I never heard back from the first winner, so congrats to Juli-Anna, who’s the new winner of A Shifter Christmas (The Lost Shifters, Book 8 ) by Stephani Hecht!

Congrats to Jase, who won Knight’s Fall (Boys in Blue) by Mia Watts! Knight’s Fall will be released December 20 by Total-E-Bound.

Congrats to Tracey D, who won His Christmas Present by Rachel Randall! His Christmas Present will also be released by Total-E-Bound on December 20.

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Contests

• Janna’s giving away ebook copies of Texan Summer and I’ll Be Home by William Cooper. Comment before December 20 for your chance to win one of the books!

• Morning Glow’s giving away a prize pack consisting of a $10 Amazon gift card and two books that MG enjoyed this year: The Sky: The World by Jessica McHugh and No Rest for the Wicca by Toni LoTempio. Winner will be announced December 20.

• Blodeuedd’s giving away two copies of The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. Make sure your comment meets the contest requirement and comment by December 20 to enter. US & Canada only.

• Sloan Parker’s giving away winner’s choice of the following: one of her ebooks, one ebook from LooseId, or a $10 B&N gift card. She’ll pick a winner for every 50 entries she gets, up to 300 entries or noon EST, December 20.

• Cecile’s giving away three copies of The Secret Life of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer, by Lucy Weston. Answer Cecile’s question in the comments by December 22 to enter. US only.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Lily (m/m romance) and Literary Escapism (UF/PNR news, contests, etc).

• An American Editor links to videos that will help teach grammar.

• Jessica of ReadReactReview wonders if commenting on book blogs will survive Twitter, Tumblr, etc.

• Do not watch the video for Blank: A Novel if you are especially sensitive to violence against books.

• A Christmas tree made from books!

• Bookstores converted from other things.

• Five kids scifi books that don’t exist… but should.

• Writers, go forth and read “The Penmonkey’s Paean”!

• Having a fireplace on a bookshelf seems like a really bad idea.

• KZ Snow has a very funny post about GoodReads reviews.

• Spelling is irrelevant to comprehension.

Ebookity

• Is there a precipitous plunge in paper book sales ahead?

• Ebooks might’ve changed book gifting, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

• Marketers are trying to figure out how to include ads in ebooks… (NO!)

• Amazon began quietly removing erotica books that included incest from their store and from people’s Kindle libraries. As others have pointed out, it’s a slippery slope, especially since most erotica will be found objectionable by someone.

• The end of this AAR post has some links to sources of legal free ebooks.

Snowity

• We had a lot of snow and then it got cold. If you missed my photo of what my street looked like after the snow stopped, it’s at the end of this week’s Misadventures post.

• You might have seen the video of the Metrodome collapsing. Since their stadium’s all collapsed, the Minnesota Vikings are going to play their last home game on December 20 outside at the U of MN’s stadium. Might be worth watching for the amusement factor…

• Neil Gaiman on Minnesota cold and snow.

• Carolyn Crane on snow and a car fire.

Think, Do, Make, Learn

• What does caffeine actually do to our brains?

• You can train yourself to see “impossible” colors.

• Another theory on how Stonehenge might’ve been built.

• The best science photos of the year.

• The ten worst states to retire.

• Ten tips to help you stay warm this winter.

• Amazing list of IKEA hacks.

• Imagining yourself eating more might help you eat less. Apparently, so would not ordering combo meals.

• One out of every six people in the US gets a food-borne illness each year.

• Make action figures out of construction paper.

• Someone has been officially cured of HIV. *thinks about Dan Bern’s song “The Cure for Aids”*

Gift Ideas

• Very cool science cookie cutters. (Thanks, Alison!)

• Bullet-proof clipboard, anyone?

• These recycled camera lens bracelets are pretty cool.

• Perhaps knit some small animals for last minute gifts?

• Or sew some Harry Potter dolls?

• Smart Bitches have some ideas for charitable giving.

• Gizmodo gift guides: “grease monkeys“, science and tech toys for kids, people owned by cats, stocking stuffers, and audiophiles.

• CRAFT has a gift guide for “crafty photographers“.

• Paperback writer with DIY gifts for writers.

• Chrissy Munder has some great gift ideas from Michigan.

• Cat Grant shows off some Dr. Who goodies, any of which would be a great gift for the aficionado.

Holiday

• Simon’s Cat in “Santa Claws”! (Thanks, Juni!)

• Check out the 12 Wrecks of Christmas at Cake Wrecks.

• Have you watched the Digital Nativity?

• Crochet chain Christmas trees are pretty cute.

• So are coconut mochi snowmen.

• And felt marshmallow men ornaments!

• The ten most depressing Christmas songs ever!

Cool

• I’d never heard of the archer fish before. (Thanks, Jase!)

• Make an entire s’more on a stick!

• Very cute knitted video about delivering parcels.

• If you’re planning to get cremated, a ghost urn would be pretty cool.

• LEGO Terminator!

• The intersection of shoe and tree…

Huh

• Glow-in-the-dark zombie high heels?

• Samurai toothpick holders…

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich wallet…

• Now there’s an iPad game just for cats!

• A power corkscrew?!

• The perfect gift… for serial killers.

LOL

• Dr. Who meets Star Wars!

• Small, amusing wire sculptures using regular household objects. (Thanks, Jeanne!)

• The most hated people on Facebook…

• Should you friend your parents on Facebook?

• Crazy goats!

• This one actually made me sad. 🙁

• Cat vs. the internet…

• No leeks on the floor, please.

• Supposedly dogs are smarter than cats…

• Epic yawn!

• I’d have to use a silver marker on my kitties’ paws…

• Beware the seben dedly lolcats!

• Too many purple bows?

• Awww…

Teh Cute

• Super bunny! (Thanks, Jase!)

• Jerboa! Kitten! Cat! Ferret! Kitten and mom! Kitten! Chinchilla! Black kitten! Kitten! Kitten! Feather-tailed opossum! Kitten! Lions! Fox in the snow! Chinchilla! Tigers! Kittens! Kittens! Lamb!

Reading Update
The Match Before Christmas by Eden Winters. ebook. Excellent m/m holiday romance about a contractor who joins an online GLBT dating site several months before Christmas, with the hope that he’ll meet someone and not be alone (well, besides his two black kitties) on Christmas. Anyone who’s ever done the online dating thing will be able to relate to the numerous and discouraging encounters he has before almost giving up on his plan… And my kitties are in the dedication! 🙂
Trust Me If You Dare (Romano & Albright, Book 2) by LB Gregg. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense continuing the madcap and lusty adventures of caterer Ceaser (who really does need someone to keep him out of trouble, possibly by wrapping him in cotton wool and locking him up) and his boyfriend, PI Dan (who would so like to take that job on). *commences waiting for Book 3*
Cameron’s Pride (Thrown to the Lions, Book 4) by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky paranormal m/m romance about a lion shifter without a pride, working as a stripper, and about the rich jerk determined to make that lion his for any amount of money.
Red Lights and Silver Bells (EMS Heat, Book 6) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Very good holiday m/m romance about how important facing emotional demons is to moving on with life.
I’ll Run Away for the Holidays by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Sweet holiday m/m romance about a guy whose best friend guilts him into driving from Florida to her home in Michigan for the holidays… and then he finds out that her younger brother, who made a slobbery (and rebuffed) pass at him several years before, will be joining them for the drive.
Making His List by Devon Rhodes. ebook. Excellent m/m holiday romance about a guy who always keeps the men he dates at arm’s length, and having his young niece and unreliable sister move in with him just give him more excuses to do so. I might’ve gotten sniffly while reading this one. *ahem*
The Reason for the Season by Chrissy Munder. ebook short. Very good short m/m holiday romance about a college student in the UP, trying to get to his sister’s house in Flint for Christmas, who gets a ride from the rideshare board into “snowpocalypse.” I especially enjoyed this story since I was reading it during what the local news stations dubbed “snowmaggedon.”
The Next Twenty by Margaret Mills. ebook short. Very good short m/m holiday romance about a straight guy in his 50s, who discovers that a good friend, freshly retired from the military, is gay and has been attracted to him for years.
Enchanted Grounds by Michelle Moore. ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m holiday romance about a guy who finds a mysterious coffee shop and starts to visit it daily, at the same time that he starts having realistic dreams about sleeping and snuggling with a man he’s never met…
The Wild Side by Janey Chapel. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a college student who agrees to help out a friend by waiting tables over Valentine’s Day weekend. He’s never been interested in seeing the same guy twice… is that about to change?
Vintage Toys for Lucky Boys by G.R. Richards. ebook short. Ok short m/m holiday romance about a guy who brings some old toys into an antiques shop to be appraised… and things proceed a bit too quickly for me to believe. The insight into being transgendered was the best part of the book.
White Out by Heidi Champa. ebook. Ok short m/m romance about a researcher, escaping a broken heart and swearing not to fall in love again, who takes a six-month research position in Antarctica to get away from memories of his ex. (Still haven’t figured out the title, as it didn’t seem to relate to anything in the book other than Antarctica being cold and snowy.)

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*sigh* “I knew it was too good to last…” -Chaos

“Hi, big kitty! You looked lone… ooooh, shiny!” -Mayhem