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Congrats to Philina, who won The Art of Words by RJ Scott and Meredith Russell!

Congrats to Irene J, who won Mind Magic by Poppy Dennison! Mind Magic will be released by Dreamspinner Press on April 23.

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Contests

• For a chance to win one of several cool prizes, answer Piper Vaughn’s questions by 9 pm CDT, April 22.

• Joder’s giving away an ebook copy of Carnal Desires by DL Jackson. Contest closes 11:59 pm CDT, April 22.

• Joder’s giving away an ebook copy of An Uncommon Sense by Serenity Woods. Contest closes 11:59 pm CDT, April 26.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Literary Escapism (UF/PNR), Book Lovers Inc (a bit of everything), and Fiction Vixen (various types of romance).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• “Beware knock-off books on Amazon.”

• If you can’t find time to read, Lifehacker has some ideas for how to make more time for reading.

• Designers critique fantasy and paranormal book covers… (via Sweet Vernal Zephyr)

• VacuousMinx on authors behaving badly. This is my favorite quote from the post: “Why read a book that might lead to a confrontation when you want to discuss it, especially since there are plenty of books by authors who don’t behave like that?” Yes. This.

• Val Kovalin discusses some possible outcomes of authors behaving badly – outcomes that aren’t so good for authors.

• Becky Black on whether authors should even comment on favorable reviews.

• Tam explains how she’s trying to manage her TBR.

• Check out the comments at Fiction Vixen for historical m/m romance recommendations.

• Go take this survey of romance readers!

• Paperback Writer has a humorous pop quiz for paranormal romance writers to use to check the originality of their story concepts.

Ebookity

• Yet another plagiarism scandal, this time involving a publisher called Forever Amber Publishing.

• An American Editor shares some thoughts re: the DoJ and ebooks.

• “The agency model sucks.” (via TeleRead)

• “Eliminating DRM is the greatest competitive hammer against Amazon.”

Do, Think, Make, Learn

• 26% of working-age Americans didn’t have health insurance in 2011.

• The US is “the world’s saltiest fast food nation”.

• An infographic on how the time of day you eat affects what you eat.

• There’s a mental disorder that causes people to speak in puns, among other things.

• If you talk about happy memories, they become less special and enjoyable.

• Talking to yourself can make you (briefly) smarter.

• Kangaroos (and other marsupials) have three vaginas and two uteri…

• Animal sex explained and illustrated with humanesque cartoons.

• 100 years of the Titanic.

• The sonic screwdriver has been invented. Seriously.

• A study found that the more Walmarts an area had, the more hate groups it had, too.

• “Is technology making us lonely?”

• DIY cleaning solutions. (via Lifehacker)

• The grape shortage in California means wine’s probably going to get more expensive.

• Why there are so many tornadoes in the US this year.

• Scientists have figured out how to identify groups of review spammers.

Cookity

• Snickerdoodle donuts. (via The Kitchn)

• Lemon meringue tart. (via The Kitchn)

• Almond joy cupcakes. (via The Kitchn)

• Triple chocolate espresso cookies.

• Strawberry dessert pizza.

• Gluten-free chickpea flatbread (socca).

• Slow-cooker lemon garlic chicken.

• 5 non-hummus bean dips.

• 15 dishes to impress guests.

• 15 potluck recipes.

• Vegan party tips and recipes.

• Margarita recipe with a magic ingredient. (via The Kitchn)

Crafty

• Make your own giant sidewalk chalk. (via CRAFT)

• Knitted world map.

Cool

• 2001: A Space Odyssey in LEGO.

• Star Wars LEGO barrel organ.

• Freddie Mercury and… Darth Vader?

• TARDIS lockers. (via The Mary Sue)

• Doctor Whooves (Doctor Who/My Little Pony crossover).

• Robert Downey Jr and Nathan Fillion talk about The Avengers.

• Albert Einstein’s office.

• Photos of the space shuttle Discovery’s flyby of the US Capitol.

• Genderswapped Archie comic. (via The Mary Sue)

• Cat, food, and craft linkity from mrspao.

• Cat scratch pants, a science fair invention. 🙂

• EPBOT went to the zoo and took some fabulous photos.

• If you’re looking for some new music to listen to, check out the Fuel/Friends Spring 2012 mix.

Cool or Wha…?

• Star Wars high heels.

• “The turducken of cheese balls”. (via The Kitchn)

• Miniature furniture waffle mold.

• Nutella earrings.

• Tape dispenser scissors.

Wha…?

• *shakes head*

• Elevator with lickable cookie wallpaper… Eww!

• An SUV with a built-in exercise machine.

• A brass knuckles iPhone case.

• Creepy typeface.

LOL

• A new element has been discovered!

• Some grammar humor.

• A helpful flowchart to help you decide if you should check your email or not.

• Stop. Drop. Roll.

• It’s fortunate cats have short attention spans…

• Why do cats drown their toys?

• Henri the cat and the unbearable ennui of being.

• Cats in space!

• Event horizon…

Teh Cute

• Tiger and baby! Lion! Lion! Baby tiger! Jaguars! Black panther! Tiger and baby! Lioness and baby! Sandhill crane and baby! Baby burro! Kitten! Red panda! Baby lion! Kittens! Cat and kittens! Tiger and babies! Otters! Kittens! Kittens! Red panda! Baby leopards! Baby bongo! Baby fennecs! Baby porcupine! Baby penguins!

Reading Update
Written in the Stars by Alix Bekins. ebook. Very good humorous m/m romance about a prickly physicist working as a fact checker for a science magazine after a professional disgrace. When his editor and best friend bribes him to write an anonymous astrology column for the magazine, he doesn’t think things can get any worse… until his editor comes up with a plan for him to go on blind dates with guys from each astrological sign…
Different Spheres by Cari Z. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a professor who has MS and needs to ask his next-door neighbor for a ride to the hospital when he has a relapse.
The Ghost on My Couch by LA Gilbert. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a nurse who becomes friends with the ghost who appears in his apartment one day and changes the way he looks at his own life. I got sniffly more than once whilst reading this!
Witness by LA Gilbert. ebook. reread. Sweet m/m romance about a cop who meets a bike messenger while on a routine call, then runs into him again when he backs over the guy’s bike. This book would’ve benefited from a bit more conflict (0r perhaps conflicts not effortlessly resolved) and fewer point-of-view shifts, particularly near the beginning of the book.
No Remedy for Love by podga. free online. Very good m/m romance about a couple who were together for 25 years and then split up, painfully. Be warned that at least half the story is told via flashback.
It’s Like This by Oribiting Jupiter. free online. Very good kinky m/m romance about two guys who’ve been together for three years, since high school, but they’ve never talked about whether they’re actually in a relationship. I could definitely relate to Niles’ communication issues…
College Boys (Men of Holsum College #1) by Daisy Harris. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a college student who changes dorms partway through the semester, after his mom dies, so he can have some time alone, away from the soccer teammates he’d been rooming with. Strangely, he finds he’s ok with talking through the wall with the gay guy who lives next door…
Hot Hands (College Fun & Gays #1) by Erica Pike. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a college student who keeps getting groped in the halls, but can’t figure out who’s the culprit.
Grade-A-Sex Deal (College Fun & Gays #2) by Erica Pike. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a professor who realizes he’s developing feelings for a student he has a “sex for grades” agreement with.
The Walls Have Ears (College Fun & Gays #3) by Erica Pike. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a college student who develops a crush on the guy in the next apartment, whose bedroom is adjacent to his…
First Impressions by Christopher Koehler. ebook. Good m/m romance about a former porn star (now a mostly respectable businessman) who makes a terrible first impression on the store clerk he finds attractive. Of course, the store clerk is simultaneously making a terrible first impression on him, too… and things don’t really improve between them from there.
Music in the Midst of Desolation by Charlie Cochrane. ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m romance about a guy who dies in the trenches during WWI, then is sent to our modern time as a sort of guardian angel.
Relationships 201 by Alix Bekins. ebook. Good m/m romance about a first-year history grad student who’s crushing on the straight professor he TA’s for, at the same time he’s struggling to reconnect with his boyfriend after a summer apart. I think this would’ve been a stronger story if it had been shorter, with less time spent on introspection.
I’m Not Sexy and I Know It by Vic Winter. ebook short. Cute short m/m romance about a guy who knows he’s not a sexy stud, but who starts to feel a bit less awkward when dancing with an unseen man at a club.
Bartender, PI by Ethan Stone. ebook. Pretty good m/m romantic suspense about a rather dim hockey player whose career ends unexpectedly, so he tends bar and tries to get his PI license. This had some funny moments, but the thing with him never using the right word got old fast.
Spell Cat (The Aloysisu Chronicles #1) by Tara Lain. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about a gay pure-blooded wizard who’s betrothed to a female pure-blooded wizard and planning to go through with the marriage for the good of wizardkind, until he and his fiancee discover a very big secret indeed. Aloysius the familiar was probably the best part of the book.
Seizing It by Chris T. Kat. ebook. So-so m/m romance about a prickly veterinary assistant who can’t decide if he likes the overbearing guy who rescued him from a stalker. Everyone in this book was annoying. And I don’t believe that Kit would be all better psychologically from just the love of a strong man.

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*lurking* -Chaos