Contests: Reading
- Leave a comment by January 30 at Smexy Books for your chance to win a copy of Larissa Ione’s new Demonica novel, Ecstasy Unveiled. Seductive Musings is also giving this book away and you have until 11:59 EST, January 30, to enter.
- For a chance to win a copy Beth Kery’s forthcoming romance, Release, leave a comment over at Lea’s before the morning of January 30.
- Abigail’s giving away a copy of Jennifer Estep’s Spider’s Bite (Elemental Assassin, Book 1) – entries must be received by midnight MST, January 30.
- For a chance to win a copy of Alison Weir’s The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn, leave a comment at Anna’s before January 31.
- Literary Escapism is giving away a copy of Terry Spear’s new paranormal romance, Legend of the White Wolf. Leave a comment by February 2 for your chance to win.
- For a chance to win Nalini Singh’s forthcoming novel, Archangel’s Kiss (the sequel to Angel’s Blood), leave a comment at Literary Escapism by February 4.
- Anna’s giving away a set of Sharon Lathan’s Darcy Saga books (Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Loving Mr. Darcy, and My Dearest Mr. Darcy) – leave a comment before January 31 for your chance to win. You have until February 6, 11:59 pm EST, to enter the contest at Seductive Musings for your chance to win a copy of My Dearest Mr. Darcy.
- SciFiGuy’s giving away four hardcover copies of a brand new Darkover novel, Hastur Lord, by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross. This is open only to Canadian residents, who have until midnight EST, February 10, to enter.
- Book Addict Patti is giving away signed copies of two of Richelle Mead’s paranormals (Succubus Blues and Vampire Academy). Contest closes February 19.
- Have you heard about the League of Reluctant Adults’ Reading Challenge and Contest? Why not?!
- Want more contest information? Donna Fantasy Dreamer has a lot of contest and new book information. Sweet Vernal Zephyr has an impressive (and constantly updated) list of contests in her sidebar. And Abigail at All Things Urban Fantasy always has an amazing list of contests – 81 when I peeked yesterday.
Contests: Knitting
- JessaLu will give away some of her handspun yarn to one lucky person who completes a short form to help her husband’s car club get some additional funding. The form must be completed by January 31.
- Kristi wants to see a picture of something you knit during the 70s, or of you from the 70s with some of that inimitable 70s decor (foil or velvet wallpaper, shag carpet, avocado appliances, etc). One lucky winner will receive a copy of a knitting pattern plus some other knitting related goodies. Contest closes midnight EST, February 5.
Reading News & Bits
- Lifehacker’s top ten tools for better online and offline reading.
- If you have a 13″ or 15″ MacBook, you could get a hardcover book cover for it!
- Speaking of Apple, the iPad’s been the big news of the week. Smart Bitches comments on the name – I, too, thought it sounded like a feminine hygiene product. Gizmodo has posted all sorts of information on the iPad, the highlights of which are summarized in that link. TeleRead highlights links from a variety of sources. Lifehacker covers the good and the bad. Dear Author touches on the iPad before covering additional book news.
- As always, don’t miss SciFiGuy’s weekend urban fantasy report.
- For lots more book and reading links, head over to Love Romance Passion and Smart Bitches.
- The Kandle is a light for ebook readers – not sure how well it works, but the name is definitely clever.
- Wendy the SuperLibrarian weighs in on the news that a SoCal school has pulled the Merriam-Webster Dictionary from classrooms.
- Jenre discusses various book rating systems and how, for example, four stars doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing across all of them.
- Google Reader can now keep an eye on web pages that don’t have feeds. Yes!
- Paperback Writer on how to use word clouds to help generate titles.
- TeleRead lists four tools that are useful for writing “in the cloud”. (I use EverNote and love it.)
- Responses that great works of literature would get if released today?
Knitting
- TECHKnitting has a great article about using an i-cord mill to knit i-cord, then provides an additional tip on getting that i-cord started.
Fun & Games
- Many thanks to Marta Acosta, who put together an Amazon playlist of my Vampire Mix in her sidebar! Please note that the playlist is of Amazon’s song samples, which are about 30 seconds each.
- I love this joke from Illona Andrews: Batman walks into a bar and says, “Ow.”
- Darn it, we missed Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.
- The Yellow Submarine tea infuser sure is cute.
- Flashback to Windows 3.11 – sometimes it’s good to see how far we’ve come.
- The Milky Way Galaxy Subway Map is really cool.
- Oh oh – Dirty Harry meets Rainman…
Black Kitties Running Amok
- Chaos would be in heaven.
- Mayhem would be nomming, not fleeing…
- Now also featured in my sidebar – this is what Chaos would’ve looked like as a kitten if he’d scored a waffle (“you will lose your hand, or at least a finger, if you try to take my waffle!”).
Reading Update
Faith and Fidelity by Tere Michaels. ebook. Good grief. You’d think, since I was rereading this excellent m/m romance, that I wouldn’t cry. You would be so, so wrong.
Love and Loyalty by Tere Michaels. ebook. Another reread. Tere Michaels can write a darn good m/m romance, even if this one didn’t have as much impact on me as Faith and Fidelity (i.e., I didn’t cry).
Catnip Crazy (Cat House, Book 2) by Julia Talbot. ebook short. Not Talbot’s best, but sort of a cute (if a bit silly) m/m paranormal.
Jumping into Things (Thatcher Brothers, Book 1) by Julia Talbot. ebook. This book actually contains two pretty good m/m romances. The first is about pilot Jed Thatcher who falls for a prickly fire jumper. The second is about Army Airborne instructor Ross Thatcher, who hasn’t ever been attracted to another guy before.
Open Sesame (A Not Quite Wicked Tale) by Mia Watts. ebook short. Fun and very steamy m/m romance based on Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, updated with insider trading and many fewer thieves.
A Wolf in Men’s Clothing (A Not Quite Wicked Tale) by Dakota Rebel. ebook short. Very enjoyable m/m paranormal romance based on Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, with Red now being a guy in a red hoodie and the Wolf now being a werewolf.
One of Those Days by Zathyn Priest. free ebook short. Nicely done short m/m romance about a chiropractor who discovers the jock who bullied him in high school is his next patient.
Entanglements by Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe. ebook. Decent m/m romance about whether it’s worth risking everything to maybe have it all.
With This Ring (Tabloid Star, Book 1.5) by T. A. Chase. ebook short. Ok m/m romance about the guys from Tabloid Star tying the knot. I fear it exceeded my syrupy sugary quotient…
Leftovers by Treva Harte. ebook. Good m/m romance about two guys who only see each other once a year, at Thanksgiving. After eight years, that isn’t enough for either of them anymore.
Loving the Rain by Drew Zachary. ebook short. Decent m/m romance (set in Ottawa) about an environmentalist and an artist who uses recycled materials who meet while they’re waiting out a cloudburst in a coffee shop.
The Painted House by Drew Zachary. ebook. Nice, non-angsty m/m romance about a location scout who meets an artist while looking for a location in Nova Scotia.
Once Upon a Veterinarian by Drew Zachary. ebook. A cop and a veterinarian meet when the cop starts investigating a string of pet poisonings in this m/m romance.
Summer Fever by Catt Ford. ebook. Pretty good m/m romance about a guy staying at a lake cabin and the cop he asked for directions on the way there.
Feeding Dragons by Misa Izanaki. ebook short. Ok m/m paranormal romance about a dragon shapeshifter who takes a liking to a young Japanese cook. (For those of you who really enjoy descriptions of food in your reading, this might be of particular interest.)
In the Heat of the Moment by Kim Dare. ebook. Steamy and kinky m/m tale in which a dominant works to convince a submissive that there’s nothing shameful in being submissive.
All’s Fair in Love and Advertising by Lenore Black. ebook. I really enjoyed this m/m romance about a hyper advertising exec who knows better than to get involved with a prospective client… usually.
Broomsticks and Stones by Jane Davitt. ebook short. Cute paranormal m/m romance short about two wizards.
Change of Heart by Kiernan Kelly. So-so paranormal m/m romance about a vet (who’s a werewolf) who hasn’t been doing a very good job getting over his evil ex.
Feeling Safe by Sonja Spencer. ebook. A cop rescues a guy from an in-progress burglary, then takes the guy home. My biggest complaint was the sometimes dizzying point-of-view changes – every paragraph for a while… including the cat.
“I think that more books should include the cat’s point of view. That’s what everyone’s interested in anyway.” -Chaos
You are the master of links, I humbly bow down-
.-= blodeuedd´s last blog ..Review: Very Valentine – Adriana Trigiani =-.
So how many links in that post?? Have you ever tallied them? What’s the most links you ever posted?? I think Chaos has a point. Just got a book from the dog’s view from the library last night, “Nose down, eyes up”.
.-= lisa´s last blog ..sewing knitting snow and ice =-.
Now that is a link list. Phew!
That little waffle-scarfing kitten is so cute, he/she would get no guff from me for stealing it.
.-= Brigitte´s last blog ..Princess Line =-.
Yes, the Waffle-kitten was my “squee” moment of the day yesterday;). And Chaos is so very wise…
.-= Melanie´s last blog ..Things I Think I’ve Forgotten to Mention This Week… =-.
Link overload! (Not that it’s a bad thing, except for the fact that I can see my morning quickly disappearing 🙂
.-= Alison´s last blog ..Wow, two whole months! =-.
The best part of this post is the link about Google Reader keeping an eye on sites without feeds. WOOT!
Is Smexy a combination of Smelly and Sexy? If so, awesome
.-= furiousball´s last blog ..the snot, it overfloweth =-.
Chris- Thank you for saying that I-Pad sounds like something Kotex would make. I thought the same thing, but I don’t always voice my thoughts around the tech people here….if you know what I mean.
And I’m sure you do.
.-= Lorraine´s last blog ..Of Nerds and Napping… =-.
Busy girl you have been. For some reason I really didn’t care for Painted House that much. I also found I wanted to slap the vet occasionally in Once Upon a Vet. LOL
The cat had a point of view? O_O
Holy Catwoman! Girl, you are the Queen of linkity links!!! And of course the books!!!
Oh… cat point of view… that would be interesting Chaos! Maybe Mommie should let you write your own book!
Hope you are having a great Friday Chris!!!
I’ll just spend the rest of the day here going through links. People who have cats are interesting too, Chaos.
.-= margene´s last blog ..A Case of the Smalls =-.
You know, I have Faith & Fidelity, I bought it when it came out and I STILL haven’t gotten round to readingit. But I might have to if it made you cry….
Congratulations on such a great job of organizing this post!
.-= janna´s last blog ..Knitting =-.
I agree, iPad was not the best name they could have come up with…
Love the kitty links!
You cried in the re-read? I’ve got to get this one!!
Information overload! 😀
Wow, you got a lot of reading done. I’ve read a few of those and enjoyed them all for the most part. The cat had a point of view? My Kitty would love that book them.
Thanks for the links.
.-= Lily´s last blog ..Weekly Wrap Up #4… Perfect Margaritas, laughter and a couple of hotties =-.
Thanks for the mention! :o)
.-= JessaLu´s last blog ..Yarn! and a favor… =-.
Yeah, yeah, iPad wasn’t the best choice of names. But what does it say about me that I still want one?
And I loved PBW’s post about “story divorce”. She is made of win.
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Oh, Yeah, I Have Time… =-.
Interesting i-cord post – I didn’t realize they worked just like a knitting machine does!
.-= Mouse´s last blog ..Knitting Recap 2009 =-.
I think I really needed the story divorce 10. I tend to get silly when I am writing, because I get tired of an angle that I was taking the story (or the characters start going somewhere completely random)!
.-= Seanna Lea´s last blog ..what are they called? =-.
I agree Chaos!
Thanks for the links re: iPad. Too bad about the USB port thing, but if it’s like the iPhone, the power card doubles as a USB cord. Still, I’m curious if there’s been any chatter about the Slate?
.-= limedragon :-: Harri´s last blog ..Super Quick Post =-.
The soul-snatching cat looks just like my Hannibal, who, coincidentally, was extremely intent on snatching my soul whilst I slept last night. It was colder in the bedroom than usual and he slept on or next to my head most of the night.
.-= kmkat´s last blog ..Eye candy Friday. =-.
Great, great links! I laughed and smiled at the kitty pics.
I’m definitely checking out ‘All’s Fair in Love and Advertising’, you’ve made me curious 🙂
.-= ErotRomReader Janna´s last blog ..Happy Gay Friday, What I’m Reading & Dean Day =-.
Dammit! I hate it when I miss bubble wrap appreciation day! That just sucks.
So was it you that did the tie-guy post? That’s him on Open Sesame – who’d a thunk he’d now be involved with Ali Baba and the 40 thieves?
Lovin the lips on the One of These Days cover. Very nice.
Flashback on Windows? I showed my students the video about the Matrix running on XP today.
.-= trek´s last blog ..She’s a little teapot… =-.
I soooo just ordered a Kandle
Thanks for the shout out and all the linkage Chris!
I know it’s freaking freezing here too. ACK…
Best
L
.-= Lea´s last blog ..Lots Of Giveaway’s Going On and a Blog Tour Announcement! =-.
Ha, I love the name Kandle. And I would love a yellow submarine tea infuser! Super cute.
.-= Jodi´s last blog ..RIP =-.
Thanks for all the reader links. I’m very excited about the feed tracking on web sites that don’t have RSS feeds. Yay Google! You always find the good ones. 🙂
Stay warm! I’m trying to, grant it Texas isn’t as cold as your neck of the woods but it got very cold today after having 60F weather all week.
Many thanks for the mention!!
.-= Donna-FantasyDreamer´s last blog ..Erica Hayes Giveaway Winner! =-.
Oh how could I have missed bubble wrap appreciation day!
I had the same thoughts about the iPad.
I agree Chaos!
.-= Sydney´s last blog ..Knitting! =-.
Once again another wicked list of link…
Loving the book list as well – I have read about 60% of those… I do so love Tere Micheals work, can’t wait to see what she does for the third book…
Drew Zachary – is like the perfect author who is minimum on the plot, but not too cute where you can’t appreciate the characters – love their work…
Everytime I think of that author – I think fire engine sex… me so want fire engine sex…..
I love the boy on One Of Those days…. Oh to be young again…
***
Didn’t we hear of the cat flash back point of view – you better tell Chaos that his day has come… it has so come…
E.H>
.-= Erotic Horizon´s last blog ..Weekly Geeks – Winter Reading =-.
OMG, you’re a reading machine. Ta for link to sale too. Just checking the cc balance. Eeeep, moar books!!!!
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Personal Demoms by James Buchanan =-.
I love that mid-air kitty.
.-= mrspao´s last blog ..Finishing off business =-.
I didn’t think of the iPad thing until you mentioned it – now I’ll never hear it without snickering at least a little. I don’t know if I should thank you our curse you…
.-= CatieP´s last blog ..Blocking =-.
I left an award for you here
.-= Patti´s last blog ..January Wrap-Up =-.
That is one incredibly detailed list – I don’t know where to start! Ditto with the books. Lots of interesting ones to pursue 🙂
.-= orannia´s last blog ..Books 2010: January Update =-.
!!! My gawd how do you afford all the books you read!!! I’ve got to get around to my monthly epurchases.