Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes on Wednesday! 🙂

Contests

• Closetreader Lea’s giving away a copy of Beth Kery’s forthcoming steamy romance, Explosive, and a signed copy of Release. Contest closes at midnight EST, November 19 (aka today).

• Smexy Mandi’s giving away winner’s choice of a signed copy of The Princess in His Bed or Awakened by a Kiss, both by Lila DiPasqua. Contest open through November 20.

• Kris is giving away assorted swag and yaoi artwork that she picked up at Yaoi Con. Contest closes midnight Western Australia Time, November 22.

• Blodeuedd’s giving away two copies of The Forever Queen by Helen Bollicks. Closes November 22, US & Canada only.

• Cecile’s giving away a $65 gift card to CSN stores. Closes November 22, US & Canada only.

• Book Addict Patti’s giving away three ebook sets of The Unidentified Redhead and The Redhead Revealed by Alice Clayton. Contest ends November 30.

• Sweet Vernal Zephyr’s giving away copies of the holiday romances she grew up on – fill out the form by December 12 for your chance to win.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Lily (so many m/m romances out this week…); Literary Escapism (UF/PNR news, contests, etc; upcoming Tor releases; lots of UF/PNR new releases); and Katiebabs (upcoming romances that intrigued her).

• Remember Cook’s Source, the magazine that stole content, then thought the writer should pay them? They’re closing down… and blaming that same writer. *rolls eyes*

• Theater on a giant book… (Thanks, Jase!)

• Book news: Dear Author and ReadReactReview.

• Lifehacker lists the five best distraction-free writing tools, their top ten tips for better writing, and amusing ways to brush up on your grammar.

• The five stages of revision…

• Too bad this reading glasses ring isn’t actually functional.

Ebookity

• Samhain’s giving away four holiday-themed books for Kindle and Nook through mid-December, including titles from Josh Lanyon and Beth Kery.

• Kris has posted Jambrea Jo Jones’s free choose your own m/m romance story, Once Upon a Dragon.

• Kristi the Fiber Fool’s starting a serialized knitting ebook, Nourishing Knits: 24 Projects to Gift and Entertain. She’ll have subscription information when the first installment is ready. But you can go enter her contest to win a subscription now! (Make sure you read the rules on how to enter. Closes November 25.)

• All About Romance makes some excellent points in this post asking (major) publishers why they’re treating readers who prefer ebooks like second-hand citizens.

• It doesn’t surprise me that a recent study discovered people who read a lot prefer dedicated ereaders to multifunction devices.

• It’s now possible to autograph ebooks! As someone who would prefer to only procure ebooks, I’ve had to continue buying paper books when it’s something I’d like signed – so I hope the technology is adopted.

• If you’re planning to pick up a new ereader over the holidays, spend some time at the eBook Reader Blog checking their reviews – and their list of holiday sales. TeleRead has a Black Friday ereader specials roundup, too. Ereaders are expected to be popular gifts this holiday season, but the iPad’s likely too expensive to enjoy the same popularity. Even Consumer Reports has weighed in!

• But maybe it would be better to start with Dear Author’s buying guide, which helps you figure out which device is right for you.

• One Japanese manga publisher’s going to work with scanalators via a new licensing model to help meet the growing demand for translated manga in the US.

• Gizmo’s Freeware has a list of 250 sites where you can pick up (legal) free ebooks.

• How to print and bind your own copy of an ebook (which may violate your ebook license all over the place).

• Are you an ebook hoarder or ebook reader? I’m both!

Learn, Make, Think, Do

• I’m glad the Milky Way galaxy won this battle. (Thanks, Jase!)

• Turn candy bars and vodka into a tasty chocolate beverage… sounds like a dangerous combination, actually.

• I didn’t realize how many different things you can use toothpaste for besides brushing your teeth.

• We can’t accurately predict how happy we’ll be in the future.

• New research suggests jet lag can cause learning problems and long-term memory loss.

• Some reusable shopping bags may contain lead.

• Cheese has morphine in it – that explains a lot, doesn’t it?

• Nanotechnology could turn trees into streetlights.

• Oops, we’re back to not being sure if cell phones contribute to brain cancer or not.

• Did you celebrate National UnFriend Day appropriately on Wednesday?

• Don’t let a lack of snow prevent you from sledding.

• Turn the sleeves from an old sweater into wrist warmers.

• Drinking two cups of water before meals might help you lose weight.

• Scientists have trapped anitmatter.

• Scientists have also figured out how cats drink – and it’s definitely not the same way dogs drink.

Linkity Peeps

• From Another Purl, some NaNoWriMo links, plus a knitted brain hat.

• From Fiber Fool, craft, recipe, natural living, and photography linkity.

• From Katiebabs, NSFW WTFery.

Thanksgiving

• Have you perused CRAFT’s series of Thanksgiving recipes, which includes gluten-free recipes?

• The Essential Gluten-Free Blog has some ideas for making gluten-free gravy and gluten-free stuffing. (My own gf cornbread stuffing is pretty darn tasty, if I do say so myself.)

• Vegetarian recipes for Thanksgiving.

• Maybe a homemade recirculating gravy fountain would liven up your Thanksgiving!

Pottermania

• Do you have your custom Harry Potter Chucks ready? Or maybe you prefer Vans…

• Can you name 200 Harry Potter characters in 18 minutes?

• CRAFT has a pretty amazing Harry Potter craft roundup, including amigurumi, wands, and even a seat cover.

• Harry Potter-related Cake Wrecks.

• Even lolcats love Harry Potter!

Gift Ideas

• Lens bracelets would make a fun gift for a photographer.

• Perhaps a Space Invaders Christmas cross stitch for the geek in your life?

• Maybe your Trekkie pals would appreciate some hand-knitted Star Trek potholders.

• Know anyone who’d love a giant Star Wars LEGO minifig alarm clock?

• Or maybe a usb hub shaped like a battleship?

• Gizmodo has gift ideas for the handymanperson in your life.

Cool

• Needle-felted Hubble telescope.

• (Not quite) 1000 bloom chrysanthemum.

• For a flashback to the days of loading software from lots of diskettes…

• Felted circuit board slippers.

• Google Product Search can now show you which items are in stock locally.

Huh

• The fertilization watch?!

• Underwear with an iPhone pocket…

• Bacon bikini fundraising scam?!

• Because you can never have enough bare butts hanging on your Christmas tree…

• A pillow that’s also a remote control…

• If you’re feeling a lack of something in your life, maybe you just need an individual pie-making machine.

• Um. The boner timer for your turkey?!

• Waffle shoes, anyone?

• Buy a truck, get a free AK-47…

• Canned unicorn meat is now “real.”

• The UK has asked fast food and soda companies to help write health policy?!

• The TSA’s sense of humor makes me nervous, too.

• After watching the demented teddy bears video, I was afraid to watch the other video…

LOL

• I’m not sure this is funny to we introverts.

• Saint or doormat?

• The Bloggess goes to Belize…

• Because what could be better to illustrate how babies are made than paper cut-outs…

• Check out the photos from a vintage knitting pattern book that Knitnzu found! Her captions make this suitable reading for the discerning m/m romance aficionado.

• Mushroom hates this game. (Thanks, Jase!)

• Hyperbole and a Half on moving with two dysfunctional dogs.

• Squirrel!Neo!

• Ceiling Peacock strikes!

• A new Simon’s Cat! (Thanks, Brigitte!)

• Have you checked your bathroom for an infestation?!

• Bad kitties!

• Kitties in sweaters… but no photos of the injuries the owners sustained because of said sweaters.

• It’s not easy to be Basement Cat when there aren’t any basements.

• Awww…

Teh Cute

• Penguins! Opossum! Meerkats! Tanukis! Sad floofy kitten! Floofy kitten! Ferret! Hedgie! Tanuki pup! Kitten! Kitten! Baby otter! Kitten! Tanuki pup! Tiny koala! Kittens!

Reading Update
His for the Holidays by L.B. Gregg, Harper Fox, Z.A. Maxfield, & Josh Lanyon. ebook advance review copy. Excellent collection of four m/m holiday romances. From LB Gregg’s trademark madcap romp to Harper Fox’s angst-filled tale of a detective inspector possibly beyond redemption, each story shines. Highly recommended and very satisfying read.
Kindling Fire with Snow by Kate McMurray. ebook. Very good short m/m romance about two guys, who’d been each others first boyfriends in high school, who run into each other at a bar during a blizzard and have the chance to reconnect.
Handcuffs and Trouble (Rawlings Men, Book 4) by Kim Dare. ebook. Good kinky m/m romance about a rookie constable who thinks he must be getting hazed or something when he ends up in a dangerous dive bar with no idea who he’s supposed to find. Good thing he’s found first. 🙂
A Realistic Romance by Andi Anderson. ebook. Good m/m romance about a closeted rock star who agrees under duress to be on a reality tv show to help bolster his faltering career, but is alarmed to discover that the guy he’ll be sharing a small cabin with is very cute and very out. A little bit more editing attention would really have helped this book a lot.
Friday Night Jamie by Bren Christopher. ebook. Good m/m romance (that turns into romantic suspense along the way) about an accountant from a rough background who works diligently during the week, then goes out to pick up a different guy every Friday night.
A Tempting Distraction (Lost Shifters, Book 7) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about Owen, a tiger shifter who was rescued in the previous book and is trying to adjust to life in the Coalition, where he’s not trusted because of his criminal past.
Pride and Joey by Devon Rhodes. ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m romance about a gay lion shifter, hiding his nature from his pride and its homophobic alpha, when he runs across a tranqed cougar shifter. Hopefully Devon will write a bit more in this world!
Once Upon a Dragon by Jambrea Jo Jones. free ebook short. Cute free short m/m fairy tale reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty, with dragon shifters thrown in to make things more interesting.
Twenty Years Until Yes by Cindy Rosenthal. ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a long-term couple that takes place in three parts (1984, 1994, and 2004), following changing attitudes about gay couples.
The Hitch-Hiker (The Tomcat Line, Book 1) by Stevie Woods. ebook. Ok m/m romantic suspense about an archeologist who’s made a huge discovery and is now on the run from his jealous colleagues looking to claim the glory for themselves. When he hitches a ride with a handsome trucker, neither of them has any idea what’s ahead of them.
The Lost Temple (The Tomcat Line, Book 2) by Stevie Woods. ebook. Ok m/m romantic suspense continuing the adventures of our trucker and our archeologist/professor. Think gay Indiana Jones, plus bonus stalker. 🙂
Halfway by K.I.L. Kenny. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a college student who’s in the process of pledging the same frat his dad had been in. He falls for a crossdressing townie, but his status in the frat causes problems. Be prepared for an abrupt HFN (I guess) ending and a bit of a plot hole.
Use Your Illusion by Jade Falconer. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a college student with a crush on a straight jock who doesn’t know he exists. (Wait, what are the odds of reading two books about college students and crossdressing in the same week?)
The Rosebud by M. Raiya. ebook short. Doctors Without Borders Charity Sip Blitz. Very good short m/m romance about a guy who can heal with touch… but at a personal cost that’s kept him on the road for years.
Going Home by C.B. Conwy. ebook short. Doctors Without Borders Charity Sip Blitz. Very good short m/m romance about a guy who’s been staying at home in the States while his boyfriend works throughout the world, providing medical aid. But now the distance thing isn’t working so well anymore…
The Pavilion by Tracy Rowan. ebook short. Doctors Without Borders Charity Sip Blitz. Good m/m romance about a British doctor who shuts down emotionally and moves to the US after his lover dies.
The Boyfriend Line by Avery Zeno. ebook short. Doctors Without Borders Charity Sip Blitz. Very good short m/m romance about a guy who’s just learned that he might have cancer, but isn’t sure he should discuss it with his “friend with benefits” since it might be crossing “the boyfriend line.”
Take It Slow by Taylor Lochland. ebook short. Doctors Without Borders Charity Sip Blitz. Good short m/m romance about an injured runner who finds himself very attracted to the orthopedic specialist.
Have Hope by Emily Moreton. ebook short. Doctors Without Borders Charity Sip Blitz. Decent short m/m story about a double agent whose current mission does not go at all as planned. Be aware that this has no HEA or even HFN.
Ask the Fire by Dennis Paddie. ebook. I think this was spy thriller with delusions of literary grandeur… Trying to read it hurt my brain – I made it through the Prologue and a chunk of the first chapter, but I just couldn’t wade through the byzantine language and plot any more. DNF.

“Remember, Mayhem, if we don’t make eye contact with Mom, we can’t actually be in trouble for being on the table.” -Chaos

“Lalalalalala, I can’t see you, Mom!” -Mayhem