Category Archives: Linkity linkity link

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

“Are you going to read just paranormals until your brain falls out?”

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The title of today’s post was an actual quote from someone working at Uncle Hugo’s yesterday. And the scary thing? I only buy a fraction of the paranormals I read at Uncle Hugo’s. I check out most from the library, buy some at the library “withdrawn” store, and win quite a few, too. (Um, I might’ve won a couple more books yesterday. Whoops.)

Jen’s having a contest – look at the picture, try not to shriek, answer the poll, then leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win some pretty stitchmarkers. Contest closes 8 pm EDT, April 16.

You probably know I’m a big fan of bookstands. Here’s some info on how to make one yourself – the inspiration in this case was for an ebook reader, but I think you could adapt this to more traditional books. For ebook readers, I would suggest that you add something so that the reader doesn’t slip from side to side. For my beloved ReadUpon, I’m going to use a bit of rubbery shelf liner.

Looking for book information? ISDNdb.com looks very handy indeed.

Now that Barnes & Noble has acquired Fictionwise, there are rumors about a B&N ebook reader. Whatever happens with that, I’ll remain a proponent of ebook readers (like the EZ Reader) that focus on reading a wide variety of formats.

Sure, it’s a darn attractive bookcase, but it really doesn’t look like an efficient use of space to me. Now, these Tetris bookcases are another story…

Have a bike trainer or exercise bike without a book holder? Add one yourself.

Beware the dreaded vampire kitteh!

Hee hee – go Powell’s! Take advantage of the #powellswin special, which is 20% of any order over $20 if you use the #powellswin code before 11:59 pm PDT, April 16.

You’ll notice that my reading update looks a bit different today. Instead of using Amazon for my book links, I’ve started using IndieBound. By doing this, I’m able to support indie bookstores and to reduce, in my own tiny way, dependence on a megalithic bookseller. I got this idea from Dear Author and the Smart Bitches, whose explanations are far more eloquent than my own (yup, more fallout from #amazonfail). (Please note that if there isn’t cover art, the book was not available via IndieBound. Ebooks will be linked from BooksOnBoard if possible.)

Reading Update
Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches Guide To Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan. Written with humor, irreverence, and an obvious love for the wide wild world of romance novels, this book is hellagood snarky delight. Ranging from serious to silly and back again, the Smart Bitches reveal (pun intended) and revel in the genre’s excesses. It was a damn fun read, with enough insightful critical bits to keep things interesting. Plus there are coloring pages! A Choose-Your-Own-Ending Romance with paranormal, Regency, pirate, and contemporary paths! Mad-Libs! Controversy! And even a board game!
The Druid Made Me Do It by Natale Stenzel. Doesn’t it just figure – that hot one-night stand (who vanished in the middle of the night without a word) from vacation eight years ago turns out to be a puca and the local Druid leader puts you in charge of his reformation… (Hello! You aren’t even a Druid.)
Real Vamps Don’t Drink O-Neg by Tawny Taylor. So-so paranormal romance featuring vampires and lamiae. Very, very steamy stuff. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The Darkest Fire (Lords of the Underworld) by Gena Showalter. ebook short. Prequel to the Lords of the Underworld series. Interesting background information, but definitely not as smooth as the actual series.
The Darkest Night and The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld, Books 1-2) by Gena Showalter. These are really absorbing and well-written books about immortal warriors who were forced to house all the evils that escaped Pandora’s box (such as Death, Pain, Violence, etc).
Shadow Touch (Dirk & Steele, Book 2) by Marjorie M. Liu. Skipped this one earlier because I had trouble finding it. Continues to be a recommended series about the paranormal detective agency of Dirk & Steele.

“So you think he’s really cute, Mom?” -Mayhem

“Let’s see if he passes my snuggle test.” -Mayhem

“I’m sorry to break it to you, Mom, but he’s just not furry enough.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link

The one that may cause nightmares

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Gladys of the Yarn Floozies is holding a raffle of some pretty amazing yarn (Wollmeise, anyone?) to support her husband’s Ride2Survive cancer fundraising bicycle ride this summer. For your chance to win (and to support a great cause), enter by 8 pm PST, April 26.

Wendy’s giving away a copy of One Ball Knits: Purses. Leave a comment by 4 pm EDT, April 16, for your chance to win.

Have you been following the #amazonfail kerfluffle at all? Whoops.

Speaking of online reputation, Lifehacker has some info on how to monitor your own. I’m particularly interested in this topic because I wrote my Master’s thesis (Rhetoric) about online ethos (that is, your character and credibility online).

Squee! LMAO. Here’s one for the Linux geeks. Hmm – I think you should get very, very nervous at this point.

I don’t think we’re ready for the Knitputer yet, do you? Unless it’s like this way to calculate set-in sleeves, that is.

Knitting Peeps!

If you’re a garage/yard sale junkie, the Yard Sale Treasure Map should streamline your plan of attack.

Just when you’ve given up on the future of humanity, there’s a story like this.

I recommend that you print this out before beginning your time travel journey.

Turn yourself or your pet (or really, anyone) into a Terminator! (May cause nightmares. Whoops.)

Eeep! Hope I survive the night…

Contests, Linkity linkity link

Lurkity lurkity lurker

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Leave a comment for Kristi to help her celebrate her blogiversary and you could win a copy of her very cute sweater pattern (specifically designed for boy toddlers). Leave your comments by midnight EDT, April 9.

Largehearted Boy is giving away a zombie novel prize package that will include some other goodies, too. (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is part of this prize!) Leave a comment by midnight CDT, April 10, for your chance to win.

Looking for more information on all things ebook? The MobileRead Wiki is a great place to start.

Oh oh…

This was an eye-opening look at perceived threats. Our greatest danger? Ourselves…

Hard to believe that The Matrix came out ten years ago.

How to cast on stitches at the end of a row and end up with nice edges – from TECHKnitting, of course.

Check out how tiny the 9″ HiyaHiya circular needles are – they fit into an Altoids tin!

Turn a business card into an earbud winder via origami.

As our thoughts turn to spring, maybe this inexpensive trellis is just what you need to increase your vegetable growing space.

Excellent – research actually supports that some leisure-related internet browsing while you’re at work can increase your productivity.

What evil lurks in the heart of kitteh?

Hmm. Maybe it’s best to retract that question…

Contests, Linkity linkity link

Don’t get Fooled again

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Interested in winning a limited edition of Stephen King Goes To the Movies? Head over to Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist for information on entering.

Knitting inspiration??! (I hope not. I’d hate to have stage an intervention.)

Today is the last day to sign up for E’s vampire-themed music swap at swap-bot! You then have up to an entire month to make your mix.

*blink blink* I wonder what the city of Chicago thought when they received this pothole sponsorship idea from KFC?! I know I thought, “WTF?!” when I read about it.

Maybe it’s time to take control of that out-of-control tangle of cords on the counter and make a charging station.

Hey, Jeanne, I think I have an idea for our next crazy non-knitting craft project! Wouldn’t these make great gifts?

The toaster is 100 years old! Those first models sure look dangerous now, don’t they? I’m a big fan of this humble appeliance, since I have peanut butter toast nearly every morning for breakfast. Sometime I’ll have to pull my two vintage toasters out of the closet and take pictures of them. They’re very handy for the gluten-free traveler who can’t take advantage of a hotel’s continental breakfast.

O noes! The Ashbys are departing. *sniff*

Black kitty camouflage at its finest, indeed.

Nifty kitty mobile – I wonder how it stands up to curious black kitties who would think it a cat toy?

As someone who can’t handle the strong perfumes in most carpet deodorizers, I definitely see the appeal in making my own special kitty safe mix.

Psst – I certainly won’t rat you out if you bookmark How to Fake a Clean House in a Pinch.

Trying to save money? Consumerist has a list of seven things that often aren’t worth the expense.

If you’re interested in getting a free online education, Lifehacker has a list of the top ten tools to do so.

Looking for great travel deals? Get Rich Slowly has a fine list of online resources.

“Why, yes, I am a panther princess girl, the cutest there ever was!” -Mayhem

Hmm. Maybe the only there ever was? 😉

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Books with kitty tummy

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Excellent – a book blogs search engine. You can also check to see if your favorite book blogs are included and request that they be added.

Curious about what paranormal, urban fantasy, scifi, or fantasy releases are scheduled for April? SciFiGuy.ca has a great list.

Well, I just capitulated and ordered an ebook reader – I went with the EZ Reader (aka the Hanlin V3 and the BeBook), which is $229 after $20 mail-in rebate from Fry’s through April 3. It supports a pretty amazing list of formats. Yeah, yeah, I know, I was just saying that I was going to make my Palm Tungsten E2 last forever… but I finally got frustrated with 25 words/screen.

Like your book browsing to be atmospheric? Check out Obsidian Kitten’s post about some of the most beautiful libraries in the world and then look at pictures of some lovely bookstores. The Barnes & Noble  in the Historic Chateau Theater (Rochester, Minnesota) isn’t on that list, but it should be. (Bless flickr for having some photo sets of it.) I have fond memories of going to movies in that theater when I was very young and hoping a princess would come out onto one of the balconies.

Reading Update
A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison. This was a completely delightful read! It’s classified as a paranormal romance, but only because there’s a bit of magic (along the lines of Like Water for Chocolate). I think I’d even recommend this to the dedicated contemporary romance reader.
The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance. This is an excellent collection containing 24short stories from authors including Kelley Armstrong, Carrie Vaughn, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Meljean Brook, and Rachel Caine.
Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy, edited by Dana Stabenow. This is a follow-up collection to Powers of Detection: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy, which I really, really enjoyed. I enjoyed some of the stories in this collection (such as the stories by Simon R. Green, Laura Anne Gilman, Dana Stabenow, and Donna Andrews), but I also skipped several stories I couldn’t get into. Sadly, the blurb on the front cover (“Includes a new Sookie Stackhouse story”) was the best part of said Sookie Stackhouse story.
Body Movers by Stephanie Bond. Romantic suspense. Probably a bad sign that I wanted to smack the two main characters for being stupid… throughout the entire book. I passed this one on to CursingMama – we’ll see if she has the character smackdown urge or not.
Master of Darkness (Primes Series, Book 4) by Susan Sizemore. Haven’t read the first three books in this series – I picked this one up solely because of the very nice Nathan Kamp cover. It was an ok paranormal romance. I might read some of the other books in the series. (Although I was amused that Nathan Kamp, with shaggy dark hair, was used as the model for the book’s hero, who had very long platinum blond hair. Heh.)
Passion Unleashed (The Demonica Series, Book 3) by Larissa Ione. Really, really good paranormal romance. I was utterly unable to put this book down and am glad I started reading it early enough so I didn’t have to stay up all night reading it, because I would’ve. I highly recommend this series! The only problem I have with this particular book, which is Wraith’s story, is that the dysfunctional Wraith feels a bit too akin to a mixture of Wrath and Zsadist from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. (However, Wrath’s and Zsadist’s stories were my favorite of the BDB, so…)
The Bride of Casa Dracula (Casa Dracula, Book 3) by Marta Acosta. Ah, Milagro De Los Santos, how complicated is your life! I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this series to see what Milagro manages to get up to next. I think Acosta does a nice job of getting me thinking on issues of ethnicity and individuality, too, without beating me about the head with them.
One Hot Mess by Lois Greiman. Cocktail waitress turned psychologist Chrissy McMullen has a gift for finding trouble that’s second only to Milagro’s (see previous reviewette). And of course, brooding LAPD Detective Jack Rivera and his lecherous father, former California Senator Miguel Rivera, continue to spice things up. If you’re a fan of Lori Avocato or Janet Evanovich, you should give this series a try.

Mayhem was the long skinny upside down kitty in yesterday’s post. (While Chaos does love to sprawl upside down, he’s, um, not quite as svelte.) Here’s a tummy closeup for your tummy scritching pleasure. And her tummy fur is far softer than it looks. *scritch scritch scritch*

*sprawl* -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link

Kitteh, kitteh, kitteh

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Wendy’s giving away several copies of her new sock book – leave a comment by noon EDT, March 29, for your chance to win (although, since there were over 1300 comments by Thursday evening, I suspect you’ve all already left your comments!).

Author Barbara Bretton’s giving away some Elann Pure Bamboo yarn (color Devonshire Cream) – you have until the afternoon of March 28 to participate.

Neil Gaiman’s having a Twitter captioning contest with some very cool prizes – you have to submit your Twitter caption by midnight PDT, March 28.

Could that second picture be any cuter?! *head explodes from the cute*

These kitteh crayons are pretty darn cute, too.

The Romance Vagabonds celebrated Women’s History Month with a post about 12 influential romance writers, from Jane Austen to Nora Roberts.

How come my kittehs never helped me out like this when I was doing the online dating thing?! It might’ve gone better.

Hey tea drinkers – did you see the spiffy black kitteh tea cozy that Sydney found? (And she also had wildlife depredating her screens!)

Some cool typography tool and font download links from Lifehacker.

Please keep the folks along the Red River of the North in your thoughts as they brace for record-breaking water levels.

“Go away! I’m still embarassed about yesterday!” -Mayhem

Have a good weekend, everyone! Hopefully the intermittent snow spit we’ve had here will stop taunting us… but we are dry and warm and in absolutely no danger of flooding, so life is good.

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Tunes

If it snows today, I might whimper a bit

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Wendy’s giving away a copy of Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts. Leave a comment by March 26, 4 pm EDT, for your chance to win.

You have until March 29 to enter moderncat’s drawing for a cute Red Tango bowling bag, compact, and pillbox. (Does anyone remember that I have one of those cute little bowling bags?!)

If you’re interested in helping figure out why bees are disappearing, Marsha has some information about how to get involved with bee research.

Obsidian Kitten is looking for some test knitters for her lacy Easter egg cloth.

This is the basis of my wardrobe – how about yours?

Sometimes it’s best not to ask too many questions when you get home…

Wow – I’m not sure my cardboard construction skills are up to making this spiffy cardboard kitty house from Martha… The question is, of course – will they like it more than a plain old empty box?

I had no idea you could develop film with coffee and vitamin C. Anyone ever tried this?!

For you ebook folks – a comparison price shopping site (still under development). Looks like Samsung’s Papyrus ebook reader will be available later this year in the US. The Foxit eSlick is already available, but doesn’t seem to support the range of formats my dream reader will. (And that would be why I’m slogging along with Mobipocket on my faithful Palm Tungsten E2.)

A month or so ago, Marta Acosta (author of the Casa Dracula series and owner of the Vampire Wire blog) asked what songs people thought might appeal to paranormals. I started to wonder if I had enough songs to put together a non-goth/non-metal vampire mix. I did! You can see the song list over on Vampire Wire. And if you’d like to put together your own vampire-themed mix cd, you have until April 1 to sign up for this swap. I’m already signed up!

“And you woke me up why?” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link

Now with 100% more tasty feet!

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Jane is celebrating her fifth blogiversary with a contest! She’s giving away a gorgeous sock bag, Schaeffer Anne yarn, and one of her lovely photo calendars. For your chance to win, answer her question in the comments before midnight tonight (March 20).

Leave a comment for Wendy by noon EDT, March 22, for your chance to win a copy of Mother-Daughter Knits by Sally Melville and her daughter.

Lisa’s having another snow melt contest! Submit your snow pile melt date guess by 5 pm EDT, April 3, for your chance to win one of two extremely cool Nantucket Baggs. (These handy dandy tool bags will tempt nearly everyone, not just knitters.)

I have been listening to Swedish band The Chrysler on heavy rotation this week, particularly their song “First Blood.”

Happy vernal equinox to one and all. Unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere – then happy autumnal equinox to you!

Eeek! I’m glad this light is only a concept. (Eye of Sauron moment, anyone?)

Did you hear the one about the sheep and the Welsh shepherds?

Chicken sweaters. Huh.

Aren’t these cool cat beds?

I’ll have to show this and this to Chaos and Mayhem so they can see how lucky they are to just have to model bibs.

I can so see Chaos doing this.

Bad kitty!

Hey you cats – looking for tips on how to annoy your people? Look no further!

“My foot’s pretty tasty, too.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which I have to write my entire post in html because WordPress is being daft

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Think you can figure out what the mysterious items are from Eryka’s purse before March 20? If so, you could win a $50 KnitPicks gift certificate!

Over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, you could win a copy of Peter S. Beagle’s novel A Fine and Private Place, plus a copy of his new short story collection, We Never Talk About My Brother.

Largehearted Boy’s giving away three classic Dickens’ novels – comment by March 18 for your chance to win.

So, so wrong.

Google’s tracking our browsing history in order to target ads better, but you can opt out.

The Periodic Table of Typefaces is pretty cool.

If you’re a Moleskinne fan, check out the desktop icons.

Very, very cool bookmarks.

Top 10 reasons that knitting is better than therapy.

Ah, yes, this reminds me of my attempts to keep Chaos off the counters and table. And really, have you given enough thought to your zombie attack survival plan?

Thanks for Cyn for the link to this Osaka cat cafe. *ahem* I’m sure some of us you could run one of these from home…

Beware – Red Tango has more cute kitty merchandise available…

Reading Update
Ravenous: The Dark Forgotten by Sharon Ashwood. Witches and vampires and werewolves and demons and ghouls, oh my! This looks like it will be the first book in a new series, and I can only hope that the next book is as intense and enjoyable to read. Definitely recommended.
Tempt Me With Darkness (The Doomsday Brethren, Book 1) by Shayla Black. Wizards! And a warrior cursed to immortality by Morgan le Fay. The writing’s a bit clumsy at times, but either it improved as the book progressed or I got so involved with the story that it didn’t bother me anymore. I’m off to see if there are more books in this series. Maybe it’s just me, but there were two characters who reminded me of Voldemort and Snape… (Oh, I won this book over at Midnight Moon Cafe.)
Wicked By Any Other Name by Linda Wisdom. The third book in the series that started with 50 Ways To Hex Your Lover is another enjoyable chicklitty paranormal romp.
Raven: A Novel of the Cleveland Undead by S. A. Swiniarski. An excellent non-series vampire novel written in 1996. Highly recommended, especially if you enjoy a good mystery with some amnesia tossed in. (This was part of Blood and Rust: Two Novels of the Cleveland Undead, but while The Flesh, the Blood, and the Fire was equally well-written, it was a historical mystery that never really captured me, so I didn’t finish it.)
The Red Heart of Jade and Eye of Heaven (Dirk & Steele, Books 3-4) by Marjorie M. Liu. Kick butt paranormal folks working for a mysterious detective agency. Recommended.
Night Fall and Night Shadow by Cherry Adair. More T-FLAC wizards! Woot. Much as I enjoy these, I must remind you that they are not the best-written books you’ll ever find.
Strong and Sexy (Sky High Air, Book 2) by Jill Shalvis. I’ve now finished this trilogy, which was okay contemporary romance/romantic suspense. But now I have to wonder if every main male in Jill Shalvis’ books has a scar across one of his eyebrows.
Mean Streets by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Kat Richardson, and Tomas E. Sniegoski. Very good stories about Harry Dresden, John Taylor, and Greywalker Harper Blaine. I suspect the Remy Chandler story was good, too, but I’ve never been able to get into that series, so I skipped it. Definitely recommended if you’re a fan of any of these authors.
The Better To Hold You by Alisa Sheckley. A very different paranormal romance about werewolves. Parts of it had promise, but in the end, it was too disturbing for me and just not that good.
Magic in the Wind (Drake Sisters, Book 1) by Christine Feehan. I actually read this novella a while ago, as part of the Lover Beware anthology, but having read most of the Drake Sisters’ series recently, I picked up this standalone when I saw it at the library. While the later Drake Sisters books are better, I continue to just shake my head at the s3x scenes.

“I am a vampire panther girl! Rowr! (Were you really, really scared?)” -Mayhem

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The work, it be killing me this week…

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…but! I am employed! I mostly enjoy my job and my coworkers! Right?

Author Barbara Bretton is giving away some more yarn – enter before Sunday evening if you’re interested.

Make sure you stop by moderncat today and poke around through the posts from this past week – it was Toy Week and they’ve had lots of bonus giveaways of intriguing kitty toys. (Speaking of toys… beware!)

Read an Ebook Week is almost over, so you’d better hurry up if you’re interested in the ebooks that were free and/or discounted for the week!

Do you read TECHKnitting? I recommend it. The latest post has some great tips for the ordinary chain bind off on circular knits.

Brace yourselves – this is painfully, painfully cute. And isn’t “floofy” the perfect description? Black cat overload!

How to take pinhole pictures with your digital camera.

Yet another clever litterbox hiding technique from ikea hacker.

Readability looks a nifty little tool to add to your browser’s bookmark bar – click on it, and it will reformat a website to make it more readable. Sounds very handy for sites with weird colors or too-small fonts, doesn’t it?

Aw – a tulip USB hub, if you’re feeling particularly spring-deprived.

This doesn’t surprise me – DST may have negative health consequences. As someone who’s definitely not getting enough sleep this week because of it…

Some nice pictures from downtown Minneapolis during last week’s big snowstorm – the last picture is from behind the Mary Tyler Moore statue.

“Neener neener, big kitty! This is my toy and you can’t play with it!” -Mayhem

“Oh yeah? Who wants to play with your silly pink feathers anyway?!!” -Chaos

Can you tell we’ve had lots of feline discord this week?! Maybe it was the full moon… Or DST starting. Or a disharmonic planetary alignment.