Contests

• Lillie of I Do Not Want To Wait, I Want the Book Right Now has an interview about black cats and superstitions with paranormal author Shelly Munro, along with a chance to win a copy of one of Shelly Munro’s Middlemarch Mates books. (Hmm. There’s a black panther on the cover of her latest book. I wonder if giving away a copy would soothe Mayhem?)

• Dear Author’s giving away a copy of J. D. Robb’s Memory in Death and a publicity bag full of related “evidence”. Not sure when this ends.

• Jessica of Racy Romance Reads is having contests to get rid of her paper books. For your chance to win two of the pictured books, let her know what was the most recent addition to your keepers shelf. Contest closes 2/13.

• Donna Fantasy Dreamer’s giving away a copy of Leslie Livingston’s young adult urban fantasy, Darklight. Leave a comment about your favorite fairy tale by 8 am CST, February 14, for your chance to win. She has another contest, for a copy of Walter Greatshell’s new science fiction novel, Xombies: Apocalypticon, which runs through midnight CST, February 18.

• Nicole of Bookwyrm Knits is giving away a copy of Kelley Armstrong’s non-paranormal thriller, Exit Strategy. To enter, comment on a post between now and 2/15.

• KatieBabs is giving away autographed hardcover copies of Kresley Cole’s Deep Kiss of Winter (with Gena Showalter) and Dark Needs at Night’s Edge. Leave a comment with a Nixism by 2/15 for your chance to win.

• If you friend Charlene Butterbean on Facebook or follow her on Twitter, you have a chance to win some goodies from itty bitty kitty committee. Winners will be selected on 2/15.

• SciFiGuy’s giving away three signed copies of Jeaniene Frost’s new paranormal romance, First Drop of Crimson. Enter before midnight EST, February 17, for your chance to win.

• Not only does Donna Fantasy Dreamer have a list of this week’s paranormal and urban fantasy releases, she also has links to a number of contests.

• Abigail of All Things Urban Fantasy has 86 urban fantasy contests listed this week!

• If you buy a copy of Romi’s Brandywine Shawl pattern, she will donate $5 (of the $6.50 purchase price) to Doctors Without Borders as Help for Haiti. Then if you leave at comment about your purchase (or about any other donation to Doctors Without Borders you made to help Haiti) at Woolgathering by March 1, you will be entered in a drawing to win a gorgeous Bitterroot Shawl.

Books & Reading & Stuff To Think About

• If you own a netbook, check out Lifehacker’s guide to using your netbook as a feature-rich ebook reader.

• Dear Author has a good post on how legacy publishers are discouraging the shift to ebooks.

• Some “post-game analysis” from TeleRead on the Amazon-Macmillan kerfuffle.

• An American Editor has a quick poll up on what prevents people from buying ebooks.

• An American Editor is also starting an Ebook Quality Hall of Shame – check out the post for details on how to submit examples from poor quality ebooks.

• Jeaniene Frost has an interesting post about ebook piracy over at Deadline Dames.

• What will happen to libraries with ebooks, which don’t fall under the First Sale Doctrine?

• Did you know that some of the top urban fantasy authors got their start writing fanfic?

• KatieBabs has a thought-provoking post about blogging (particularly book blogging) and in-crowds.

• Check out the weekend reports from SciFiGuy and Literary Escapism.

• Nicole of Bookwyrm Knits has a nice roundup of some book and knitting related links.

Make, Learn, and Do Stuff

• Last week, I linked to a DIY PVC laptop stand your exercise equipment; this week, it’s a very sturdy DIY laptop stand for a stationary bike.

• Or you could make a walking work station for your treadmill and exercise while you work at home.

• Learn how to snag stuff with a whip, Indiana Jones style.

• If you’re looking for a freeware alternative to a popular Windows software program, check out Gizmo’s Freeware Best Of List.

• TVGorge may allow you to view location-blocked tv shows.

• *gasp* The FDA may update serving sizes to reflect how much people really eat. What a radical idea! 😉

• Are you addicted to technology?

Be Amused

• Always comes down to thumbs…

• O noes – an Amazon ordering oops!

• Do you think Basement Cat will get the job?

• Via L. Prieto, a very twisted zombie apocalypse comic…

• Bwa-ha-ha!

• Commas save lives.

• Ten cartoons about airport security that would be funnier if they weren’t so true.

Get Your Cute On

• Aww. I love Myron.

Reading  Update
Posted To Death (Simon Kirby-Jones Mystery, Book 1) by Dean James. This was a delightful and slightly twisted version of the British village cozy mystery, because Simon is a gay vampire (he can be out in sunlight and doesn’t need to drink blood, as long as he takes his medication) and well-known historian (who secretly writes romances and mysteries under several pseudonyms). Definitely recommended if you enjoy mysteries with a bit of snark and a complicated cast of suspects. (Also, for the wary, I would give this book a no-pepper heat rating – a very safe read.)
The Dickens With Love by Josh Lanyon. ebook. Very well-done holiday-themed m/m romance about a disgraced book hunter reduced to working for shady and unpleasant clients, one of whom has charged him to secretively and preemptively purchase a newly discovered Dickens’ Christmas story before it goes to auction.
Carol of the Bellskis by Astrid Amara. ebook. Another very well-done holiday-themed m/m romance (Hanukkah this time) about a paralegal who breaks up with his boyfriend (also his boss) because his closeted boss is backing out of their vacation plans. The paralegal heads off on vacation to his aunt and uncle’s kosher B&B alone… and finds himself taking care of all the guests, with his aunt and uncle nowhere to be found.
Falling by Cassandra Gold. ebook short. I really enjoyed this m/m short about a guy who gets accidentally knocked down the stairs at his apartment building and is taken to the hospital by his sexy firefighter neighbor.
Force of Law by Jez Morrow. ebook. Good m/m romance about a mechanic who believes he’s being used by his ex’s billionaire cousin for revenge. For the first third of this, I wasn’t sure I was going to keep reading, because the power dynamics were making me really uncomfortable. Things turned around after that, fortunately.
Melting the Slopes by Ethan Day, William Maltese, and Jason Edding. ebook collection. No surprise that there was at least some skiing in each of these tales of m/m romance, based on the title, huh? Ethan Day’s humorous romance “Snow Ho” was my favorite of the three stories, followed by the romantic suspense of William Maltese’s “Bottom’s Up”.
Let It Snow! by Michael Barnette. ebook. Kinda meh m/m romance – it actually was mostly ok for a while (bit of awkward language, etc, but not too bad), but then the story basically stopped, jumped to the epilogue, and everything was tied up in a nice tidy bow. *blink blink*
The Sound of Cicadas by Tory Temple. ebook short. Decent m/m romance short about two guys who see each other for the first time in ten years at their high school reunion – will they be able to get past their hurt pride and misunderstandings?
The Chocolatier by Elizabeth Jewell. ebook. Sweet (sorry, couldn’t resist…) m/m romance about a guy who makes chocolates that are rumored to make people fall in love. So how comes he’s still single?
To Find and To Keep (Book 1) by Serena Yates. ebook. Well, I won’t be reading the second book… The writing in this m/m romance was awkward and stilted, and the two guys? Read more like chick lit heroines.
The Mask He Wears by Fae Sutherland & Marguerite Labbe. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a lawyer, who has a marriage of convenience, confessing his feelings for his male secretary and really making a mess of it.
Hearts Afire November by Pepper Espinoza & India Harper. ebook collection. Two ok m/m romances about firefighters. The first was about a firefighter who starts to hang out with a street musician whose firefighter father died in a fire. The second is about a firefighter/investigator who becomes involved with the insurance investigator assigned to a series of fires… the insurance investigator who’s a former arsonist. The ending of this one didn’t work so well for me – I thought someone was way too quick to forgive something pretty major.
Silver and Gold by Devon Rhodes. ebook short. Enjoyable holiday m/m romance about a guy in his 40s whose first love wants to get together with him, at the same time he meets a younger man he really clicks with.
Sutcliffe Cover by Ariel Tachna & Madeleine Urban. ebook. Ignore the cover, as there are no mustaches or cowboy hats in this enjoyable m/m romance about a guy who owns a stable and riding school and becomes friends with an accountant who starts taking lessons at the school. If you’re looking for an angst break, this might be it for you. (Is it just me, or does that face look photoshopped in?!)
The Elf and Shoemaker by M. L. Rhodes. ebook. Nicely done m/m fantasy romance about the owner of a new age shop who’s about to lose his business when help comes from a most unexpected source. (If you have a mysterious old mirror wrapped up and tucked away somewhere, I’d really recommend you get it out and hang it up!)
FU by Mia Watts. ebook. This one was for Kris’ m/m rut challenge. I generally don’t read multiple partner books because it just doesn’t make sense to me how it could ever work. In this steamy tale, Parker is mistakenly assigned to a male dorm at Fullerton University (FU f’s up) and things get… complicated while Housing tries to sort it out. Ultimately, things do get simple in the end (whew!), but along the way, part of the story does qualify this for Kris’ challenge. So, I confirmed for myself that, while it was a fun read (Mia always puts together a fun’n’steamy read), I’m still a prude when it comes to multiple partner books, especially in regards to the power dynamics. O_o (I received this book from the author because she’s nice like that.)
Matchmen, Ltd. by T. C. Blue. ebook. Good m/m romance about the employees of gay matchmaking agency, Matchmen, Ltd. The book is split into three parts, each of which follows a specific employee. Hmm. I guess, since one section in this book turned out to be multiple partner, it fulfills the m/m rut challenge, too, because I kept reading and didn’t skip it, as I am wont to do in such situations. (Damn, Kris says no. Hmph.)
Ryland’s Sacrifice by Kim Dare. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a PhD student who desperately needs money for tuition and food, so allows himself to be “thrown” to a pride of werelions, with unexpected results. Although this might sound like a multiple partner book, it isn’t. (I received this book from the author because she’s nice like that, too.)
A mysterious book that I can’t talk about yet, but which was a darn good read. 🙂

“What? Why are you laughing at me?” -Chaos