Congrats to Jen B and Beth, who each won a copy of Bulletproof (A Matter of Time #3 or #5, depending) by Mary Calmes! Bulletproof will be released September 26 by Dreamspinner Press.
Contests
- Blodeuedd’s giving away several different ebooks: the Entangled anthology, To Seduce an Earl by Lori Brighton, and Galaxy Girls by Edie Ramer. Contest closes October 3.
- Book Lovers Inc is giving away a copy of Chosen by Blood by Virna DePaul, plus an author swag package. Contest closes October 8.
Bookity
- New releases and more: Literary Escapism (UF/PNR), Renee’s Book Addiction (a bit of everything), Fiction Vixen (romance/UF/PNR), All About Romance, and Book Lovers Inc (a bit of everything).
- Rejected book titles. (Thanks, Stephani!)
Ebookity
- Dear Author on consumer confidence and “no-name” brand tablets… although Lenovo (featured in the post) is certainly not a “no-name” brand!
- The big ebook excitement of the week was that 11,000 libraries in the US will be lending Kindle ebooks.
- If your local library doesn’t have ebooks, check out this list of libraries that don’t require you to be a resident in order to borrow ebooks.
Think, Do, Make, Learn
- Remember the whole “Google is making us stupid” thing? Might not be true.
- If you’re going to visit someone on the East Coast soon, apparently you should bring them a pumpkin.
- Etiquette for working in a coffee shop (and not as a coffee shop employee).
Cookity
- Five pumpkin recipes – including pumpkin spice latte.
Crafty
Cool
- Have you watched Husbands, the Series yet? It’s a cute web TV series about two guys who wake up married after a drunken night out in Las Vegas. So far there are four episodes, from 1.5 minutes to 2.5 minutes long.
Cool or Wha…?
- Octopus coffee mug. (via The Mary Sue)
Wha…?
- Shats. (via The Mary Sue)
- *blink blink* Do you think those guys signed up to model… that stuff?!
- Seismologists and other experts are on trial in Italy for failing to warn people of a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in 2009… because earthquake prediction is such a precise science… Are the new Dark Ages upon us?!
LOL
- Labyrinth-esque family photo… (Thanks, Bron!)
- Cupcakes disguised as other food. (Thanks, Amy!)
- Cthulhu kitten! (Thanks, PD!)
- Gasp! A cat… using a cat bed.
Teh Cute
- Kittens! Pangolin! Kitten! Featherless penguin chick! Kitten! Fox and kit! Kitten! Baby wallaby! Kitten! Baby snow leopards! Kitten! Baby red pandas! Kitten! Baby ocelot! Tiger cubs! Arctic fox kit! Lion cub! Baby kiwis! Panda and baby! Crane and baby!
Reading Update
Full Circle by Kaje Harper. ebook short. Excellent, poignant short m/m story about a drunk who rescues a very sick and homeless young man from the street. While the story covers a lot more ground, you really need to just let this tale of redemption unfold for you. I did spend the last third of the book crying… and be aware that the ending, while not a conventional HEA, is hopeful.
Come Unto These Yellow Sands by Josh Lanyon. ebook. Excellent m/m romantic suspense about a professor and rehabilitated addict whose relationship with the town’s police chief is jeopardized by his helping one of his students leave town for a few days, then not coming clean about it when he learns the student is wanted for questioning.
Abercrombie Zombie by KZ Snow. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a pair of psychic mediums who are approached by a man claiming to be a zombie and to need their help finding the man responsible for his condition. Two important points: There is no zombie sex (whew!), but there is a cameo appearance by Wisconsin’s favorite wizard… 🙂
Aloes by Chris Quinton. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about an architect who wakes from a coma with synesthesia – he can taste truth and lies. As he begins to work on a major restoration for an intriguing new client, he starts to get threatening anonymous phone calls and mail. I enjoyed this, even though the suspense plot was easily figured out. However, the book ends quite abruptly, as if a sequel was planned – but there’s not a sequel at this point. 🙁
Fuzzy and 
Last Chance (First Impressions #2-3) by Josephine Myles. ebook shorts. Very good short m/m romances continuing the story of publishing assistant Steve and artist Jez that started in First Impressions. More crazy socks! And… knitting! 🙂
Clear Water by Amy Lane. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a guy with ADHD whose low self-esteem leads him to make some really bad choices. When the result of one of those choices leads to his near death and timely rescue by a field biologist, neither of them has any idea how much their lives are about to change.
Mixed Signals by Cooper West. ebook. Cute m/m romance about a handsome rescue copter pilot from money who meets (and is attracted to) a nerdy computer geek hanging out in a hair salon’s waiting area.
Training Cats by PD Singer. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a pharmacist who’s slowly realizing that his boyfriend is a jerk. (This is related to the On Call books.)
My Boyfriend Has a Scar by M. Raiya. ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a guy who returns to his home town ten years after he left because his father caught he and his boyfriend together and did not react well.
The Book of Wisdom (Change #2.5) by JM Cartwright. ebook short. Good short m/m romance set five years after A Change of Scenery, as Stephen’s protege is coming to stay with them after graduating from college and Con’s not pleased about it.
Of Russian Myth and Lore (Russian Bear #3.5) by CB Conwy. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about Mischa and Tom going to Canada to visit Mischa’s relatives.
Burning Bright by Rachel Wilder & A. Catherine Noon. ebook. Good kinky paranormal menage romance about an animal empath and veterinary surgeon who moves to Chicago to look for a job. When he’s rescued from Russian mobsters outside of a bdsm club by the club’s owner and bouncers, he finds himself strangely attracted to them… I would’ve rated this higher, but there was an extended bdsm scene in which the vet was flogged and had sex while lying on his stomach after his ribs had been broken only a few days before, but his ribs didn’t bother him at all…
Out of the Closet (Out of the Closet #1) by KevaD. ebook. Good short humorous m/m romance about a writer who decides to come out to the roommate he has a crush on, but things do not go at all as hoped.
Back in the Closet (Out of the Closet #2) by KevaD. ebook. Good short humorous m/m romance about a writer who has to go to Iowa and stay at his dead uncle’s farm in order to fulfill the terms of his uncle’s will. This read like the author was trying a little too hard to be clever.
Quick to the Hunt (Hawkins Ranch #7) by Cameron Dane. ebook. Pretty good m/m romance about a soldier returned from Afghanistan with severe PTSD and survivor’s guilt who deals with things by self-harming. My major problem with this one was the overblown, often lurid prose, which made nearly everything seem completely over the top and just… too much, all the time.
Sex on the Hoof (Protect and Serve #1) by Silvia Violet. ebook short. Ok paranormal short m/m romance about a deer shifter who works nights in the police crime lab and finally can’t resist the sexy vampire detective he’s been lusting after. The sex-to-story ratio is a bit skewed in this one…
A Small, Still Voice by DW Marchwell. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a teacher who left his job after being falsely accused of raping a student. Now, six years later, that time comes back to haunt him. The beginning of the book was hampered by awkwardly integrated flashback infodumping, while the end suddenly tried to morph into a mystery without much success.
When Love Is Not Enough by Wade Kelly. ebook. Uneven m/m romance that starts with the funeral of a twenty-two year old who committed suicide, then switches between flashbacks of his life, the nearly present, and the present, trying to explain how he reached the point of suicide. Oddly, this book contained what felt like a commercial – a section in which specific m/m books and authors were mentioned and one of the characters read an excerpt to another. After that, I was no longer on board with the story.
In the Wings by Michael St. Anthony. ebook. DNF. I set this aside for a month to see if I’d pick it up again, but all I felt was relief at not continuing to read it. I didn’t like the main character at all.
“I’ll get you for this, Mom. Don’t think I won’t…” -Chaos
Some good books this week for you! I haven’t read a Josh Lanyon in ages – his newer releases just haven’t appealed, but this one looks good.
I have Aloes on my TBR pile and I really must get the Any Lane book. I’ve heard lots of good things about it.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the broken ribs issue with Burning Bright and stopped reading before the end of the BDSM scene. My patience for these things seems to diminish book by book!
A recent post from Jenre..Review: Other Side of Night: Bastian and Riley
Oh, no! What is Chaos going to get you for?
Additionally, I am not in the northeast, but a pumpkin is always an acceptable gift for me.
One wonders why people do not disable autocorrect.
A recent post from trek..Now with more lids
*Looks at her beloved Kindle* I used to buy 15-20 books a year, after I got a Kindle I seem to buy about 100 new books (mostly novella/novel length with some shorts in the mix) but I don’t spend more money on buying 🙂
Also thanks for the review list, I’ve had my eyes on a couple of those that I wont buy now and a few that’ll get bumped to the top of my wish list 🙂
Ten tips for tackling your TBR pile from LoveRomancePassion – yeah…I read it and I’m just a lost cause! I’ve been on a book buying binge since ’08 and only have found my moderation function this year due to outside forces *sigh*
I’m already joking with my sis that I need a tomb when i die so i can have my bookshelves placed there. That way I can read in spirit 😉 You think I could buy Buckinham Palace as my tomb? 😀
I feel a reading spree coming on of Amy Lane’s books. I got Clear Water this week too, really am intrigued by the premise!
Have a great weekend, Chris. It’s only 12 days for me until I land in NOLA. You think they are prepared for us all? LOL
A recent post from Leontine..Review: Amy Lane – The Locker Room
Pretty soon you’re going to have enough covers with that water guzzling construction guy on them to do a Misadventure. May I suggest, “I have a drinking problem” as his name? He seems to be missing his mouth, just like that guy from the old Airplane! movies.
I want to go to a school with unicorns.
Where they’d teach use how to make rainbow granny parasols. And (hot) guys aren’t allowed to wear dumb clothes.
Thanks for a great linkity.
Now if only I could resist adding blogs to my feed reader…
That Sony story is a hoot! What a surprise for that guy. My kitties actually do love cat beds.
I don’t know if you’ve seen the family vacation Ewok photos yet — quite cute:
http://gizmodo.com/5843037/a-dad-photoshopped-ewoks-into-his-family-pictures-to-convince-his-kids-ewoks-were-real
A recent post from Jodi..cats + knitting + tea = bliss
Chris- I am hoarding pumpkins. Is that wrong?
A recent post from Lorraine..Getting In Gear
I kind of want to do a design mockup RIGHT NOW just so I can use the Samuel L. Ipsum text…
A recent post from Marsha..Did you know that the Star Wars theme song has lyrics?
You can try, Chaos, but you really shouldn’t take on Mom.
A recent post from margene..It’s Going to Be So Much FUN!
Good golly, you’ve read a lot! I haven’t had any time this week! *snivel* I couldn’t even make it all the way through the linkity list, though I loved the “rejected” book covers from Cracked.com. I laughed so hard at Steinbeck’s The Red Pony, the Origina of Species, and the GRR Martin one!
A recent post from Val Kovalin..I have gorgeous new cover art
Wow. I laughed so hard at the rejected covers.
Also, I wish I could have unseen the male modeling victims.
A recent post from Seanna Lea..3:50 a.m.
Yes, the Kindle/library coupling is exciting and about time. Thanks too for the list of libraries that don’t require residency. Didn’t know that existed. And I’m so jealous you all get to go to NOLA for the convention. Just know that I’ll be crying everyday……but have fun……..lol.
I haven’t had a lot of luck (read:None) finding & borrowing ebooks that I want to read from my library. I think Kindle owners are going to be dissapointed. But, this has lead me to buy more books in the last year than I bought the year before…it’s too convenient to have that bookstore instantly at my fingertips – time or day doesn’t matter.
A recent post from cursingmama..No Parents Allowed!
LOL! Awesome cupcakes!
Omg, I want Cthulhu kitten
A recent post from blodeuedd..Review: The Little Bride – Anna Solomon
HAH! I think that the Yarnery (and other) yarn shops could stand a ManLand. Not to say there aren’t male customers, it’s the for the tagalongs. They have a basket of toys for kids, after all.
A recent post from marylou..What I Did During My Summer Vacation
Ohmy, you’ve read more books in one week than I’ve read in two months time! I’ve wanted to read a Kaje Harper book for a while now, you seem to really like her books. Life Lessons is on my ereader already.
Have a great weekend! 🙂
A recent post from Janna..Happy Gay Friday & Weekend Reading
Thanks for all the linkity!
I’d be careful, Chaos. Be mean to your mom, and she might decide you have to go to bed without dinner.
Have a great weekend, Chris!
A recent post from Brenda..A FO for a Redux
Loved the Tolkien title on the Rejected Book Titles post! I saw the first LOTRs at the movie theatre and thought the exact same thing. LOL
Those poor male models, especially the one in the cactus sweater and pink/green leather pants. 🙁 I hope they got paid a lot of money.
A recent post from Ava March..Full of Lovin’
That’s a cool looking milk jug lunch box.
I wonder how well the LEGO greenhouse works.
That octopus in the coffee mug is taking up valuable space for coffee. 😉
Who knew they made men’s clothes that looked that bad.
LOL at the Cthulhu kitten!
Cute penguin chick and crane!
Ohhh, linkity – YAH! Oh, I like the sound of Full Circle. And I loved Clear Water and Come Unto These Yellow Sands. (I liked that the main character of the latter wasn’t like previous Josh Lanyon characters that I had read.)
Watch out Chris. Chaos looks like he is on the war path!
A recent post from orannia..Speaking
I do love pumpkin pie! I think the leather is a fun idea.
I think my kitties just want to eat books rather than get me to read them faster. Great linkity again 🙂
A recent post from mrspao..Making Monday: Shop Edition
Thanks for the linkity, Chris! 🙂
Totally checking out the Husbands webseries!
omg, those poor models. (Never thought I’d say that.)
Come Unto These Yellow Sands was a good one, wasn’t it?
That Aloes sounds good, except for the whole needing a sequel, thing. Think I’ll wait around and see if one turns up. 😉
Gonna check Mixed Signals out over at ARe.
Have a great week Chris.
A recent post from Renee..So far, so good
I was too afraid to look at the “Wha…” links.
The cupcakes were cute, though.
A recent post from Cheryl S…More Yum
My wish list just got bigger – I’m not whether I should thank you or hunt you down. lol I think I’ll thank you! 🙂
A recent post from Tracy..Review: Bounty of Love by Scotty Cade