Playlistening | Stumbling Over Chaos

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.

TeleRead takes a look at the “Picard Syndrome” in the era of ebooks.

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!

Ten signs that it’s time to give up on the story you’re writing.

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?

Gary Snyder writes a poem about his Macintosh.

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.

xkcd on the dark side of children’s fantasy.

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…

Soulsnatching can be exhausting.

Squee!

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.