Remember when I gave you an assignment last week? (You did splendidly and I thank you!) You were all helping Chaos and Mayhem prepare to interview Crazy Aunt Purl’s kitties during their visit here tomorrow. They’re supposed to be helping their mom promote her new book (reviewed below!), but you know how kitties are… You’ll also have the chance to enter to win one of five copies of the book (Crazy Aunt Purl’s Home Is Where the Wine Is: Making the Most of What You’ve Got One Stitch (and Cocktail!) at a Time by Laurie Perry), so make sure to drop by!

Contests

• Lea’s giving away copies of Stephanie Tyler’s Navy SEAL romances Too Hot To Hold and Hold On Tight. You need to leave a comment before she has her coffee on February 26 to have a chance to win.

• Lea’s also giving away a copy of Jaci Burton’s forthcoming erotic romance, Bound, Branded and Brazen. Leave a comment by the afternoon of February 26 for your chance to win.

• For a chance to win ebook copies of Leigh Ellwood’s m/m romances GPS (featuring Candy Cane Guy on the cover!) and Enter Sandman, leave a comment on her blog by February 26.

• Cecile’s celebrating her blogiversary by giving away a copy of Tracy Wolfe’s erotic suspense, Full Exposure. Leave a comment to enter – you have until March 31!

• Largehearted Boy’s giving away a copy of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter and an assortment of cds and books. Contest closes midnight CST, February 26.

• Blodeudd’s celebrating her birthday by giving away a copy of 22 Nights by Linda Winstead Jones. Leave a happy birthday comment before the weekend for your chance to win!

• CJ and LB are at DIK, giving away a copy of each other’s forthcoming books (Mind Games (urban fantasy) by Carolyn Crane and Catch Me If You Can (m/m romantic suspense) by L. B. Gregg). Leave a comment answering their question for your chance to win. Contest closes 11:59 pm EST, February 28.

• Donna Fantasy Dreamer’s giving away an autographed copy of Foz Meadows’ new YA urban fantasy, Solace and Grief. Leave a comment by 8 am CST, February 28, for your chance to win.

• Donna Fantasy Dreamer is also giving away a copy of Thomas E. Sniegoski’s urban fantasy, Where Angels Fear To Tread. For your chance to win, leave a comment by midnight CST, March 2.

• Leah Braemel’s giving away a print and an ebook copy of Deirdre Knight’s amazing romance, The Butterfly Tattoo, which was one of my favorite books from last year. Read the directions to enter carefully. Contest closes 10 am EST, March 2. Oh, and keep your tissues handy if you win!

• And don’t forget that Abigail of All Things Urban Fantasy posts her weekly list of contests each Wednesday!

Of Things Bookish

• Zounds! Fantasy Dreamer’s Ramblings, SciFiGuy, and Literary Escapism have scads of info on new releases, contests, and other happenings in Bookbloglandia.

• Lily has a nice list of the new m/m books released this week.

• A very interesting discussion of ebooks and piracy going on in the comments over at Jessewave’s. TeddyPig has expanded on one of his comments in a post on his blog.

• Thought-provoking post about the place etextbooks could have in American education.

• Maybe publishers should work on improving the quality of their digital content before they start talking about pricing?

• Casee of the Book Binge wants to know what characters you’re invested in. Are you waiting for their books to come out?

• It’s time to vote for the ugliest book covers in Jessewave’s Fourth Ugly Covers Competition! Please note that these covers are totally and completely NSFW and should not be perused by the easily offended. Bring your brain bleach and leave your comment about which cover you think is the ugliest before February 28. Why, yes, I did nominate the cover that has Candy Cane Guy on it. However did you guess? 😉

• O noes! CJ has detected a pernicious trend in Bookbloglandia! 😮

• Every week, Awful Library Books amazes me yet again. Or was that horrifies?

• Aw, thanks, Katiebabs, for including SoC in your list of Must Visit Blogs! 🙂

Learn Stuff

• Kristi’s writing a series of posts about knitting needles, particularly about how a knitting needle and yarn combo can affect your project.

• Turn yarn into a clever lampshade, no knitting required.

• Lifehacker shows us a simple way to keep those darn earbuds untangled.

• Who knew you could use snow for cleaning?

• Education is bliss!

Stuff That Didn’t Fit Elsewhere (Because I Didn’t Put Enough Effort into It)

• Mark Twain knew that humans aren’t very good at risk analysis.

• Ever wondered how much money that meeting you’re in is wasting? Now you can figure it out!

• Check out the new, amazingly high-resolution photos of the Earth from space from NASA.

• Curious about Google’s secret search algorithm?

• Do you remember when people used to sit and talk in coffeeshops?

• This looks cool, but I have no idea how well it works for suggesting new music that you might like.

• Huh. Some colleges are now accepting YouTube videos as part of application.

• There’s a new magnetic version of the GorillaPod tripod.

• Probably not Minneapolis’ finest hour, huh?

• Ten reasons to avoid talking on the phone.

• I can’t imagine why these male models all look so disgruntled… (No nudity involved!)

Meow Meow Meow Meow

• I love this picture.

• Have you watched the Sky Mall Kitties video yet?

• Poor Myron, that most adorable black kitten. He tested positive for FeLV. But all is not lost! He’s going into special FeLV foster care! Whew.

• Best spotted kitty bellah evah.

• Tabby girl cute burn!

• Well, that explains all those lost socks, huh?

• Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bathroom…

• Probably not a good idea to play Monopoly for your soul.

• Probably a good idea to avoid the wireless cat.

• That could so be Chaos.

Reading Update
Crazy Aunt Purl’s Home Is Where the Wine Is: Making the Most of What You’ve Got One Stitch (and Cocktail!) at a Time by Laurie Perry. Like its predecessor, Crazy Aunt Purl’s Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair: The True-Life Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split, this is a book that, for all its humor and irreverence, is about personal growth. Follow along with Laurie Perry as she makes her New Year’s resolutions (#7: “Try Something New [and Not Just a New Food]”), then tries to achieve them throughout the year. This was a great read – and you definitely do not need to be a knitter to enjoy it, although there are some fun (and funny) knitting and crochet patterns at the end of the book. (I am so going to make the braided icord rug.) My favorite lines from the book are about meeting and speaking with sock knitters: “Eventually they found me and talked soothingly to me, and told me stories about how easy it was and how quick, portable, and fulfilling sock knitting could be. I’m sluttish and easy when it comes to craft cults, so it didn’t take much convincing.” *ahem* I may have said those same things to knitters who’d never tried knitting socks before. 🙂 (Please note that I received this book from the publisher for review.)
When Irish Eyes Are Sparkling by Tom Collins. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a bi-curious artist with a heart of gold (whose family own the Irish Eyes pub) and a paramedic who avoids emotional entanglements. I was briefly afeared that there was going to be squicky twin action in this book and am very glad there wasn’t! My only complaint is a plot thread involving a voicemail and an attack that never went anywhere. (If it sways anyone’s opinion on the book, there are kilts. Yum.)
Brindisi Bedfellows by Jamie Craig. ebook. Enjoyable m/m romance about a guy who gets dumped by his boyfriend the night before they were supposed to leave for three weeks in Italy. While drunk, he invites his ex’s best friend along in place of the ex, and things get a bit complicated (but interesting!).
Dress To Impress by Jodi Payne. ebook. Good m/m romance about a financial adviser who meets a mysterious guy at a bar and takes him home for the night, then can’t forget him.
Sweet Treats by Stormy Glenn. ebook. So-so m/m romance about a doctor and a baker (but no candlestick maker) that was so sugary sweet I barely stayed conscious. Also, the main characters were called Nicky and Brandon, which was a problem for me. (See Cheating Chance by James Buchanan…)
Fundamental Things (OC Pride, Book 2.5) by Stephanie Vaughan. ebook short. I loved the previous two books (Jumping the Fence and Crossing the Line) in this m/m romance series, but this short didn’t do much for me.
Handle With Care by Mallory Path. ebook short. M/m romance short that left me completely “huh?” and “ooooooooooookay…”
Crimes of Passion by Mel Keegan. ebook short. Ok m/m romance about a couple dealing with difficult in-laws coming to visit.
The Guardian by Mary Calmes. ebook. This fantasy m/m romance qualifies for Kris’ m/m rut challenge! I’m trying and trying, but I fear the fantasy enjoyment channel in my brain might be permanently damaged. 🙁 Again, as with Hero, I don’t really feel as if I can evaluate this. I loved Mary’s paranormal m/m romance (Change of Heart) and her four-part m/m romantic suspense, A Matter of Time, but this just didn’t immerse me to the same extent.
Seducing Stephen by Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon. ebook. I read this m/m historical romance for Kris’ m/m rut challenge because I tend to avoid historicals like… the Plague. *pauses for groaning to die down* But then I won it in a contest last week, which seemed like a portent of some sort. So I hunkered down and read it. (Tam, you’ll notice that although this is a whole bunch of sentences, I haven’t actually reviewed anything yet.) And… I loved it! Possibly because there weren’t all sorts of dreary historical details, true, but the authors also managed to portray the secrecy and discretion that being gay in the mid- to late-18th century demanded. Highly recommended.

“I am ignoring you and your nonsense about unobscured pictures, Mom.” -Mayhem