Congrats to Nikyta, who won Wild Thing by Mia Watts! Wild Thing will be released on August 23 by Total-E-Bound.
Contests
- Leave a comment by August 21 at Smexy Books for your chance to win a copy of Kresley Cole’s forthcoming paranormal romance, Demon From the Dark (Immortals After Dark #10).
- LesleyW’s curious if there’s a series of books that you’ve given up on – leave a comment with your answer before August 21 for your chance to win a copy of Sexiest Man Alive by Diana Holquist.
- Tracy’s giving away a copy of Jennifer Crusie’s latest romance, Maybe This Time. Leave a comment by 11:59 pm PDT, August 26, for your chance to win.
- Head over to Book Faery to read about Carolyn Crane’s favorite messed-up alpha hero moments and have a chance to win a signed copy of either Mind Games or the forthcoming Double Cross! Fill out the form by September 4 for your chance to win.
Bookity
- New releases: Lily (m/m romance), Katiebabs (various romances with appealing covers), and Literary Escapism (upcoming UF/PNR release dates).
- Some really interesting articles and discussions about m/m romance, gay literature, queer identity, and more: TeddyPig, TeddyPig again, James Buchanan, K.Z. Snow, Gehayi, and Katiebabs.
- Sweet Vernal Zephyr provides a concise overview of bdsm in books.
- ReadReactReview with some Twitter dos and don’ts for authors.
- *gasp* Some literary authors appear to have realized that genre authors have more fun and usually sell better.
- This definitely gave me a high school flashback: how to cover a book with a paper bag.
- Via Smart Bitches, differences in fantasy cover art from 2008 to 2009 and changing cover art fashion trends for urban fantasy heroines during the same time.
- This tribute to Where the Wild Things Are is both sweet and sad.
Ebookity
- The next installment of Kris’s “Choose Your Own M/M Romance Story” (I’ll Tell You a Secret, Jackalope by Matthew Vandrew) is now available!
- Maybe your ereader would enjoy a vintage book cover.
- An American Editor on psychological price-point barriers for ebooks.
- The head of Library Information Technology at the University of Tennessee on how trying to treat digital content like physical content is a path leading to madness.
- Newsweek has a good chart on ebooks.
- One reader’s thoughts on how publishers could get him to buy more ebooks.
Think, Learn, Make, Do
- Quite a few brands of eggs are being recalled due to salmonella – make sure the ones in your fridge aren’t on the recall list. (Thanks, trek!)
- Target’s support of an anti-gay gubernatorial candidate here in Minnesota has led to boycotts and a very creative musical protest.
- Nice history of the internet infographic. A scary infographic on texting trends. And an interesting article on the history of some common computer symbols.
- Apparently our computer/smartphone lifestyles are hard on our eyes.
- If you’re on Facebook, you might want to think about disabling the new Facebook Places feature.
- Did you know that you can save money by emailing to phones instead of texting to them?
- Lifehacker lists the best online places to learn things for free.
- Gizmodo lists the ten most dangerous things you can do online, securitywise.
- I love this embroidered quote.
- Perhaps you need a print-and-fold robot skull around the house.
- Make yourself a Frappuccino on a stick.
Gluten-Free
- Mmmm… gf zucchini banana bread…
- What does the recent trendiness of the gf diet mean for celiacs?
Knitting & Crochet
- Marsha has a scarf-themed linkity post.
- Maybe the next baby gift you knit should be baby’s first DNA model. (Thanks, Kim!)
- Come on, you know you want to knit devil’s head balaclavas for everyone you know. (Thanks again, Kim!)
- Knitted ankle bracelets with bells on them – for kids… or for adults…………
- What a cute crocheted rainbow change purse!
Linkity Peeps
- Nicole has writing and knitting links.
- Jessica has the Monday Morning Stepback at ReadReactReview.
- KB’s weekly WTFery post is not guaranteed to be work safe.
Huh
- This Testicle Festival is not what you think it is… (Thanks, Bron!)
- Have trouble waking up in the morning? Maybe you need an alarm clock that runs away.
- Do not attempt to make a car safety seat out of cardboard for your child.
- The Canadian government has decided to stop using a penis-measuring lie detector on youthful sex offenders.
- I’m glad this isn’t a real tricycle.
- Bacon dinner party, complete with photos and menu.
- Meat-Man Parfait, anyone?
- I’m not sure the world is ready for pies baked inside of cakes.
LOL
- If you’ve ever watched Dora, you’ll appreciate Jennifer Armintrout’s spoof.
- Meljean Brook’s curious about what’s underneath Superman’s costume….
- A short educational film about landsharks…
- There’s a new Simon’s Cat episode! Plus some other kitties in boxes…
- Ack! Nine kittens?!
- Do not try to give Basement Cat a bath.
- Who could fear evil this floofy?! Or this wee?
Teh Cute
- Is the world really ready for these adorable cat band-aids?
- This baby panda makes some of the most pathetic sounds ever as it tries to climb a step.
- I’m pretty sure those penguins do not have the butterfly’s best interests at heart.
- Melly’s tummy! Kittens and the Bean! Sand cat! Baby panda! Naughty kitten! Baby penguins! Floofy kittens! Sweet black cat! Kitten with a feather! Kitten!
Reading Update
Fugly by K.Z. Snow. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about three extremely superficial friends who hit on the wrong man’s husband in a bar. Afterward, they discover that the men they find attractive and hit on now shun them due to a mysterious rash that has appeared on their faces.
A Red-Tainted Silence by Carolyn Gray. ebook. Very good, emotionally draining m/m romantic suspense about two successful musicians, who’ve loved each other since their teens, and the outside forces and people that have torn them apart and nearly destroyed them. Constantly switching between the present and the past, half the story is told from one’s perspective; the rest from the other’s.
Chaos Magic, 
Love Runes, and 
Personal Demons (The Gods & Chaos Series) by Jay Lygon. ebooks. Very good kinky m/m urban fantasy series about a willful submissive who’s also a powerful witch and who worships an unusual set of gods: the God of Traffic, The God of Negotiation, etc. As he tries to stay out of the way of his abusive ex, he meets a powerful and compelling dominant and his whole life changes.
The Harem Boy by Jay Lygon. ebook short. Good short kinky m/m romance about Ophir and Chris, two of the characters from the Gods & Chaos series.
Chain-Male by Angelia Sparrow & Naomi Brooks. ebook. Good, quirky m/m romance about a librarian who meets a guy in the history class he’s auditing and gets a history lesson he won’t soon forget.
His Hearth by Mary Calmes. ebook. Good m/m paranormal romance about a guy who’s wildly successful in his advertising career, but much less so when he dates.
Stirring Up Trouble by Z.A. Maxfield. Good m/m romance about a chef who only lasts a few months at any job before getting fired. He ends up working at a failing neighborhood restaurant owned by an anti-social guy who looks pretty tasty when he’s cooking in his Utilikilt…
A Big Hunk O’ Love by Hunter Raines. ebook. So-so short m/m romance about a recently divorced, deeply in the closet mechanic who takes a trip to Alaska with his (gay) best friend, who’s an Elvis impersonator.
Blind Faith by Claire Thompson. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a guy, blinded in a car accident, who sees himself as damaged goods that no one could find attractive anymore.
Continuum of Longing by Claire Thompson. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about two guys who work together in a bank, neither of whom realizes that their attraction is mutual.
“What?!!” -Chaos