Her Book Self

Hi!  I'm Lisa, better known as lisa :) - that little smiley is to let you know that I'm a pretty friendly person and I'm glad you've stopped by to visit my blog!  And why wouldn't I be smiling when I'm surrounded by so many wonderful things to read?  When I don't have my nose tucked in a book, I'm usually out saving the world - or at least trying to advance science a bit with my work in cancer research.  Otherwise, I'm hanging out with my fabulous family and super fun friends watching movies, exploring nature, playing games, or working on something crafty (knitting, cross-stitch, crochet, scrapbooking, stamp collecting).  Want to know more about me?  Check out my writing and take a look at what I like to read!  I chose the title Her Book Self for this blog not only as a play on bookshelf, but because I think the books someone reads are an interesting way to get a snapshot of a personality.  My reading tastes defy genre classification, and though I may have a slight inkling towards fantasy and young adult literature, I could easily wander through a bookstore and find something to interest me (and likely something I have read) from any section in the store.  Along with all types of books, I love to read YOUR comments so don't hesitate to respond to any and every post you read!

This blog began as an offshoot to Blogger Arrow (a blog I began several years ago) but as I noticed that some of the most interesting things I had to say were about or inspired by books, I decided it was time to evolve into a quasi-official Book Blogger.  I love to read and I read a lot.  Of course "a lot" is a subjective term but I've figured it to be an average of 84 books/year since 2007.  For some people that's a puny number but for others that's close to a decade's worth of library space.  As an active member of Library Thing, I'm often given the chance to read and review books before their release dates as part of their Early Reviewers program and I look forward to highlighting those choices on this blog.  And since I'm always on the lookout for the next great book, I plan to showcase some indie authors and discuss some works that many people have never heard of with the hopes of introducing new readers to writers I love.

In an attempt to be a little more interactive, I added a few features that I hope people will enjoy.  The blog widget to the left is displaying the covers of the last ten books I have read, and below that is a poll that you can vote in.  I'll try to post a new one every month so stop back and leave me your vote!  Also to the left, above the archives, you will find a search box.  This box (powered by LibraryThing) provides a handy tool for searching my book catalog.  This is helpful way to explore books I've read or am planning to read so feel free to run a quick search on any author, title, subject or tag. You can also follow the links to pages that show lists of every book I've blogged about, alphabetical by author or title, and an index of author interviews.  These will be updated monthly (at least) and allow handy access to the books and authors I've mentioned.  You'll also see a list to the left of blog followers, if you like what you see I'd love to have you join up and follow along!  If an RSS feed is easier for you, I've provided links for those as well!  Since I'm a reader even more than a writer, you'll see two blog lists on the right.  The first is a group of blogs by writers both amateur and professional and other book blogs or book-related blogs.  The second list contains other blogs that I generally keep tabs on.  If you're reading this and have a blog that I have not listed, please leave me a comment or send me an email with your blog address so I can add you to my roll!

Thanks for stopping by my newest blog, and please feel free to comment on any post new or old!