Until Midnight (& Sometimes Later)

Arcane Society: The Looking Glass Trilogy: In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz (1/2/11)
Midnight Cravings: A collection of Six Sexy Bites by Michele Hauf, Karen Whiddon, Lori Devoti, Anna Leonard, Vivi Anna and Bonnie Vanak (1/5/11)
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (1/7/11)
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George (1/7/11)
Demontech: Get Her Back by David Sherman (1/12/11)
The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett (1/8/11)
Women of the Otherworld: Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong (1/8/11)
Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria by Carolly Erickson (1/10/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 1 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/11/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 2: First Night by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/12/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 3 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/13/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 4 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/17/11)
The Edge: Living on the Edge by Shannon K. Butcher (1/17/11)
Angel: Aftermath, volume 5 by Kelley Armstrong (1/18/11)
Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P.N. Elrod (1/18/11)
The Walker Papers: Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy (/1/2111)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue (1/23/11)
Needlecraft Mystery: Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris (1/24/11)
Truthseeker by C.E. Murphy (1/25/11)
Mageverse: Master of Smoke by Angela Knight (1/27/11)
Virginia Edition: Letters I by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell (1/31/11)
The Literary Handyman by Danielle Ackley-McPhail (2/3/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue (2/5/11)
Jane Yellowrock: Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter (2/5/11)
Cat in the Stacks: Murder Past Due by Miranda James (2/12/11)
The Others: Born to be Wild by Christine Warren (2/14/11)
The Others: Prince Charming Doesn’t Live Here by Christine Warren (2/16/11)
Day of the Dragon by Rebecca York (2/18/11)
V.I. Warshawski: Hardball by Sara Paretsky (2/19/11)
V.I. Warshawski: Body Work by Sara Paretsky (2/23/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 2~February/March 2011 issue (2/24/11)
The Theory of Cat Gravity by Robin Wood (2/28/11)
Modesty Blaise: Cry Wolf by Peter O’Donnell (3/1/11)
Son of Dracula by Victor Ambrus (3/1/11)
A Diversity of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey, Richard Woods and John Howe (3/2/11)
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt: Rutland Place by Anne Perry (3/5/11)
Victoria Square: A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett (3/5/11)
Fangs for the Mammaries edited by Esther Friesner (3/8/11)
Gideon Crew: Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (3/11/11)
Letters II by Robert Heinlein (3/13/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 3~April/May 2011 issue (3/18/11)
Simon Canderous: Dead Waters by Anton Strout (3/25/11)
The Naming of Kinzel (ebook) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (3/28/11)
PSI: Pack of Lies by Laura Ann Gilman (3/30/11)
Girl Genius: Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio (4/4/11)
Betsy Taylor: Undead and Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson (4/8/11)
The God Engines by John Scalzi (4/10/11)
Tales of the Amazing Conroy: The Amazing Conroy: Buffalito Contingency by Lawrence M Schoen (4/12/11)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue (4/14/11)
The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken (4/16/11)
Goblin Tales by Jim C. Hines (4/16/11)
Green Rider: Blackveil by Kristen Britain (4/19/11)
Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi (4/21/11)
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (4/23/11)
Old Man’s War: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi (4/25/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue (4/27/11)
Old Man’s War: The Last Colony by John Scalzi (4/27/11)
The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi (5/1/11)
Old Man’s War: Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi (5/7/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (5/13/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (5/24/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 4~June/July 2011 issue (5/30/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin (6/2/11)
Dragon Precinct: Unicorn Precinct by Keith DeCandido (6/3/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin (6/10/11)
Truthseeker: Wayfinder by C.E. Murphy (6/12/11)
The Hollows: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison (6/14/11)
Mercy Thompson: River Marked by Patricia Briggs (6/17/11)
Parasol Protectorate: Heartless by Gail Carriger (6/21/11)
Midnight Louie: Cat in an Ultramarine Scheme by Carole Nelson Douglas (6/21/11)
Kate Daniels: Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (6/24/11)
Southern Vampires: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (6/25/11)
Liaden Universe: Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (6/26/11)
Spellcast by Barbara Ashford (6/27/11)
The Morganville Vampires: Bite Club by Rachel Caine (6/28/11)
Cat in the Stacks: Classified as Murder by Miranda James (6/29/11)
The Lincoln Lawyer: The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly (7/1/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 3~July/August/September 2011 issue (7/4/11)
The Walker Papers: Spirit Dances by C.E. Murphy (7/5/11)
Booktown Mysteries: Sentenced to Death by Lorna Barrett (7/6/11)
Death’s Excellent Vacation edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner (7/9/11)
Pillow Talk by Freya North (7/16/11)
Pure Hate by Wrath James White (7/16/11)
Double Vision by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (7/17/11)
Arcane Society: The Looking Glass Trilogy: Quicksilver by Amanda Quick (7/20/11)
Knosses West: Beyond the Vision of Dreams by Stella and Audra Price (ebook) (7/20/11)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 3~July/August/September 2011 issue (7/21/11)
Kitty Norville: Kitty’s Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn (8/2/11)
Dresden Files: Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (8/11/11)
Myth & Magic: Mercy Burns by Keri Arthur (8/14/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 5~August/September 2011 issue (8/18/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (8/25/11)
Chastain & Morris Investigation: Sympathy for the Devil by Justin Gustainis (8/28/11)
Women of the Otherworld: Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong (8/30/11)
Occult Crimes Investigation: Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis (9/5/11)
Women of the Otherworld: Becoming by Kelley Armstrong & Angilram (9/25/11)
Agent Pendergast: Cold Vengence by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (9/28/11)
The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging (10/3/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 6~October/November 2011 issue (10/17/11)
Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in American by Nathan J. Winograd (10/30/11)
Cucurbital 2 edited by Lawrence M. Schoen (11/2/11)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 4~October/November/December 2011 issue (11/7/11)
Blood Work [graphic novel] by Kim Harrison (11/9/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 1 no 4~October/November/December 2011 issue (11/13/11)
Sentinel Wars: Blood Hunt by Shannon K. Butcher (11/28/11)
The Edge: Razor’s Edge by Shannon K. Butcher (11/29/11)
Collegium Chronicles: Changes by Mercedes Lackey (12/8/11)
Dragonrider’s of Pern: Dragon’s Time by Todd McCaffrey and Anne McCaffrey (12/12/11)
The Edge: Fate’s Edge by Ilona Andrews (12/15/11)
Marla Mason: Grim Tides by Tim Pratt (12/19/11)
PSI: Tricks of the Trade by Laura Ann Gilman (12/24/11)
Harry Bosch: The Drop by Michael Connelly (12/28/11)

I collect bookmarks. Actually, I collect a lot of things (ask me about Whimsiclay ceramic figurines sometime. They’re like potato chips. Or crack). I’ve been hanging on to bookmarks for as long as I can remember–after all, without a bookmark, how do you keep track of where you are in the book/books you’re reading? And I’ve been a voracious reader forever. Aren’t you?

I have bookmarks from every bookstore that graciously tossed one into the bag when I bought books. I have cute, tasseled bookmarks from Barnes & Noble that I just couldn’t resist. I have one that has the One Ring hanging off of it. Most of them have been sequestered in a drawer in an architectural flat-file primarily used to store prints that we just haven’t gotten around to having matted and framed yet (one day, we will have all of our Samurai Cat prints matted and hung–but not today).

Of course, these days everyone with a book to promote has bookmarks with their cover art to hand out, so the collection is . . . excessive. But it still makes me smile. Many of those bookmarks live in my library inside the appropriate books.

When I read, of course, I grab whatever is handy to use as a bookmark: old business cards, vintage baseball cards, etc. And Hit Points.

I have a stock of Hit Points that I use as book marks. They are the size of business cards (approximately) and labeled “1 Hit Point” in various colors, with a number hand-written on the back. They date from the early-to-mid 1980s and the very first live-action role playing (LARPing) games. I participated in several, one at my dorm (Risley) at Cornell that was one of the very first games ever run (I think), one at a Boskone, a time-travel themed game at a Baltimore-area convention, a stand-alone game at a hotel, and “Twilight of the Gods” held at SILicon I.

As I continued to participate, I also shifted geographically: from Ithaca (Cornell) to Endicott & Endwell (for grad school at SUNY-Binghamton), then to the Boston area for gainful employment. Concurrently, the folks running the games, who were based primarily out of the Boston area (Harvard, MIT & friends) formed the Society for Interactive Literature. Although LARPing has continued to grow and evolve, much of its base was formed there and is basically the same. Who knew it would endure so long and become so popular?

Every time I pull out one of those colored cards and use it as a bookmark, I remember the fun from all those years ago. Great job guys!

Tim Pratt, writing as T.A. Pratt, is funding the continuation of his wonderful Marla Mason series over at kickstarter. Marla is not your typical girl-who-kicks-ass type heroine–she kicks ass, but she’s foul-mouthed, fights dirty, is a powerful sorceress and does whatever she has to in order to win. She has her own moral code: she is fiercely loyal to her friends and merciless to her enemies. It’s also terrific fun to read about her.

The Marla Mason series includes prequel Bone Shop, Blood Engines, Poison Sleep, Dead Reign, Spell Games, Broken Mirrors and assorted short stories.

So go over and pledge what you can. And tune in when January rolls around to read Grim Tides, the next book in the continuing saga of Marla Mason.

The Looking Glass Trilogy: In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz
Midnight Cravings: A collection of Six Sexy Bites by Michele Hauf, Karen Whiddon, Lori Devoti, Anna Leonard, Vivi Anna and Bonnie Vanak
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
Get Her Back by David Sherman
The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett
Women of the Otherworld: Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong
Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria by Carolly Erickson
Angel: After the Fall, volume 1 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 2: First Night by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 3 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 4 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
The Edge: Living on the Edge by Shannon K. Butcher
Angel: Aftermath, volume 5 by Kelley Armstrong
Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P.N. Elrod
The Walker Papers: Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue
Needlecraft Mystery: Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris
Truthseeker by C.E. Murphy
Mageverse: Master of Smoke by Angela Knight
Letters I by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell
The Literary Handyman by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue
Jane Yellowrock: Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter
Cat in the Stacks: Murder Past Due by Miranda James
The Others: Born to be Wild by Christine Warren
The Others: Prince Charming Doesn’t Live Here by Christine Warren
Day of the Dragon by Rebecca York
V.I. Warshawski: Hardball by Sara Paretsky
V.I. Warshawski: Body Work by Sara Paretsky
TICA Trend vol 32 no 2~February/March 2011 issue
The Theory of Cat Gravity by Robin Wood
Modesty Blaise: Cry Wolf by Peter O’Donnell
Son of Dracula by Victor Ambrus
A Diversity of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey, Richard Woods and John Howe
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt: Rutland Place by Anne Perry
Victoria Square: A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett
Fangs for the Mammaries edited by Esther Friesner
Gideon Crew: Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Letters II by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell
TICA Trend vol 32 no 3~April/May 2011 issue
Simon Canderous: Dead Waters by Anton Strout
The Naming of Kinzel (ebook) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
PSI: Pack of Lies by Laura Ann Gilman
Girl Genius: Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio
Betsy Taylor: Undead and Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson
The God Engines by John Scalzi
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue
The Amazing Conroy: Buffalito Contingency by Lawrence M Schoen
The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken
Goblin Tales by Jim C. Hines
Green Rider: Blackveil by Kristen Britain
Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
Old Man’s War: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue
Old Man’s War: The Last Colony by John Scalzi
The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi
Old Man’s War: Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
TICA Trend vol 32 no 4~June/July 2011 issue
Unicorn Precinct by Keith DeCandido
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
Wayfinder by C.E. Murphy
The Hollows: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Mercy Thompson: River Marked by Patricia Briggs

There are also a bunch of books in my partially read pile. This is a relatively new trend–I’m halfway through about fifteen books . . . oh, shiny . . . not sure why.

The Looking Glass Trilogy: In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz
Midnight Cravings: A collection of Six Sexy Bites by Michele Hauf, Karen Whiddon, Lori Devoti, Anna Leonard, Vivi Anna and Bonnie Vanak
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
Get Her Back by David Sherman
The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett
Women of the Otherworld: Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong
Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria by Carolly Erickson
Angel: After the Fall, volume 1 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 2: First Night by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 3 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 4 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
The Edge: Living on the Edge by Shannon K. Butcher
Angel: Aftermath, volume 5 by Kelley Armstrong
Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P.N. Elrod
The Walker Papers: Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue
Needlecraft Mystery: Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris
Truthseeker by C.E. Murphy
Mageverse: Master of Smoke by Angela Knight
Letters I by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell
The Literary Handyman by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Bengals Illustrated~January/February/March 2011 issue
Jane Yellowrock: Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter
Cat in the Stacks: Murder Past Due by Miranda James
The Others: Born to be Wild by Christine Warren
The Others: Prince Charming Doesn’t Live Here by Christine Warren
Day of the Dragon by Rebecca York
V.I. Warshawski: Hardball by Sara Paretsky
V.I. Warshawski: Body Work by Sara Paretsky
TICA Trend vol 32 no 2~February/March 2011 issue
Modesty Blaise: Cry Wolf by Peter O’Donnell
Son of Dracula by Victor Ambrus
A Diversity of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey, Richard Woods and John Howe
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt: Rutland Place by Anne Perry
Victoria Square: A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett
Fangs for the Mammaries edited by Esther Friesner
Gideon Crew: Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Letters II by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell
TICA Trend vol 32 no 3~April/Mary 2011 issue
Simon Canderous: Dead Waters by Anton Strout
The Naming of Kinzel (ebook) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
PSI: Pack of Lies by Laura Ann Gilman
Girl Genius: Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio
Betsy Taylor: Undead and Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson
The God Engines by John Scalzi