Contests
- Author Carolyn Crane will be interviewed live on Write On Radio at 11 am CDT today (Thursday, April 8 ) – you can call in for your chance to win a signed copy of her recent urban fantasy, Mind Games!
- Leave a comment with the name of your favorite baseball team by midnight CDT, April 9, for your chance to win a $100 Threadless gift certificate, plus assorted books and cds from Largehearted Boy.
- Katiebabs is giving away a copy of Louisa Edward’s contemporary romance, On the Steamy Side, plus some other goodies. Leave a comment by April 10 telling her your favorite food to cook for your chance to win.
- Janna’s giving away a copy of Lorie O’Clare’s new romantic suspense, Strong, Sleek and Sinful. Leave a comment before April 13 for your chance to win.
- Anastasia’s giving away a copy of Kirsten Kelly’s new fantasy, Halith. Fill out the form by midnight MDT, April 15.
- Leontine is giving away nearly 20 books (romantic suspense, paranormals, historicals, and more) to someone who leaves a meaningful comment by April 30.
- Karen’s trying whip her knitting WIPs into shape. Answer the questions (how many WIPs will she have left at the end of April and will she be able to resist starting any new projects during the month) in her comments by midnight (Danish time), April 20, for your chance to win two skeins of Malabrigo worsted.
Books & Reading
- Information about new releases and contests: Lily’s I Love Books (m/m romance); All Things Urban Fantasy (144 urban fantasy contests!); SciFi Guy’s weekend report, fantasy and scifi releases for April, and urban fantasy and paranormal releases for April; and Literary Escapism’s April Escapist Newsletter (urban fantasy, paranormal, etc).
- Take a few minutes to complete the Book Smugglers’ survey about book covers.
- Oh, the drama! An ethicist at the New York Times suggested it was ok (ethically) to download electronic copies of books that you already own in print form if there isn’t an electronic version available.
- Lots and lots of iPad posts this past week. Some that I starred: Smart Bitches, Dear Author, and TeleRead.
- How do publishers decide the value of a book? And how is the new “agency model” going to affect publishing and bookselling?
- TeleRead has some examples of the “freemium model” in action and how it might apply to ebooks.
- What are the environmental impacts of ebooks?
- Lifehacker has a nice guide to converting ebooks to ePub format using Calibre.
- Nicole found some great links – make sure you follow the one to Librarysarie’s post about her new favorite Dewey number.
Learn & Do
- At the end of April, the US Postal Service will be releasing a set of commemorative stamps to help raise awareness of animals in shelters.
- Speaking of which… there are an estimated 300,000 feral cats in Miami Beach! 🙁
- The giant LEGO tarantula is pretty darn creepy.
- Whoa. The thirty strangest animal mating habits, courtesy of KZ Snow.
Things I Found Amusing
- The city of Ely, Minnesota, always does something clever for April Fool’s Day and this year was no exception.
- If you’ve ever been addicted to Tetris, think twice before reading this xkcd comic, as it may cause twitching.
- A high-level explanation of computer problems. (As always at xkcd, make sure you hover your cursor over the comic to get additional text.)
- High heels made out of circuit boards?! They look scratchy to me…
- In which black kitty Maura turns out not to be pregnant.
- Poor Basement Kitteh. His favorite mode of transportation revealed!
- Chaos??
- Do you have captafallaphobia?
Cute!
- I sure wouldn’t try to take that toy away from that kitten.
- I love the last picture in this post.
Reading Update
Admit One by Jenna Hilary Sinclair. ebook. Wow. This m/m romance gutted me, because it was such a powerful read. And yet… I can’t tell you much about it, because part of its power and impact is in how the story develops and in how things are revealed. At the most simple level, it’s the story of a deeply closeted high school teacher in conservative rural Texas, who very occasionally drives to Houston to hook up with someone – but never the same someone twice. It’s a story of being afraid, of having extremely valid reasons to be afraid, and of living a life so constrained by those fears as to barely be alive. Definitely recommended.
Give and Take by Anne Brooke. ebook short. Good m/m romance about a guy who, two years after his partner of 13 years died, is out at a bar trying to connect with another guy for the first time in a very long time – and he so doesn’t want to have to make all the decisions…
Journey to Compromise by Mara Ismine. ebook short. Good paranormal m/m romance about a guy following an itch to travel. He’s had a bad year (lost love, lost job), but maybe things are starting to look up…
Healthy Obsession by Carolyn LeVine Topol. ebook short. Meh m/m romance about a player who’s finally decided he needs more out of life than one-night stands. While he’s at the gym, he meets a guy in the process of getting divorced and coming out and it’s twue wuv. (Hmm. Kinda snarky there. Possibly because I wanted to slap characters while I was reading.)
A Promise Given by Stormy Glenn. ebook. The usual m/m romance fare from Stormy Glenn in this follow-up to A Promise Kept. Can Alec possibly have a good reason for vanishing from Cooper’s life ten years ago? And if they have that pesky serial killer behind bars, who’s killing guys that fit the same profile now?
Blue Skye and 
Ryan’s Harbor by Viki Lyn. ebooks. After reading and enjoying Viki Lyn’s paranormal m/m romance, Last Chance, I decided to try this pair of m/m contemporary romances. Meh. Blue Skye was about an out artist and a closeted architect who meet again as adults. They were friends in high school, until they acted on their attraction and the architect fearfully rushed back into his closet. Ryan’s Harbor was about the architect’s gay assistant and the architect’s straight brother – this was a better read than Blue Skye, but be warned that the HFN ending suggests there could be more books in the future… *sigh*
Rescue by Sean Michael. ebook short. A quick little m/m about a guy who lost everything in a fire going home with one of the firefighters.
Purple Pen Diaries by Julia Talbot. ebook short. Fun m/m short about a mystery writer on a cruise who hooks up with a security guy trying to solve a mystery.
Landing with Both Feet (Thatcher Brothers, Book 2) by Julia Talbot. ebook. So-so m/m romance that had way too many flashbacks, between the Jed/Eli and Ross/Kevin stories. Too confusing. And I spent a fair amount of time being upset at people. Hmph. This felt like “Hey, that other Thatcher Brothers book did well – how about another one? Let’s mess up their lives to justify this sequel!”
Taking the Leap (Thatcher Brothers, Book 3) by Julia Talbot. ebook. Ok m/m romance tying up the last bit of the mess from the second book. After that angstfest, this book has no angst whatsoever.
Turguoise: Something’s Gotta Give by Kiernan Kelly. ebook short. Ack! Another stalker! Other than that, this was an ok romance about a guy who gets involved with a cop that he met when giving a statement about his ex stealing all of his stuff.
Texas Hold ‘Em, 
Slow Play, 
Pocket Pair, and 
Different Suits (Poker Night, Books 1-4) by Carol Lynne. ebooks. Decent m/m romance series about a group of guys who play poker together every other Saturday night. Each book focuses on one of the poker players as he finds love. As EH has commented, while you always know what you’re going to get with a Carol Lynne book, sometimes that works just fine.
Wild Raspberries by Jane Davitt. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a young man who runs away from home, then heads into the woods after some bad experiences on the road, where he runs into a cranky landowner.
Artistically Yours by Z.A. Maxfield, Andy Slayde & Ali Wilde, and C.T. Piatt. ebook collection. I enjoyed each of the three short stories in this collection of m/m romances about artists getting much, much closer to their models.
Rock Bottom by Celia Kyle. ebook short. Lyrically written m/m romance short about a guy whose partner died in a car crash and who’s been drinking to forget, until he hits rock bottom.
Night at the Office by Drew Zachary. ebook short. Nicely done, steamy short m/m encounter between a night watchman and a guy working late.
Playing the Market by Drew Zachary. ebook. Good m/m romance about a workaholic stockbroker and a footloose construction worker who find unexpected common ground.
“You know you want to rub my very soft and fluffy tummy! But you can’t! *neener neener neener*” -Mayhem
So glad you had fun with Give and Take! I certainly had fun writing it :))
Many thanks!
Anne B
Does May let you rub her tummy? Shelli gets ticked.
.-= Melanie´s last blog ..I Still Exist =-.
Q? Data? Where has the time gone! Data has such…white…hair!
*feeling old*
.-= Brigitte´s last blog ..A Handsome Model =-.
That makes me sad, Mayhem. Waaa, waaa.
Chris, have you read Hunger Games?
.-= margene´s last blog ..Proof of Knitting (and other things) =-.
Thanks for weeding out the iPad posts for me – will be clicking on those links later on.
That Lego spider is insanely realistic looking. Dang.
Nice fluffy tummy there Mayhem – I would love to tickle it!
Thanks for all the linkety – cool about Carolyn’s live radio interview. 🙂
Looks like more great reading this week. I so need more time.
I’m sad about the feral cats too. 🙁 Poor things.
Have a good day!
Panther Princesses don’t taunt blog readers – it is just not the royal way.
.-= trek´s last blog ..In which we sing =-.
I’m all over those sweet kitty stamps!
And I would stomp on that spider…. ewww…
I think I am going to have to make my own Girls Scout cookies ’cause I was soooo not impressed this year.
*virtual rubbing* *avoiding swatting paws*
.-= Miranda´s last blog ..A Passing Zephyr with Ms. Cecile Smutty Hussy =-.
Since we’ve already eaten all of our GS cookies, I think making them could be fun! Great links as always, and Mayhem, your tummy is too cute!
.-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Planning and preparation =-.
Chris- mmmm- GG cookies-
Chaos better be careful, someone may yell “Boo-Ya!”
.-= Lorraine´s last blog ..Kitty Konversations =-.
Ah, so many books. Wild Raspberries was one of the first m/m books I ever read after JenB recommended it. It holds a special place in my little licorice heart.
I’ve not had the greatest luck with those Taste Tests, maybe this one is worth it. Too often I only enjoy one if that of the stories. I’ll have to try Mara Ismine’s story as well as I liked the two I’ve read.
Admit One I KNOW is not for me. Too much angst and the deep in the closet theme which makes me berserk. LOL
Have a lovely day.
.-= Tam´s last blog ..BDSM Day on the Blog =-.
Hmmm. A detachable penis might come in quite handy.
.-= Cheryl S.´s last blog ..Fascinating. =-.
Time of linkity love, gotta love the linkity love day
.-= blodeuedd´s last blog ..ARC review: An Earl to Enchant – Amelia Grey =-.
I love the Q and Data pic. It made me laugh, especially reading the comments.
.-= Seanna Lea´s last blog ..my poor little bug =-.
Great links! Loved the kitty pics, very aww!!
Wow, you read tons. I LOVED Admit One. Wanted to hit him over the head a couple of times but loved it. Rescue and the Thatcher series were ok. Really liked Wild Raspberries and Playing the Market.
Thanks for the mention! 🙂
.-= Lily´s last blog ..Knight of Pleasure by Simone Anderson =-.
oh wow… oh wow… oh wow… look at all of this..
and yea.. i can rub that verra soffttt flufffyy tummmy… (*virtually ~ ha*)
hope your day is going great hon!
You have some FUN links here! That Miami Beach feral cats one might have a little inspiration in it…
Great more m/m books for my Friday Evening’s With Man Love!!!
Linkity? Oh, must be Thursday. 🙂
Thanks for the link! Also for the fun places to visit! But May… that’s not nice, reminding us that while you may be the Softest Kitteh Evar, we can’t pet you. 🙁
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Writing WiPs Don’t Have Pictures =-.
Thanks for all the great kitteh links. Need to go pet my own now — have hankering for fingers in fur.
I got in trouble last night for scruffling Jacks belly while he was trying to sleep.. there’s no way I’m going to mess with May!
.-= Mouse´s last blog ..Happy Easter =-.
Again with the donuts reference.
Thanks for the ipad linkies.. I’m thinking it isn’t worth the investment…yet.
Thanks for the link 🙂
I’m just stopping by quickly tonight (it’s been a long day) but will be back tomorrow for the rest of the links and reading your reviewettes (seen some interesting titles/covers). I’m too tired now… but wanted to say thanks!
.-= ErotRomReader Janna´s last blog ..Interview & Giveaway with Lorie O’Clare =-.
Now I know where i must retire, Ely MN. Mean, mean, May. I’m having a very bad day and a kitty tummy rub just might have cheered me up.
.-= Rebekah´s last blog ..Laws of Nature =-.
Thanks for putting that link up! Okay, I can’t even imagine how a person could make thin mints! You know the Girl Scouts are going to HUNT YOU DOWN!!
Gah! The tummy that sunk Oblio in the kitten softness contest!!!
.-= Carolyn Crane´s last blog ..I’m on Write-on radio & Wicked Jungle! =-.
It’s not nice of May to taunt us…I wanna pet her belly!
WHY do I always look at the spider pictures…why, why, why? I haz teh dumb.
changing my email address captain!
So many links! Kittens are amazingly cute.
May, while you were taunting us with your super soft tummy fur, I think a new ghost spider has gotten into your house and thinks you can’t find it.
.-= Brenda´s last blog ..One April Sock and a Nice Surprise =-.
Spring Break is killing me! New computer, new netbook and I still can’t get online. Darn kids.
Cute kitty tummy. So I take it they survived the imaginary visit to the vet?
I’m sure I was going to say something else but those book covers distracted me…..
.-= Carrie K´s last blog ..Change is Evil. Well, mostly. =-.
I think I’ll pass on the circuit board shoes.
May one of these days you’re going to want us to scratch your belly and we’re not going to do it. 😉
.-= Sydney´s last blog ..Easter =-.
“You know you want to rub my very soft and fluffy tummy! But you can’t! *neener neener neener*â€
May – it’s cruel to tease. Thank you for all the links Chris. Oh, and I just read THE most amazing book – By Degrees (JB McDonald). It blew me away!
.-= orannia´s last blog ..What Ya Watching? (Part II) =-.
Here again 🙂 Took me over one hour to check out the links and read your book notes! The three aww links were so tempting 😉 and the ‘Chaos’ lolcatz pic made me laugh.
Oh and I added 5 books(!) from your list to my carts over at FW and ARe along with the next books of Ally Blue’s BCPI series 🙂 I finished the first book, Oleander House, and really liked it! Thanks for rec’ing that to me 🙂
May looks cute *sending him loving tummy scratches*
.-= ErotRomReader Janna´s last blog ..Interview & Giveaway with Lorie O’Clare =-.
Mayhem is right. But there’s a soft and fluffy Mel around somewhere…
.-= naomi´s last blog ..eye candy friday =-.
I was amused by Maura’s story. She could have been a Lucy-ite – phantomly pregnant permanently fat!
.-= mrspao´s last blog ..Springing into Country Living =-.
Those links took me two bloody days to get through… Evil links..
I have to add some of those books to my pile… I see you have caught up on the Poker Nights series.. I thought the last one was the best one..
Are those Lyn books short read? – I like books with men in a profession – makes it better somehow… Sometimes I cant be bother with the down on their luck protags..
Too much baggages
E.H>
.-= Erotic Horizon´s last blog ..Whatever is in your bag this weekend – Enjoy….. =-.
These Thursday posts are one of my favorites. I do look forward to them. Thanks for gather all of this information. 🙂
{{sneaks a belly rub from May}} :p
.-= Donna-FantasyDreamer´s last blog ..Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr – Winner! =-.
Okay– something to cheer you up? I was gonna say something to gross you OUT, but it is cat related… will that help? We’ve noticed my daughter’s psycho cat Gordie has been cleaning our dog’s ears. A lot. We just got the dog back from her six-month overhaul (tighten the chassis, inflate the tires, empty the renal glands– you know, fun stuff) and apparently she’s got a double ear infection w/a different beastie in each ear. So, uhm, yeah. We need to feed Gordie a different brand of cat food if he thinks that’s a good time, don’t we?
I still can’t get past the unfortunate name, let alone the Mad TV comic advertising take on the iPod turned iPad long before Apple created the darned thing.
Hey kids! Get off my lawn. And leave the kittens alone.
.-= Karen B.´s last blog ..We are everywhere! =-.