Grand Opening

At Disney World, new rides are opened briefly and at times of the operators’ choosing before the Grand Opening. This is called a Soft Opening. The past month has been the Soft Opening of my blog, a time to gain some valuable experience, test the equipment, and generally check that the ride is functioning according to spec. So far, the early riders have been fellow book bloggers (thank you!) and a handful of people from the rest of my life (thank you, too!).

Today is my Grand Opening, the day that I tell everyone else, pretty much anyone that I can reach in my network through Facebook, Twitter, email, and other sites. This will include people I have known since first grade and people I have never actually met but connected with through libraries or books sometime in the last few years. Thank you to each of you who have come to celebrate this Grand Opening.

And, what would a Grand Opening be without a Door Prize? Leave a comment on this post stating where you heard about Joy’s Book Blog (partly because I’m curious and partly so that I can tell the difference between real people and spammers) to register for the Door Prize. Leave a comment before 11:59 CST on Monday night, February 7. One randomly selected commenter will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card! If you are visiting for the first time or the thirty-first time, you are eligible to win!

Do you know anyone else who would like to read a blog about books? Please send them a link to my blog!

How did you hear about Joy’s Book Blog?

Comments

Grand Opening — 60 Comments

Amy on February 4, 2011 at 10:08 am said:

Oh, so excited!!! I love books and opinions!! And this sounds like so much fun!!!!
Bobbi Newman on February 4, 2011 at 10:19 am said:

Congratulations on the new blog Joy! I’m looking forward to it! I love the colors, purple!

PS I found out through your invite on FB.
Kathy Carlton Willis on February 4, 2011 at 10:22 am said:

Joy, congrats on your new blog. I heard about it from your facebook status update. And you’re covering one of my favorite subjects—BOOKS! Wishing you all the best with this new endeavor. ~Kathy
Amy P on February 4, 2011 at 10:26 am said:

This is so great, Joy, congrats! Not sure if I saw it on Facebook or got an email first, but I saw it both places =]
Looking forward to reading about your readings!
Jodie B. on February 4, 2011 at 10:33 am said:

The new site looks great and I’ve already added it to my RSS feed. Sorry I didn’t not get back to you sooner. I got busy at work, snow days and then the email got buried in my inbox.
chgscott on February 4, 2011 at 10:34 am said:

Thanks for the invitation to the Grand Opening. Clearly a work of passion! Eager to see new posts and reviews!
Sally Felt on February 4, 2011 at 10:36 am said:

Hello, my fave NaNoWriMo (one-time, years-past) newbie pal! I got your email this morning. Impressive blog. (Posting daily? Wow!) I like the format you’ve adopted for your reviews, and am now adding you to my feed.

Congratulations on a fab start!

Sally
Tom Peters on February 4, 2011 at 10:53 am said:

Congrats, Joy. I saw your email message. I host a series of online public programs called OPAL (www.opal-online.org). Many OPAL programs are about reading and literature: Book discussions, author interviews, genre discussions, etc. We record and archive most of the programs, too.
Julia Seiter on February 4, 2011 at 10:54 am said:

Hi Joy!
Just added you to my reader. You always have the best recipes…
Julia
Erin on February 4, 2011 at 11:22 am said:

Congratulations, Joy, the site looks great! I’ve only known about your blog since Bloggiesta, when you left a comment on my blog. And now we’re reading buddies!
Mary Nickels Palacios on February 4, 2011 at 11:34 am said:

I found out about this through Facebook. I wish you well with your blog and look forward to reading it! I’d love some of your recipes – always looking for something new to make.
Susan Baerwald on February 4, 2011 at 11:47 am said:

Hi Joy, Great blog! So glad to get your e-mail about it. I’ll be checking in regularly. Thanks.
Katrina Stierholz on February 4, 2011 at 12:01 pm said:

Great news! I love your writing; I’m looking forward to reading your writing about your reading. ; )

Got the news via email from you.
Geri H on February 4, 2011 at 12:04 pm said:

Joy, I loved what you had to say about criticism, education and elitism. Good luck with the blog!
Nancee on February 4, 2011 at 12:17 pm said:

I love your blog, Joy, and especially appreciate the great reviews of the cool cookbooks you’ve blogged about! I am anxious to check out Love in the Time of Cholesterol and Women’s Heart Cookbook.
ChrisT on February 4, 2011 at 12:36 pm said:

Very attractive blog. Heard about it on Facebook. I liked the links.
Wren on February 4, 2011 at 12:54 pm said:

This is very exciting!
Julie Reese on February 4, 2011 at 12:56 pm said:

Congrats on your blog. I found out about it through Facebook. I love some of your recipes.
Shannon on February 4, 2011 at 1:18 pm said:

I heard about your awesome blog through my boyfriend’s sister! HAHA! It looks great and I can’t wait to read more! Pick me for the door prize! Pleeeeeease!!!! 🙂
Keri C. on February 4, 2011 at 1:29 pm said:

Got the invite on FB and email. Congrats on your new endeavor, I’ll add you to my RSS reader. Happy blogging!
BookishDesi on February 4, 2011 at 2:09 pm said:

I learned about your brand new book blog via a phone conversation with you in December! 😀

i love it!
Michelle Boule on February 4, 2011 at 2:34 pm said:

Joy, love your new online space. Happy reading and writing!

I found out about your blog through your Twitter feed.
Carol A. on February 4, 2011 at 2:46 pm said:

Best wishes on the new blog, Joy! I’m happy to know what you’re up to. I heard about this via a message from FB. 🙂
Sally Behringer on February 4, 2011 at 3:24 pm said:

Congrats on the great new blog, Joy! I’ll be a regular visitor!
Jason M on February 4, 2011 at 3:46 pm said:

Very awesome. Looking forward to reading on a regular basis. Saw this via invite on facebook.
silverbirch on February 4, 2011 at 3:55 pm said:

What a nice site! I’ll be watching the British Books Challenge …

Thanks for the Beck announcement. The web is a big place and I don’t suppose I’d have found this site otherwise.
Teri-Ann on February 4, 2011 at 3:56 pm said:

Saw the invitation to the Grand Opening on FB under events. Love the idea of you blogging about books and I look forward to reading the entries. Will each entry be announced on FB so we are prompted to visit? 😉
Melanie Gottlieb on February 4, 2011 at 8:56 pm said:

I was invited through FB events, although we met in library school! Glad to see you here and looking forward to reading your blog! 🙂
Linda Meade on February 4, 2011 at 9:49 pm said:

Got the invite via email and on Facebook. Excited for you…yay!
Connie Crosby on February 4, 2011 at 9:53 pm said:

Hi Joy:

Congratulations on the new blog! What a great way to pursue your book passion. All the best.

Cheers,
Connie
DaleRobertWeese on February 5, 2011 at 1:22 am said:

Looks great Joy! I first heard about it over lunch, I think, when you asked me to look over a list of possible names for the blog. But don’t award me the door prize, it would be unseemly for your brother to win.

You have put a huge amount of effort into this. I wish you readership and a well deserved sense of accomplishment.

Dale
BBE on February 5, 2011 at 5:58 am said:

It’s a joy alright to read about books – Bon Voyage on your journey.

I heard about Joy’s Book Blog from your post on 3 Fat Chicks. Glad I found it. (We also have brownstones in Boston.)
Nupur on February 5, 2011 at 6:33 am said:

Best wishes for your new blog, Joy! I heard about it from your e-mail. I look forward to reading more.
Pingback:Book Review: Healthy Family Meals | Joy's Book Blog
Jen on February 5, 2011 at 1:21 pm said:

Hi Joy! I found your blog from the e-mail you sent out. Can’t wait to catch up on all the posts! Love hearing about new books.
Sheila (Bookjourney) on February 5, 2011 at 1:25 pm said:

Joy you and I connected through the Monday where are you reading meme…. I love the grand opening what a fantastic idea – and your blog looks lovely!
Margot on February 5, 2011 at 2:40 pm said:

Congratulations on your Grand Opening and Welcome to the Book Blogging World. I believe I first met you through Weekend Cooking but it may have been the Foodie’s Reading Challenge. Anyway, your blog is beautiful and it’s nice to make a new blogging friend.
Christa on February 5, 2011 at 4:49 pm said:

Wonderful opening! I love the blog, of course, a bit of a sucker for books myself. I’ll check in frequently!
Marilyn Johnson on February 5, 2011 at 5:47 pm said:

Congratulations on a very neat blog! You know, of course, that cooking is one of my “things”, so reading about cookbooks was great. Your Mom would love it. Miss seeing you.Come to Louisiana some time. Got your card, thanks.
michelle on February 5, 2011 at 8:28 pm said:

I love your purple! I found you via your Weekend Cooking link at Beth Fish Reads. Congratulations and Happy Blogging!!
Dawn Park on February 5, 2011 at 9:54 pm said:

I will be sharing your book blog with my book club. From today’s brief scan, I got some great ideas for future titles I’d like to curl up with. I envy the time you seem to have to read! Thanks for the email about your new blog!
:)Dawn
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Col (Col Reads) on February 6, 2011 at 1:05 pm said:

Congratulations on the new blog — and good luck!

I found your blog through the Weekend Cooking meme!

Best, Colleen
Chris P on February 6, 2011 at 5:03 pm said:

Joy,

Congrats on the new blog! Can’t wait.

I learned about it on Twitter.

Christina
Lexxiss on February 6, 2011 at 6:49 pm said:

I thought I’d register before I start enjoying. I love cookbooks! and am excited to read your reviews.

Best Wishes!
Your Beck friend,
Debbie
Onebyone on February 6, 2011 at 9:55 pm said:

Good job getting this going…! I look forward to reading
your reviews.

All the best!
Gnoe (@Graasland) on February 7, 2011 at 2:12 am said:

Yay, congrats on the JOYFUL GRAND OPENING of Joy’s Book Blog!

I know your blog thanks to Bloggiesta, Foodie’s Reading Challenge and — I believe — Weekend Cooking. It’s all looking good! 🙂
Pingback:It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? | Joy's Book Blog
Natalie on February 7, 2011 at 11:03 am said:

Congrats on your grand opening! I saw your post on Sheila’s comments and thought I would check it out.
Good luck with it and looking forward to your posts!
Natalie :0)
nataliew2@gmail.com
http://www.thebookinn.net
Shirley on February 7, 2011 at 11:36 am said:

You have incredible readership for a new blog. Where can I sign up to follow? Will you have email subscriptions available?
Cat on February 7, 2011 at 2:52 pm said:

Hi Joy,

Thanks for visiting my blog – repaying your visit I have discovered a lovely new blog and I look forward to dropping by again.
Sara N on February 7, 2011 at 2:57 pm said:

Hi Joy! So excited to read your book blog – and I love that you’re starting off with Sharon Shinn! I got the email… I guess I need to find you on Facebook!
Shayna Richter on February 7, 2011 at 3:00 pm said:

This is quite a neat thing you have here… I’ve never been a reader but I’m actually looking forward to your suggestions and opinions. Congrats and best wishes!
Leeswammes (Judith) on February 7, 2011 at 4:16 pm said:

Congrats on the opening of this beautiful blog. May it be very successful!

I found you via the Monday Meme, but I’m quite sure I’ve been by before.
Joy on February 7, 2011 at 5:08 pm said:

I heard about ur site when you visited my blog – thanks for that!
I love the look and name too 😉
Lauri Chandler on February 7, 2011 at 6:14 pm said:

Hi Joy,
Congrats on the grand opening. I found you from BookJourney. I started my website focusing on children’s books for parents and kids about 8 months ago. It has been an amazing ride and I am still finding so many different ways to promote books and reading. I know you will have fun!

Please think of my site for anyone you know who enjoys children’s literature.
Thanks,
Lauri Chandler
http://www.bookblogfun.doodlekit.com
Julie @ Knitting and Sundries on February 7, 2011 at 6:44 pm said:

I came over from the It’s Monday! What Are You Reading meme! You are going to love doing this! 🙂
Sherri on February 7, 2011 at 8:54 pm said:

I came over from the Monday meme.

First of all – Congratulations on your Grand Opening and Welcome to the Book Blogging World. 🙂

Second, love your review of the Healthy Family cookbook. I also look for something a bit more exciting with a cookbook so that one looks like a no go to me.

Also, I’m trying to find your follow or feedburner subscription. Did I miss it? I’ll take another look around.
carol on February 8, 2011 at 4:17 am said:

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Congrats on the Grand Opening of your blog.

I do love the layout of your blog.
Purple is a fab colour to grab my attention (it doesn’t take much).

Looking forward to seeing more.

carol
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a librarian writes about books

Grand Opening

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Grand Opening — 60 Comments

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