This has been one of those weeks that’s sorta beaten me up and left me for dead. 🙂 I’m sure I’ll catch up on blog reading… someday!
Contests
- EH has details on how to enter to win a copy of Cat Grant’s latest m/m romance, Allegro Vivace. Contest closes at midnight, June 18 (aka today).
- Mandi’s giving away three different sets of five romance/paranormal romance books – leave a comment by June 19 for your chance to win.
- LesleyW always has such good questions, with the chance to win a book simply for answering. This week, the question is about characters who change from one book to another and the book you could win is Shadows and Lace by Teresa Medeiros. Answer before June 19 to be entered in the contest.
- Patti’s celebrating her blogiversary with a series of contests! Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (ends midnight, June 28); Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch, plus signed bookplate, signed cover flat, and magnets (ends midnight CDT, June 29); Signed copy of Magic Bleeds by Illona Andrews (ends midnight CDT, June 30); Signed copy of Crux (Southern Arcana, Book 1) by Moira Rogers (ends midnight CDT, July 1). Signed copy of Infinity (Chronicles of Nick, Book 1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon (ends midnight CDT, July 2).
- Christine’s giving away a copy of the collection Muscle Men: Rock Hard Gay Erotica and there are an assortment of ways to enter the contest, which closes June 20.
- Ralph’s giving away a copy Heidi Cullinan’s m/m urban fantasy, Miles and the Magic Flute. Contest closes midnight EDT, June 22. He’s also giving away a copy of Anne Brooks’ paranormal m/m romance, Martin and the Wolf – that one closes midnight EDT, June 25.
- Tracy’s giving away a copy of Emilie Richards’ latest, Fortunate Harbor (A Happiness Key Novel). Leave a comment by 11:59 pm PDT, June 24, for your chance to win.
- Anna’s giving away three different urban fantasy/paranormal romance two-book prize packs as part of her blogiversary celebration. Leave a comment before June 30th for your chance to win.
- Trek’s supposed to be on vacation this week. Supposed to be. Instead, she’s back at home, holding a contest looking for your best and worst vacation stories for a mysterious and unmentioned prize (sure to be fabulous, knowing Trek!). Tell her your stories by July 14 for your chance to win.
- Jessewave’s holding a humorous m/m romance writing competition – to enter, you can’t be published as of July 1. Check out this post for all the details.
- All Things Urban Fantasy had nearly 170 contests listed this week.
Bookity
- New release info: Lily (m/m romance) and Literary Escapism (UF/PNR, plus news, interviews, and contests).
- Ah, Apple – your censoring ways bite you again. As TeleRead suggests, why not just make an adult section in your store?
- BookRix is a new book community that allows anyone to promote their own works.
- Are your ebooks safely backed up offsite? Kindle Vixen explains how to use Calibre with Dropbox to help achieve this. Lifehacker has a good article on setting up a foolproof (and fireproof) backup system.
- Although it might seem that ebook prices have climbed due to the agency model, this article at TeleRead suggests that ebook prices are actually going down.
- Moleskine just came out with an official Kindle cover. If you have an iPad and want a Moleskine-style cover, you’ll have to do it yourself.
- Humor about what it’s like to own an Apple product.
Make, Do, Think, Learn
- Make a riser/laptop stand so you can watch movies in bed more comfortably.
- You can use paracord to help keep your headphones from tangling.
- Carolyn Crane ponders what the internet might be doing to our attention spans and Gizmodo links to a NYTimes blog entry on the same topic.
- Amy shows you a bit of Lanesboro, which is a cute little town in southeastern Minnesota that I haven’t visited in too long.
- Starbucks is going to offer free wifi starting July 1.
- Beware – using water instead of windshield wiper fluid might turn that reservoir into a great place for pneumonia to incubate. (Besides having your washer fluid reservoir freeze and crack should you live someplace like Minnesota…)
- Make sure you’re donating to real oil spill charities and avoid scams.
- Ugh – I had no idea so many kids’ drinks and snacks contained lead.
Huh
- Can’t say I’ve ever felt the need for a light fixture shaped like an ice cream cone…
LOL
- Hyperbole and a Half documents my life and I finally understand why I will never be an adult.
- If you enjoyed watching how BP dealt with a coffee spill, you might want to check out College Humor’s look at their rebranding attempt.
- Lily has an assortment of amusing links – but beware that many are NSFW. Also, several might scar you for life – and that includes links in the comments.
- Watch the IKEA ad that was too racy for Houson tv.
Weekly Cute Burn
- Kitten! Kitten! Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! Melly! Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!
Reading Update
The Cop and the Drifter by Christiane France. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a cop… and a drifter. 😀 What, you want more? Ok, it’s about a cop, on administrative leave and unsure whether he still has a job, who’s camping and meets a young homeless man. (I won this over at Wave’s place.)
Hajiri’s Pet (Midnight Rain, Book 1) by Auburnimp & Michael Barnette. ebook. Ok cyberpunk m/m romance about a mercenary whose life is saved by a genetically engineered “battlepet” who then imprints on him. Definitely a HFN ending… and there aren’t any other books in this series yet.
Safe House by M. King. ebook. Good kinky m/m romance about a guy who has always resisted acknowledging what he needs in the bedroom… and now it’s driving a wedge between he and his boyfriend.
Precious Jade by Fyn Alexander. ebook. Very good kinky historical m/m romance about Jade, raised in the theater, who gets a job as a secretary to an MP and has the chance to explore his submissive side.
Double Shot Cappuccino by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a guy who’s having a hard time getting over his brother’s death the previous year. Will his brother’s best friend’s brief visit help? Or just lead to more heartache?
Mad Blood, 
In Passion and in Blood, 
Saved by Love’s Blood, 
Bound by Blood, and 
Reborn in Blood (The Drone Vampire Chronicles, Books 2, 4, 5, 7, & 8 ) by Stephani Hecht. ebooks. Enjoyable m/m paranormal romances about the Drone Vampires, who are made, not born, and are treated like second-class citizens by pure-born vampires. Toss in wizards and werefolk, too, just to keep things really interesting. (I skipped any books that weren’t strictly m/m.) (And how glad am I that Stephani’s such a good sport about her book covers being a veritable Who’s Who of the Misadventures?!)
Here and Now by Lisa Marie Davis. ebook. Ok m/m romance about an HIV-positive guy who’s turned his life around after living on the streets. He’s prepared to live his life on his own… and then he meets a guy who pushes him (gently) and challenges his beliefs about himself. I had a huge niggle with this book – when he was diagnosed as HIV-positive and went on a drug regimen… he was in a situation in which he would not have had health insurance. At that point, this book went straight to fairytale land for me.
From the Dreamspinner Midsummer’s Nightmare Daily Dose…
Dead End Job by Clancy Nacht. ebook short. So-so short paranormal m/m romance about a guy who manages an office full of zombies and then one day, there’s someone living hiding amongst them. Not a fan of zombie books…
Staking His Life by Kiernan Kelly. ebook short. Ok short paranormal m/m romance about a vampire whose life isn’t ever going to be the same again after he goes to a bar with his werewolf roommate. I didn’t like this one as much as I usually like Kiernan Kelly’s books – it was too heavy on puns and self-indulgent cleverness.
Vampire Movie Night by S. Blaise. ebook short. So-so short paranormal m/m romance about two guys watching a cheesy vampire movie and making out on the couch.
There’s Something About Spot by Felicitas Ivey. ebook short. Ok short paranormal m/m romance about a town of misfits and how two residents celebrate Midsummer.
“Foot cleaning? What are you talking about? We don’t even have feet.” -Chaos
*best innocent and adorable look* -Mayhem
Gross, the beacon, yeah gross.
I see the game those two are playing now 😉
Sorry to hear you’ve had such a rough week 🙁 *hugs* I hope you have a lovely weekend.
And thank you for taking the time to list so many links!
Chaos/May – you have the most gorgeously glossy coats. Your mother must take such good care of you!
A recent post from orannia..Precious
DUH! Forgot to say, I really like the sound of Safe House!
A recent post from orannia..Precious
Hopefully you will get to relax this weekend (I have to admit that I almost expected to see a picture of your feet with a sponge – clean feet, clean feet.) and catch up on anything you would like to do.
A recent post from Seanna Lea..last tuesday
I hope your weekend is better than your week had been. *hugs*
Rainbows are fabulous, and so is bacon. Rainbow-colored bacon . . . just plain gross.
That Ikea ad is funny.
A recent post from Eyre..Calamity Jane Strikes Again, or Where Eyre Goes, Trouble Follows
Hmmm…I’m beginning to think I did well not to buy the DSP daily dose antho this time. I think I’ll hold off buying any individual stories until I see some more positive reviews. So far it seems that only Sean’s book is worth buying.
I have Hajiri’s Pet in my TBR pile. I read a really great review of it somewhere and bought it on the strength of that.
Kick back and enjoy your weekend, sweetie. You deserve some rest if you’ve had a hard week.
Thanks for the shout out!!!
A recent post from trek..WWW – Home edition
We all have those weeks sometimes 🙁 I hope your weekend is sunny and free of problems and other depressing stuff, so you can wake up from death again 😉
I think there’s some conspiracy going on to make me buy Double Shot Cappuccino or something. 🙂
Don’t May and Chaos look adorable feetless!
A recent post from Janna ErotRomReader..Review of Captured by Julia Rachel Barrett
At least May and Chaos know how to keep it clean.
A recent post from margene..So Close
Orannia: You should give Safe House (or Angelfish by M. King, since it’s set in NZ) a try!
Jen: Actually, I was really, really happy with most of the books I reviewed last week from the Daily Dose (Chrissy Munder, Heidi Cullinan, and some others). It feels like they started with their strongest stuff and will maybe end with their strongest stuff. I have some to read still that are promising, like the one from GS Wiley. 🙂
I wonder if I read the same review of Hajiri’s Pet that you did?!
It has been a week, hasn’t it. Must be in the air. I’m having trouble believing June is almost over.
A recent post from Jennifer..Planning and preparation
Rainbow bacon is fairly unnatural. Then again, most of what passes for bacon these days is equally unnatural, so I guess it makes sense.
A recent post from Marsha..Transportation transitions
I like my bacon meat colored thanks. Too funny, I just sent that pic of the ice-cream cone light fixture to my kid this morning when I saw it. I saw the colored bacon too. Same Tumblr feed?
LOVE that Ikea commercial.
I see you should get Sean’s book soon in the pack since it is up at Wave’s today as a give-away. I did read Stephani’s coffee book yesterday (or the day before? brain melt) and enjoyed it. Safe House intrigues me but I know Precious Jade isn’t for me.
A recent post from Tam..Boys in Blue
The kitties are so cute together!
I don’t think I could eat that rainbow bacon but now I want to try to make it….
Love the BP rebranding (especially the bird taped to the wall with the “—>our bad” sign!)
A recent post from Patti..Blogiversary Day 4: Fangirl squees and a SIGNED copy of Crux by Moira Rogers
How could I forget (I was probably mesmerized by the bacon) – thanks for the contest pimpage!!
A recent post from Patti..Blogiversary Day 4: Fangirl squees and a SIGNED copy of Crux by Moira Rogers
I hope you have a good weekend – sounds like you deserve it!
Thanks for the fun links!
Hajiri’s Pet (Midnight Rain, Book 1) looks like a choice right up my alley!
A recent post from Miranda..Fantasy Contest Bar with a concubine
I had some chippy comment to make until I read the Apple link, which led me to the Zombies and now I’m worrying about scientists studying gorillas & meatloaf.
No… NO being beaten up and left for dead. Besides… with those two living with you, you know the minute you close your eyes they will be SLEEPING ON YOUR FACE. (I know my footless cats, oh yes I do!)
If turkey bacon came in rainbow colors, I would so buy it.
A recent post from katiebabs..Song of Seduction Book Review *Carrie Lofty*
Awwww those are some adorable pics of the kitties!!!!! Shhaaaaaa….. And my two black kitties looking all innocent and all, lmbo!
Chris… TGIF!!!!! **Waves and hugs**
I tried eating rainbow-colored scrambled eggs once. (It was Easter, and we were humoring my sister.) I couldn’t do it. I think rainbow-colored bacon would be even worse.
A recent post from Nicole..FO Friday: Mitts!
Hi kittehs…You’re both so photogenic!!! 🙂
They clearly do not have feet. Odd. But if they did, I’m sure they’d be furry clean.
The links! the links! Must. Not. Look. Must. Work……okay, maybe the eBook thing. And the apple owner cartoon…..
Great links as always and Awww, kitties!!
Thanks for the mentions!
Looks like you had a really good reading week. I’m going to have to Stephani’s Drone books soon.
A recent post from Lily..Weekly Update #24 and The Friday 56
Me too. Me = not sleeping. Zzzzzzzz
I think I need to get the book Double Shot Cappucino as well as drink a DSC!
And dang – Apple really knows how to censor – not!
A recent post from Tracy..OMG I’m Not That Old
Nice link-up!
On Google Editions, I don’t like the idea having to read my books online only. Can you imagine a storm taking out your internet connection and not being able to read? That would bite the big one. 😉
That a great picture of Chaos and Mayhem. Such innocence. 😀
Oh you poor thing! Can I help? Let me know…
A recent post from Julia Rachel Barrett..Welcome Siren Author Stacey Espino!
As much as I like bacon, I think I would have to pass on rainbow bacon.
I hope you have a good weekend for recovering.
A recent post from Sydney..The Food Edition
I SO love when kitties cuddle like that!
A recent post from Lynn..How long does it take for braids to come out?
What? No link to the NYTimes story on ‘catios’—http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/garden/17catio.html?scp=1&sq=catios&st=cse be sure to look at the slide show.
A recent post from mary lou..Girls in their Summer Dresses
Beaten up after the week… sorry. Hope your weekend is better 🙂
A recent post from amora..Be right back…
Thanks for all the contest heads up and linkety Chris. Geeze, I had no idea about the censorship at Apple…
I’m so sick of all e-book hacker crap. *sigh* Basically you need to back up everything on an external hard drive..
Thanks again..
A recent post from Lea..What’s Going On… A.K.A. The Pimpage Thing….
Lots of great things to think about in your links. The lead tainted food link was totally scary!
A recent post from Kristi aka FiberFool..Sugar Scrubs for Fine Fibers
We used to have green bacon at university…..
Kittens how lovely they are 🙂
A recent post from mrspao..Banana Pecan Bread
Nice round of articles to get through this week – I am a big fan of the moleskin set of books…
So not surprised they got onto the techy bandwagon…
I won three of those Dreamspinner daily thingy and I am looking forward to reading them – but overall not heard alot of good things about this set…
I did like HERE AND NOW – sweet, idealistic read…
I am going to give the Hecht series a miss for now, I am so off vamps at the moment…
hope that you are able to climb out from under the pile of stuff that got tossed at you soon… and that you have some restful times planned ahead.
I just love the cute links.
wow two kitties in one picture! That’s a rarity.
A recent post from Rebekah..Ode to Four Kitties
It’s the occasional photo like that, with both of them in repose, that reminds me how much bigger Chaos really is…
A recent post from naomi..eye candy sunday evening