Category Archives: Linkity linkity link

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Midweek Bookity Break

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Nicola of Alpha Heroes is giving away five copies of the upcoming Naamah’s Kiss by Jacqueline Carey. Leave a comment by June 24 for your chance to win.

Largehearted Boy’s giving away a set of David Wellington’s vampire novels. Leave a comment before midnight CDT, June 19, for your chance to win.

Do vampires have hearts? Answer that question in your comment at Fang-tastic Books for your chance to win a pdf copy of Susan Blexrud’s book Love Fang.

For a chance to win a book from Shiloh Walker’s backlist, leave a comment at Literary Escapism by midnight, June 23.

J. Kaye’s giving away the audiobook Testimony by Anita Shreve. For your chance to win, leave a comment before June 27 and then stop by after June 27 to see if you won.

Check out the free ebooks available from eHarlequin, including titles from Stephanie Bond and Michele Hauf.

Scary thing. If I hadn’t gotten divorced (one year marriage, one year separation), this would’ve been my 20 year anniversary.

I’m honored that Nicola of Alpha Heroes was inspired to do a post of book reviews in my, um, succinct style.

Dear Author had a nice look at the week in ebook news.

Weigh in with your perception of ebook quality. Then go read an amusing (scary?) review about an ebook that seems to embody all the worst that you’ve heard/read.

Interested in DRM-free ebook publishers? Here’s a list.

The New Yorker interviewed Nora Roberts – go, Nora!

Could Amazon be moving to non-Kindle ebooks?

Curious about the new, larger Kindle? Gizmodo reviewed the Kindle DX.

Reading Update
Twice the Temptation by Suzanne Enoch. Half historical, half Samantha and Rick contemporary. Heck, if all of Enoch’s historicals are as much fun as the first half of this book, I could be swayed. But I still like Enoch’s straight-up contemporaries better.
Familiar Vows by Caroline Burnes. Mystery, romance, and a black cat sleuth! Too bad the main character has a bad case of TSTL for the first half of the book. Cute story, but I’m not interested in reading any others in this series.
Too Good To Be True by Kristan Higgins. I spent the first part of this book sort of annoyed with most everyone in it, but I thawed a bit in the second part.
Three Brides for Three Bad Boys by Lucy Monroe. Hopefully no one got hurt from all the eye rolling over the title? Very steamy set of three interconnected novellas.
In Darkness Reborn, Redeemed in Darkness, and Darkness Unknown (Paladins of Darkness, Books 3-5) by Alexis Morgan. Favorite quote, from Darkness Unknown: “But as far as she knew, they’d never made a show about a woman who raised alpacas, spent her evening hours knitting, and had no social life at all.” Not only are there hunky Paladins fighting evil, there are alpacas! Spinning! Knitting!
Turn Coat (Dresden Files, Book 11) by Jim Butcher. Amusing abs quote from this book: “He might have been just a little bit smug, the bastard. His abs looked like they were added in with CGI. My abs just look like I can’t afford to feed myself very well.” Ah, Harry. We love you anyway! But I really, really, really hated how this book ended. I was traumatized.
The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo. Felix Gomez didn’t come back from fighting in Iraq with post traumatic stress disorder or Gulf/Iraq War Syndrome. Nope. He came back as a vampire. Now he’s a PI, investigating an outbreak of nymphomania at the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant. Well-written and I deifnitely wanted to see how things would end, but I doubt I’ll read more of the series, because I just didn’t care about Felix that much.

“Legs? Who needs legs? Go away and quit bothering me. Look! Over there! It’s Mayhem, doing something stupid cute.” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Abs-olutely

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For your chance to win an assortment of 25 books and 25 cds, leave a comment at Largehearted Boy letting him know what cd or book you’d hope to find in the assortment. Contest closes midnight CDT, June 12.

Leave a comment about why booksellers rock and you could win a signed copy of Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. Contest closes by June 14. (Ok, this is a superhero book, but I don’t consider that paranormal.)

For a chance to win a copy of Annie Solomon’s One Deadly Sin, leave a comment at A Journey of Books about whether you’ve ever thought of or committed an act of revenge. Contest closes midnight EDT, June 26. You will need to check back to see who won!

A Journey of Books is also giving away The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos – leave a comment before midnight EDT, June 30, about something that triggers a strong memory for you. Remember to check back to see who wins!

For a chance to win an audiobook of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s The Cabinet of Curiosities or 7th Avenue by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, leave a comment on the respective posts at J. Kaye’s before June 27. Remember that winners will not be notified, so make sure to check back to see who won.

Nice look at some of the new ebook devices at The Good, the Bad and the Unread.

Google’s entering the ebook market. I haven’t decided whether this is good or bad.

SciFiGuy has an overview of the May issue of Locus Magazine, which was focused on urban fantasy. (My copy is still sitting on the kitchen table, waiting for me to read it.) But I do know that the top story was the revelation that author Kim Harrison does not exist! This was quite shocking to me, since I had seen her at Uncle Hugo’s and have some books signed by her. 🙂

Hee hee – Smart Bitches have an amusing list of the top medieval history facts that you won’t see in any romances.

Thanks to Mary Lou for this list of amusing things that would sound wrong if you were saying them to a human instead of to a cat. I can think of some that aren’t on the list, such as “Quit eating the toilet paper!” and “Hey! Stop running across the kitchen table!”

Wait, how did they sneak in to my condo to get this picture?! Did you get your seat before they ran out of space?

Apparently I haven’t been reading enough books with scantily clad, abs-baring males on the cover and there’s been some agitating in the comments. This update’s for you, MamaT! 😉

Reading Update
Sentinels: Jaguar Night (Silhouette Nocturne) by Doranna Durgin. This was a surprisingly good low-steam paranormal romance. My biggest complaint is that, although it appears to be the first Sentinels book, it seemed to assume a certain level of familiarity with the Sentinels that I certainly don’t have.
Men at Work by Janelle Denison, Nina Bangs, and MaryJanice Davidson. A light’n’fluffy romance collection about hunky guys wearing toolbelts…
Surf’s Up by Nina Bangs, MaryJanice Davidson, and Janelle Denison. Another light’n’fluffy romance collection from Denison, Bangs, and Davidson. Please note that if you plan to read this and Men at Work, you should read that book first, as the stories by Davidson and Bangs are related to the stories in that collection. Eerie that I picked these books up at the same time, not knowing that or noticing that the same authors were in both. I just went for the covers. 🙂
And Able by Lucy Monroe. Yup, this is the conclusion to the trilogy that began with Ready and Willing.
Deal With This and The Spy Who Wants Me by Lucy Monroe. These tie into her Ready, Willing, and Able series and her secret agents series and her other non-series books. I love that.
The Chosen Sin by Anya Bast. I love this cover, and it isn’t even NK! 😉 This is a well-done futuristic vampire romance, very steamy. Very, very steamy.
Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson. Enjoyable contemporary romance set in Seattle.
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James. This was another near-perfect contemporary romance from Julie James. Highly recommended.
Night’s Kiss by Amanda Ashley. Vampires and good witches and bad warlocks, oh my! An ok start to a series that I’ll probably keep reading.
Between a Rock and a Heart Place by Natalie Stenzel. This is the sequel to The Druid Made Me Do It and is pretty fun (druids and pucas and nature spirits, oh my!), if a bit drawn out at times.
Dark Protector and Dark Defender (Paladins of Darkness, Books 1-2) by Alexis Morgan. They’re warriors who come back from the dead when they’re killed protecting our world from the evil Others. An ok paranormal series that’s completely vampire and werewolf free. And hey, that’s NK in leather pants on the cover of Dark Defender.

Think carefully before switching to Holy Water in the cat’s water bowl…

“That poor kitty! If I chew on these vampire fangs, do I have to worry about you putting Holy Water in my water bowl?” -Chaos

Contests, Gluten Free, Linkity linkity link

Beware – two weeks worth of linkity linkity link!

30 Comments

For your chance to win a signed copy of the cookbook Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Modern Kitchen by Monica Bhide, leave Knit Think Amy a comment answering the questions that she poses in her post. Leave your comments through June 11.

Caption Noolie’s cute toddler picture for your chance to win some pretty blue Rowan 4-ply cotton. Contest is open through June 11.

Has anyone tried the new GF Valencia Orange Cake from Starbucks? What did you think? Sadly, orange anything (other than juice) isn’t a favorite, so I’ll pass. But I’m glad to see our options increasing!

Here’s some more info on the new Betty Crocker GF mixes. (Hey, trek, maybe I’ll actually have some box tops for Neatnik next time!)

I am definitely going to look for these gf frozen flatbread pizzas – don’t they sound tasty?!

Knittymama has a link to a great idea for saving money on groceries and using up some of that food in the back of your cupboards.

If you’re really into making perfect espresso at home, this looks like a must-read.

The Yarn Harlot made Consumerist!

I knew it had to be a conspiracy. Knitting related lolcat! Hmm… Oh, this must be why I can never remember the fourth one. Beware of rampaging napping hordes of bad luck! Hee hee – there’s Chaos on the far right.

lolcat your blog!

Did you hear that certain varieties of Nutro cat food have been recalled due to incorrect mineral levels that can make cats sick?

Some tips on keeping your kitties from scratching up your furniture. I swear by claw trimming!

Want to get better information or advice? Try carrying a notebook.

I haven’t tried this app yet, but it looks like it could be a good tool for speedy photo fixes.

Hmm – turning Altoid tins into mini toolboxes has definite holiday gift potential.

Besides using a laptop stand or cooling pad, cleaning your laptop can help save its life.

Oh oh… the question every parent fears:

“So, Mom, what do you do with all these pictures you take of me?” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which Mayhem attempts to select a book (and the contest thing gets insanely out of hand)

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Paula’s participating in the 2009 North Central Alabama Race for the Cure and is looking for donations. Every $5.00 you donate will get you an entry in a raffle for some sock yarn after she reaches her $250 goal.

Author Barbara Bretton is giving away two skeins of Elann Peruvian Baby Lace Merino in Irish Moss if you send her an email before the the evening of June 3 (aka today, so hurry up).

Author Jeaniene Frost is giving away four copies of the The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance, which is a great collection! Send her an email (info’s in the post) before 11:59 pm EDT, June 4, for your chance to win. (If I didn’t already own this book, I’d be all over this contest myself.)

Jen’s friend is about to go through her fifth birth, but first cesarean – leave some cheering comments for Jen’s friend (and vote in the baby name poll) for your chance to win a gorgeous skein of Yarn Pirate sock yarn.

For your chance to win a copy of the superhero novel Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge (reviewed below), stop by and comment at Deadline Dames.

Leave a comment at Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ Giveaways by June 12 for your chance to win one of several short story collections. These aren’t paranormals, for those who worry about such things. 😉

If you’d like to win a copy of the Blood Ties dvds (based on Tanya Huff’s Books of Blood series), you’ll need to do a tiny bit of research and send an email by June 15.

For your chance to win an advance reading copy of the young adult book Ghost Huntress (Book 1: The Awakening), leave a comment at J. Kaye’s Book Blog before June 27. Remember, winners will not be notified – you’ll have to keep an eye on that blog to see if you’ve won. Another contest of interest over at J. Kaye’s includes one for the audio cds of The Bourne Deception. (And thanks to J. Kaye for including me in the new book blog discovery post last week!)

Largehearted Boy’s giving away an eight-volume Buddha graphic novel series – leave a comment before midnight CDT, June 5, for your chance to win.

If you’d like the chance to win a signed copy of the new collection Tails of Love, which is a charity anthology to benefit needy animals and which features stories where animals play a key role in romance, leave a comment at Anna’s Book Blog before June 11.

The Suvudu free reads (all scifi or fantasy) for June have been posted. Smart Bitches have some links to romance ebook deals/promotions.

Head over to SciFiGuy.ca to see what urban fantasy, fantasy, paranormal, and scifi books are coming out the month.

Sydney found a new to me book holder.

Looks like BeBook’s going to have a wireless ebook reader available for sale by the end of this month (for $199).

Apparently Google’s planning to sell ebooks by the end of this year.

Woot! I won a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies over at Historic Fibers for my zombie haiku (#2 in this post). Thanks, Julia!

Reading Update
True Confessions (set in Idaho), See Jane Score (not set in Idaho!), Truly Madly Yours (set in Idaho), Daisy’s Back in Town (not set in Idaho), and It Must Be Love (set in Idaho) by Rachel Gibson. One more to go and I will have read all of Gibson’s books in a shockingly short time. Important Note: If you find yourself in a Rachel Gibson romance, please be aware that condoms always seem to break and prepare yourself accordingly.
Night and Day (Jesse Stone) by Robert B. Parker. Finally! I swear, if a critical bit of series progression hadn’t happened in this one, I wouldn’t ever pick up another book in this series. I barely nerved myself up to read this one.
Traveling Light by Diana Rubino. ebook. This was a time travel romance that takes place briefly in the present, but primarily in fifteenth-century England. Review posted at Fang-tastic Books.
Satisfaction Guaranteed by Lucy Monroe. Scorching hot and very good contemporary romance about people working for a super secret antiterrorism agency. Very scorching. Very hot.
Ready and Willing by Lucy Monroe. More scorchers from Monroe. Can you guess what the name is of the next book in the series? 😉
Come Up and See Me Sometime by Lucy Monroe. This was written a few years earlier than the other books of hers I’ve read. Let’s just say her writing has improved a great deal in the past several years. In fact, I spent so much time rolling my eyes while I read this one, I think I strained something.
Demon Can’t Help It by Kathy Love. Favorite line: “Oddly, I find it reassuring you haven’t put anyone’s soul in a house pet before.” (The guy on the cover of this totally creeps me out for some reason.)
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang: A Dark Ones Novel by Katie MacAlister. Noticed a doozie of a typo on the “Also By” page – MacAlister’s book Zen and the Art of Vampires got turned into Zen and the Art of Dragons. Whoops. This book continues the story of Pia and Kristoff that began in Zen and the… and ended on a cliffhanger in that book. This book is still a bit all over the place, plus I spent way too much time wanting to slap Pia, Kristoff, and plenty of other characters. However, at least this one didn’t end on a cliffhanger – just with an open question or two. (Oh, and I have no idea what the cover art has to do with the book!)
Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. Please note that I received this as a review copy/prize, so you’ll get a slightly longer reviewette than usual.

We have lots of metaphors related to white and black, good and evil. The line between good and evil is supposedly black and white. Good guys wear white hats and bad guys wear black hats. Good is light, bad is darkness. Black and White plays with those crisp delineations, showing us that things are never that clear, even when superheroes (or “extrahumans” as they’re called in 2112) are involved.

Black and White is told alternately from the perspective of two extrahumans, Jet and Iridium. The narrative weaves back and forth between the story’s present and five to ten years in the past, when Jet and Iridium were roommates at the Academy. Jet’s a Shadow power, yet completely focused on following the rules and being a model hero. Iridium, a Light power, is much more independent and much less interested in rules. Both had fathers who were considered insane or “rabid”, leading many to expect similar behavior from Jet and Iridium.

What starts out as a seemingly simple comic bookesque tale of good versus evil slowly develops into an involving tale about shades of grey, friendship, and betrayal. (In fact, in some respects, it reminded me of Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman, which I also thoroughly enjoyed.)

Hmm. Mayhem seems to be having trouble selecting a book, as she stands on what are apparently her discards and contemplates The S3x Lives of Cannibals.

“What to read, what to read… Mom, what are cannibals? What is s3x? Are there any black kitties in this book? I’m sure it’s not worth reading if there aren’t black kitties in it.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Reading our lives away

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For your chance to win a set of six classic short story collections from authors such as Willa Cather, Leo Tolstoy, and Herman Melville), leave a comment at Largehearted Boy by midnight CDT, May 29.

If you’d like a chance to win an audiobook copy of James Patterson’s The 8th Confession, leave a comment at J. Kaye’s Book Blog before June 27. Please remember that J. Kaye doesn’t notify winners – you need to keep an eye on the blog to see if you’ve won.

Free download of The Guide to Pirate Parenting!

Smart Bitches had some great links recently, including to free audiobooks.

I definitely don’t write as much as I used to (since I seem to type most things now), but when I do handwrite something, it doesn’t take long for my hand to hurt. Maybe my grip is part of the problem.

Use six books (that you don’t like) to make invisible speakers.

How to make your very own book pillow to help you read in comfort.

Dear Author’s weekly tech roundup has some good stuff this week, including info on colorful new ebook readers and an ebook price comparison website (I’m definitely bookmarking that one!).

I thought these seven organization tips to help you reduce your TBR (to be read) pile were great in theory, but… I know I won’t do any of them. 🙂

If you’re trying to read more, maybe these 16 ideas will help – I know that not watching tv and speed reading probably help me the most. Missing from that list was making sure you always have something to read with you so you can take advantage of unexpected free time (such as when waiting in lines).

A look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Kindle 2.0 from an avid user after 100 days of use. Also, Kindle owners can now view their notes and highlights in a web browser and not just on their Kindles.

Reading Update
Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James. This was a great contemporary romance about a Chicago lawyer who’s in LA to work on a big case when she gets stuck providing legal insight to a handsome movie star who’s researching his role in a legal thriller.
Undone (Outcast Season, Book 1) by Rachel Caine. This is a spin-off from Caine’s Weather Warden series. It features Cassiel, a fallen Djinn. Lots and lots and lots of open questions at the end of this one. *sigh*
The Immortal Hunter: A Rogue Hunter Novel (Argeneau Vampires) by Lynsay Sands. Ack. More of the lots and lots of open questions thing here. Hmph.
Dead Girls Are Easy, A Match Made in Hell, and You’re the One that I Haunt (Nicki Styx, Books 1-3) by Terri Garey. Nicki was dead for a few minutes in the ER and when she came back, she could see ghosts. Ghosts who want her to do things for them, ranging from the innocuous to the deadly. Overall, I enjoyed these, although there was a story arc that I found annoying and which I really hope was completed in the third book.
Witch Fire (Elemental Witches, Book 1) by Anya Bast. This book starts in Minneapolis! I’m always a sucker for that. I thought this was a good completely vampire and werewolf free read (also very steamy) – the next two books are already on my TBR shelf and I’m planning to pick up the latest book on June 6 at Uncle Hugo’s, when Ms. Bast will be there signing it.

“Wait, why did I think I missed you again? Obviously I forgot about the infernal flashing.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link

Linkity blowout

30 Comments

Leave Kristi a comment by midnight EST, May 31, for your chance to win a pdf of one of her cute kids sweater patterns.

Clever DIY idea for making a light box in a suitecase.

Like to build things from cardboard? This article has links to ten things you can make from cardboard, from a kitty chaise to a laptop stand to a starter macro photography kit.

Whoa. Good question.

Although the Gizmodo article’s a bit snarky, check out the pet photography tips from Li of Fat Orange Cat Studios. Yes, she does also blog at domesticrafts.

Oh my – a USB drive that transforms into a panther!

More IKEA hacks for hiding litterboxes.

Make your own deluxe kitty windowsill perch.

Hmm. Who does this print remind me of?

Doesn’t this look tasty? Gluten-free chocolate rootbeer cake. *nom nom nom*

You’re at the theater, watching a movie and you desperately have to pee but don’t want to miss anything. This website will help you figure out the best time to take your break.

Rest easy, citizens of Boston – your police department promises to alert you when the zombies attack.

I had no idea LEGO was making an Architecture line – check out the Fallingwater kit!

Feline Strategy #2 for Dealing with Unexcused Human Absence:

“Oh, did you go somewhere? I didn’t notice.” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link

LinKitty

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Wendy’s giving away some of the new Lorna’s Laces WendyKnits Sunrise sock yarn – leave her a comment by 4 pm EDT, May 21, for your chance to win.

Head over to moderncat before May 17 for your chance to win a year’s supply of the World’s Best Cat Litter. You can leave a comment on this post if you’d like the chance to win a kitty catnip boomerang, too.

Confused about sunscreen SPF? You’re not alone.

An interesting option for those holey old handknit socks that you can’t bear to throw away.

Heh – ya think?!

Yet another option for a homemade laptop stand – this time from cardboard.

*tilts head quizzically*

Thanks to Karen for alerting me to this photo of an adorable black jaguar kitten! Look at those clodhoppers, eh?

Whoa. This is my household! Can you figure out who’s who? 😉 (Today’s kitty photo caption won’t make sense unless you follow this link.)

“I hope you recognize that I’m not the silly one. I’m the thoughtful one!” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Go forth and write zombie haiku

30 Comments

You may or may not ever have noticed, but I’m not much for the zombie books. However, that didn’t stop me from writing a zombie haiku when Margene pointed me to this contest. Head on over to Historic Fibers if you’d like to win a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or if you simply like a good haiku challenge. Contest closes midnight PDT, May 15.

Speaking of Margene, stop by and welcome her to the world of gluten-free knitters. She has good friends and family like I have good friends and family, so I know she’ll be fine and do well!

Limedragon pointed out that Handknit Heroes is having a mask design contest, which closes July 15. You could win $150 and have your patten published in the Fall 2009 issue of Handknit Heroes.

And speaking of Handknit Heroes and Limedragon, our very own dragon had a pattern published in the latest issue of Handknit Heroes! To celebrate, she’s giving away some copies of the comic to a few lucky commenters who leave comments before midnight CDT, May 14.

For you fans of young adult books, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist is giving away three copies of Tad Williams and Deborah Beale’s The Dragons of Ordinary Farm.

It can be painful, but many of us have had to do it – break up with a formerly beloved series of books. (The bit about why post author Sarah broke up with the Anita Blake series? Too funny – and too true. I also enjoyed reading the comments on this post.)

Have you heard about the controversy surrounding Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s new book, The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide? Do read a bit about the concerns before you buy the book!

I love the idea of invisible floating bookshelves, but I’ll never do it.

Sony might be releasing a larger ebook reader to compete with the Kindle DX by the end of this year.

FiledBy is a new site that allows authors and readers to connect. I haven’t had a chance to look at it, so I can’t say anything else about it!

Reading Update
Burning Alive: The Sentinel Wars by Shannon K. Butcher. This was a strong start to a new paranormal romance series about the Sentinels, who are guarding humans from demons. (If that name “Butcher” seems familiar, it should.)
Forbidden Nights with a Vampire (Love at Stake, Book 7) by Kerrelyn Sparks. Yup, I just read book 6 a week or so ago! Again, this continues to be a well done, not too heavy paranormal series.
Over My Dead Body (Broken Heart, Oklahoma) by Michele Bardsley. The latest book in this paranormal series about the unusual residents of Broken Heart, Oklahoma, is a decent read. This is another not too heavy paranormal series.
Edge of Danger (Primal Instinct #2) by Rhyannon Byrd. This was as intense a paranormal as the first book in the series, Edge of Hunger. Although these characters were pretty angsty, too, I didn’t get overwhelmed with annoyance by their intermittent TSTL behavior.
One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 2) by Jeaniene Frost. The second book in the Night Huntress series is as well-written and involving as the first. Crispin (aka “Bones”) may be my new vampire crush.
Smart Mouth by Erin McCarthy. Contemporary romance about an FBI agent and a reporter. Very, very steamy. *fans self*
Crap. No abs. Um… Here’s a link to a book I know nothing about, included simply because it has abs on the cover and I suspect (but can’t verify) that said abs belong to NK.
Getting What You Want and Wanting What You Get (The Stepp Sisters, Books 1-2) by Kathy Love. Extremely involving and well-done contemporary romance about the Stepp sisters of Milbrook, Maine. Um, I may have cried a bit near the end of the second book.
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). Another solid Eve Dallas and Roarke mystery.
Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof (Dixie Hemingway) by Blaize Clement. Hmph. I’m cranky about being left hanging by the ending. You know how that annoys me.

“I will vaporize you if you don’t stop looking at those books and feed me right now.” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which I manage to include abs and will hopefully escape with my life

22 Comments

Trek’s having a contest to guess how many quarters are in the tea tin. Contest ends when the tin is full; I think the prize will be cool bag and some other goodies.

Here’s hoping the comments work today. Having the comments shut off randomly seems to be about as predictible as the WYSIWYG editor not working. Thank you, WordPress/Firefox 3.0. Only not so much.

The big ebook news of the week is Amazon’s Kindle DX, which has a larger screen and native pdf support. However, it also has a nearly $500 price tag and looks to be as fragile as the Kindle 2. According to Smart Bitches, it’s already picked up the Twitter tag of #dud. Gizmodo has had some good information on the Kindle DX that’s worth checking out, too. (And did you know that 20% of Kindle owners are over 40?)

BookArmy is another book recommendation/social site. I’m sticking with LibraryThing. 🙂

Did Twilight create the new YA genre of abstinence p0rn?

Thanks to Naomi for this link about art made from old book covers.

SciFiGuy has a list of all the May releases for urban fantasy, paranormal romance, fantasy, and scifi.

Check out the Suvudu free ebooks for May, which include a paranormal title (Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian), scifi (Weapons of Choice by John Birmingham), and fantasy (Elric: Stealer of Souls by Michael Moorcock).

You can pick up the first book in the Jaz Parker vampire series by Jennifer Rardin (Once Bitten, Twice Shy) as an ebook for $1.00 (or so, depending on the format) this month.

This is so perfectly Chaos!

Crap. No abs in this post, either. I might have a rebellion on my hands. (Don’t believe me?! Go read the comments from my last reading update and get back to me.) *sounds of rummaging through shelves* Whew! NK to the rescue with a book I won recently. (Strangely, I’ve won all four books of this series, although I haven’t read any of them yet.)

Reading Update
Secret Life of a Vampire (Love at Stake, Book 6) by Kerrelyn Sparks. This continues to be a nice, not too heavy paranormal series.
Midnight Cravings (Silhouette Bites) by Michele Hauf, Karen Whiddon, Lori Devoti, Anna Leonard, Vivi Anna, and Bonnie Vanak. Six stories about creatures of the night (mostly, but not entirely, werewolves). I enjoyed all the stories, but wasn’t that excited about finishing the one by Vanak.
Tempting Adam (Seattle Steam #2) by Shelli Stevens. ebook. I won this non-paranormal romance in a contest and discovered it was an engaging and, well, steamy read. 😉 I’ll definitely read more by Shelli Stevens.
Arousing Suspicions by Marianne Stillings. A fun contemporary romance about a San Francisco dream interpreter and an SFPD detective. This is the first of Stillings’ Darling Detectives trilogy (next is Satisfaction and then Killer Charms). I read these totally out of order. Whoops.
Animal Instincts by Gena Showalter. Another fun contemporary romance about a woman with a few trust issues who’s been reading a self-help book on freeing her inner tigress. (Nope, it’s not a paranormal, either.)
Seduced by the Night, Tempted in the Night, and Lord of the Night (Night Slayer, Books 2-4) by Robin T. Popp. Waaaaah! I got totally sucked into this series, but I see that the most recent book, Lord of the Night, was published in 2007. It doesn’t look good for more books, does it?
Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 by Paige Taylor. ebook. Nicely done (and steamy) paranormal romance – you can read a longer review at Fang-tastic Books, where I’ll periodically be reviewing paranormal ebooks.
Seducing the Darkness (Darkness Series, Book 1) by Shiela Stewart. ebook. This should show up on Fang-tastic Books sometime in the near future, too. Another vampirey ebook, this is the first in Stewart’s Darkness series. I hope the choppiness and other editing issues are smoothed out as the series progresses, because I thought the premise was intriguing.
Wishful Thinking: The Swann Sisters Chronicles, Book 1 by Evangeline Anderson. ebook. What a fun book about having a fairy godmother! (Hint: it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.) Recommended. You can read a more lengthy review on LibraryThing.
Men of Alaska: Animal Attraction by Paige Tyler. Very steamy and well-done paranormal about a reporter who travels to Alaska and meets a very special guy…

“What if the hokey pokey really is what it’s all about?” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link

The reason you can’t leave anything unattended around here

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Comments are now on! Thanks for the heads up.

Go read Mary Lou’s sad story of a stolen handknit baby blanket and share your knitting/yarn-related sob story with her for a chance to win three skeins of deep olive green Misti Alpaca Chunky.

Amy’s having a contest to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the release of her book Minnesota: Land of 10,000 Lakes. Leave a comment before midnight CDT, May 10, for your chance to win a signed copy of Amy’s book and some Minnesota goodies.

Win a (discontinued) gluten-free angel food cake mix from Gluten Free Food Reviews. Leave a comment by 11:59 pm, May 9, for your chance to win.

Don’t forget that you have until May 23 to donate to help send the Olympia Choral Group to Carnegie Hall. Donations are tax deductible and for every $10 you donate, you’ll get an additional entry in Teyani’s contest for your chance to win some pretty amazing prizes.

Frank at Chromewaves is giving away a pair of tickets to the 10,000 Lakes Festival, which takes place in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, from July 22-25. (Let us ponder on a guy in Toronto giving away tickets to a music festival in northern Minnesota…) Anyway, you have until June 23 to send him an email if you’re interested in winning the tickets. Musical guests at the festival include Wilco, Gomez, the Dave Matthews Band, and more.

Have you seen Domesticat’s Sundara Yarn Print cards? Lovely.

Lifehacker has ten tips to help you get more battery life from your gadgets.

If that origami business card earbud winder didn’t work out for you, maybe this one will.

Online social life getting a little hard to keep track of? Here are some suggestions for regaining control.

Yes, there is a science of concentration and understanding it can help you be more productive.

Do you know if your cats are right- or left-pawed? *must go stare at cats to study this and freak them out*

Truth.

“Mmmmm… yarn label…” -Mayhem

“Thank you for that tasty yarn label, Jeanne. Now, I’ll need to sample the yarn to see if it lives up to the label…” -Mayhem