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.

Book Blogger Hop 6/18/2010

Each weekend, Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books hosts the Book Blogger Hop.  The Book Blogger Hop is a great way for book lovers and book bloggers to come together and discover new book blogs.

If you have hopped over from the Mr. Linky, Welcome!  I hope you will stay a bit and look around.  I haven't been able to participate in the hop for a few weeks so I'm glad to be hopping again.  I review a wide range of books including (but not limited to!) urban fantasy, young adult, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, chic lit, cozy mystery, and some non-fiction.  I also have a regular monthly giveaway, with the June Giveaway ending very soon.  There are 10 books to choose from this month.  Unfortunately, I do have to limit these giveaways to the USA only.

I love comments so please don't be shy!

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.

CSN Bookshelf Review

At the beginning of June, I posted about an offer I received from CSN stores to review a product.  Well, my bookshelf arrived and my husband put it together over the weekend.  I chose the Antigua 53" H Four Tier Bookcase.  We decided before it arrived that we would put it in our bedroom instead of in the loft with our other bookshelves.  This way we can put books on it that we know we want to read in the near future and new books as we purchase them so they won't get lost among the other books before we've read them.

Ordering from CSN was easy, although I did goof up using the promo code they emailed me.  Ashley was able to straighten me out though and then it worked just fine.  I think the product shipped within 48 hours of my ordering it and I ordered it pretty late in the day.

We started out putting it together with me holding parts while he fastened them in place but then our daughter woke up from her nap so he was on his own.  I think having two people to get the top shelf onto the sides made it a lot easier.  The screws are in an awkward place so I'm not sure one person could hold the pieces and put the screws in at the same time.  I don't think he had any trouble with getting the rest of it together on his own.  In the picture he is putting the feet on before standing it up to add the back.  I actually liked the look of it without the back but we decided it really did need it for stability.

It looks a bit bare right now but I'm sure we will fill it up quickly!  The top shelf is my husband's and the middle and bottom shelves are mine.  Right now this doesn't include books that I have lined up for review or series books where I need to read multiple books to catch up or want to actually re-read the entire series.  No library books on there yet either but that will change soon too.  It actually matches our bedroom furniture quite well which is a great bonus.

Overall, I am very pleased with this bookshelf and my experience with CSN Stores.

The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.  CSN Stores provided me with a promotional code which I could use to purchase any item in their stores to review (up to a certain price point).  No monetary compensation was received for this review.

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.

Mailbox Monday 6/14/2010

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Simply Stacie, This Mama Loves Her Bargains, and A little of this and a little of that...

To participate:

* Add your blog to the linky
* Subscribe by email to the three hostesses - they will subscribe to your blog email feed
* Visit other blogs on the list and subscribe by email to the ones that interest you.  Please leave a comment letting the blogger know that you found their blog through Mailbox Monday.  Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in the comment and to confirm your email subscription.

Everyone is welcome to participate.  There will be a new linky each week so make sure you stop by one of the hostesses blogs to add your link on Mondays.  Every week a featured blog will have the #4 spot in the Linky - I was very surprised this morning to find out that Library Girl Reads is featured this week!

Your blog must have a way to subscribe by email.  If it doesn't, one of the hostesses will remove your link.

Help spread the word by creating a Mailbox Monday post with the blog hop code.  Have fun finding some new blogs :-)



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.

Stealing Lumby by Gail Fraser

Title:  Stealing Lumby
Author:  Gail Fraser
Publisher:  New American Library
Publication Date:  September 2007
Format:  Paperback, 329 pages
Age Group:  Adult
Series:  Lumby (Book 2)

When a famous painting, The Barns of Lumby, is stolen national attention is focused on the usually quiet town of Lumby and its very private residents.  The Montis Inn, run by Pam and Mark Walker, is over run with reporters at the same time that Mark is pushing forward one project after another.  Katie Banks, the owner of the barns depicted in the painting, has personal reasons not to trust the reporters.  No one realizes what a personal connection Charlotte Ross has to the painting and to the artist, Dana Porter.  Then one of the actual barns disappears and the town comes together in unexpected ways to help preserve a piece of national history.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Lumby Lines, and I found this installment just as charming.  The residents of Lumby all have such unique and interesting stories.  Fraser does a wonderful job at weaving the individual stories into the overall picture.  She is able to connect the residents of Lumby with the famous artist and the national story about the painting without losing the charm of life in Lumby.  Many familiar characters return in Stealing Lumby and there are a few new friends introduced as well.

It is very rare that a book will actually bring a smile to my face or cause me to laugh out loud.  Stealing Lumby is a fun book and a great break from the darkness often found in the books I read.  It was actually a perfect follow up to Susan Kelly's By Accident because it was such a change of pace.

I borrowed Stealing Lumby from my local library and all opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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.