Congrats to Jane, who won Not Anymore by Em Woods! Not Anymore will be released by Total-E-Bound on September 27.
Contests
- LesleyW wonders what turns you off in a protagonist. Comment by September 25 for your chance to win a copy of Finders Keepers by Linnea Sinclair.
- Mandi’s giving away a copy of Christina Phillips’s ancient historical romance, Forbidden. Contest is open through September 25.
- Don’t miss out on several chances to win Carolyn Crane’s forthcoming urban fantasy, Double Cross!
- Shawn Lane’s giving away a copy of her forthcoming m/m romance, The Beach House. Comment by October 1 for your chance to win.
Bookity
- New releases: Lily (m/m romance), Katiebabs (various books whose covers she likes), and Literary Escapism (UF/PNR, news, contests, etc).
- The Supreme Court ruling on legislation forbidding the sale of violent video games to children has wide implications for the future of media, including books.
- Can you name seven Disney movies based on R-rated stories? (Thanks, Jase!)
- Some cover fail from Dear Author. Of course, Good Show Sir has daily cover fail with snarky commentary…
Ebookity
- You can read Stephani Hecht’s free Choose Your Own M/M Romance Story over at Kris’s place.
- Download an ebook containing creative content inspired by a “painting depicting Wil Wheaton in a clown-face sweater riding a unicorn pegasus kitten attacking an ogre John Scalzi.” Although you can download for free, if you donate/pay, you’ll be helping fight lupus.
- Just getting started with ebooks? Check out the first part of TeleRead’s primer.
- The 30 best free ebook websites, via TeleRead.
- The publisher of Smashwords shares seven secrets of ebook publishing failure.
- An American Editor discusses differences between eInk and LCD screens for reading ebooks. (I prefer eInk.)
- Looks like increasing scifi and romance ebook sales might be leading to decreased print sales in those genres. A survey found that one in eight American are using ebook readers and that these people buy more books. Ebook sales seem to be increasing a lot. But really, no one seems sure exactly what any of these numbers might mean. 🙂
- The Etch-A-Sketch iPad case would be cooler if the knobs actually did something.
- Very cool quilted rolling iPad quilt that you can make (and that has potential for ereaders).
Learn, Make, Do, Think
- This infographic of texting statistics boggles my mind. For the record, I don’t text.
- Lifehacker provides tips on detecting photoshopped images.
- Prey seems like a useful tool for tracking and possibly recovering your laptop or Android phone if they’re stolen.
- I didn’t realize that some crows have mastered tool use.
- Ever wondered what happens when food cooks?
- Strangely, rebranding high fructose corn syrup as “corn sugar” doesn’t make it any less evil.
- The FDA has ruled that genetically modified salmon won’t need be labeled as genetically modified.
- A shockingly simple explanation of Blockbuster Video’s bankruptcy.
- You might want to read this infographic before you buy another gift card.
- Before there was computer imagery, scientists built models and some of those models were very cool.
- I must confess to finding human-powered gadgets very cool – if all tvs and video games were powered by exercise bikes, would America have an obesity epidemic?
- What do you think the best way to incorporate odor-eating charcoal briquettes into one’s decor would be?
- Craft’s got a pattern for knit and felt toy sailboats and another for your very own unraveling calendar (best for those without children, cats, or ferrets).
Linkity Peeps
- NSFW miscellanea from Lily.
- NSFW WTFery from Katiebabs.
Cool
- Clever advertising campaign for the Calgary Farmer’s Market. (Thanks, SVZ!)
- Cute game, although it may cause cubicle workers to weep uncontrollably… (Thanks, Jase!)
- I might need one of these for my espresso maker, which I often forget to turn off.
- You must know someone who would like an NCC-1701 pizza cutter!
- Sir Terry Pratchett forged his own sword… and meteorites were involved.
Huh
- Unicorn vs… Dolph Lundgren?! (Thanks, Jase!)
- The men of… mortuaries? (Thanks, Katiebabs!)
- Aw, come on, you have a spare $100,000 around to buy a Stargate, right?
LOL
- The bad ex service… make sure you hover your cursor over the comic for additional text!
- Statistics can kill… make sure you hover your cursor over the comic for additional text!
- How the facepalm gesture came to be in Star Trek: The Next Generation…
- My kitties did not enjoy this black cat meow mix video. At all. Chaos was so sure that I was hiding another kitty in my laptop that he got mad and started to act out. (Thanks? Lisa!)
- Obviously someone’s been spying on Mayhem while she’s in the litter box.
- And you thought it would be cookies that tempted you to the darkside…
Teh Cute
- Fetching kitty! (Both Chaos and Mayhem are fetching kitties – in both senses of the words.)
- Wee weasel! Wombat! Skeery panda! Floofy kittens! Cygnet! Kitten! Floofy kitten! Kitties! Ear tufts! Wee whatsit! Sleepy kitten! Kitties! Yawny ferret! Red pandas ! Baby elephant! Serious otter! Tv-watching kitty! Kitten! Naughty kittens!
Reading Update
Seriously, was this my week to read about mysterious guys or what?! You’ll see. 🙂
Ruthless Pursuit (Lost Shifters, Book 6) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance continuing the story of the search to find the Lost (Feline) Shifters, who were abducted when they were young and raised by humans. This installment is about trying to capture the criminally inclined Andrew.
Man and Wolf by Kate Roman. ebook. Decent paranormal m/m romance about a vet who meets and immediately connects with a mysterious guy who brings in his poisoned dog. I enjoyed this one, although an entire storyline of menace never really played out to be anything. Plus the sex-to-story ratio was a bit skewed.
Touch of a Wolf by Jez Morrow. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a grad student who just caught his boyfriend cheating and moved out. He has an uncharacteristic sexual encounter in an alley with a mysterious guy he runs into on the street – who later shows up on his fire escape – and his life is changed, possibly forever.
Wicked Cool by Val Kovalin. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a guy with a junk removal business who becomes very intrigued by a mysterious property manager he meets while on a job. Can he deal with the unknown, or will all the secrets drive them apart?
His Gift by Clare London. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a guy who wakes up injured in a rainy ditch, with no memory of how he got there. He manages to make it to an old house, where he meets a handsome, mysterious man and his life takes on a dream-like quality.
Bound by Blood (Soul Mates, Book 1) by Jourdan Lane. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a bartender with a vampire phobia who slowly realizes that not only is the hot guy he’s been ogling a vampire, he’s the Master vampire of the city… (I can definitely tell that Lane was influenced by Anne Rice’s early Vampire Chronicles and LKH’s early Anita Blake books. It works.)
Ethan’s Choice (Kindred Spirits, Book 1) by Jude Mason & Jenna Byrnes. ebook. Decent paranormal m/m romance about an analytical guy who’s considering buying the seaside inn he’s vacationing at. But why are the current owners selling it after only six months? And could the hunky handyman possibly be gay?
Almost Home by Nicole Gordon. ebook short. Intriguing short m/m story about two guys who’ve been friends for years, while one has been going through some rough things that just ended with his father’s death. Sadly, this book simply stops, with no resolution of any sort. However, I did leave a question for Nicole Gordon on her blog and she’s working on a sequel.
What They Say About Love by Alexi Silversmith. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a guy who breaks up with his girlfriend instead of proposing to her as he’d intended. He decides to go out and pick up a guy to explore a side of himself he’s kept under wraps since college…
The First Real Thing by Cat Grant. ebook. Good m/m romance about a male escort who picks up the wrong guy in a bar and finds himself in an actual relationship… with a guy who doesn’t know what he does for a living.
Not Anymore by Em Woods. ebook short. Good m/m romance about a guy who’s on vacation in Hawaii with his sister and her boyfriend when his attraction to a guy who approaches him on the beach outs him to his family. Things get really complicated when his nasty ex shows up and then the identity of the guy from the beach is revealed. Despite a few niggles, this was an enjoyable read and I’ll definitely look for future books from Em Woods.
Vince by J.M. Snyder. ebook. Pretty good young adult m/m story about two guys who’ve been best friends since they were little… until, when they’re 14, one confesses he’s in love with the other and gets laughter in return.
Just the Right Notes by Sean Michael. ebook. Good kinky m/m romance about an architect and a composer who periodically escape to their cabin for a weekend of D/s play. Will that be enough to keep them grounded when their lives go into crisis?
Prisoner of the State by Alex Morgan. ebook short. So-so short kinky m/m about a police chief who abducts a guy he pulled over for speeding and keeps the guy in his basement as a sex slave. This would’ve been better if it had been fleshed out more – it read more like a story outline at points.
“This sock, it has a flavor! It tastes… woolly.” -Mayhem
First, I love sir, good show guy, tres funny.
And omg, Dolph! Bf got a laugh out of that too
A recent post from blodeuedd..Review- The Life OReilly – Brian Cohen
As a New Jersey native, I could only laugh about NJ stealing peoples gift cards. Oh brother, I’d better send this to my nieces and nephews. And never buy them another gift card.
A recent post from Mary Lou..End of Summer Contest
I don’t text either. (Of course, my phone is way old with no actual keyboard besides the numbers. I’m not in a hurry to update though.)
Love the rest of the linkies as usual! Have a wonderful weekend!
A recent post from Alison..Scarf
Mayhem- you look so sleek and panther-like.
A recent post from Lorraine..Peaches and Pussycats
Hey hone just stopping before I go to work. I’ll be back later this evening to go through some of those Linkty links up there. Hugs to cuz it is finally Friday!!!
A recent post from Cecile..Review- Wolf Signs by Vivian Arend The Blackraven Reviews
in fairness, Wooly socks are delicious
A recent post from furiousball..More tales from the richest guy you know
Good, I already have Wicked Cool, His Gift, Bound by Blood and Ethan’s Choice. Now, I only need to purchase Touch of a Wolf and What They Say About Love because they sound too good to ignore. 🙂
Aw, sock flavor is hard to resist, isn’t it, May. 🙂
A recent post from Janna ErotRomReader..Review of Corporate Seduction by Bridget Midway
So much linkity – must wait until I get home to read most of it 🙁 The Blockbuster diagram was – wow.
Isn’t that one of the socks you made?
A recent post from Patti..Spoiler Free Review- Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
True Mud! LOL.
That’s a great tip about the charcoal briquettes! I’m going to have to give it a try.
Is that…knitting…Mayhem is lounging on?
A recent post from Brigitte..In Which Malcolm Files A Complaint
Mayhem and Moxie love to lick knitting. What’re we gonna to do with them?
Arggh. Crash before I could post. Sigh.
The kids NEVER uses her phone for talking, or rarely. It’s texts, but not 3000 a month. I get the bill and see how many. She and I usually text each other and I text a few others, but I don’t talk on the phone either.
Loved the push pin art, kind of like lightbrite. The wool art was cool too.
I have Val’s book but haven’t read it yet. Read a few of those others, did like Alexi’s a lot and must get Stephani’s. Need to do some shopping this weekend. I really enjoyed the Soul Mates books, they get much more complicated relationship-wise as things go one. It is NOT an easy relationship but really well done.
A recent post from Tam..Happy Friday
Lots of zombies today! I love that interactive movie–very cool!
A recent post from Marsha..Social media
“Are you surprised? I’m not surprised. Oh yea, the Red Shirt dies!”
Still giggling about that one!
I laughed like a loon from the Dolph unicorn video! I guess he’s having a comeback.
I have to admit that I prefer text messaging to phone calls. But I prefer email to phone calls too, so it is not surprising.
I find the small format of the text message (and thus of Twitter) helpful in encouraging me to be succinct without resorting to obtuse abbreviations.
A recent post from Seanna Lea..another caress of steel
Definitely a flood of linkity! I did know that spider webs are one of the strongest substances in the world. Soon you’ll be wearing a spider web vest, my dear!
It’s amazing what Disney does with horrible tales! “…and everybody dies.”
Loved OK GO and True Mud. I thought the dog might react to the Meow Mix, but he just twitched his ears in his sleep.
I need to get caught up with Stephani’s Lost Shifters. And Soul Mates: *sigh*
Wow, another great Friday of linkitys!! And thanks for the mentions.
I loved the Interactive Zombie movie. I didn’t get all the way through without dying but it was so much fun.
The pizza cutter and the Mario push pin art are cool.
Looks like you had a great reading week. I’ve read a few of these and have a few more to read.
Happy Friday! 🙂
A recent post from Lily..Teaser Tuesdays Driven to Distraction
linkity-linkity-doot-doot-doot
Sock photos? What??!?!
I love EPBOT. Love. And have you seen the Tetris blanket on Rav? I forget if it’s a knit or crochet project, but it’s cool nonetheless.
Happy Punctuation Day! 😉
A recent post from Nicole..Friday Funnies
I have never tasted wooly socks, so I can’t speak to that. But I did spend a lot of time in linkety and as always learned a lot.
A recent post from cursingmama..The Mulligan – Frequently or not Asked Questions
Tastes a little sheepie, yes?
That bridge cozy is AMAZING.
I found that Disney vs the original entirely too entertaining.
A recent post from Carrie K..Hallelujah- the new Television Season is Here
So much to read I can’t do them all! I need to come back when I have time to jot down sites and of course ebook names. 🙂
A recent post from Tracy..DIK Reading Challenge Review- Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Thanks so much, Chris, for the reviewette! I’m slowly working my way through the rest of the linkity. I’m definitely going to try making that ice cream at home. 🙂
A recent post from Val Kovalin..Eighteen and Older Book Blogger Tagalong
Oh. Wow. Night of the Living Trekkies! Truly where no zombie invasion has ever gone before.
A recent post from trek..In which trek is busy
That book video is a production marvel, a lot time and effort went into that one. Wow..
The potential Supreme Court ruling is scary! yikes.
This one really is a flood of linkety Chris! Thank you for all your hard work..
Mayhem, lol you are too funny, enjoy that wooly sock.. 😉
A recent post from Lea..When feeling low- head to the bookstore
Fun linkity!
I prefer almost anything to phone calls. Mostly I use my cell phone for short email messages.
LOL at the NCC-1701 pizza cutter!
Hmm… Doesn’t everyone want tshirts with cute poo? 😉
A recent post from Sydney..What I was doing when I should have been posting here
Have just spent WAY too much time on xkcd.com.
Hey, long time no write…on my part. I know, shame on me! *slaps hand*
Very nice roundup of links, I like!
On the top left corner of the HIS GIFT cover, I think that’s the same guy on “The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance” cover. Looks very familiar. 😉
Hhm, woolly, huh? May it looks like you need some better tasting treats. LOL!
A recent post from Donna..New Book Releases – Week of September 19- 2010
Donna: You are right! Thanks for catching that one!
So glad I finally had a chance to treat myself to some linkity!
I love that lotion bar recipe. Might have to see if I can get ambitious and make some!
Gonna have to ck out that Stephanie Hecht series…
A recent post from Renee..Smart Chicks Kick It in So Cal Recap and GIVEAWAY
Good links! The clown ministry thing makes me ill for some reason.
Linkity! *happy dance* Oh, and I like the sound of Touch of a Wolf by Jez Morrow!
Chris – I think that sock is a gonna…
A recent post from orannia..Gutless
Loved the Dolph/Unicorn video. Hee. And the manta ray! And the octopus video (on the same page)!
The best part was reading the comments on the Invisible Ink story…
I’ve still not got round to an ereader but I’m intrigued by eInk. After reading that essay, I’m going to stick to paper books for a little longer. I have some of the books that I had at school and given to me by friends (you and Jeanne :)) and they make me smile when I see them 🙂
Origami kitties sooooo cute 🙂 but not as cute as fetching kitties. Tamyra likes to play fetch and she likes to lie on the keyboard, too!
A recent post from mrspao..First ever wedding cake