Congrats to Sidney, who won Chasing Alex by Em Woods and A Special Christmas by J.P. Bowie! Both books will be released by Total-E-Bound on December 13 as part of the Yule Be Mine collection.
Congrats to Monica, who won Trusted Bond (Change of Heart, Book 2) by Mary Calmes! Trusted Bond is now available from Dreamspinner Press.
Congrats to Mellanie, who won Red Lights and Silver Bells (EMS Heat, Book 6) by Stephani Hecht!
Here’s hoping I catch up on Google Reader and commenting soonishly…
Contests
- Morning Glow’s giving away a $40 CSN gift card. Comment by 11:59 pm, December 11, for your chance to win.
- Amora’s giving away an ebook of Brita Addam’s paranormal m/m romance, Love Immortal. Comment by midnight PST, December 11, for your chance to win. (And make sure you answer her question in your comment!)
- Blodeuedd’s giving away two copies of Grace Burrows’s historical romance, The Heir. Leave a comment by December 12 for your chance to win. US & Canada only. Make sure you read what your comment should contain!
- Fiction Vixen’s giving away five copies of Lila DiPasqua’s historical romance collection, The Princess in His Bed (Fiery Tales #2), plus an autographed Cinderella’s slipper ornament. Comment by midnight, December 13. US & Canada only. Katiebabs is running the same contest, so you can increase your chance of winning by answering her question in the comments at her blog.
- Amora’s giving away an ebook of Alexandr Voinov and Raev Gray’s historical m/m, Test of Faith. Contest closes midnight PST, December 17.
Bookity
- New releases and more: Lily (m/m romance), Literary Escapism (UF/PNR forthcoming releases, news/contests/author appearances, December newsletter), and AAR (January romances).
- Elisa posted the results of the Rainbow Awards.
- Don’t miss the Monday Morning Stepback from ReadReactReview.
- Paperback Writer presents the holiday edition of ten things that writers say (and what they really mean).
- Go vote in the Bad Sex in Romance poll at Smart Bitches!
Ebookity
- The New York Times had an article about romance and ebooks (Thanks, Mary Lou!), which inspired a very thoughtful and thought-provoking reaction piece from Jessica at ReadReactReview.
- Dear Author tutorials on adding a plugin to Calibre and reading Adobe encrypted epub and pdf books.
- Gizmodo on what you need to know to buy an ebook reader.
- Ava March has the story behind the story of Stephani Hecht’s Mad Blood.
- A somewhat humorous look at how to predict what Amazon will announce next.
Do, Learn, Think, Make
- Ten strange facts about dreams. (Thanks, Jase!)
- If you buy glass bakeware, make sure you read its handling instructions – Pyrex now it not the Pyrex you remember from years past.
- Neil Gaiman provides some insight into snowbirds. With Sunday’s high predicted to be -1F/-18.3C and the low to be -18F/-27.8C… I definitely understand the urge to head south.
- A scientist came up with a mouse that has two dads and no mom!
- Researchers think they can actually make Dr. Who’s sonic screwdriver.
- Oriental hornets have solar panels built into their bodies, no human intervention involved.
- Wouldn’t your office by more pleasant if your chair folded down into a bed?
Gift Ideas
- LoveRomancePassion has 33 gift ideas for readers.
- Knitty found some knitting-themed calendars your knitter might enjoy.
- Some more gift ideas for knitter/sewers/crocheters.
- Top ten DIY tech gift ideas from Lifehackers.
- Brightly colored fabric produce bags would be great gifts for those trying to reduce their reliance on plastic bags.
- Does your kitty need a skyscraper scratching post? (Thanks, Stephani!)
- Gizmodo gift guides for the “goofy romantic“, the “elegant imbiber“, and dogs and their people.
Holiday
- If you’re willing to spray paint your action figures, you could make them into a nifty wreath.
- Melted snowmen cookies are pretty cool.
- The top ten most counterfeited products this holiday season.
Cool
Eeek!
- I can’t believe these people let their kitties on that scary balcony. (Thanks, Jeanne!)
Huh
- An MRI taken during birth – no wonder the little guy’s eyes are so wide! O.O
- Dancing cat and dog speakers… (Thanks, Jase!)
- Completely and utterly NSFW Christmas present fails. (Thanks, Jase!)
- Watch first-run movies at home for $20,000… This company thinks it’s going to make money?!
- I haven’t tried this, but feel free to listen to all of Billy Joel’s hits played simultaneously.
- Pretty sure I’d kill myself trying to use the exercise office chair.
LOL
- Star Wars, Dr. Seuss style. (Thanks, Stephani!)
- Dave catches up on a year of missed AWWs (Ass Watch Wednesdays).
- Teddy bear zombies! (Totally not safe for small children.)
- Squirrel!Neo and the Corn Pops War!
- FAIL charts, by age. (Thanks, Jase!)
- Why do you turn on the tv? (Thanks, Jase!)
- xkcd on weather radar. Make sure you hover your mouse over the comic for additional text.
- I wouldn’t have believed that an ink cartridge description could be funny.
- Are you sure you want to replace that fuse in the basement?!
Teh Cute
- Bronwyn Green’s very cute and very naughty kitties playing in her Christmas tree.
- Kitties and babies/toddlers. My sympathies are with the poor kitties! (Thanks, Jase!)
- Kitty hugging a teddy bear. Awwww! (Thanks, Jase!) (Plus bonus kitty hugging teddy bear!)
- Red pandas! Lamb playing soccer! Kitten! Baby hippo! Lamb! Kittens! Purple seahorse! Puma! Bunnies on a kitty! Fennec! Dog nursing abandoned tiger cubs! Another tiger and dog! Baby red panda! Cygnets! Baby fennec! Lots of lions! Black kitty!
Reading Update
Rescue Me by Scarlet Blackwell. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about a rich, angry, nasty homophobic guy who nearly dies in a car crash. When he’s eventually able to go home, he needs home nursing care and finds himself uncomfortably attracted to his male nurse. I’ll warn you that I suspect some people are probably going to hate this as much as I loved it – there’s a lot of angst, a lot of being stuck and not making any progress, a lot of lashing out at others because of how he feels about himself. And it all manages to feel more real to me than a lot of GFY tends to.
Foxe Tail (Skyler Fox Mysteries, Book 1) by Haley Walsh. ebook. Good m/m mystery about a young high school English teacher who stumbles across a dead body in the alley outside of a club. Be aware that this is first book in a trilogy and lots of things are left open at the end.
War Games by Kim Dare. free ebook short. Good kinky free short m/m romance about a geek with a crush on the forceful security guard at work. When they’re out doing a war games team building exercise, things get interesting.
Mistletoe & Submission by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky holiday m/m romance about a guy who joined a bdsm club as a dom, but finds that his feelings for his extremely dominant friend confuse the issue for him. But since his friend seems to think so poorly of all submissives, it’s a moot point, right?
Eight Nights by Keira Andrews. ebook. Very good holiday m/m romance about a college student who ends up spending Hanukkah with his annoying dorm mate’s family after said dorm mate’s mother realized he didn’t have anywhere else to go for the holidays. How is it that his dorm mate’s brother isn’t annoying at all?
Daybreak (Eight Nights, Book 2) by Keira Andrews. ebook. Very good holiday m/m romance about the college student and the dorm mate’s brother, starting seven or eight months after the first book. A lot more angst in this one – I even got a little sniffly.
All I Want for Christmas by Linda Reilly. ebook short. Ok short parnormal m/m holiday romance about a med student, in denial about being gay, who’s visiting friends in New York City for the holidays. The paranormal aspect of the story took my completely by surprise, but I guess it makes the insta-love more acceptable…
Ice Around the Edges by Mary Calmes. ebook short. Good short holiday m/m romance about a guy who’s in the hospital recuperating from being shot and is very surprised when the ex who dumped him out of the blue ten years ago shows up at his bedside.
Better with Sprinkles by Chrissy Munder. ebook short. Advent Calendar. Good short m/m holiday romance about a biochemistry major in study panic whose roommate finagles him into baking 20 dozen cookies for a charity event. Includes family sugar cookie recipe at the end! 🙂
Mariah the Christmas Moose by Andrew Grey. ebook short. Cute short m/m holiday story about a teacher, newly arrived in Alaska, who calls the police about a monster (er, moose) in his back yard and meets a very interesting police officer as a result.
All Snug by B.G. Thomas. ebook short. Good short m/m holiday romance about two guys who both show up at an antique store, trying to buy the same bed for their boyfriends. They come up with a multipart contest to see who should be able to buy the bed. It was, unfortunately, completely predictable.
GI Joe Holiday by Amberly Smith. ebook. Good m/m holiday romance about a guy in Navy SEAL training who gets picked to pose for a statue that will be displayed on a military base. Because of DADT, he can’t let on that he’s gay, but he finds himself very attracted to the sculptor. This had a strange, sort of paranormal twist to it that really took me by surprise.
The Hanukkah Surprise by Rebecca Lynne Fullan. ebook short. Good short m/m holiday romance about a couple, one of whom hates Hanukkah and the other of whom hates surprises, heading off on a Hanukkah surprise.
By the Chimney with Dare by Leigh Ellwood. ebook short. Ok short m/m holiday romance about a limousine driver who chauffeurs a very sexy Santa to a party…
Fun with Dick by G.A. Hauser. free ebook short. Meh short m/m holiday story about an established couple getting busy with the assistance of whipped cream, hot fudge, and more.
“I will never surrender, big kitty!!” -Mayhem
I wonder what your kitties dream about… I’m not sure I’d want mine to be recorded, they are often too much, you know?
A recent post from lisa..At least I washed my balls
I woke up way too early this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I’m sure a nap is in my future. Till then I’ll visit some of your linkity. 🙂
A recent post from wren..Crazy Antics- continued
I, too, have an office holiday party tonight! And I am still reading faithfully, even though not commenting as often. Just finished up my semester.
A recent post from Melanie..Puss
Lifehacker clearly has not researched the agency model with respect to ebook pricing on new releases…
That video of the lioness, her cubs and the caretaker has to be the sweetest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
OK. That “Naughty or Nice” book cover? Really?
A recent post from Brigitte..Always Learning Something New
My kitties one goal this month is to destroy my Christmas tree.
A recent post from katiebabs/KT Grant..Holiday Giveaway! A Princess in Your Bed and Cinderella Slipper Ornament
I read the NYT article and the corresponding piece at ReadReactReview and feel like one big thing was missing from the equation. The only genre that is really embracing ebooks is the romance genre. If I could buy the latest book by YA author Tamora Pierce for the same as a paper back and then buy the entire back list at a bit of a discount I would have done so. I read my hardcovers of her books all the time and will eventually buy them for the ereader (because I get tired carrying 1-2 400+ page books around), but if they embraced the new technology I would have shelled out the 50+ bucks now for all of the books.
A recent post from Seanna Lea..waiting delivery
Especially excellent linkety today! Sign me up for a sonic screwdriver, please. I’m not in danger of becoming a snowbird anytime soon — love the woolly sweaters far too much for that.
I about had a heart attack when I saw that at least on person in the UK calls their penis “Morning Glory”… that’s too close for comfort!
Amazing group of links today Chris, I enjoyed everything I’ve seen so far. Can’t wait to view more when I get off work.
I second Jodi’s statement – sign me up for a sonic screwdriver!
A recent post from Morning Glow..Interview with author HP Mallory – And Giveaway!
linkety, linkety, lalala!
I am not pleased to learn that Pyrex is no longer borosilicate in the US.
And, yeah, that shirt pocket…not so useful.
Also, despite what CommentLuv says, I actually have a new blog post for today! Hmph.
Don’t let him pin you May. You can do it! Go grrl!!
I spent too much time looking at the links and now I have no time to comment.
A recent post from margene..Sage Advice
I made the linkity list! Yahoo!
The Princess Bride is one of my all-time favorite movies.
Loved the teddy bear zombies.
How come in romance books they always have sex dreams about some hot guy they ran into, but I never do? Why is that? It’s not fair. And I want that sleepytime chair for my office.
Those melted snowmen were cute.
Not sure I liked some of those food dresses and I’ll pass on the fudge. Ewwwww.
The exercise chair is definitely dangerous.
A recent post from Tam..Im home and a reading update
YAY linkity!!!
I would love to see recordings of my dreams – they’re typically total freakshows, and would probably only be interesting to me, but still – how cool!
I would gravely injure myself…and others with that exercise office chair!
Awwww – you put a link up to my naughty girls! Thanks! 😀
Chris- I would think that Billy Joel can only be improved by playing it all simultaneously.
Just sayin’.
A recent post from Lorraine..Is it 2011 yet
Sigh. How did I hit enter? I wasn’t finished.
I adore Squirrel!Neo.
Ha! That is exactly why I turn on the TV.
I think the first book is a pass for me. I will have to check out those Keira Andrews books some day and the mystery one sounds interesting. Although I’m trying to keep up with what I have. Too busy. I hate being busy. 🙂
Have a great weekend.
A recent post from Tam..Im home and a reading update
Arghh so wanna see that light saber fight but can’t, hate when it says not in your country 🙁
A recent post from blodeuedd..Review- Beneath the Thirteen Moons – Kathryne Kennedy
I wonder…if they could take that bed office chair & retro fit it with the exercise gear. THAT would be awesome!
I think I could use a chair bed at work today. It seems not many people are going to be in the office… they’re all out on vacation or doing stuff around the plant instead of at their desks.
And I’m not surprised to see that Farmville was supposed to make you anxious. It worked on me — which is why I quit.
Is it just me, or was it rather sad to read the end of the Squirrel!Terror saga?
A recent post from Nicole..Why My Wednesday Blog Posts are Boring in December
Forgot to ask… you HAVE seen the Cake Wrecks post on Star Wars, right? Hysterical.
A recent post from Nicole..Why My Wednesday Blog Posts are Boring in December
OMG, I’m like a kid at the buffet! So much linkity, and no time to properly peruse it. I’m going to come back later. I did have to marvel at the photo of the kitty on the balcony! I mean, eek!
A recent post from Val Kovalin..New Blog Dedicated to Gay Romance Short Stories
OMG that fudge is G R O S S!!! Who the hell would eat that? LOL
Considering you have had another wild week and are limping along this is an amazing post.
The solar powered hornets? Yikes And, the MRI of a birth? WHY? LOL
Mayhem – fight girl, fight!!
I hope you are well Chris, I don’t know about you but I’m darn glad it’s the weekend!..
A recent post from Lea..Review- What She Wants & What She Craves- by Anne Rainey
Interesting facts on dreams.
Love Calibre but not sure I want to get into plug-ins.
Hmmm, could it be Farmville that’s stressing me out so?
Office bed chair. A must have!
The baby MRI pic is truly disturbing. 0_0
I’ll take one of the Christmas Elf suits (elf most definitely included)
LOL, that’s a huge pocket.
Cute snowmen, eh? on the dresses and yuk on the fudge.
I loved the Dawn of the Teddy video.
I’ve read a few of those, agree with your thoughts, and have a few on my wish list.
Whew!!!!! Great linkity post once again. Thanks for the mention! 🙂
A recent post from Lily..New this week
I saw the link for Crochet a Bacon Scarf, and I immediately thought of a scarf crocheted out of actual bacon. Yeah, ewww! I clicked on the link and had one of those ‘ooh, I get it now’ moments. LOL.
A recent post from Ava March..Glad its the Weekend & Blog Happenings
Still browsing the links as I watch the snow keep snowing. Want that chair!
I now have a need to see The Princess Bride again!
Fabulous linkity, as usual. 🙂
I do not like the pic of the kitty on the balcony. When I see that picture, I can’t help but think that the kitty eventually went splat. Cat-the-Second is the clumsiest kitty on the planet. I know she would be a goner if she were allowed on a balcony like that.
That office chair/bed looks like it would be easy to tip over.
A recent post from Eyre..Really Love & The Winter Months Are Hard
Oh good links this week. I love the wreath with the action figures – too funny.
And yum on the GF recipes. :)’
The Keira Andrews books look good. I’ll have to look into those. 🙂 (Among others of course. lol)
A recent post from Tracy..Saturday Song
You’ve read a good deal of seasonal stories. 🙂 I see some very appealling ones and I agree on those I already read.
You made me curious for the first book, will I hate it or love it? I guess I have to know now.
A recent post from Janna Erotromreader..Nice or Naughty Weekend- part 2
Oh I like those melted snowmen cookies.
LOL, I think I’ve got to have a dancing cat speaker.
That’s me in the big part of the pie for “Why I turn on the TV”.
I’m pretty sure I need a chair that folds out into a bed at the office. 😉
A recent post from Sydney..Post Halloween Wrap-Up
Ohhh never surrender! NEVER!!!
Linky link link… Hop skip and jump….
And tomorrow is Monday and Friday is right around the corner again…..
A recent post from Cecile..Review- Talk Dirty To Me by Inez Kelley & Ginny Glass The Blackravens Review
Linkity is so much fun! You haven’t posted anything today yet, though. I hope you aren’t buried under a huge pile of snow!
A recent post from Marsha..The Northern Lights
Another great line up! Thanks!
A recent post from Kristi aka FiberFool..10 on Tuesday- The To-Do List Edition
Red pandas are so cute 🙂 Do you think I should make pao a bacon scarf?
Sonic screwdrivers? Really geeking out now…
Am scared / excited about the possibility of recording dreams. I wonder how they know that all animals dream. Do they mean all mammals or maybe birds or fish dream. It’d be cool to see what they see.
A recent post from Karen B…Gifted!