think, Do, Learn, Make

• The impact of climate change on  hockey. The cost of keeping outdoor ice rinks open in Minneapolis.

• The cost of postage in the US increases on Sunday.

• 10 facts about coffee.

• 50 collective nouns.

Cookity

• Chocolate chip cookie dough whoopie pies. (via The Kitchn)

• Pumpkin chocolate swirl bars with cream cheese frosting. (via The Kitchn)

• Pomegranate salsa. (via The Kitchn)

• Chorizo egg breakfast skillet. (via The Kitchn)

• Cajun chicken cassoulet. (via The Kitchn)

• Chicken marsala.

• Salmon poached in green tea. (via The Kitchn)

• Shaved fennel, roasted tomato, and pistachio salad with yogurt dressing.

• 10 stuffed squash and vegetable recipes.

• 10 cozy winter meals.

• 9 chili recipes.

• 7 warm salads.

• 5 one-bowl dinner recipes.

Drinkity

• Pineapple-ginger sparkling wine cocktail. (via The Kitchn)

• Amaretto sour with bourbon.

Crafty

• Make a Totoro bed.

• Crochet a pair of chunky cable slippers. (via CRAFT)

• Seanna Lea’s having a yarn stash sale.

Cool

• Timeline of the One Ring.

• The original Mac in LEGO.

• Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel in LEGO.

• LEGO Man of Steel trailer.

• Adorable kiddy Batmobile.

• Twisted Disney princesses.

• Doctor Who dress.

• Doctor Who cake. (via The Mary Sue)

• Star Wars rings.

• Death Star pinata. (via The Mary Sue)

• “Listen to Star Trek’s Q sing the history of My Little Pony, as a My Little Pony“.

• 10 fun and/or geeky crochet projects.

• A fibery scene from The Lorax.

• Watch the 12 best short films from the Sundance Festival.

• Aww. Sweet kitty.

Cool or Wha…?

• Octopizza. (via CRAFT)

• Velociraptor vs shark whisky.

• Shetland ponies in Shetland sweaters…

• Anatomically correct knit brain.

• Chocolate-flavored envelopes.

• DeLorean limo.

Wha…?

• Wearable sleeping bag.

• Monster chair.

• Snuggly blanket chair. (Too dangerous without arms!)

• Ticking teeth skull watch.

• An umbrella to help make it easier to text in the rain. (Ok, I thought it was a brass knuckles umbrella at first…)

• Drinkmaster hoodie.

• Bottle opening bottle cap launcher.

• “Male German soldiers have started growing breasts, turning into real-life Amazons (kinda)“.

LOL

• The pink plastic lawn flamingo is the city bird of Madison, Wisconsin. (via mental_floss)

• Autocorrect inspiration fails.

• Signage fail.

• Seriously.

• Yes.

• Cat petting chart.

• How life differs for people who have cats and those who don’t.

• Beware the vicious bebeh kittehs!

Teh Cute

• Kitten! Fishing cat! Baby fishing cats! Fishing cat and baby! Cat! Black kitten! Black kitten! Black kitten! Kitten! Kittens! Fox! Kitten! Cheetah and babies! Otter and baby! Baby jaguar! Baby jaguar! Kitten! Baby lion! Baby snow leopard!

Reading Update

• Hockey fics! 🙂 (It’s not that there are so many hockey fics out there – I spend a lot of time rereading…)

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“Big kitty, that is about the most pathetic hiding attempt I’ve seen!” -Mayhem

“You can’t see me!!!!!” -Chaos

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Work continues to be nutso, leaving me completely unthrilled about using my computer on evenings and weekends. This means I’m no longer responding to all blog comment emails. I’m sorry. I wish I could. But I just can’t manage it anymore. 🙁

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Congrats to Midia, who won Ascending Hearts (Tempting Tales #2) by Keira Andrews and Leta Blake!

Congrats to Carla, who won Light the Fire by JL Merrow! Light the Fire will be released January 20 by JMS Books.

Congrats to Jess1, who won Love Means… No Limits (Farm #9) by Andrew Grey! Love Means… No Limits will be released by Dreamspinner Press on January 21.

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Contests

• Kay Berrisford is giving away an ebook copy of Second Chance Sam by Bren Christopher. Closes January 22.

• Blodeuedd’s giving away Backstage Pass, Rock Hard, and Double Time by Olivia Cunning. Closes January 22. US & Canada.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Literary Escapism (UF/PNR) and Fiction Vixen (romances).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• Charlie Cochet’s doing a series of posts on writing historical romance: Introduction and how to write characters in historical m/m romances.

• Becky Black discusses Amazon’s recent ban on authors writing reviews for other authors’ books.

• Barklesswagmore shares her thoughts on what authors shouldn’t do when they get negative reviews.

• 12 authors who also wrote some children’s books… such as James Joyce?!

• Bill Cosby explains how to improve your reading speed and comprehension.

• Some benefits of writing by hand.

• Part II of the Smart Bitches’ Romance Reader Workout.

• Yet another bookshelf completely unsuited for the OCD reader.

• Katana sword bookends.

• Explaining reading to an excessively plugged-in child.

• Writer’s Tears Whiskey. (via Tor.com)

• X-Wing book scupture. (via The Mary Sue)

• Puns on the names of famous authors (such as the Brontesaurus Sisters). (via The Mary Sue)

Learn, Think, Make, Do

• “The no-nonsense, non-alarmist, essential guide to the flu“.

• The woman behind Dear Abby has died at the age of 94. Check out some of her memorable columns – particularly #4 on the list: “Can a boy be normal and knit in public?” (via The Mary Sue)

• Make your own Altoids-style mints in the flavors of your choice… (via Lifehacker) (Sinus-clearing wasabi mints, anyone?!)

• Turn your to-do list into an RPG via HabitRPG. The site might be a bit overwhelmed, so you could go figure out how to “gamify your life” instead.

• The debt ceiling as a choose-your-own-adventure.

• “From what height would you need to drop a steak for it to be fully cooked when it hit the ground?“

• Cliff houses.

• Tips for cheap travel.

• Take a minute to make sure Java’s disabled in your browser.

• The year’s most unhealthy restaurant meals…

Cookity

• 7 energy-boosting foods.

• 10 non-soup foods made with lentils.

• 12 cauliflower recipes.

• 15 ways to eat greens in winter.

• Shrimp puttanesca. (via The Kitchn)

• Chipotle salmon burgers. (via The Kitchn)

• Homemade sriracha. (via The Kitchn)

• Guacamole deviled eggs. (via The Kitchn)

• Mexican tomato-bean soup with corn dumplings. (via The Kitchn)

• Butternut squash and coconut curry.

• Braised lentils and chard, topped with an egg.

• Chickpea radicchio wraps. (via The Kitchn)

• Stir-fried cabbage with fennel seeds.

• Kale pesto.

• Flourless hazelnut, carrot, and date muffins. (via The Kitchn)

• Tetris cookies. (via The Kitchn)

• Chocolate cookies.

• Samoa bundt cake. (via Smexy Books)

Drinkity

• Nutella latte. (via The Kitchn)

• Pink paloma cocktail.

Crafty

• Knit some gorgeous fingerless mitts.

Cool

• A phone in a TARDIS. (via The Mary Sue)

• Adjustable TARDIS ring. (via The Mary Sue)

• What happened to everyone after The Deathly Hallows?

• Nesting dolls for geeks.

• Conan the Barbarian cross stitch.

• Great response from the White House on the petition for the US to build a Death Star. Alas, suddenly the minimum number of signatures required for a petition to get an official response is now 100,000… but apparently there’s a loophole. (Also, the Empire responded to the official White House response.)

• Skull ice mold.

• Pig lamp.

• Amazing crocheted rainbow fractal. (via CRAFT)

• The entire Toy Story movie filmed with people and real toys.

Cool or Wha…?

• Crocheted dwarf helmet and beard.

• Hobbit pancakes. (via The Mary Sue)

• Extremely geeky furniture.

• If Arnold Schwarzenegger was the voice of Darth Vader…

• Princess Leia baby costume.

• Gingerbread Ponyville.

Wha…?

• Pepsi Marinated Chicken Wings potato chips… and even more flavors.

• USB drive in a shovel.

• Knitted security camera.

• Moisturizing jeans.

• “Robotic spider-shouldered dress“.

• Putter pool – the strange intersection of golf and billiards.

• 18 human heads were found in a duffel bag at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

LOL

• It’s distressing when you do the math here. (Hover your cursor over the comic for additional text.)

• It’s not that hard to reach this point when you work from home.

• Mary Poppins’ screen tests. (Thanks, Cheryl!)

Teh Cute

• Kitten! Kitten! Kitten! Sand cat kitten! Porcupine! Kitten! Lynx and babies! Baby lions! Kitten! Kitten! Pallas cat! Porcupine and baby! Baby lions! Cat! Kitten! Baby lions! Cheetah and babies!

Reading Update

• Hockey fics!! 🙂 (Although I am actually reading a non-hockey fic right now.)

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 Check out the awesome pillow I got from a friend! (I photographed it in the plastic because I knew thousands of black cat hairs would rush to it the minute the plastic was removed.)

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Congrats to Wanda, who won Under the Rushes by Amy Lane!

Congrats to Jen B, who won Cardio Conditioning (Work Out #7) by Andrew Grey!

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Ok, maybe I won’t ever get caught up on email and blog reading – work’s been and is going to continue to be crazy.

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Contests

• Joyfully Jay’s giving away an ebook copy of Show and Tell by Kate McMurray. Closes 11:59 EST, January 13.

• Rarely Dusty Books is giving away an ebook copy of How to Save a Life by Sloan Parker. Winner announced January 15.

• Blodeuedd’s giving away a copy of Prince of Power by Elisabeth Staab. Closes January 20. US & Canada.

• Blodeuedd’s also giving away a copy of The Officer Breaks the Rules by Jeanette Murray. Closes January 23. US & Canada.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Fetch Me My Fainting Couch (m/m romance and more), Fiction Vixen (romance), Tor.com (PNR), and AAR (romance).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• Find out more about the 2013 UK Meet for fans and writers of GLBTQ fiction.

• Tips on reading faster.

• Becky Black shares writing links.

• Tam ponders male facial hair, with particular emphasis on m/m romance.

• “15 undeniable truths about book nerds“. (Thanks, Bron!)

• If you’re a book blogger, you can take a survey about book blogging’s cost and value. Survey closes January 20. (Thanks, Expy!)

• Darth Vader reading in bed… (via The Digital Reader)

Ebookity

• Freebook Sifter is an easier way to find Kindle freebies. (via Emma)

• How to easily add custom fonts to the Kindle Paperwhite.

• Takedown notices and blocking pirate sites don’t do much to stop piracy.

• Dear Author’s list of must-have Android apps.

Think, Make, Do, Learn

• Why men have useless nipples.

• Does your lip balm contain ingredients known to dry out lips?

• What if? on death rates.

• Australia had to add new colors for heat to their weather maps.

• Giant squid (aka a kraken) in its native deep ocean habitat.

• 45 bits of trivia.

• “21 emotions with no English word equivalents“.

• 11 quotes from Stephen Hawking.

• How to easily get at the good stuff in a pomegranate.

Cookity

• 15 whole-grain salads.

• 5 suppers with white beans.

• Quinoa and black bean salad with orange-coriander dressing.

• Black bean, roasted zucchini, and goat cheese enchiladas. (via The Kitchn)

• Gluten-free baked stuffed shells.

• Rainbow root roast. (via The Kitchn)

• Broccoli slaw. (via The Kitchn)

• Cauliflower soubise. (via The Kitchn)

• Lemony spinach hummus. (via The Kitchn)

• Creamy-yet-light fish chowder.

• 10 chicken soups.

• Blood orange Bloody Mary. (via CRAFT)

Crafty

• Make a very low budget yarn winder. (via CRAFT)

Cool

• TARDIS tote. (via The Mary Sue)

• TARDIS jewelry box.

• Hobbit cake. (via The Mary Sue)

• Leonard Nimoy narrates a NASA video about asteroids.

• Movie maps.

• Big cats in slow motion.

• Animated amigurumi gif called Free Unicorn Rides.

Cool or Wha…?

• Plush electronic components.

• Pseudo-mobius chair.

Wha…?

• Dog sculptures made from bicycle chains.

• Fork that tracks every bite and sends the data to your iPhone.

• Kama sutra cookie cutters. (NSFW)

LOL

• One Grain More – a Les Miserables food allergy parody. (Thanks, Cheryl!)

• “Dramatic readings drastically improve all Yelp reviews“.

• Autocorrects or Freudian slips?

• “Penal code violations” from Cake Wrecks. (NSFW?)

• Hobbit Downey Jr…

• Stupid onions.

• If you’ve ever wondered why scorpions exist…

• Pavlov’s cat.

• Cats that look like pinup girls… (Thanks, mrspao!)

• Could be Chaos.

• Cat logic.

• To remember when thinking how cute a new kitten would be…

• Fear the fully dilated cat eyes.

Teh Cute

• Bun! Bun! Kitten! Kitten! Kitten! Kitten! Kitten! Baby otter! Otter! Baby panda! Polar bear and babies! Baby polar bear! Baby penguins! Harpy eagle and baby! Tiger! Hedgie! Baby foxes! Cygnet!

Reading Update

• Hockey fics! 🙂

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 “Turn around? No, I’m fine like this, thanks.” -Chaos

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Congrats to Tracy, who won Dead in L.A. (L.A. Paranormal 1 & 2) by Lou Harper!

Congrats to Azure J, who won Analyzing Emory by Lily Grace! Analyzing Emory is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

Congrats to Fehu, who won Something to Believe In by Sloan Parker!

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I am spectacularly behind on email and blog reading. Don’t give up on me! 🙂

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Contests

• Joyfully Jay is giving away an ebook copy of Sinner’s Gin by Rhys Ford. Closes 11:59 pm EST, January 6.

• LA Witt is giving away two ebooks of the winner’s choice from her backlist. Closes midnight CST, January 7.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Rarely Dusty Books (m/m romance), Pants Off Reviews (m/m romance), Elisa Rolle (LGBT), Fiction Vixen (various romances), and  Tor.com (genre-benders, scifi, fantasy)

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• orannia’s hosting the 2013 Big Book Challenge.

• Daily Writing Tips has 10 basic writing competency tips.

• What were the most overused words in 2012?

• Goodreads 2012 infographic.

• Smart Bitches presents their first Romance Reader Workout.

• Strangely similar book covers. (via TeleRead)

• Book-themed cards from someecards.

• Bookworms’ hierarchy of needs.

• Batman bookshelf – not recommend for OCD readers. At all. (via The Digital Reader)

• 20 photos of famous authors partying.

Ebookity

• Dear Author’s “must-have” iOS tablet apps.

• What else can you use an ereader for?

• Predictions for digital reading.

• While there are definitely authors writing great m/m out there (you know who you are!), jmcbks neatly sums up my frustration with far too much m/m lately:

I think I’m going on an m/m hiatus for a while, because the stretched-thin plots, the overdone sex, the clumsy issue-handling, and the lack of editorial polish that I’m seeing in what’s out there are boring to me as a reader and offensive as a consumer.

Think, Do, Learn, Make

• House Republicans blocked the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act because it included new provisions for LGBTQ, Native Americans, and immigrants. Grrrr. (via The Mary Sue)

• Which websites are violating your privacy?

• A scientific look at express checkout lanes.

• What’s the most annoying sound in the world? (via mental_floss)

• 6 tech myths that cost us money.

• 2012 movies with the worst science.

• An amusing look at leap seconds.

• 17 unusual January holidays.

• If you’ve ever been curious about the Northwest Angle, that little bit of Minnesota that’s the northernmost post in the 48 contiguous US states…

Cookity

• 5 recipes using winter greens.

• 5 cold-soothing soups.

• Fennel, avocado, and lobster salad. (via The Kitchn)

• Green Goddess grilled cheese. (via The Kitchn)

• Kale, walnut, and pomegranate salad.

• Banana cranberry breakfast bread. (via The Kitchn)

• Spicy gluten-free corn muffins.

Drinkity

• Hot buttered rum. (via The Kitchn)

• Grapefruit mimosas.

Crafty

• Franklin shares some lovely 70s knit and crochet pictures.

Cool

• LEGO axle sorter.

• Geeky proposal using Iron Man’s heart. (Not gory!)

• Really geeky proposal using actual DNA fragments.

• Handmade silver TARDIS. (via The Mary Sue)

• Doctor Who stamps in the UK. (via The Mary Sue)

Cool or Wha…?

• Crocheted police car sculpture.

• Pantone color swatch scarves.

Wha…?

• A 15-year old wanted so badly to go online after her internet curfew that she drugged her parents to do so.

• Hormel (maker of Spam) bought Skippy (peanut butter). Please, please, let there be no peanut-butter Spam…

• Reese’s Peanut Butter Christmas Tree.

• Chainmail shoes.

LOL

• A very useful medic alert bracelet… (via The Mary Sue)

• Completely different way to provide directions. (Make sure you hover your mouse cursor over the comic for additional text.)

• New Year’s resolutions… (Again with the hovering.)

• Remember this, speshul snowflakes…

Teh Cute

• Kitten! Baby zebra! Cat! Kitten! Lionesses and babies! Bun! Kittens! Cat and kittens! Baby sugar gliders! Lynx and baby!

Reading Update

• Hockey fics! 🙂

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“It’s like a box, only I have better visibility!” -Mayhem