Winner of City of Lust contest

(yes, sorry it's late. Forgot about the Bank Holiday weekend, not to mention five people coming to stay for it, plus, yes, the old labyrinthitis rearing its unattractive head. Sorry--but then you have to admit it's appropriate)

The winner of the City of Lust Because I'm Always Late contest is Cathy Macdonald for relating the story of the man who can't get out of bed until he's won a game of computer checkers. Lose the first game, and you're late...

Congratulations Cathy, and I hope you enjoy City of Lust!

In other news, in between fixing floors, light switches and curtail rails (I am DIY Goddess, hear me curse), entertaining aforesaid guests and drinking (ahem) a little too much wine, I've been reading through a chunk of my RWA Free Book pile. Some are duds, some are fabulous. Among the fabulous so far have been: Jeaniene Frost's Halfway to the Grave, which I enjoyed so much I ordered the second book in the Night Huntress series (I also had the third in my TBR pile, but didn't want to spoil it); Kresley Cole's Dark Desires After Dusk, Eloisa James's Duchess By Night, Terri Garey's Dead Girls Are Easy , Nicola Cornick's The Confessions of a Duchess. As you can see, I've been reading through the historicals first, and now I'm on paranormals. I haven't started on contemporaries yet, and I also have a small stack of romantic suspense. I'm often a bit ambivalent about RS, but the lovely thing about bringing home so many books is that I'll quite often read something I otherwise wouldn't have picked up, and find I quite enjoy it.

I also treated myself to Julie Cohen's Girl from Mars , since I'd been thwarted twice in trying to get it (Book Depository ran out, so I thought I'd get it at the RWA signing, but once again the books didn't turn up. Third time's the charm!). As usual with Julie's funny and perceptive writing, not to mention a serial hair-dyer of a heroine, I enjoyed it hugely.