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Congrats to Tara R, who won Take Me Home by Sloan Parker!

Congrats to Michelle L, who won FUBAR (EMS Heat #12) by Stephani Hecht! FUBAR will be released by eXtasy Books on January 1.

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No Misadventure on Monday, which is another holiday for me!

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Contests

• Desert Island Keepers is giving away a grab bag of m/f romances and an ebook grab bag of m/m romances. Comment by midnight PST, December 31. Or comment by 7 pm PST that evening for the other grab bag of m/f romances.

• Joder’s giving away an ebook copy of Fate’s Second Chance by AJ Jarrett. Contest closes 11:59 pm CST, January 1.

• Wrapped Up in Books is giving away an ebook copy of The Forester by Blaine D. Arden. Comment by 9 pm CST, January 2, for your chance to win.

• Joyfully Jay is giving away an ebook copy of The Given & the Taken (Tooth & Claw #1) by LA Witt and an ebook copy of Noble Metals by LA Witt. Both contests close at 11:59 pm EST, January 3.

• Blodeuedd’s giving away Carrie Goes Off the Map by Phillipa Ashley. Contest closes January 5. US & Canada.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Elisa Rolle (LGBT), Tor.com (UF, “genre benders“, scifi, fantasy), AAR (romance print & audiobooks), and Book Lovers Inc (a little of everything).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• Writing and publishing linkity from Becky Black.

• Is the hashtag ruining the English language?

• Book sculptures.

• Embroider some bookmarks. (via CRAFT)

• Make a book stack necklace. (via CRAFT)

Ebookity

• You can get the newly revised 2.1 edition of Among the Living (PsyCop #1) for free through midnight CST on New Year’s Day. Go! Go now! I’ll wait… Did I mention that I just reread this one for the second time this year? 🙂

• As libraries and major publishers squabble, small publishers might be the winners.

• Dear Author’s primer for the new ereader owner.

• Spark in Darkness and Dear Author on the “entitled” reader.

• More about SOPA from Literary Escapism.

Do, Think, Learn, Make

• Simple hidden tricks that new iPad/iPhone owners should know.

• If you got a techy gadget gift for the holidays, chances are Lifehacker has a guide for setting it up.

• If you use your smartphone as an alarm clock, Winter Wake-Up will automatically wake you up earlier if it snows.

• Amazon has the 42nd fastest computer in the world… and it’s virtual.

• DrugCite makes it easy for you to look up prescription and OTC medications to check on side-effects and more.

• Glycerin or vinegar can help make itchy wool less itchy. I’ve successfully used unscented hair conditioner, too.

• The 25 films selected to be added to the Library of Congress this year. (via The Mary Sue)

• The gap between median net worth of members of Congress and the average net worth of American families continues to grow.

• Things that will cost more in 2012…

Drinkity

• Creamsicle mimosas. (via CRAFT)

• Toronto’s getting a gluten-free brewery! In the US, Dogfish Head will be releasing their gluten-free Tweason’ale four times a year.

• 6 hot toddies.

• 7 boozy desserts for your New Year’s Eve.

Cookity

• A tea strainer can make sifting powdered sugar on top of baked goods less messy.

• Chai tea eggnog cookies. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

• Eggnog pound cake. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

• Pumpkin pie cupcakes. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

• Peppermint bark cheesecake truffles. (via CRAFT)

• Nutella and sea salt fudge. (via CRAFT)

• Gluten-free cherry chocolate chip cookies.

Crafty

• Yarnbombing goes mainstream? (via KnittyBlog)

• Crocheted flower hair clips. (via CRAFT)

• Make a no-sew pet bed.

Cool

• Firefly and Neil Gaiman back free speech.

• Scrap metal Darth Vader sculpture. (via CRAFT)

• R2-Tutu. (via The Mary Sue)

• Obi-Wan’s home planet is named after Jon Stewart.

• Tardis pillows. (via CRAFT)

• Back to the Future Delorean usb flash drive.

• Interactive origami jellyfish swarm. (via CRAFT)

• Crocheted Krampus. (via CRAFT) Franklin has a knitted version of Krampus, too.

Cool or Wha…?

• Mini terrarium necklace.

• Human flamingo.

Wha…?

• Americans have purchased more than $41 billion in unused gift cards since 2005.

• The increasing number of men doing household grocery shopping means that stores are trying out “man aisles”…

• Fortunately, no one was injured when a gun went off in a teenager’s purse in a Wyoming Starbucks…

• At least I like the colors…

• For less than $200,000, you could have your very own classic Batmobile!

• In the early 20th century, you could buy radium-enhanced condoms…

• Marzipan pig.

• Eeeeek!! Eeeeeek!!

LOL

• 10 awkward text relationship fails.

• “Zombie survival tips for the holiday season” – how zombies can survive the holiday season? Or how you can survive zombie attacks during the holiday season?

• Parodies of The Dark Knight Rises trailer.

• Secret of the periodic table of the elements revealed!

• Portal Christmas tree.

• Cats as holiday tree ornaments.

• Yes, this. (via Bron’s Pinterest)

Teh Cute

• Kittens! Baby tigers! Kitten! Dalmatian and puppies! Kitten! Owlet! Kitten! Dog and cat! Dog and kitten! Kittens! Baby penguin! Kitten! Tiger and baby! Kitten! Lioness and cub! Swan and cygnets!

Reading Update
Among the Living (PsyCop #1) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. reread. Excellent m/m paranormal romantic suspense about a PsyCop, who can see ghosts even though he really would prefer not to. (This is one of my comfort rereads… you might’ve guessed, as it’s the second time I’ve read the book this year!)
Criss Cross (PsyCop #2) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. reread. Very good m/m paranormal romantic suspense that takes place a few weeks after Among the Living. Jacob’s staying with Vic while looking for a new condo, and Vic has a creepily eager-to-please new partner at work. (Second time I’ve read this book this year, too.)
Body and Soul (PsyCop #3) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. reread. Very good m/m paranormal romantic suspense in which Vic gets another new partner at work and Jacob continues hunting for an unhaunted place to live. (Second time this year, third time overall – as with the others.)
Secrets (PsyCop #4) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. reread. Very good paranormal m/m romantic suspense in which Vic and Jacob’s living situation changes dramatically and Vic stumbles upon an epic conspiracy. Do I need to repeat myself again?! 🙂
Jesse’s Christmas by RJ Scoot. ebook. Very good holiday m/m romance about a photographer who hates Christmas because his lover left him the previous Christmas, emptying his bank account and breaking his heart. Will he be able to get into the Christmas spirit for his assignment taking daily photos in “Christmasville”?? Bonus points to RJ for including a scene that matches the cover!
Home Ice by Kate Sherwood. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a closeted hockey coach trying to deal with working with his ex after not seeing him for ten years.
A Calling for Pleasure (Lars & Rael #1) (2nd edition) by JL Merrow. ebook (available 1/15/2012). Very good short paranormal m/m romance about two detectives for the Paranormal Enforcement Agency trying to track down a succubus who’s leaving a trail of dead guys behind her. The male detective (non-romantic detective pairing, not to worry!) becomes fascinated by a male succubus who’s picked up during the investigation… This was a fun start to a (currently) three-book series that I’m hoping JL adds to. 🙂
A Silence Kept by Theo Fenraven. ebook short. Very good short paranormal m/m romance about a guy who rents a place a bit off the beaten path for his summer weekend getaway after he catches his boyfriend cheating on him. He doesn’t really believe the place is haunted… at first.
Take Me Home by Sloan Parker. ebook. Good m/m romantic suspense about an author and a screenwriter who’ve been best friends since high school, even after a night together years ago left one brokenhearted and the other moving from guy to guy to avoid intimacy. As they take the train back to Ohio from Los Angeles for Christmas, they try to sort out the decades old mystery they’ve fallen into while figuring out whether they can trust each other if their relationship changes…
Puppy, Car, and Snow (Ryan & Scott #3) by Amy Lane. ebook. Good holiday m/m romance about two guys snowed in at a cabin for the holidays with one guy’s family, trying to deal with with his mom’s ongoing nasty comments to his boyfriend. I think enough background is provided in the book for those who haven’t read the previous two short stories.
Free to Fly by Belinda McBride. free ebook short. Good short kinky m/m romance about a guy who comes home from work planning to move out while his lawyer boyfriend is out of town for the weekend. But his boyfriend is still there, and their confrontation changes the course of their relationship.
Ten Things to Hate About Being a Werewolf by Vic Winter. ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m romance about a guy who was recently turned into a werewolf and hates everything about it.
Winning in a Landslide (Change #1.5) by JM Cartwright. ebook. Good holiday m/m romance that follows up on the sheriff, the rock star, and their two young adopted kids right after an extremely trying election. Something that once I noticed, I couldn’t un-notice – the two main characters just seemed to use each other’s names way too much.
Southern Winterland (By Degrees #1) by Taylor V. Donovan. ebook short. Good short holiday m/m romance about a gay guy who’s been distancing himself from his straight best friend after a drunken almost-kiss under the mistletoe the previous Christmas. This needed to be a bit longer!
The Gift of the Maggie by Belinda McBride. ebook short. Good short holiday m/m romance about a divorced rancher who has his very first boyfriend and is nervous about coming out to his kids.
A Picture Perfect Holiday by ZA Maxfield. ebook short. Good holiday m/m romance about a high school senior, president of the photography club, who has a crush on a straight football player.
Chance of Snow by Brynn Paulin. ebook short. Good short holiday m/m romance about two coworkers who share a steamy night together when their chartered bus can’t make it home during a big snowstorm.
A Summit City Christmas (Sno Ho #2.5) by Ethan Day. ebook short. Pretty good short m/m holiday romance about Wade and Boone’s first Christmas together. This really needed to be fleshed out more to be a coherent or satisfying narrative.
Nice: Christmas Mistletoe by M. Durango. ebook short. Good short holiday m/m romance about a guy who moved home to live with his parents and work at their Christmas tree lot after he was laid off. He runs into an old high school track buddy one night while he’s working at the tree lot… This felt a bit disjointed to me.
Blue River by Theo Fenraven. ebook short. Good short m/m holiday time travel romance about a photographer who walks through some mist and ends up in 1863, where he stays with an innocent young farmer and his sister. The thing I liked best about this book was that it didn’t gloss over historical details like people not bathing very often. I do have my doubts that greens stored in a root cellar would be lovely and fresh by December…
More Than Enough (More #2) by Shawn Lane. ebook short. Pretty good m/m romance about a guy in college who lives at home to run interference between his abusive alcoholic father and his younger sister. When a handsome jock asks him out, he’s sure it’s as a joke.
The Question by Sean Michael. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about two guys who’ve been best friends for years, but not romantically or sexually involved since their single disastrous attempt many years ago. This would’ve been more satisfying had it not been so very short.

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