State of the Blog March 2012: New Baby Edition

If you read my Our New Addition post recently, you know that we have a new baby in the family. This has been a wonderful thing but it also leaves me sleep deprived and with very little reading time. The result is that I'm not sure how many book reviews I'll be posting in the near future. I will continue to have book related content though - mainly author guest posts.

During March, I will be participating in an event for winwithebooks.com. Several authors have teamed up to do a buy one, get one free promotion from March 15 - 18. Not only do you have the chance to get two great eBooks for the price of one, but you can also enter a contest for Amazon gift cards. I will have author guest posts leading up to the main event and then have the Rafflecopter widget posted on the 15th.

Here is what is up next on my reading list:

• The Way by Kristen Wolf
• Temp: An Accidental Fairytale by A.E. Mayer
• Yes! Energy: The Equation to Do Less, Make More by Loral Langemeier

All of these books were sent to me for review. I'm slowly making my way through The Way right now when I get a few minutes here and there to read. I have no idea when I'll actually get these finished and reviewed but I wanted to give you an idea of what will be showing up here eventually.

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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.

Our New Addition!

 On Thursday, February 16, our family grew by one. Victoria Jean entered the world at 6:45 pm weighing 7 pounds 3.6 ounces. Having Victoria was a completely different experience than having Elizabeth was over three years ago and I'm happy to say it was MUCH easier this time around!

Needless to say, I'm not getting a whole lot of reading done lately because taking care of a newborn and a three year old is a full time job in itself. I finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes before I went to the hospital and I haven't even picked up a book since I've been home. So things here on the blog may be slow for quite a while. I have some great books waiting to be read but I need to grab sleep whenever I can these days!

One thing that I hadn't completely forgotten about but that still shocked me a bit was the cost of diapers when we picked up our first package for Victoria. We used Pampers diapers with Elizabeth because that is what they had in the hospital and they worked so we just kept using them. We knew we would be bringing home some diapers from the hospital so we just picked up a small package of newborn diapers before I went to the hospital and it was around $10. I think that lasted us all of three days after getting home! I would love to have a cheaper alternative for diapers that work as well as the Pampers.

Thanks to BzzAgent.com and Comforts for Baby, I have the opportunity to try the Comforts for Baby brand diapers, wipes, and sippy cups. I was sent one package of baby wipes, a package with two sippy cups, a coupon for a free package of diapers, and several 20% off diapers coupons. Comforts for Baby products are available at the Kroger family of stores which is incredibly convenient for me as that is where we do our weekly grocery shopping anyway.

I picked up my free package of diapers on my last shopping trip but unfortunately we won't be able to use them for a while. The smallest size that I could find was a size 1 which starts at 8 pounds. Victoria is currently wearing the newborn size from Pampers which actually goes up to 10 pounds if we need it to. I pulled one of the Comforts diapers out of the package just to see how much bigger it is and it would definitely be too large on her right now. Plus the Pampers diapers have a small dip in the front to accommodate her cord which hasn't fallen off yet. Even if the Comforts diapers would fit at this point, I would still have to fold them down in front so it wouldn't cover and rub on her cord. The good news was that the package of Comforts diapers would cost me between $6 and $7 for about the same number of diapers as I got in the $10 Pampers package. So I'm looking forward to trying them when Victoria is a little bigger to see how they fit her and if they contain leaks. It would be nice if we like them because it would save us some money and a trip to another store since we've been buying diapers at Target or Sam's Club depending on the size we need.

The Comforts for Baby wipes say they are comparable to Huggies baby wipes and I would agree that this is an accurate comparison. I think we used one or two packages of Huggies baby wipes with Elizabeth but we didn't really care for them much. The Comforts wipes are thick which is nice for cleaning up a messy diaper but they are also a bit stiff and don't seem very soft. Baby bottoms are a very sensitive area so not being very soft is a huge negative for me. We actually like the up & up brand of baby wipes from Target. They aren't as thick as the Comfort wipes but they are softer and have a little texture to them which helps clean the skin with less rubbing. Although I didn't look at the price of the Comfort for Baby wipes when I was in Kroger, my guess is that the pricing would be comparable to the up & up brand.

The Comforts for Baby brand carried by the Kroger family of stores goes far beyond just diapers and wipes. They also carry:

• Disposable changing pads
• Training Pants
• Skincare products
• Formula & Bottle liners
• Bowls, Spoons, & Cups
• Bibs, Pacifiers, & Teething Rings

While we don't currently have a need for most of these products, it is nice to know that Kroger has options available to meet Victoria's needs as she grows. I'm very curious too see how the diapers work for us when she is ready for that next size.

Be sure to check out comfortsforbaby.com for a full list pf products, great parenting articles, and product coupons.

Have you ever tried any of the Comforts for Baby products? What did you think of them?

This post was written after receiving Comforts for Baby products to try from BzzAgent.com. All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and no one from BzzAgent, Kroger, or Comforts for Baby edited this post in any way.

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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.

Some Blog Updates

This weekend I finally had some time to sit down and play with the new Pages option in Blogger.  I just wanted to take a moment and draw your attention to the new navigation bar under the header which currently has the About Me, Review Policy, and Prize Page pages.  About Me is pretty self-explanatory - learn a bit more about the Library Girl behind Library Girl Reads.  The Review Policy essentially formalizes what I've been doing around here anyway and gives everyone guidelines on what to expect from me.  The page most of you will be interested in though is the Prize Page.  This is the new home for the books available in the monthly giveaways and any other giveaways I choose to use it for.  Go check it out because the August Giveaway will be going up on Wednesday, August 4!

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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Feed Issues

I've been going through my archive and cleaning out some old posts that are no longer relevant (past giveaway winners & such) but after doing so I noticed that an old post was sent out tonight in the email feed.  I believe this happened that last time I was clearing out old posts too.  I have no idea why this happened or how to prevent it from happening again as I'm not finished with the cleaning up.  I suppose the good thing is that new email subscribers will see a post from the past that they might have missed.  Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I am aware this is happening but have no clue how to fix it.

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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Library Girl Vacation

This library family is heading on vacation tomorrow.  I'm sure it probably already feels like I have taken a vacation from blogging.  We've had company, company, company and now I'm finally getting around to packing for tomorrow.  With everything we've had going on, I've barely had time to read much less blog about it.  I am taking three books with me on the trip but I'm not sure I'll get much reading done.  We've got people to see and places to be!  Why do I have a feeling I'm going to need a vacation when we get home just to recover from this vacation?

Anyway, to get this post back on track, here are the books I'm taking with me:






I also really need to get a review written for Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P. N. Elrod.  I'm really hoping to have that scheduled to go up on July 1, since the book comes out later in July, but it still isn't written yet so I'm not sure if that will happen.  I do have a review of Juliet by Anne Fortier scheduled for August 1 so there is that to look forward to.

When I get back, I really hope I can find a better balance with getting the stuff done that really needs to be done around the house (cleaning, laundry, meals, etc) and fun things (playing with my daughter, reading, catching up on TV & movies, etc).  The summer seems to be getting away from me though!

I hope that you are enjoying your summer and travels where ever they may take you.

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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

New Look!

I've been wanting a new look for the blog for quite a while now. I kept visiting various blog designers websites and looking enviously at what they have to offer. Unfortunately, being a stay at home mom I just don't have money of my own to pay someone to redesign Library Girl Reads for me. I was really afraid to try doing it myself too because my HTML coding is pretty rusty and I didn't want to totally mess things up.

Tonight I was poking around a bit and discovered some new templates. I loved that I could see exactly how the blog would look before I applied them so after playing around, I decided on this one. I really like the wider sidebar on the right and the additional columns it gives me. The bookish background is also a huge plus since I really wasn't finding anything in the designers' free offerings that was book related.

I'd love to hear what you think of the new look! I'm sure I'll be playing around with it some more but I think this is a great start to a blog makeover. If you are reading this in a feed reader or by email, I'd love to have you stop by and check it out.

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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

200 Followers!

photo credit: Incognita Nom de Plume via photo pin cc

Library Girl Reads has just reached 200 followers!!  Thank you to all of you who stop by the blog, follow me, subscribe by email, and spread the word by linking to me.  It means a lot to me.  To say thanks, I'll be drawing two winners tomorrow for the May Giveaway.  Be sure to get your entries in today if you haven't already :-)

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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Survey Savvy

Do you like sharing your opinion on products and services?  Do you like taking surveys?  How about getting paid to take surveys?  I've worked with several different survey sites and other product testing companies.  Today I wanted to just take a quick minutes to tell you about Survey Savvy.  Survey Savvy is nice because you know exactly how much you are going to get paid for each survey that you complete.  There are no points to accumulate or keep track of.  I also like that I'm not getting my email filled up with a ton of surveys that I get partway through and then don't qualify to complete.  Sure, there are some of those but it seems like fewer than with some of the other companies.  Granted, you aren't going to earn a whole lot of money by taking surveys but for me it is really nice to have some pocket money of my own.  Signing up with Survey Savvy is easy too so why not get started earning some money for your opinion today?

Disclaimer:  The Survey Savvy links above are referral links and I will earn some incentive when you complete a survey.
 
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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

TSS: Moving Week

Welcome to The Sunday Salon, a place for readers and book lovers to come together to escape into our books for a bit.  Each Sunday, we set aside some time to read and to discuss that reading, our reading throughout the past week, and other events in our lives.  Please join in the discussion here and take some time to visit some of the over 500 bloggers who participate.

The big news here is that it is moving week!  If you've read some of my recent Sunday Salon posts you might remember that we recently closed on our new house.  All of the work was finished up by Wednesday afternoon so now we can start moving our stuff in.  This weekend has been spent packing boxes, installing appliances, and cleaning up the new house.  Our apartment is full of boxes, both full and empty.  Every trip to the new house means another load moved from one place into the other.  Next weekend we plan to have movers come to take all the large furniture and any of the other boxes that are left.

All of our books are packed so the only reading I'll be doing this week is reading stories with my daughter.  I finally gave up on getting my book from the library because it had been on hold (and in transit) for probably three weeks with no sign of showing up in time for me to read it before moving.  At this point, I don't know when we will have out Internet turned off here or turned on at the new house.  All of this means the blog will be very quiet for a while - probably two weeks or more.  It will take us a bit of time to get everything settled in at the new house and get back into our routines.

I will be choosing the winner for my April giveaway this week but since those books got packed as well, it may take me some time to get the book mailed out.  I'm hoping to still do a May giveaway but it may go up a bit later in the month than usual.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Welcome to New Readers

photo credit: Enokson via photo pin cc

I have noticed quite a few new readers recently and I wanted to say welcome to Library Girl Reads!  I hope that you find reviews and articles here that interest you.  My reading varies widely, although I have been on a streak of non-fiction reading lately, so you might have to explore some of the older posts to get a better feel for my reviews overall.

I have two giveaways currently happening here:
1.  The March giveaway ends tomorrow (March 24)! and is open to the United States only.
2.  One reader will win the first two books in the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost.  That one ends March 31 and is open internationally.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will return often.  I would love to hear your thoughts and get to know you all better so please comment away!

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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

100 Followers!

photo credit: Incognita Nom de Plume via photo pin cc

I'm very excited that I have just reached a blogging milestone -- 100 followers!  It has taken me quite some time to get to this point but I'm glad that you are here with me.  There are many things I would like to improve on this blog this year including posting more regularly and a whole new layout so we'll just have to see if it actually happens.

To thank all of you wonderful followers, I will be selecting at least 2 winners in the February Giveaway.  If you haven't already entered it, it is open until February 24.  Comments on the post are moderated but I will approve entries as soon as I can.

Thank you again for taking this journey in reading with me!

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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

2010 at Library Girl Reads

2010 is right around the corner and I've been thinking about what my reading and blogging will look like in the new year.  I would love to say that I'm going to be more consistent with The Sunday Salon posts and having regular content during the week.  Unfortunately, I know that I cannot make that promise.  As a stay at home mom, much of my reading and blogging time is determined by my daughter.  When she naps, I get things done.  When she is awake, I want to spend all the time I can with her playing and exploring the world through her eyes.

In 2009, I only signed up for two reading challenges.  So far I've finished one of them and that was earlier this month.  I have one book left to finish the second challenge and it is sitting next to me, waiting to be picked up.  I really want to get it finished by the end of the year but I'm in the middle of two others so I don't know if it will happen.  There are so many absolutely fantastic reading challenges out there.  They sound so wonderful and I want to sign up as soon as I read about a new one.  I've been holding off though and haven't signed up for any for 2010 yet.  I just don't know if I can make that kind of commitment to focus my reading that much.  My 'to read' list is huge and there are books sitting on my own bookshelves that I haven't gotten to yet.  So I'm still undecided on what to do about reading challenges in 2010.  If I do sign up for any, I'm going to be very selective and only do a few.  If you are interested in reading challenges for next year, check out A Novel Challenge.  The blog is great for finding many of the challenges that are going on and there is also a Yahoo! Group with information on the challenges and people providing lots of encouragement.

I've hosted very few giveaways on Library Girl Reads in 2009 but I plan on changing that in 2010.  My stack of books that I've read but don't want to keep is growing and I want to pass them along to other readers.  These are mainly books I've enjoyed but that I know I won't read a second time and I need all the space on my bookshelves I can get.  I'm hoping to be able to host a giveaway monthly from my own collection and to possibly host some giveaways from authors, publishers, and/or publicists as well.  So if you would like to give something away on my blog in the next year, please contact me!

I'd love to have more content from authors on the blog too.  I'm not great at coming up with questions for the author interview type posts but I'm sure we could agree on a general topic and time line for getting a post up.  Authors, publicists, publishers, please contact me if you have content I can post.

As for my reading, I would love to be more organized.  In recent months, I've been very scattered with my reading.  Even when I'm enjoying a book, I'm having a hard time focusing.  I think I've been overwhelmed with other things and it has really affected my ability to concentrate.  I've been trying to fit in review books, books I own, and all the great books I keep adding to the 'to read' list and it has gotten out of hand.  In 2010, I will probably be accepting fewer review copies so that I can catch up a little bit on the books that I own.  Of course, if it is already on the 'to read' list, I'd be happy to accept a copy!

Every year, I say that things will settle down after the holidays are over.  Every year, I am wrong.  There are always going to be big changes coming and things shifting.  The best I can do is try to focus and take each day as it comes.  Some days, I will have the time to read and blog and some days, I just won't.  I'm going to accept that and not pressure myself to get content up on a regular schedule.  That would take the enjoyment out of blogging for me.

So what can I say for 2010?  I will still be here, writing book reviews and doing more giveaways.  I hope that you will take the journey with me and we'll just see what happens!

What are your reading and blogging plans for 2010?

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. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Sometimes Life Gets in the Way...

of reading and blogging. We've had a busy, busy summer here. July was filled with traveling and we had lots of company in August. Add my daughter learning to crawl and having trouble settling down for her afternoon naps and I just haven't gotten a lot of reading done.

I would love to be posting on here regularly, at least three times a week. But the reality is that I have much less time to read these days and I have other tasks that also must be completed while my daughter naps. My hope is to get us in a bit more of a routine now that things are settling down a bit and to start posting about once a week again.

I have quite the stack of books to read and I'm really hoping that some of them will be great books that I will be excited to share with you.

I appreciate all of my readers and hope that I can once again provide some regular content for you soon!

My Vision for Library Girl Reads

First, a little about me: My name is Angela and I have worked in libraries for over 10 years. I absolutely love to read and have since I was a kid. Summer nights my mom would find me in bed with a book and a flashlight long after lights out. Five years ago I married a wonderful man who also loves to read. It won't be too long before we need to buy another bookshelf! We are expecting our first child within the next few weeks so I'm now going to be a stay at home mom.

My vision for this blog is to share books with others by posting my thoughts and opinions on a variety of titles. While our home collection is mainly fantasy fiction and historical fiction, I am a frequent visitor to our local library which expands my range of reading. I hope to review recently released titles often; however older titles will also appear as I reread some of my favorites. I also participate in an Early Reviewers Group at Library Thing so I may have the opportunity to review some titles that have not yet been published.

While the focus of this blog will be on books, I may also post reviews of products on occasion. These posts will be rare as I will only review products I feel extremely strongly about (whether positively or negatively).