Blogger Development #ArmchairBEA Day 2

Design Credit: Emily of Emily's Reading Room

Today's Armchair BEA topic is blogger development.

For me that means
confession time:

I have been blogging for almost 5 years and I still have no idea what I'm doing. I started this blog on a whim and I've been flying by the seat of my pants ever since. When I have time to read and review that is what you see here. When I don't have the time or desire to write reviews, you get guest posts from authors (often including giveaways). I've tried to add some non book related posts once in a while as well just to change it up a bit.

I often feel like I don't really fit in with many blogging groups because my blog seems like it has an identity crisis at times. I'm not fully a book blogger anymore, although that is how I started out, yet I don't have enough other content to fit into a lifestyle or mommy blogger category either.

Although I've tried to tame it, my blogging schedule remains completely unpredictable. Other than blog tours which are scheduled in advance much of my blogging depends heavily on how much time and energy I have. My goal is to start some weekly features so visitors can know what to expect if they visit on a certain day. I even have a weekly blogging schedule written out but I haven't stayed true to it yet.

I've met two incredible groups of people who are helping me navigate this crazy blogging landscape in different ways. One is a group of authors and book bloggers who inspire me by introducing me to new books to read and by providing fantastic examples to follow. The other is a group of women bloggers in Indiana who warmly accepted this book blogger into their group. Many of these women run their blogs as businesses and give me something to strive toward. They are pushing me to move beyond my comfort zone and to think about how I can be more intentional in my blogging.

Today seems as good a day as any to set some blogging goals for the rest of the year so here we go:

• Actually stick to my weekly schedule for blog posts. This doesn't mean I have to have a post on every topic every week but that I will keep reviews on review day, guest posts on tour days, etc. This also includes finally getting my children's book feature going.
• Read and implement ideas from two books on blogging. I picked up My Blog Traffic Sucks! 8 Simple Steps to Get 100,000 Blog Visitors without Working 8 Days a Week (Kindle) when it was free a while back but haven't actually started working through it. Another one that I really want to read is The (Real) Truth About How Blogs Make Money: Tips and Tricks to Turn Your Blog Into a Business (without the BS) (Available at Bloggers Earn Bucks.)

I have a feeling that those two books will give me plenty to work on for the rest of the year to become a better blogger. Being part of blogging communities has been a huge support for me during the times when I have wondered if anyone was actually reading what I've been writing. It is amazing that I've managed to continue for as long as I have in such a random fashion.

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion.

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Who Am I? An #ArmchairBEA Introduction + Favorite Classics

I attempted last Armchair BEA for the first time last year and it was a spectacular fail on my part. I only managed to do three of the posts for the week and didn't have time to visit as many blogs as I would have liked. I wasn't going to participate this year but some bloggy friends (I'm looking at you Cabin Goddess and Girl Who Reads) inspired me to give it another go. This year I'm heading in with much more reasonable expectations of what I can contribute so I'm hoping that will increase the enjoyment of the experience this year.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

Hello! *Waves* I'm Angela, the Library Girl here at Library Girl Reads & Reviews. I'm a former librarian turned book blogger and stay-at-home mom. I've been blogging since before my oldest was born so almost 5 years at this point. I started blogging on a whim when I was home alone during the day, pregnant and bored. I was getting a lot of reading done but didn't have anyone to talk to and then I discovered book blogs. I can't believe I've kept this little blog going this long! I have times when life means that I read and blog less but I manage to keep coming back to it.

Where in the world are you blogging from?

I'm joining Armchair BEA from Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis is a big sports town with the Colts, the Pacers, and the Indianapolis Indians. We recently hosted the Superbowl and every Memorial weekend fans head in to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis 500. This is all well and good for you sports fans out there but I prefer taking my girls to the world's largest children's museum, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, and the Indianapolis Zoo in White River State Park. I have also discovered a hugely supportive network of women bloggers in Indiana!

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013?

I just stared reading Wards of Faerie by Terry Brooks for the second time. It is the first book in The Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy. The final book, Witch Wraith, actually just got delivered today so I'm going to read the series straight through. (The middle book is Bloodfire Quest.) I'm always reading any number of books to Elizabeth and Victoria. Sometimes it is the same story over and over and over and other times it is a new book every night.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

Well, if you have been reading my blog regularly for the last few months you will already know this but for those of you who are new: This year I have gotten involved with a non-profit organization that helps in distressed areas of Appalachia. The Monkey Do Project has a lot of initiatives which help provide food and other necessities to those living in rural poverty. Right now they really need donations to provide backpacks with books, healthy snacks, and school supplies to kids in Adams County, Ohio when they attend a health fair. For some of these kids this check up may be the only standard medical care they receive this year! Find out more at Pave the Path with Monkeys.

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?

I'm going to twist this question a little bit and tell you a couple of literary places that I have visited. I've walked Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond and visited Orchard House, home of Louisa May Alcott.

Design Credit: Emily of Emily's Reading Room

Classics

Sometimes I wish that I had more time to read the classics. There are some that people would expect that I've read but somehow I missed out on them at school and never got around to reading them on my own. These days it is rare that I feel alert enough to concentrate on a classic especially if it means adapting to the language and structure of times gone by.

Here are a few favorites:

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• Animal Farm by George Orwell

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion.

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Best Reads of 2012 - #ArmchairBEA Day 2

Design credit: Emily of Emily's Reading Room

Originally, I wasn't going to do a themed post for Armchair BEA today. I think I've only read 11 books this year which is so few compared to last year! So with my extremely limited reading time and sleep-deprived brain fog, I didn't think I could really come up with a "Best of" list. Then I saw that we could also include our most anticipated books of 2012 as well so I thought I'd give it a shot.

(Book descriptions are from Amazon.com)

Best Books I've Actually Read

A passionate, sweeping novel of a love that transcends time.

When twenty-something Wall Street analyst Kate Wilson attracts the notice of the legendary Julian Laurence at a business meeting, no one’s more surprised than she is. Julian’s relentless energy and his extraordinary intellect electrify her, but she’s baffled by his sudden interest. Why would this handsome British billionaire—Manhattan’s most eligible bachelor—pursue a pretty but bookish young banker who hasn’t had a boyfriend since college?

The answer is beyond imagining . . . at least at first. Kate and Julian’s story may have begun not in the moneyed world of twenty-first-century Manhattan but in France during World War I, when a mysterious American woman emerged from the shadows of the Western Front to save the life of Captain Julian Laurence Ashford, a celebrated war poet and infantry officer.

Now, in modern-day New York, Kate and Julian must protect themselves from the secrets of the past, and trust in a true love that transcends time and space.


With a voice as distinctive and original as that of The Lovely Bones, and for the fans of the speculative fiction of Margaret Atwood, Karen Thompson Walker’s The Age of Miracles is a luminous, haunting, and unforgettable debut novel about coming of age set against the backdrop of an utterly altered world.

“It still amazes me how little we really knew. . . . Maybe everything that happened to me and my family had nothing at all to do with the slowing. It’s possible, I guess. But I doubt it. I doubt it very much.”

On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life—the fissures in her parents’ marriage, the loss of old friends, the hopeful anguish of first love, the bizarre behavior of her grandfather who, convinced of a government conspiracy, spends his days obsessively cataloging his possessions. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues.

2012 Books I want to Read

Aly King is about to fall for the fallen.

My best friend, Des, and I totally freaked when we won the contest to meet THE Dakota Danvers in Hollywood. But now we’re finding out he’s SO not the angel everyone believes him to be. In fact, Dakota is the son of Satan, wreaking havoc on Hollywood and creating an evil army hellbent on world domination.

Lucky for us, Dakota’s super-cute personal assistant, Jameson, is a fallen angel trying to get his wings back, and he’s working undercover to squash his demon boss’s plan. If Jameson hadn’t taken me under his wing I’d be in serious trouble, because I’m a total newb when it comes to conquering evil. But, truth be told, that sexy angel’s got me all aflutter and may be one temptation I can’t resist.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong delivers the novel her fans have been clamoring for: The epic finale of the Otherworld series.

It’s been more than ten years, a dozen installments, and hundreds of thousands of copies since Kelley Armstrong introduced readers to the all-too-real denizens of the Otherworld: witches, werewolves, necromancers, vampires, and half-demons, among others. And it’s all been leading to Thirteen, the final installment, the novel that brings all of these stories to a stunning conclusion.

A war is brewing—the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he’s fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a maniacal plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength, a strength she never knew she had, as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it’s more than a matter of supernaturals against one another—both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-notforgotten characters in one epic battle, Thirteen is a grand, crowd-pleasing closer for Armstrong’s legions of fans.

A threat from the past could destroy the future.

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples--cracks in time. Are his powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before he can find out, Jonathan Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?

In the wake of Landers's return, the Hourglass organization is given an ultimatum by a mysterious man. Either they find Landers and the research he has stolen on people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered--with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most. Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their extraordinary powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? Even if they succeed, just finding him may not be enough ...

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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Getting to Know Library Girl #ArmchairBEA Interview

Design credit: Emily of Emily's Reading Room

Hi, I'm Angela also known as Library Girl. This is my first year participating in Armchair BEA. I'm excited to check in with the main events and to visit as many of the other participating blogs as the kids will let me. Today is interview day and I'm answering a few of the questions from the Armchair BEA site to let you know a little more about me...

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

I'm a former librarian now stay at home mom to my two girls. Elizabeth is 3 1/2 and Victoria is 3 1/2 months so they keep me pretty busy! I've always been a reader but I started blogging about one month before Elizabeth was born. I stopped working shortly after I became pregnant so I had lots of time to read and be online. I discovered the book blogging community and decided that I wanted to share my thoughts on the books I was reading with others. Although, I have less time to read these days I still love connecting with other book bloggers and authors.

2. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book that you have read so far in 2012?

I'm currently reading The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. I got an advance copy from LibraryThing and I'm really enjoying it so far. It officially comes out on June 16.

I think my favorite book that I've read so far this year is Overseas by Beatriz Williams (link to my review). It is a wonderful romance with great characters and a bit of time travel.

3. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

I think I'd like to meet Rachel Morgan and Ivy Tamwood from The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. This is one of my favorite series of books in part because of the evolution of the relationship between Rachel and Ivy. It would also just be interesting to have dinner with a witch/demon and a vampire. Of course I'm not sure that dinner with Rachel and Ivy would be possible without including Jenks the pixie to add some comic relief.

4. What is your favorite part of the book blogging community? Is there anything you would like to see change in the coming years?

My favorite part of the book blogging community is the support for authors. We all love to read and share our opinions about books and by doing that we show support for our favorite authors and spread the word about new authors. I recently joined a group called the Book Bloggers' Collaborative which strongly supports indie authors with sponsored giveaways, guest posts, author interviews, and other materials. To me, this is the essence of what the book blogging community should be - bloggers supporting authors and authors supporting bloggers in return.

5. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

My reading tastes have definitely changed since I began blogging! I was reading a pretty limited selection of authors and genres before I started working in a public library and then book blogging. I have been exposed to a much wider selection of fiction both by reading reviews on other blogs and by finding new sources of books including early reviewer programs and offers from publicists. Although I'm thrilled to have more variety in my reading, my list of books that I want to read is now completely out of control! With my limited reading time these days I am pretty picky about what I'm going to spend my time on so I rely heavily on other bloggers' reviews.

Thanks so much for stopping by and getting to know me a little more! I'm looking forward to visiting your blogs and seeing your answers to the interview questions.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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